Rating: 
Summary: WARNING...May Cause Drowsiness
Review: If I could return this DVD I would. I am a 26-year-old female who has been practicing Yoga several times a week for about 2 years. I was looking for a program that would at least make me sweat a little- and this is NOT it. I would recommend this for inflexible women over 40 and beginners only. Maybe not even beginners. I wouldn't want this program to be your initial impression of what yoga is or can be. I suggest Living Arts Total Body Workout- with individual Abs, Lower Body & Upper Body segments. I purchased Suzanne Deason's Yoga for Weight Loss because she is an instructor on my other DVD- but this is definitely not for the young and active.
The scenery is beautiful, but the music is more of a lullaby. I found myself yawning several times during the seemingly endless 45-minute program. My suggestion: if you can touch your toes then PASS on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy workout with results
Review: My wife and I started using this DVD two to three times a week. I thought I would have trouble sticking with it but this workout has a 10 minute warmup, a 20 minute workout and a 15 minute cool down. I was amazed that I actually look forward to doing this workout. It is a meditation combined with stretching and positions that leave you feeling relaxed while at the same time energized and emotionally refreshed. I have recommended this DVD highly to all of our friends and we still use it regularly after 2 years. There are 4 levels of instruction and the DVD features make it easy to watch all four together or each one separately as you grow and become more flexible. I never thought Yoga would be so easy and enjoyable. We also both lost a lot of weight combining this with a sensible diet program.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific multi-views - A great way to build up yoga practice
Review: Sure, it's not Tae-Bo, but it is not supposed to be. This is yoga, pure and simple. I really like this DVD - beautiful environment and music at a nice pace. But the most wonderful functionality that you can get in this DVD is the multi-views. It gives you the ability to gauge your own ability, and follow an instructor that is at your level(fully modified, 1/2 modified, 1/4 modified). You can start at one level, and change the view when you become stronger and more flexible. Most surprising, some of the instructors are not model-thin! Another great feature is the ability to "drill deeper" into the pose. During the workout, you have the option to position the cursor to learn more about the pose - it flips you into a studio view of the main instructor teaching the pose - then it flips back into the workout. If you are heavy and are looking for a way to get moving, or if you just want a gentle yoga practice that you can build up slowly - this is a great DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Great program! Geared for your growth, and DVD makes it easy
Review: This is a great program! I have a very basic understanding of yoga, and though this workout is challenging, it wasn't too tough for a relative beginner, like me. The best part about it is that four different ladies are doing the workout, each at a different level - from fully modified to regular workout - and with the DVD, you get to choose which lady you'd like to follow! I enjoy this feature tremendously, as I look forward to moving up the levels. There is also the "personal instructor" feature - during the different poses, an icon will appear in the bottom right corner of your screen, telling you the personal instructor feature is available -- all you have to do is hit enter on your remote and it takes you to the "yoga studio" where Suzanne Deason shows you the correct positioning. Then it takes you back to the workout! Neat! The workout is 45 minutes, but it takes place in 3 sections, and you can choose if you want to do all 3 sections, or any one of them alone. Some yoga programs move too fast, but this one moves at just the right pace. The explanations of the positions are thorough enough that your eyes don't have to be glued to the TV the whole time. Suzanne Deason is gentle, respectful, and sincere. All in all, a great investment! (Oh, and if you haven't already, do get the yoga props -- they help a lot if you're not a pro at yoga.)
Rating:
Summary: You don't have to be thin to do yoga!
Review: This is by far the smoothest yoga routine I've ever seen, and the desert scenery is breathtaking! Yoga in it's pure form is about breath, focus and meditation, as well as the poses, and Susanne Deason does an excellent job integrating all these aspects. In the west, all the focus is on exercise and doing the poses, but breathing and focusing is an essential part of yoga that makes it much more effective! And much to my surprise - there are very overweight women doing yoga and doing it well! I weigh 180 lbs and exercise regularly and do a lot of yoga and it's great to see other women the same size who do it too. You don't have to be a skinny toothpick to do yoga! I've known that for 10 years, but you wouldn't know if you look at any other yoga DVD or video. I love the way the instructor uses voiceover to talk you through the routine while the 4 people do the poses at various levels. She explains so much more than someone who's talking and doing the routine at the same time, and explains it beautifully. Beats me why they call it weight loss yoga. The routine is slow and soothing, and I haven't lost a pound since I started doing it - but I enjoy it anyways as a great form of relaxation, toning and meditation. I did not give it 5 stars because of the misleading title only. Otherwise, it's a great workout and would be awesome for anyone who is overweight and intimidated by the super thin, athletic and flexible bodies in all the other yoga DVD's and videos out there. In fact, the second thinnest woman does the most modified & easiest version and two heavier women do the more challenging levels. Overall - great for overweight yoga enthusiasts and beginners and even someone like me, who likes to do moderate yoga, but is not a beginner.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is my first yoga experience and I selected Suzanne Deeson's.
I am thrilled. I just received the tape yesterday and completed the workoutlast night and again this morning - absolutely oustanding. The scenery is indeed breathtaking. I love the varying sizes of the instrucors and could adjust based on my level of flexibility. I am online now looking for other yoga tapes from her. I found the yoga training calming and relaxing - the pace was perfect. I loved the tempo and also her voice. I am a Motivational Speaker and Business Etiquette Tainer and this is outstanding. Tremendous job! Great for beginners or people who just want to achieve peace and balance in their lives. Ta-ta.
Rating:
Summary: A good place to start!
Review: This video/DVD is great for the beginner! It gives you time to follow along and get into the poses, and also shows options for modifying them.
When I first began practicing yoga I purchased a few other DVDs that I found very frustrating to use as a result of their being so fast paced. I felt that I needed to constantly pause or go back to keep up.
At this point I still use this DVD, along with the others that I initially had trouble with. I feel that using this DVD familiarized me with yoga so that I am now in a position to do the faster-paced programs.
In terms of weight loss, the program will provide muscle toning and stretching. You will definitely feel stronger and more balanced after doing it. The DVD does not get your heart pumping (for me at least). So to lose weight you would most likely need to combine the practice with healthy eating habits, etc.
Rating:
Summary: My all time favorite yoga video!!!
Review: This was the first Yoga tape I ever purchased over a year and a half ago and it is the one that I always come back to! This one is the most relaxing and I feel I get the best stretch. The length of the stretch is key for me as I have other yoga tapes that don't hold the stretch for long enough in my opinion and that's where the work is. For those that feel it is not a workout there is a difference between simply holding up your arms and doing the postures and stretching and reaching and adding your own natural resistance. Only you will know if you are doing that and you can lower and deepen into the stretches more. If you don't feel it I don't think you are doing it properly.
For others that feel the pace of the tape is too slow maybe power yoga is just more what they are looking for. The emphasis on this tape is to relax, let go of tension, and feel the stretch. The workout is in holding the stretch and building up that endurance. Suzanne's voice is very soothing. She is heard as a backround with very light music and she gently guides you into each pose and breath. You just can't help but relax....even though you are still working hard.
As for the weight loss marketing Suzanne pretty much explains in the beginning that weight loss will come naturally when you have a better connection between mind, body and spirit which is what Yoga is all about, so in that respect it's true. I have the VHS version which shows all four modifications and I like it that way. Some postures I can do in the complete form and others I do In one of the slightly modified forms.
whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced, all levels are shown here. This is definitely a tape you could start with...grow into...and use, as I plan to, for a very very long time.
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