Yoga Journal's Yoga for Relaxation and Meditation

Rating:
Summary: No advantage over VHS version
Review: I bought the DVD so I could click right to the part I wanted. It isn't set up that way. GAIAM merely transferred the VHS tape to DVD without putting in any chapters so I have to fast forward to get to the part I want, just like in the VHS version. In addition, the quality of the picture is not as crisp as DVD movies I watch. Great scenery of Yosemite (the other reason I bought it), but otherwise if you have the VHS version, don't get this one.

Rating:
Summary: good warm-up for zen sitting
Review: If you are deepening your meditation, and longer sitting is required, then try the Rodney Yee yoga techniques. They will loosen the thighs, hips and lower back considerably. A zen practioner's various lotus positions will greatly benefit from Yee's wholistic approach. He manages to stretch muscles and tendons in subtle and profound ways. Give this DVD a try when you're in need of some strengthening before sitting for the longer spells.

Rating:
Summary: correcting the previous review.
Review: The other review is correct in her/his assessments of the dvd they own, but unfortunately they are not talking about the dvd on this page. They are referring to the Rodney Yee _Yoga for Strength and Energy_ dvd.

Rating:
Summary: Content: A , Production: D
Review: This DVD is essentially a combo pack of two previously existing Living Arts programs, "Yoga for Strength" and "Yoga for Energy", bundled with an interview with Rodney Yee.

The content of both programs is quite solid, as can be seen in other reviews here for the VHS versions of the individual "Strength" and "Energy" components. While I love the convenience of having this as a DVD that I can play anywhere on a laptop computer, someone needs to clue in the folks at Living Arts/Gaiam about how to produce DVDs and take advantage of the DVD format. My gripes:

(1) Lack of logical chapter selections
Two examples: (a) The "Yoga for Energy" component is comprised of five separate segments, each shot against a different natural backdrop. Rodney himself is shown on elsewhere on this disc saying that practitioners may wish to choose a particular vinyasa, or pose sequence, to correspond to a time of day or a specific need (focus, calming, etc.). Are the vinyasas encoded as separate chapters that a user can jump to? Nope. Same problem with the separate vinyasas in "Yoga for Strength". (b) There is no option to chapter-forward directly to first exercise portion of the "Strength" program. While I (thoroughly!) enjoy watching Rodney's "pose ballet" at the beginning of the program, it's really inconvenient and silly to have to fast-forward past it every time I'm actually ready to start doing yoga myself -- after all, this is not VHS.

(2) Tape-to-digital transfer
If a producer is going to go the the trouble of creating a DVD, then they ought to go back to the original hi-resolution, broadcast-quality source material. While fast-forwarding through this DVD (see above), I'm repeatedly seeing interlacing lines. What this tells me is that the DVD is essentially a next-generation copy of the VHS tape, rather than a new, "remastered" production.

Rodney Yee is a really outstanding instructor, and doing good yoga is hard work. I only wish the production values on this DVD reflected the thought, care, and expertise that went into the high-quality content. Let's hope for better on upcoming Rodney Yee DVDs.

Rating:
Summary: Not their best work....
Review: This is the yoga session that they always recommend women who are menstruating should use whenever you turn on any living arts tape, but it's dreadful for any time of the month. Patricia Walden's session gave me the worst back ache in the world, because the session is out of balance ... to many postures bending in one direction and none in the opposite direction.

The 1 star is for the Rodney Yee session which isn't as bad as the first one, but it is so advanced you won't believe they put it on there.

I don't understand why these two sessions are sold together, or why they are being sold at all. Don't waste your money on a tape you may never use again.

Instead of this one, I would highly recommend "Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss" with Suzanne Deason, "Yoga Conditioning for Athletes" with Rodney Yee, "Back Care Yoga for Beginners" with Rodney Yee, "A.M Yoga for Beginners" with Rodney Yee, P.M. Yoga for Beginners" with Suzanne Deason, "Stress Relief Yoga for Beginners" with Patricia Walden & "Yoga Journal's Yoga for Meditation" with Rodney Yee which has 5 beautiful sessions with him all one tape which are filmed at the foot of a snow peaked mountain top.