The Yoga Page

I have been practicing yoga off-and-on since late 2001 / early 2002.  The "off" comes from required breaks due to illness, injury, and class hiatuses.  I just re-started yoga a few weeks ago after over a year of being unable to practice it because of my health.  But the heart stuff is getting back to normal, so yoga time!

Why I Yoga

My mother actually introduced me to yoga after she started classes to help with her high blood pressure.  She thought I would enjoy it so when a new session of classes began, I signed up with her.  She was right - I loved it!  We started going to classes in the evening.  The classes were taught by James Brewer, who is still my yoga teacher to this day (and I hope he will be for quite some time in the future!)  James's yoga sessions can really kick my butt - but he makes it fun!

The fun thing about yoga, aside from the fact that it tones and strengthens, is that there is a yoga workout to match your every mood.  Calm, energetic, meditative, fun... it all depends on the positions you choose and how you put them together into a workout. 

Recommended Yoga Videos and DVDs

When I am not going to regular yoga classes, I try to practice on my own.  I do either a self-guided practice based on James's classes or follow a video or book.  Rodney Yee is my favorite video yoga instructor, so I have quite a few of his DVDs and videos. 

A lot of my videos are "For Beginners", but this can be a little deceiving.  When they say "beginner", they aren't talking about random Joe Schmo off the streets.  Instead, they are speaking of someone that has had at least one hour of personal yoga instruction (in a class, typically).  That one hour makes a huge difference in knowing what the heck Rodney means when he says "cobra" or "downward dog".  

Here are a few of my favorite video and DVD workouts:

Yoga for Weight Loss
This isn't really a weight loss DVD - at least not any more than any other exercise video is.  It is split into three sections that you can play together, making a single 45-minute session.  It is a great DVD for beginners since with the introduction of each new position, there is the option of going to a short video, demonstrating the proper alignment and other nifty information about the new position.

Back Care Yoga for Beginners 
with Rodney Yee
A short 20-minute video of gentle yoga to help relieve back pain and strengthen and stretch your core muscles.  

This is my all time favorite and most used video.  It's very gentle and virtually the only thing that can relax my back when it is acting up (yikes, I sound like an old woman!)  

You will need a chair and a strap to do this workout, but it is very much worth it. The chair-based exercises are some great hip openers, which I think are ultimately my all time favorite type of yoga pose.

Yoga Journal's Yoga for Back Care
This one is very different from the Back Care Yoga for Beginners.  It is over an hour long (total time 75 minutes, but that includes Rodney's chatty intro), split into three separate workouts.  

I've never done the workouts separately as they are made to fit and flow together.  I actually think it would be a little too gentle of a workout to just do one of the segments alone.  Doing all three of them, you still get a gentle work out that does stretch and work your back (though BCYfB is still my favorite).  

One big thing to note with the DVD is the props you need.  You'll need a block (Rodney uses two but one would do), a bolster, a blanket, a strap and two chairs.  Yes, two chairs.  It's a good DVD, but I really think it would benefit from requiring fewer props.  All in all, a good, gentle workout to strengthen your back.  

Flow Series: Earth, Water and Fire
I only have the Water series but the two yogis in this video are actually my yogi's yogis.  So watching the video is very  much like taking one of James' classes!  

The Flow style of yoga is great for building heat.  In other words, you move consistently and thus get an even greater workout.  I firmly believe that Flow-style yoga could kick anyone's butt!

The whole series consists of three workouts: Earth, Water, and Fire.  I think Earth would be right up my ally right now since I haven't done much yoga in so long, but it used to be that Water was a decent workout for me - only a little strenuous.  

And I just found out that they now have all of them on DVDs.  Ooh!  I might have to go shopping!

Rodney Yee's Power Yoga for Strength, Stamina, Flexibility
This is a really neat DVD, I think. It consists of three levels of Power Yoga workouts.  Strength is pretty basic.  Stamina gets a little tougher and you will definitely feel it afterwards.  Don't do that one on a day that you are tired as it will wear you out.  Flexibility is the hardest one of the three.  While the hardest, it isn't impossible to do, but I would suggest not starting with this one.  That's what I did and, while I made it through to the end, I was begging Rodney to stop.  He didn't listen.

Anyway, a great series of yoga, especially since it is Power Yoga so a more strenuous and energetic workout than some of the other tapes and DVDs out there.  Definitely a requirement to any Yoga library.

Rodney Yee's Total Body Yoga: Abs, Upper Body, Lower Body
First of all, about the Total Body Yoga: Abs - kill me now!  Do that workout regularly and you will get some buff, gorgeous abs!  Unfortunately, I am too much of a wimp to do it regularly.  I'm not a big believer in the "no pain, no gain" theory.  I follow more of the "no pain, no pain" school of though, especially with yoga.  So 20 minutes of abs-intensive exercises makes my poor flabby tummy cry uncle about 10 minutes into it.  But, with that said, I am able to finish the entire workout and I really like it.  It's defiantly a unique workout compared to some of the other videos out there. 

The upper body section of the DVD is good, but even though I did it just last week, I can't think of anything that really stands out about it.  Hmm, will have to ponder that some more.

As for the Total Body Yoga: Lower Body, this is the one workout on this DVD not done by Rodney Yee.  Instead, it is done by Suzanne Deason.  Now, I really enjoy her All Day Yoga: Stress, but she's still not my favorite video yogi. So I don't do the lower body workout as much.  But maybe I will in the future and can say something insightful about it here.

Yoga Journal's Yoga for Energy & Strength 
The Yoga for Energy workout is for those who are comfortable enough in the poses to not need much instruction.  Unlike other videos, this video will not tell you how to get into and out of each pose or the proper alignment.  It is assumed you already know that information.  Instead, it is a guided practice with limited instructions, which leads to a very focused and meditative practice.  There are five practice sessions - Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ether.  

Yoga Links

As always, the internet is a great place for yoga resources.  There are, of course, more links that what I have... I'll hopefully be adding more in the future!

Yoga Journal - www.yogajournal.com  - the website for the magazine.  A great place to find information about yoga in general, specific positions, and interesting articles.

Last updated 10-May-06