Recommended Yoga Videos and DVDs

AM/PM Yoga For Beginners (2000)

It is know that morning and evening are ideal time to practice yoga poses. Rodney Yee, an internationally acclaimed yoga instructor leads a series of gentle yoga poses at sunrise. AM Yoga has a 4-minute breathing exercise followed by a 12-minute yoga program and 2 minute seated guided meditation set at the end This part helps your mind to focus, and then the basic twists and other poses which follow help your body to awaken. The 20-minute PM part led by Patricia Walden is a bit more difficult. It also begins with a short focus on breathing followed by seated to a kneeling position and also includes more strenuous standing poses. You will get use to this part and feel it works after 3 weeks of practice. The DVD was filmed nicely in 2000, quite old but rare.

Shiva Rea, a California-based yogi, is internationally well known as a specialist of vinyasa yoga. In this DVD, she has broken down the practice into a series of segments of varying lengths. These segments form the "Yoga Matrix," a mix-and-match option which allows you to complete customize your yoga practice. There's 4 complete yoga sessions to choose from : A 45 min beginner session, solar flow 1 & 2 (each about 1 hr 25 min) and a lunar flow - 60 min. Overall, the production quality is awesome, the locations on the beaches are beautiful and the soundtrack is very good.

This DVD is a must have for anyone interested in beginning Kundalini yoga. It begins with the two basic breathing techniques used in Kundalini yoga. Then it goes on to "warm ups" and then the "spinal series" which is designed to make your spine stronger and more flexible. It ends with a relaxation and you can stop there, or continue to the 5 Tibetan rites. If you are looking for a very active practice that will get you in shape, this one is highly recommended.

Kest teaching style is motivational, but compassionate. He encourages the practitioners to modify the exercises to fit their body types rather than a precise replication of the asana performed by yoga teachers. The setting class includes participants who appear to be relatively new to yoga practice. The class members display some variety of strength and flexibility. The first DVD in his series is labeled beginner. The second DVD (intermediate) has a faster pace which leads into successive poses much more quickly. The third (advanced) DVD is definitely challenging. as Kest suggests, you can go to infinite depth in a pose, and he gives solid ideas on how to feel and go deeper in terms of both flexibility and increasing strength.

Yoga Mind and Body is a classic yoga video designed for those already familiar with yoga. Erich Schiffman leads the session and offers simple instructions, soothing encouragement, and a deeper insight into the broader meaning of yoga and meditation. The breathing exercises in the beginning are fabulous even for those who cannot do the poses. This video is beautifully filmed, great music and with easy to follow instructions. It is a great workout and a challenge to do.