Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines)

5 Comments

1. S. Burton

   October 2, 2010 at 4:30 pm

   Review by S. Burton for Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines)
   Rating:
   It is interesting to read what other people have said about this DVD. I agree with some of the comments from reviewers who have given it fewer stars but I gave it five stars because I use it a lot and because I think it deserves a five star rating for being a highest quality presentation and very useful. I do not recommend it for rank beginners. Anyone interested in yoga should try to take a class or workshop from a certified instructor and not just rely on videos. If you do teach yourself from videos though, get several. Living Arts (now known as Gaiam) has some good ones. This DVD is a good supplement to a do-at-home yoga regime.

   You can use this video for short or long programs. It’s easy to select a program. Some of them target specific areas of the body (for example neck, arms and abs, spine, feet, hands, legs and hips). There are a lot of different postures covered in the video, some I’ve never seen anywhere such as hand or eye or feet exercises and, one of my favorites, the seven easy pieces. This DVD has headstands on it which none of my other ones do. There are lots of seated, stretching postures and standing postures. Sun salute, moon salute, and heroes sequence are covered, but only gone through once on each side. You can repeat them if you’re quick with the remote, though, and don’t mind hearing all of the same instructions over again.

   There are a couple of meditation segments that she talks you through. These are kind of nice if you don’t mind being talked to during meditation. Also there are special exercise sequences for “that time of the month” which is a pleasant feature.

   There aren’t many instructions about breathing. If you are a beginner you probably won’t miss them. I may get shouted out of the yoga community for seeming to suggest that correct breathing isn’t an essential part of yoga; shout away. People will breathe anyway. Anyone familiar with yoga will know how to breathe. So, this video doesn’t cover breathing well.

   Be warned. Some of the reviewers have said that you could hurt your back. They are telling the truth, but you can hurt your back from every single yoga video out there if you try to copy the demonstrator. The instructor on this video tells you with her voice how far to go. Maybe she could scream and shout to make it a little clearer, but we do have brains of own . . .

   You don’t have to watch the disclaimer that shows up after you’ve selected your workout. Just press the “next” button on your remote. Practice using your remote with this DVD because you will find that you can skip a posture and repeat a posture, but once it has passed to the next one you can’t go back to it.

   Main weaknesses as far as I’m concerned: relaxation poses at the end are too short and she talks through them. I don’t like that, but when she’s done there’s a music loop that’s fairly long (for a loop) you can use to relax in peace a little longer. I wish there was a printed copy of what’s in each program because it isn’t always easy to remember where some of my favorites are. You’ll have the DVD a long time, though, so you will eventually become familiar with the names of your favorite programs.

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2. Anonymous

   October 2, 2010 at 3:48 pm

   Review by for Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines)
   Rating:
   Thank you JJ Gormley for a wonderful yoga product! I can’t get to classes very often and have missed the details and insight that come from a true yogi. These workouts don’t just take you through a series of poses, they break it all down and explain what you’re doing and should be doing. Yes, it is slower then most, but I like that. I feel like I’m really learning yoga and not just doing it. I also love the variety this dvd gives you – choose your level, choose your purpose, choose the length etc. Before you choose a yoga tape, do some homework on the different types of yoga. If you’re interested in Iyengar style and really want to learn to practice yoga, not just “do” yoga, you will not be disappointed with this dvd.

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3. blueyed puella

   October 2, 2010 at 3:42 pm

   Review by blueyed puella for Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines)
   Rating:
   Workout Description: a variety of general and focused yoga routines for almost any level of yoga student
   
   Workout Level: beginner / intermediate / advanced
   
   Instructor: J. J. Gormley (certified yoga instructor for 25+ years; owner of Sun & Moon Yoga Studio) via voice over. J.J. is very encouraging and explains the poses simply without too much “New Agey” stuff. She doesn’t focus a lot on breath, and she is not very precise with her technique, but I find that she offers helpful pointers just when needed.
   
   Class: J. J. Gormley only
   
   Music / Set: The instrumental music is soft. The set is minimal, with a blue curtain on the back wall; occasionally J.J. incorporates a vase of flowers, candle, or another prop.
   
   Equipment Needed: sticky mat (in a pinch, any mat will do), optional yoga block(s), strap (in a pinch, a belt or tie or towel), or folded blanket for some segments
   
   Caveats: Familiarity with yoga is helpful. If you are learning yoga by video, you should attempt to take a class and / or work with someone experienced in yoga to check your form before moving on to advanced routines. There is little warm-up at the beginning of each session, so take care to warm up and/or center yourself before beginning by doing cardio, stretching, or meditation for a few minutes. Do not move onto the next level until you feel your body is ready. (I have been practicing yoga for almost two years and am just now moving to the intermediate level.)
   
   Additional Comments: This is not an exciting or flashy DVD. Instead, it offers a wide variety of programs at three different levels so you can choose your practice based on how you feel each day and progress at your own pace. There are a total of 48 programs: seven 20-25 minute programs for beginner, nine 30-50 minute programs for beginner, seven 20-40 minute programs for intermediate, nine 45 minute programs for intermediate, and eight 25-45 minute programs for advanced and eight 45-70 minute programs for advanced. The shorter programs are generally a little easier than the longer ones. Some programs are general; some are focused on a specific area (e.g. back) or theme (e.g. Open Heart). The programs are actually made up of pre-programmed exercises routines, so there is a little pause between segments. The safety precautions appear at the beginning of every routine, but you can skip them.
   
   Of the Body Wisdom Media yoga series, this is better produced than Yoga for Inflexible People (particularly with the coordination of the voice over and movement, which still has room for improvement) but not as well produced as Power Yoga for Every Body. All three are very different DVDs with different programs. Of the three, I use this one the most.

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4. Anonymous

   October 2, 2010 at 3:27 pm

   Review by for Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines)
   Rating:
   I am a beginner in the wide world of yoga. I took a class this semester with an instructor who really views yoga as a way of life, and his gentle approach got me hooked. Up until now I’ve been sticking with supplementing the class with the Living Arts AM & PM yoga set which is fantastic, but when the class started I wanted to get something longer to sort of replace it. I chose this and could not have done better.The dvd is divided by levels and times, so there is ample oportunity for plenty of variety. I love the instructor encouraging and understanding manner “Go as far as your legs want to go today” etc. They also show modifications with props if you are less flexible.Understand that the way the variety is created is each pose or series is put on the dvd as a separate chapter and then when you chose a routine you get a preprogramed set of poses&series, so it is not a set of individually created workouts but rather different mixtures from a common bag. However there are enough poses there that it does not feel repetitive.All in all if you were to purchase one yoga dvd, I would highly recommend this one.

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5. Colorado reader & parent

   October 2, 2010 at 2:32 pm

   Review by Colorado reader & parent for Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines)
   Rating:
   I have a few Yoga VCR tapes. This is my first DVD. I am pleased that it makes good use of options DVD provides – the ability to provide menus and skip forwards and backward easily.There are several workouts for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Within each of these categories, there are further selections for long and short workouts that are either general practices or have specific goals (body areas, aches & pains, etc).I have not done an advanced workout yet. I was pleased that in an intermediate workout there were 2 poses I have not seen before on a tape or in a class. The poses were clearly explained and it was easy to follow the tape. The instructor, JJ, often shows or tells you about different ways you can modify poses to suit your body’s ability (or inability!).I have a 2 year old. I absolutely love that there are so many workouts to choose from that I can always find one to fit in the free time I have while she naps, or early in the morning, or while she’s playing with Dad. No more saying, ‘Well, guess I have to do it tomorrow’ just becuase I don’t have an hour free to complete one of my tapes. Sure, I know, I could just make my own workout up, but it just doesn’t happen.Some reviews complain about the black screen between poses – that it is disruptive and not conducive to flow. I don’t have a problem with it. The first time you do a workout you will notice it. The second time through, you begin to see ways to connnect the poses on your own – for example – pose one might end in downward facing dog pose, and pose 2 begins with it – so you just hold it an extra second. In general, holding the end of a pose until the next one begins seems to work OK.It seems that on the shortest workouts this doesn’t always hold true – they don’t always flow well. BUT – you have plenty of time to recover and get into position. If flow is what you are after, then you will be disgruntled, but otherwise there isn’t a problem.I suggest watching the brief segment on technique review. She clearly explains the different body parts and alignment cues she mentions. I found it very helpful.The teacher’s style is very relaxed and straightforward. I do not like overly flowery and spiritual delivery – I always feel like that should be up to the student. I found JJ’s style to be perfect for me. In all – this is a great DVD and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good variety of quality workouts. The instruction is clear enough for beginners, the workouts challenging enough for at least intermediate students. I’m not advanced, so I can’t speak for them!

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