Am/Pm Meditation - DVD

 

 

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I was hesitant to spend [$] on a DVD that I might not use very often. But I am pleased with what I have found, so far. I have taken some mediation classes and practiced mediation, mostly superficially, on and off for over 20 years. I consider myself a novice. Someone with more advanced practice, might have a different view of this material, although I suspect anyone could benefit from these exercises. The a.m. meditation is led by a very gentle man who guides the viewer (a bit too fast) through some brief stretches before beginning about a 15-20 minute mindful meditation. The meditation is both relaxing and centering. He also has a separate 10 minute stretching series (mostly in a chair) that can be done separately before or after meditation (or independently) to loosen up the hips and back. (This is the single best feature.) The third component is the p.m. meditation. This is lead by a woman who (quickly) leads the viewer through some yoga poses--again to limber the back and hips, in order to prepare for a seated, 20-minute meditation. The p.m. mindful mediation has a slightly different focus than the a.m. One focuses on bringing energy in to start the day, the other on calming down at the end. Both focus on mindful breathing and relaxing in a helpful way. Neither of these people is harsh or judgmental. Although they are quite flexible themselves, they stress that this practice is about getting in touch with oneself and not pushing too far. They offer several alternative ways of sitting to provide maximum comfort to the beginner. The music is harmonious and calming. The Maui backgrounds are beautiful and relaxing. The DVD has excellent production quality. There is also an interview with each of the "teachers." I suppose this is good to get background on meditation, but it's not essential. At first, I was disappointed that the DVD included yoga, since I wanted meditation instruction. But the movement prior to seated meditation is quite beneficial. The only hesitation I have is that the introductory stretches as a bit rushed. I've taken some yoga classes, so the movements were mostly familiar to me. Someone who hasn't done yoga before could do them-they are not difficult-but either way, the producers should have allowed even a few more seconds to hold some of the stretches in order to limber up and become more in touch with the body. To be fair, once the viewer becomes familiar with what is required, it probably won't seem as hurried. It is also recommended that the viewer have a cushion or pillow, a mat, a blanket (to sit on-for maximum comfort) and a yoga strap (a long towel would work, too) to assist in the stretching for the p.m. meditation.

I like this DVD. The exercices are good for meditation preperation and very easy to learn and memorize. Yet it is not perfect. The first part, the am meditation, has a musical bacground that is very annoying. The voice of the teacher is almost inaudible because of it. Worse, it is some simple "new age" stuff that really bothered me, because I feel yoga and even more meditation, has nothing to do with new age. The pm meditation music is not annoying and more important , it doesn't cover the teacher's instructions.

This is a wonderful practice. Either am or pm meditation. Starts out with a brief introduction, then a bit of yoga, and a lovely meditation practice. The drawback is that there are no submenus designating different start points, so you have to fast forward to bypass the spoken introduction and/or the yoga. Beautful scenery, but you really don't notice it unless you peek ;o) At the end of Rodney's am practice they show a closeup of his face and have you open your eyes. It would be much nicer to see a beautiful sunrise during the time when your eyes are open. Other then those slight flaws, the content is very good. This is a good DVD to get you going if you have never tried meditation, or to add to your dvd collection.

See my other dvd reviews on amazon. thanks!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and I'm a Beginner at Yoga...
I encourage everyone who's interested in yoga to buy this DVD. And if you are a superbusy person in a high-stress field (like me), this is REALLY the DVD for you! Read more

Published on May 27 2004

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