Customer Reviews

Intro to Yoga - Yoga Zone - Dv

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first discovered yoga in the late 70's when I had the good fortune to learn from a teacher who had studied with a bona fide yoga master from India. That was long ago and far away and soon afterwards I moved to New York City. Due to the hurly burly of trying to get established and live here, my yoga practice gradually slipped away.

I have made several attempts to rekindle my initial enthusiam by purchasing over a dozen books and videos and taking numerous classes. Up until I saw this video, I had failed to find anything that replicated the quality of the instruction I first experienced.

It is unfortunate that two prior reviewers of this tape called it "boring" and one went over the top and panned everything about it, ending the review by citing preferred videos made by people in the fitness industry.

First of all, if anyone finds this video boring, I suggest the problem may not be with the video but rather the person. Even though now there are many styles of yoga to choose from (Bikram, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Kripalu, Iyengar, and so forth)--and I have tried several of these--the fact remains that classical hatha yoga is supposed to be slow, deliberate, precise, meditative and mindful. Anything that deviates from that is usually some bastardization of it. I once took a yoga class from a local high-quality health club and the instructor never once even went over the proper way to breathe, never made reference to the mind-body discipline of it and the hour passed as nothing more than a stretching class.

Now that yoga has gone mainstream in these intervening 20 or so years since I first discovered it, there are a lot of people out there teaching it who obviously have no business doing so. It seems that every celebrity and fitness guru has a book or video out on it and there is nothing that authenticates these people as qualified to teach it other than their names.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a yoga expert, I still consider myself a beginner, but I can recognize excellent instruction when I see it. Alan Finger is all a yoga teacher should be--he teaches the proper breath and form throughout. He is gentle, slow and tells you where every every toe, arm and vertebra should be. He is thorough, exacting and precise: since yoga is not some new phenomenon of pop culture but an ancient art and science, his manner of instruction recognizes that and dignifies it as such. I am so inspired and impressed with him that I would lay out all the extra money it would take, and schlep all the way down to the other end of this city, if I thought I could study at his studio with the man himself. Trust me, this is a quality video. All the superlatives apply.

If you are looking for the most basic yoga video possible, you will like this. I on the other hand can't imagine watching it for a second time, a full hour, because it moves so slow and I'm sure I'd fall asleep from boredom. The music is so low, it's practically inaudible. The demonstrators hardly ever crack a smile. If your looking to get energized and pumped up to learn yoga, this is not the way to go. But if you just want a no-nonsense, very low-key type video, you can handle this.

I love this tape, i started with the am/pm yoga series , which i don't recommend if you are a beginner. The Yoga Zone video is wonderful. Alan Finger gives concise and clear instructions, taking you slowly through the various poses, encourging you to only do as much as you can. I've used for about a month now and noticed a difference within a week. If you are a beginner this tape is for you.

This video is great for beginners. The instructor, Alan Finger, provides good guidance, introduces each posture gently, uses humor effectively, and encourages students. I find the combination of his soothing voice and the instructions he give out before and during each posture very effective. While most of the asanas shown are at an introductory level, there are some that are challenging as well, so that even those who have been practicing yoga for a considerable amount of time already will find this a good alternative for the more intensive sessions. The sequence of postures ensure that the whole body is exercised. The postures are demonstrated by two senior yoga instructors, one of whom does the modified forms, and two students (Alan Finger's wife and his friend). Overall, the video is excellent for beginners, but if there's one thing to complain about, it's the length of time of the savasana with Alan Finger guiding you through the final posture.

I developed an interest in trying yoga about a month ago and decided to pick up this video. I'm so glad I did, because it's been such a great video that I now do yoga every single day, doing this video specifically at least 4 or 5 times a week.

The instructor's voice is very soothing and relaxing, and the poses are challenging but definitely not unattainable for the beginner. What's more, there's always room to grow. When I started to feel like I really had a pose down and might feel bored by that section of the video, instead I started really examining the pose to see how I felt, or noticing that I could be relaxing a particular part of my body more, or breathing better. Someone else in these reviews mentioned that they felt bored during the explanations if they'd done the video a while -- what I've begun to do is simply start doing the pose while he's explaining. I get more workout that way and I'm growing in my ability to do it.

I highly recommend this video for any beginner interested in yoga.

This was the first yoga video I purchased when I began yoga a few months ago. Compared to other books and videos I have used since, this tape was by far the most comprehensive and complete introduction to yoga I've seen. I had never done yoga before this and found that it gave an excellent introduction to many of the basic poses used in other programs. It also moved slowly enough that I could learn the poses properly. Other videos I've used (like Suzanne Deason's Gentle Yoga for Beginners) move too quickly for a beginner like me to follow and don't provide enough time to really feel and practice poses. I didn't have this problem with the Yoga Zone tape.

I also liked Alan Finger's instruction. His voice is very calming and he spends a lot of time describing how poses should feel and encouraging students not to strain themselves. I like that he emphasizes that not everyone's going to be perfect at first and to just do your best. I especially liked when one of the students in the video fell over during stork pose! Made me feel a lot better. I also liked that there were four models/students, each showing different variations of the poses, from beginner to advanced.

The only drawback I've found to this video is that as I learned the poses, I started to feel that the video moved a little slowly as the instructor spent a lot of time introducing and explaining each pose. However, that's why I'm now looking for a more intermediate video. I still love this video and highly recommend it to all beginners in yoga.

This was my first venture into yoga so I was not sure what to expect. I found the production quality a bit cheesy, however, the instruction is simple and informative. The reminders to inhale and exhale throughout the tape were very helpful for me. I am happy with my purchase and would buy other tapes in this series

This is the first yoga video I have purchased and it won't be the last. This is an excellent video for anyone who is just starting out with yoga and it is easy to follow even the first time through. Alan Finger is very soothing and relaxing as he tells you not to push further than you can go. Yoga isn't just for human pretzels anymore! Even performing modified poses gives a good workout for both mind and body. I worked up a sweat and then had the best night's sleep in a long time. I highly recommend this video to anyone!

This tape was an excellent foundation for learning yoga. I did this tape to learn the basics and found it extremely helpful when I started the other tapes by yoga zone. It's simple enough for even the most out of shape beginners and effective enough for everyone to feel like the had a nice relaxing workout. Leaves your muscles worked and your whole body rejuvinated. It's a great tape to start your Yoga collection with. The other beginner tapes are also easy to follow but with this one under your belt you'll feel well prepared.

Although I found this video to be just about the most boring excercise video I've ever used, I think it is actually very good for beginners. All of the poses are explained clearly and slowly, with suggestions for adaptations due to weak knees, etc. If you can manage to get through a long boring hour, and stick with it, this video will really help you learn some basic yoga. Not to mention that you'll feel great.