DVD review: Yoga for Weight Loss

Yoga for Weight Loss is produced and distributed by Gaiam, that yoga/pilates/fitness emporium, and it is one of the first yoga DVDs I ever purchased. It was my main exposure to yoga for a long time. Since I started taking yoga classes with live teachers at yoga studios and my gym, I don't have much time to practice with DVDs, and found that I prefer a "live" person over a recorded practice, where you can predict exactly what's coming next.

However, I have a friend who has recently expressed an interest in learning more about Yoga, and asked if I wouldn't mind "showing her around" a mat a bit. I happily obliged (I do, afterall, have a deep seated fantasy that I someday will be an awesome yoga teacher who leads packed practices like Diann or Josh), and I recommended that we start with this oldie but goodie.

My thought was that she could practice with the DVD, and I could monitor and make subtle adjustments to her posture. But once the DVD got started, I remembered what I liked about it, and I ended up jumping right in! Of course, not without a few laughs - my friend promptly pointed out that Suzanne Deason (the instructor) strongly resembles Samantha from Sex and the City (she's right! Watch and see!) and then we laughed that the youngest and seemingly fittest of the 3 models demonstrating modifications needed the most modification. I judiciously explained that appearance can be deceiving, and that someone who looks "fit" may not necessarily be as flexible as someone who is a seasoned yogi, but we laughed anyway.

This is a great DVD for home practice beginners. The scenery is breathtaking, Suzanne's voice and instruction are smooth; postures are gentle enough without modification, but if you actually *can* follow Suzanne, you'll certainly get a nice stretch. She's not "show-offy" at all! And believe me, I have a DVD where the instructor flares nostrils and loves to show that she can easily do more than you can and is dumbing-it-down for the DVD (I'm talking about you, Natasha Rizopoulous!). In Yoga for Weight Loss, there are 3 levels of modifications for you to follow; you can choose to watch only the modification level you are following, or you can watch the full practice and see what all 4 women are doing. I love this feature, because you may be able to follow Suzanne for some of the standing poses, but need modification on the floor, in which case you can follow one of the other women.

The DVD also has bonus features, where Suzanne herself models some of the more important modifications on the main postures. There's the standard "disclaimer" about consulting a physician before starting a new pnysical regime, and a bio of Suzanne, but that's not what you bought the DVD for. You bought it to practice yoga at home, and this DVD is a fine starting point. I remember liking it so much (and Suzanne's instruction) that I returned to the website to purchase more of her DVDs (I have at least 2 others with Suzanne as the instructor, and she's leagues better than the other instructors on Gaiam media).

Yes, I FAR prefer a live practice in a studio or at the gym, and while this DVD is more for beginners, it's still a great practice to revisit when I'm feeling low on energy and want an gentler practice or just would like to brush up on my basics. Thumbs up!

Letting go doesn't mean "losing your grip"...it means relaxing enough to make some space.