Anyway, as mentioned in the previous post, I have a Spring Break Vacation, and my plans include renewing my relationship with my bright yellow mat. Over the last 6 weeks, I've only done yoga DVDs, and sporadically at that, so these muscles are in need of a good primer before I get back to the more intense postures I find in a studio class.
My kids woke me up bright and early this fine Palm Sunday (6am, to be exact!), so after a round of homemade Peanut Butter waffles (Everyday Food, May issue), I decided to get the day going with some yoga. It was a late night last night, so I wasn't sure I could go through a round of sun salutations on my own, and I decided to pop in a DVD that I knew would ease me back into things. I chose A.M. / P.M. Yoga for Weight Loss, led by Suzanne Deason, produced by Gaiam, and available here! I bought my copy on January 11th, 2003 at the Discovery Channel Store for $18.27 - that was including my "15% teacher discount" (for some reason I saved the reciept inside the DVD Jacket???) What a rip-off! It's $12 at Gaiam right now, no teacher discount necessary. No wonder the overpriced Discovery Channel retail Store went out of business...
This DVD has 2 25-minute sequences; the am sequence is designed to jump-start your day with some gentle stretches and traditional postures with modifications for muscles that are just waking up. The pm sequence is perfect for winding down, again with gentle postures designed to release tension and calm your nerves after a busy day. Both practices rely heavily on props - suggesting blocks, straps, and even a yoga wedge to support your practice and bring down the intensity. You might not be ready for intensity first thing in the morning and in the evening it certainly is the last thing you need. I didn't have my props handy (I don't even own a yoga wedge - but that's for the pm practice only), so I did the practice without them. It was more intense without the props, but I've been doing yoga long enough to know how to modify without props.
Deason encourages you to breathe, and her soothing voice makes her a great guide throughout the practice. I ended the practice feeling grounded and awake - ready to ease myself into the day. I don't necessarily agree with the "conditioning for Weight Loss" portion of the title...I didn't feel my heart rate elevate, and I'm not really sure how this gentle practice will help you to lose weight. Maybe the resistance of using your own body weight will build muscle mass which ultimately burns more calories? Let's go with that...but in the meantime, Gaiam may want to consider re-branding the DVD as "Gentle Yoga for am and pm"? But maybe that won't sell as many DVDs. Either way, I wasn't doing this DVD to lose weight. I was doing it to prime my muscles for a more intense practice tomorrow. What I can take away from this is that this DVD works equally well for beginners and more advanced yogis. The fact that the sequences are brief means that it's easy to work a quick practice in before the day gets going or for extra relaxation to help you drop right off to sleep (are you paying attention, my friends with insomnia??) Final verdict: YATS recommended!
Be Ready to Accept the Gift of today: "Yoga is the giver of untold happiness" - Bhagavad Gita, India
No comments:
Post a Comment