Gaiam ASHTANGA Yoga Introductory Poses

...and yoga has changed my life.OVERVIEWThis DVD is a great place to begin if you know nothing about Ashtanga yoga. Nicki Doane is a very thorough teacher with a soothing voice, and this disk contains a lot of information that you will need to absorb by watching/practicing it over and over. The actual practice runs one hour, and the rewards far outweigh the cost of fitting this routine into your busy schedule. I purchased this DVD (used from amazon) as an absolute beginner, and this was the start of a yoga practice that I believe has been one of the best things I could have done with my time. The key to success is consistency... with regular practice you will amaze yourself.CONTENTThe routine itself consists of:*opening invocation*Sun Salutation A*Sun Salutation B(Sun Salutations are approached from a beginner level with step-by-step warm-up before doing each in its entirety.)*half of the standing poses of the primary series*relaxation in corpse poseOther features include:*pose guide: During the practice, you may receive additional instruction on the proper alignment for each posture by pressing <enter> when the pose guide icon appears on the screen. After this instruction, you will return automatically to the point from which you left the program.*advanced Ashtanga yoga demonstration by Nicki Doane*interview with Nicki DoaneI practiced this routine 4-6 times a week for about 5 weeks before I felt comfortable enough with these poses to move on to the entire primary series (I chose Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice--First Series With David Swenson). I wanted to buy another Nicki Doane DVD, because I became very attached to her as an instructor, and I actually contacted her via email to let her know that I would be the first to buy an entire primary series DVD were she to make one in the future. I keep my copy of this DVD and I pull it out to practice with anyone that I can lure onto a yoga mat!If you buy this DVD as an absolute beginner, you should know the following: 1) Your focus should be on your breath. Do not sacrifice your breath for a pose. 2) Practicing may seem difficult in the beginning because you may have never used your body like this before. *Everyone* starts at the beginning. 3) If you are starting your yoga practice as an adult, you will probably need to modify the poses according to your abilities, and you should not be discouraged by this. Move as far into a pose as you can... tomorrow you will be able to move a little further. Ashtanga yoga is a system in which you do the same series of poses in the same order each time. Contrary to what you would think, you will find that your practice is incredibly dynamic, because *your abilities* are changing. 4) Success in your yoga practice will come if you are consistent, so make time for it.The routine on this DVD is a stepping stone to practicing the entire primary series, which is designed to re-align the skeletal system and to cleanse and purify the internal organs. I can vouch for the alignment of the skeletal system part, because I am 3/4" taller than when I started! (I have had a curvature of the spine since I was a child, so I have some room to straighten out.)If you google "ashtanga manual eso-garden", you will find an excellent in-depth instruction guide (in Adobe Acrobat format) for the entire primary series.Once you have been practicing for a while, I recommend that you read Yoga Mala: The Original Teachings of Ashtanga Yoga Master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who says, "Do your practice and all is coming."

First off, this DVD wasn't worth it. Nicki Doane has a very boring and serious voice. What's the point of having an instructor who is so rigid in their manner of teaching? I myself am a yoga instructor and I found this dvd not worth it at all. I also don't recommend anyone buying it especially because they will charge you a re-stocking fee of $5.00 so you only get a refund of $4.99 instead of the full $9.99.

This is exactly what it says it is, an introduction to Ashtanga Yoga poses. For someone who has been practicing Vinyasa or Ashtanga for a while, this DVD will be too basic, But if you are curious about what Ashtanga yoga is, this gives you a beginner's insight into the practice and technique in doing Sun Salutations.I was really surprised to read complaints about the instructor's voice, because it sounded normal to me, not abrasive at all. I say this with the best intention, one important thing about practicing yoga is letting go and trying our best not to judge others. If you don't let something bother you, it won't.In closing, the best way to learn yoga is with a good instructor in a class, but if you want to get a taste for what eight limb yoga is all about, this is a good start.

I would not recommend this video for absolute beginners to yoga. Doane spends more time describing gazing points than she does discussing body position (for example, she places practitioners into Warrior I without mentioning that hips should be aligned and facing forward), nor does she acknowledge any possible modifications for poses that new students may have difficulty with.I initially bought this, tried it a couple times, and then let it sit on my shelf for a year or so. Only after I started taking regular classes and became much more knowledgeable about yoga did I feel comfortable returning to this video. It's now in my rotation for mornings when I can't get to the studio but again, I would not recommend it for someone who has not had to opportunity to practice yoga with a teacher.On a personal preference note, I find myself wishing for much more inflection in her voice, which is oddly droning, but that obviously does not compromise the asanas at all.

My husband and I have been doing this DVD for a couple weeks now and we've really enjoyed it so far. It's challenging without being so difficult that you feel you're not able to learn. It just takes you though Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutation) A & B, and that alone is enough to get you your workout. I find that the poses really encourage both strength and flexibility. She doesn't just dive right in and go through all the poses back to back. So if you're experienced and want to do it in order, you can still use this DVD, but you'll want to familiarize yourself with where to skip to so that you can bypass the instructional portion. It's not a menu option.As for her voice, I have seen a lot of reviews stating that her voice is robotic and annoying. Personally, I love it! While you are first getting started and she's very obviously reading a script, yes, her tone is not conversational, and feels forced. But while I'm doing the yoga itself, which is really the only portion I care about, I love her voice. It's calm, soft, and best of all it lacks that chirpy, aerobics instructor feel that so many DVD's have. I'm doing a relaxing and difficult work out, so I don't want a bright, sunny voice reminding me how much they aren't struggling with the poses that I'm dying on. I find her voice very appropriate for this type of workout.Over all, I find this to be a great alternative if you can't get to a class, and I will gladly buy more of her DVD's.