Reviews of DVDs, Tapes and Books

There is now a "plethora" of yoga/qi gong/tai chi/energy DVDs out.

Many of them are good, many of them are not so good.

My general suggestion is to stay away from fitness celebrity DVDs. They are trying to cash in on the power yoga craze and really don't know too much about what's going on.

In general the Living Arts series with Patricia Walden, Rodney Yee and others is pretty good. The Yoga Zone series narrated by Alan Finger is also pretty good. There are also some specialty yoga DVDs out that are very good, which are mentioned below. While yoga DVDs are a positive addition to yoga classes, they do not and should not replace them!

Most DVDs do not explain how to modify the posture and this is where an instructor is important. Given that guideline, the best way to use a yoga DVD is to first watch the section you are interested in or the whole DVD without trying to follow it. Use your remote control to rewind and pause whenever you get confused. Make sure you listen to the instructions and get a good visual of what's going on. Then "rehearse" sections of the DVD. By pausing it and doing it. Finally, once you have gotten familiar with the DVD, you can "listen to it while you do it.

So again,

  1. Watch the DVD
  2. Rehearse (use pause and rewind) and familiarize
  3. Practice along with DVD

Yoga Experience Key

Beginner: No or very little yoga experience.

Adv. Beginner: Six Months of Yoga experience

Intermediate: 1-3 yrs of Yoga experience

Advanced: More than 5yrs. of experience- You can create your own video!

Yoga DVD Reviews

Video Title

Instructional Level

Presenter

Comments
Living ArtsYoga for Beginners
Beginners
Patricia Walden
Excellent instruction on postures and lead-ups. Good demonstrations, use of props. This is the only "instructional" video I have seen, so it goes slow but it is very valuable.
Living Arts Yoga for AM
All Levels
Rodney Yee
Good 20 min routine much like the cat stretch routine I teach. This video assumes you know the postures. Has some postures that may need to be modified for beginners.
Living Arts Yoga for PM
Adv. Beginner / Intermediate
Patricia Walden
Ms. Walden performs a 20 min. routine. This video assumes you know the postures. It is an excellent routine for anytime of day
Living ArtsYoga for Meditation
Beginning to Intermediate
Rodney Yee
Excellent video for people who want to learn traditional meditation. Very good instruction and use of props. Very good demonstration of breathing techniques and opening hips for sitting postures. Various routines to work on.
Living Arts Yoga for Energy
Adv. Beginner to Adv. Intermediate
Rodney Yee
Has four different routines of differing difficulty. You can pick and choose. The third routine is the most difficult and one probably should have at least 1 yr of yoga to be able to do it.
Living Arts Power Yoga Series
Power Yoga, Strength, Abs
Adv. Beg to Intermediate
Rodney Yee
There are three videos in this series. Each video is progressive and you can stop at any "level". The first one begins with Sun Salutations, and works the abs and strength.
Living Arts Yoga for Strength
Intermediate to Advanced
Rodney Yee
This video begins with Sun Salutation and moves to arm balances and inversions
Living Arts Yoga for Intermediates
Adv Beg to Intermediate
Rodney Yee
This video has two routine. One with a flow series the second works on arm balances and inversions.
Living Arts Yoga for Athletes
Adv Beginner to Intermediate
Rodney Yee
Uses props and provides some analogies to sports movements. I wasn't really impressed with this tape accept that it does show modifications of postures. But no explicit yoga/sport analogies
Living Arts Yoga for Flexibility
Intermediate to Advanced
Patricia Walden
Two routines 20+ min. routines. One forward bend series and one backbend series. Well demonstrated and taught. Caution! Do not do both routines back to back. Do one routine one day and the other routine the other.
Bryan Kest's Power Yoga Beginning Series
First in Series
Intermediate to Advanced
Bryan Kest
ideo is well produced and provides some demonstrations by Mr. Kest, this video assumes you know the postures. Also, it flows fairly quickly through the vinasans (flow series)
Bryan Kest's Power Yoga Tone Series
Second in Series
Intermediate to Advanced
Bryan Kest
Very physical. Much like th e beginning series. This video assumes you know the postures. Flow series.
Bryan Kest's Power Yoga Sweat Series
Intermediate to Advanced
Bryan Kest
uite physical with advanced postures. This video assumes you know the postures.
Aerobic Yoga "The Flow Series"
Intermediate to Advanced
Tracy and Gange White
This video is hard to get nowadays but is good. Its taught by the Whites who operate the White Lotus Foundation, a certification program that specialized in Yoga Flow
Total Yoga
Intermediate to Advanced
Tracy and Gange White
This video is hard to get nowadays but is good. Its taught by the Whites who operate the White Lotus Foundation, a certification program that specialized in Yoga Flow
Baron Baptist's Power Yoga Series
Intermediate
Baron Baptist
Well produced, has some nice routines. Assumes you know the postures. Baron's father was a body builder and yoga practitioner. Baron has aquired a lot of celebrity notariety, so his power yoga tapes are marketed to the health club population.
Ashtanga Yoga Series
Adv. Intermediate to Expert
David Swenson
Mr. Swenson is extremely adept in the Ashtanga tradition, and goes through the traditional series. There are several tapes in this series all are extremely taxing. Not for the weak of heart or of body.
Ashtanga is extremely physical and you can do great harm to yourself if you don't have proper instruction.
Yoga Breathing & Relaxation
Adv Beginner to Intermediate
Richard Freeman
Mr. Freeman is an one on of the best Ashtanga practitioners in the country and has also been influenced by Iyengar style yoga so his yoga works on alignment. this is a simple video that shows the basics of ashtanga style of hatha yoga. This is a good video to have in one's library.
Yoga Zone Series
Beg to Intermediate
Alan Finger
This series narrated by Alan Finger is similar to the Living Arts series. There are several tapes in the series including pregnancy, power, etc.
Kripalu Yoga Series
Beg to Intermediate
Multiple Narrators
Kripalu Center is located in Lennox, MA and has certification in yoga. There are several tapes in this series. Kripalu specializes in more gentle yoga and "psychotherapy" and is influenced lately by Stephen Cope the director of the Center.
Yoga with Eric Small
Multiple Sclerosis and special needs populations
Eric Small
Mr. Small has MS and has developed this video for this population. You can contact the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Northern and Southern California Chapters
Eric also does workshops with Lillah Schwartz in Asheville, NC
Gentle Yoga for the physically challenged with Margot Kitchen
Seniors and individuals who have limited movement
Margot Kitchen
Seniors and people with limited movement abilities Lots of movements using chairs and props.
Yoga Journal's Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea
Beginning to Intermediate Pregnancy
Shiva Rea
This is one of many pre/post natal videos on the market. Well done. Most pre/post videos show similar movements.
Yoga for Knitters & Sitters
RoseMarie Roth
Beginning to Intermediate
Theraputic
RoseMarie Roth
This is a beautifully done theraputic DVD for Knitters, Fiber Artists, Jewelers or anyone who sits alot.
Yoga CDs & CD Sets
Sounds True The Yoga Matrix
All Leves
Richard Freeman
This is a must for all serious yoga practitioners. Richard explains the different branches of yoga in the 6-tape collection. Richard gives clear consice descriptions of a complex discipline.
Sounds True Pranayama
Intermediate to Advanced
Richard Freeman
This 2 CD set is an excellent introduction to the practice of pranayama
Sounds True The Hidden Wisdom of Yoga
Intermediate to Advanced
Georg Feuerstein
This is an excellent CD set of the eight limbs of yoga.
Sounds True Kosmic Consciousness
All Levels
Ken
Wilber
This is an excellent CD set of explaining Ken Wilbers work and the All Quadrant all Level system he has constructed..
Yoga Books
Yoga Journal Magazine
At most bookstores
Yoga International
At most bookstores
Yoga Basics
Maira Carrico
Excellent compilation of yoga journal articles and routines
Somatics
Thomas Hanna
This is another important resource for people in the body practices. Hanna provides a rich and readible explanation of the field He work provided the philosophical underpinning for the field of somatics
Relax and Renew
Judith Lasatter
Many excellent routines of restorative postures
Light on Yoga
B.K.S. Iyengar
Classic on Hatha Yoga a must for the serious practitioner.
Tree of Yoga
B.K.S. Iyengar
Excellent for Yoga Philosophy and some good stories of Iyengar's own practice
Yoga: Mind, Body & Spirit
Donna Fahri
Very good book on Yoga by a very well known yoga teacher.
Breathing Book
Donna Fahri
Very good book on Yoga by a very well known yoga teacher.
After the Ecstacy the Laundry Jack Kornfield One of the best books I have read on the rewards and pitfalls that
occur along the spiritual journey. Jack is a master story teller and compassionate individual. Its worth a read, very humbling!
Brief Theory of Everything Ken Wilber This is a great readable book that is an overview of Wilber's work
No Boundry Ken Wilber This is one of his first works and explains the levels of consciousness in the spiritual traditions.
The Heart of the Yogi: The Philosophical World of Hatha Yoga Doug Keller This is an excellent book detailing the three main philosophical schools of hatha yoga. Doug is a philosopher by training and his education is evident in the lucid way he compares and contrasts the school's positions. You can purchase this book from his website DoYoga.
Yoga the Iyengar Way Mira Silva and Shyam Metha Good illustrated book showing postures and routines in the Iyengar style of hatha yoga.
Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy Mukunda Stiles Mukunda is our yoga therapy teacher and has writtin a very good book on Ayurveda, the medical practice of yoga. His two principle teachers in Ayurveda have been David Frawley and John Doulliard well-known names in American Ayurvedic medicine.