Yoga Month

Apparently it's National Yoga Month in the USA and since I don't live there anymore I am a few days behind the curve on this, sorry.

Anyway, in honor of this I will be posting some extra info on Yoga, both practice and theory, as well as links to some valuable websites related to yoga.

First, let's start with The Yoga Journal Step by Step Yoga Series Box Set.  This is by far the best yoga video series I have seen. They really put a lot of thought into this. The DVD allows you to choose between INSTRUCTION or PRACTICE. 

In  instruction mode you can watch Natasha Rizopoulos, the host, demonstrate each pose before you ever try to do the entire practice. 

Additionally they have this feature called Chalk Talk which shows someone doing the pose and a narrator troubleshooting the pose with the same kind of white magic pen they use for football games. Each pose is isolated and explained in detail.

Also, they included excellent modifications of the poses featuring my FAVORITE instructor Jason Crandell. 

Once you decide you are ready to do the practice, with all of the poses put together into a Vinyasa (Flow) sequence, you can choose from Practice, Practice with Medical Commentary, Modification and Practice without Music. 

Natasha's speed is a tiny bit faster than I personally like but I enjoy the routines enough to overlook it. The Medical Commentary is interesting because you can learn exactly what's happening with your body. The Modifications option is perfect for people just starting out or recovering from injury or if you want to take it slow. This section is all Jason. And the No Music option is pretty self explanatory.

This is also an excellent reference set to have even for more advance practitioners because of the Chalk Talk feature alone. It's nice to have yoga books to look-up poses and double check yourself but the video option is really handy and the magic pen really does make it all come together with the narration.

I think this DVD box set and a copy of Hatha Yoga Illustrated is all you need to get serious about your practice. 

namaste!

martha