 I turn to Yoga whenever I start to feel like there is no time left for me in my day, when I start to get the sneaking suspicion that the reason everyone around me is getting on my nerves is that my nerves are all ajangle and frayed like the hem of an old and much too familiar sweater. I have done Yoga off and on since College. I was lucky to stumble across the Living Arts Yoga series several years ago and now Yoga is back in my life again on a pretty regular basis. I have been using the Living Arts Yoga video tapes faithfully for at least a year.
If you are just beginning Yoga, I recommend Patricia Walden's Yoga for Beginners. It may also help to have a teacher when you are starting out, since Iyengar Yoga has a particular lingo associated with it. Although it is not hard to pick up the vocabulary, because the Iyengar style of Yoga generally is interested in doing the positions in a precise and very beautiful alignment, it may help to have a teacher not only show you, but  show you how to get your body to follow what is intended. If you know the positions or used to know the positions and are looking for an easy way to work Yoga back into your routine, then the am Yoga / pm Yoga tapes make a nice pair since both of the tapes are short and not too difficult.
My personal favorite is Yoga Practice for Energy. The scenery is beautiful, and the session is lively and almost dancelike in places. If you have been doing Yoga for a while, and are up for a long session, the Yoga for Energy tape has enough going on to keep your mind engaged and your body active. The boxed set that includes Yoga for Relaxation, Yoga for Strength, and Yoga for Flexibility is probably my most frequently used set of exercise videos. There is something in there for every mood from energetic and rigorous to slow, relaxing and contemplative. |
