Cheap Yoga Journal's Yoga for Strength and Energy (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of Yoga Journal's Yoga for Strength and Energy

This workout made me sweat...
...and I only got through the first session! <
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>I've been practicing yoga for about 2 months now and definitely consider myself a beginner. However, I was looking for something to increase my strength through yoga. I preveiwed the DVD first and then performed session 1 this morning. *WOW* <
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>I really like the way Yee holds the poses in session 1 for a long time. I couldn't make it through the entire 2 minutes of downward dog, but this gives me something to practice toward achievement. I've actually done a shoulderstand in yoga class, but only once and I don't think I performed it correctly via this DVD. I would think if one has a bad back or a strain, one should skip this portion of the DVD until one works with a yoga practitioner that can assist with proper posing. Incidentally, the Downward Dog pose where you bend your elbows is TOUGH! While these are only performed 3 times, I only made it twice - and barely at that! One of the last poses of session 1 is where we take our leg (with or without a strap, depending on your flexiblity) and move your leg on the outside of the body and then across. A bit challenging, but what a great stretch. I really felt my hips open up. <
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>Rodney Yee is quickly becoming one of my favorite yoga masters. I've viewed several of his tapes and have enjoyed them all. His voice is clear and soothing; his instruction is great and he is in great shape. <
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>If you're a beginner who has the courage to try a more stenous yoga practice, then I recommend this DVD. It's a nice alternative to building flexibility and meditation. I practiced this DVD this morning and I feel as though I can take on anything work has to throw at me. It also gives me a goal - to finish both sessions at one shot! It will take time, but I'll get my money's worth out of this DVD!

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A wonderful amount of variety (SEVEN practices!) on one DVD
This DVD is comprised of two previous releases by yoga instructor Rodney Yee, Yoga Practice for Energy and Yoga Practice for Strength. Both practices are designed for those with some prior knowledge of yoga; I would say that the Energy practice is appropriate for experienced beginners and above, while Strength is designed for those on a more intermediate level. Because both practices are broken into multiple shorter sessions, this DVD provides a huge amount of variety. <
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>Yoga for Energy is divided into 5 separate practices which are designed to be performed throughout the day. The first, Awakening, is 9 minutes of mostly floor stretches, and it moves very slowly. The second, Centering, is 7 minutes of relatively basic standing poses and is designed to be used in the morning. The third and longest section (15 minutes) is Creativity. This section is intended to be done during the day for an energy boost, and it moves much more quickly than any of the other sections. Although I enjoyed how Rodney flowed from one pose to the other, it moved a bit too fast for me--for example, you must very quickly move from downward dog to a standing pose such as proud warrior. Also of note here is that you do all of the poses on one side of the body before moving to the other. The last two segments are meant to be done together. First is Reflection, which contains 11 minutes of seated forward bends for tranquility. Finally comes Surrender, 4 minutes in relaxation pose. This is the only time which Rodney provides detailed instruction, as he leads you through a guided relaxation. For the three middle sections, Rodney has 1 or 2 others performing the routine along with him. <
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>In Yoga Practice for Strength, Rodney Yee offers 2 practices of less than 30 minutes each; the first is designed to prepare for inversions, particularly headstand, whereas the second consists of balance work, including arm balances. The first practice begins with several vinyasa sequences. Rodney slowly builds up to a full sun salutation and then adds additional poses such as triangle and side angle; I loved that he moved slowly and held each pose for a long period. After the 16-minute vinyasa segment, Rodney goes through 20-minutes of inversion work. He starts by working in down dog, first doing a bent arm down dog (tough!) and then holding down dog for two minutes; both of these moves are designed to build strength. Next, he practices bridge pose and then moves into a shoulderstand and plow sequence using a chair and a strap. He finishes with a reclined leg stretch and a very short savasana. Rodney begins the second practice with a vinyasa warm-up, moving through the vinyasa twice and including a beginning balance posture, side plank. He then works on standing poses for balance: triangle, side angle, half moon, forward bend, tree, warrior 1, forward bend with feet apart, warrior 3. He did not hold the poses as long as in the first program, but he still moves slowly and precisely. Rodney then moves to the floor for more challenge postures, including boat, pendulum, and crane pose. Although I couldn't do pendulum, Rodney showed how to modify with blocks, and he made me feel that I could get there eventually. Rodney ends with a reclined twist and savasana, bringing the total practice time for this session in at about 23 minutes (Rodney spends additional time talking between sections). Yoga Practice for Strength is perfect for intermediate yogis wanting to build up to more challenging postures. <
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>If you crave variety in your yoga practice, you can't go wrong with this DVD, which features some of the best of what Rodney Yee has to offer. Highly recommended!

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Strength/Energy -- a longtime favorite.
These yoga practices have long been available on VHS. I've been working with Yoga for Strength for over 10 years and it remains one of my favorite recorded yoga sessions. It includes 2 sequences, one focusing on inversions (just over 1/2 hour) and the other on arm balances (just under 1/2 hour). The instruction is detailed and careful in the Iyengar manner and Yee's form is impeccable. <
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>Yoga for Energy has been on VHS for almost as long and it's another long-standing favorite. It contains 5 short (5 min. to 15 min.) sequences that correspond stages in the day, starting with a lovely gentle warm up, an energizing balance flow, a vigorous full body routine including wheel, a relaxing series of seated forward bends and final relaxation. Instruction is minimal so this one isn't for those new to yoga. <
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>The combination of these 2 practices on one DVD is really hard to beat. Seems like a natural balance to me. <
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>I've been practicing yoga for over 10 years, supplementing my home practice with Iyengar and Anusara classes.