YogaHealthtips
Go Straight to Video for Yoga Health Training
The various postures
of yoga have long been used as a basis for the stretching moves
that are prescribed for athletes or used in other forms of
exercise. It's no surprise, then, that a flood of yoga tapes is
hitting the market.
There are tapes for
Olympic-level athletes and tapes for rank beginners. There are
tapes that will challenge your strength and endurance, and tapes
that will lull you into blissful relaxation.
Here's a look at four yoga
tapes, from the most difficult to the most basic. The only thing
you need to get started is comfortable clothes and a non-skid
surface like a sticky mat.
Embracing Power Yoga
This tape, led by Los Angeles instructor-to-the-stars Mark
Blanchard, is the yoga version of boot camp. It's 85 challenging
minutes of constant movement designed to build strength and
endurance, with Blanchard leading a class of 13 men and women.
The tape is billed as
appropriate for all levels, and there's a 5-minute segment at
the beginning that offers a quick summary of how to do many of
the basic yoga poses in the tape.
But that's not enough for
novices, and the rest of the tape is far too strenuous for those
who aren't extremely fit. You can tell that Blanchard isn't very
interested in newcomers to yoga because he ignores the poor,
fumbling fellow in the back row who has little flexibility.
Despite these deficiencies,
this tape is wonderfully challenging and effective workout,
judging by the sweat that pours off the members of the class.
But unless you're already in good shape -- and by the standards
of this tape, that means you can do push-ups, balance easily on
one leg and have abs of steel -- you'll be better off with an
easier tape.
Yoga Zone: Power Yoga for
Strength and Endurance
This routine provides a great introduction to the
strength-building postures of power yoga. It's taught by Lisa
Bennett, who leads two exercisers through the 55-minute class.
One exerciser is a beginner;
the other is more advanced. Beginners will be heartened to see
that Bennett devotes plenty of time to helping Gina, the
beginner, find modified versions of the postures that allow her
to complete every segment of the routine. And veterans can learn
much from her work with Charles as she guides him into more
challenging moves.
One of Bennett's major
strengths is her ability to provide clear, detailed descriptions
of proper form, from the angle of a bent knee to the direction
of an extended arm.
Though there's hard work to be
done in this routine, Bennett's comforting tone and
understanding demeanor make it pleasurable.
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