(Anchor Bay)
2000
What is it?
A 45-minute instructional video that introduces 12 Yoga poses.
Who is it for?
People who are new to Yoga and want solid, supportive instruction without the "new age mumbo-jumbo."
What to expect:
For someone who wants to learn the basics of Yoga poses and can't get to a class, this is a good place to start. Instructor Sara Ivanhoe leads you through what she calls "the daily dozen" — 12 essential Yoga postures, including Cat Pose, Standing Forward Bend, Mountain Pose, Tree, Cobra, the ever-popular Downward Facing Dog and six others. With her engaging, talkative persona, Ivanhoe offers detailed instruction for each pose and focuses on the physical aspects of Yoga only. You don't even learn the Sanskrit names for the poses. Depending on what you're looking for, this is either a good or a bad thing. Those who want nothing to do with Yoga's spiritual side will be grateful; those who are interested in Yoga's deeper aspects will be disappointed. In any case, you will learn these poses and you will get to hold them long enough for your body to retain the memory of each pose. The DVD version is slightly better than the videotape because it has a segment with the 12 poses put together to create a real yoga session. The instructional nature of the videotape keeps the postures a bit too disjointed for a really satisfying Yoga session. While this program is not the be-all and end-all for Yoga — it won't take too long before you're searching elsewhere to expand your knowledge — it is an excellent beginning.