Amazon.com: Yoga Journal's excellent series of videos offers a thorough beginner's guide to yoga stretching and breathing practices. Patricia Walden's soothing voice and gentle approach to teaching eases the viewer through several stretching techniques, never rushing and often repeating exercises "so that the body can learn." Walden's slow approach is also "permission giving"; she talks the beginner through each stretch, suggesting ways to breathe and enhance even the most seemingly static pose, yet never pushing the viewer beyond his or her comfort level. Who would have thought the classic standing mountain pose could wear a person out? The tape is a good hour long, and may leave the viewer feeling refreshed and more aware of his or her body. One can't help but be a little inspired by Walden's fantastic, and realistic, body. She is easy on the eyes, yet not intimidatingly so. The production value on this video is excellent and consistent; the music is pleasant, even, and subtle. The exercises synthesize into one hour-long routine ending with a relaxation pose, so breaking it down into shorter segments is not as easy as with other Yoga Journal tapes. All in all an excellent and accessible beginner's guide to yoga. --Gilia Angell
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - This has been a guide to judge other yoga videos
I thought the video was great for basic thorough instructions, but after learning the positions, I found that it was aggravating to have to wait for all the instructions between positions. I also found ... Read More
Rating: - A Solid Beginning
Patricia Walden's Beginners tape is a great instructional video on Iyengar yoga fundamentals. I took Iyengar Yoga in college as an elective, but I didn't like it and could't wait for the classes to end because ... Read More
Rating: - Great for someone who's never done any Yoga
I had taken a beginners Yoga class in college, and after not doing it for about a year I wanted to get back into it. Watching the intro of the instructor doing her yoga routine on the desert I was excited thinking ... Read More
Rating: - excellent starting point
This program is, as the title implies, for BEGINNERS. If you are used to doing aerobics, you may become impatient with the methodical pace, or unnerved by Patricia Walden's freakishly serene demeanor. Following the ... Read More
Rating: - Too slow - may work for beginners
I thought that this video was very slow moving. I think it is an extremely beginner video that can only be watched a few times, but after that it gets extremely irritating because you sit and wait for too long in between ... Read More
- This has been a guide to judge other yoga videos
- A Solid Beginning
- Too slow - may work for beginners