Beginner Yoga DVD

[Ann1965]

I've been watching Steve Ross the last several mornings as I'm getting ready for work. I think I want to try doing yoga. Any ideas from all you healthy folks on what a good DVD would be to start with? I'm 43 and would definitely need a very beginner one. What suggestions do you have?

[Miss Giggles]

Honestly its best to take a class or two because correct posture is extremely important and it is hard to tell from videos.

But that's not always possible.

Its real hard to say which dvd is best so I would rent them from a library. Or borrow from someone.

One of my beginners dvds is too easy.

Kathy Smith and Denise Austin have them, also there is a beginners dvd from Rodney Yee.

[funniegrrl]

I agree that taking a class is the best way to get started with yoga. The correct alignment & position can make all the difference between going through the motions and getting the full benefit, and having a teacher right there with you is invaluable. There are also lots of different styles of yoga -- taking classes with different instructors who follow different schools can be really helpful in finding what works for you.

If that's not possible, though ... The Kathy Smith video is OK -- in general she's a stickler for form in other exercise disciplines, so she's got the right idea. Rodney Yee is a respected instructor, but I haven't seen his routines. I have several Gaiam.com yoga videos that I like and I feel do a decent job of instructing. Another resource for any type of exercise video is collagevideo.com -- not only are there the usual user reviews, but lots of info about the video and you can even view clips.

One thing you might do is look at the book Yoga For Wimps: Poses for The Flexibly Impaired by Miriam Austin. It's basically pre-yoga -- yoga-inspired poses that use lots of props and modifications to ease your body into the stretches and correct alignment. She also has a book called Cool Yoga Tricks that's helpful if you get into full-fledged yoga. Tamilee Webb's Total Stretch is a DVD that's the same idea -- stretches that are inspired by yoga.