Yoga Video Recommendation

As I previously mentioned, gaining flexibility is now going to be a big priority in my fitness routine. As such, I am adding weekly sessions of yoga and pilates into my life. I have one yoga DVD in particular that I’ve used for several years now (and actually had to purchase another copy recently, since my original copy mysteriously vanished). It’s Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss featuring Suzanne Deason, produced by Gaiam.

The setting is the red rock mountains of Oak Creek, just next door to Sedona, Arizona. The session is 45 minutes long, and each of the three instructors are performing at a different experience/intensity level, so it’s easy for beginner, intermediate, and advanced people to follow the instructor of their choice and perform the moves at their level of expertise. This is NOT an advanced program by any stretch of the imagination. Most of the more “exotic” yoga poses are left completely out.

The pace is deliberate without seeming overly slow. Deason’s voice can get a bit irritating, at least to me, with its overly-soothing tones and elongated pronunciations. But after a while I don’t even notice it anymore. By the end of the session I always feel reeeeelaaaaxed and toned. If you’re particularly inflexible, like I am, I recommend purchasing a block and strap. There’s plenty of kits out there as well, which include the block, strap, and mat.

The “weight loss conditioning” claim is somewhat misleading, I think. Since I don’t get my heart rate up too terribly much, and don’t break into too much of a sweat, I think the concept is more of toning, heating up the muscles with dynamic stretching, and concentration on breathing. All of which can assist with whatever weight loss program you’ve got going on, to be sure. I just don’t think this video in and of itself will aid very much in the loss of much weight.

Still, I highly recommend this DVD. It goes a long way, for me, in aiding the reduction of stress, increasing flexibility, and creating muscle tone.