Yoga Complete for Weight Loss

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Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Michael Wohl
Studio: Bodywisdom Media, Inc.
Release Date: 2004-01-02
YOUR NEEDS CHANGE EVERY DAY, SO SHOULD YOUR DVD!

Yoga Complete for Weight Loss™ combines the awareness and cultivation of the mind-body connection with routines that will physically challenge and tone your body. These workouts are designed to transform how your body looks and feels, while developing a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding weight management and control. Besides working core muscles, legs and arms, Mary uses the deeper aspects of yoga to actually affect your metabolism and stress levels, which studies have shown have a direct relationship to weight issues. With over 20 customized routines to suit your physical and scheduling needs, there is no better way to learn, progress and experience yoga in your home.

The Interactive Personal Trainer™ revolutionizes the practice of yoga in the home. Unlike other videos that may contain one or two workouts, this DVD contains dozens of workouts of varied lengths and purposes. Get into shape, relieve stress, increase energy, become stronger and more flexible with your own Interactive Personal Trainer™.

Mary Pappas-Sandonas is renowned for her warm, encouraging and precise approach to teaching yoga. As a certified Iyengar yoga teacher with an M.S. in exercise physiology, Mary has had a keen interest in the mind-body connection for over 20 years. In particular, Mary has explored extensively the connection between yoga, our mental and physical habits and weight control. Mary teaches at the Unity Woods Yoga Center in the Washington D.C. area and resides in Maryland.

Not for the supremely out of shape
I'm surprised no one has mentioned that this DVD is pretty HARD. Just as one example, in the "Positive Outlook" practice under the Beginners menu, there is a downward dog segment in which we hold DD for a minute and a half (which is really pretty long for us beginners), immediately followed by a segment with a slow flow from downward dog to plank to upward dog to chaturanga and back--repeated twice! This is another four and a half minutes of intensive arm and core work. Thank heavens for a rest in child's pose, but wait! you're not done yet; the next segment has you doing FOUR MORE upward dogs. I tell you, this sequence hasn't improved my outlook yet. There are several other practices that have similarly difficult sections.

Not that there's anything wrong with challenging work---it's just that I have this image of overweight and out-of-shape people grabbing this DVD in search of some positive change and then feeling completely overwhelmed by the seeming impossibility of some of this stuff. It seems like there could be a little more encouragement from the instructor and recognition that most beginners are not going to be able to whip right through these poses without rests and/or modifications.

There is really some excellent alignment instruction here, but the issues above, coupled with the instructor's odd delivery and the insufficient time provided for setting up between segments, are what make me rate this at three stars only.

NIce Intro to Yoga
This is a nice, slow practice for learning yoga and progressing on to more challenging levels. I have tried other DVDs that are way to fast and are hard to follow. This one is very clear and will still build up a sweat! The teacher is very encouraging and warm.

What's in a title?
The only think I don't like about this DVD is the title. I almost didn't buy it -- I don't want to lose weight. And I think it's a misnomer, unless you count an intention adjustment.

That aside, this is great Iyengar istruction. And there's very little for-real Iyengar available on DVD. I have the B.K.S. Iyengar Estes Park series but that's more history in the making and this is actual follow-along-with practice. Mary Pappas-Sandonas has a crisp and clear Iyengar practice and teaches at the prestigious Unity Woods yoga studio -- I'd love to take a class with her someday.

The structure of the DVD is nicely described in previous reviews so I won't even try. The Body Wisdom modular unit schtick works just fine here. In particular I like the Challenging Core (toughest core focus I've seen on any video) and Fatigue Fighter. I had to love this restorative sequence that includes a 2 min. (more or less) downward dog.

My one other quibble (besides the title) is the music. It's pretty nondescript. I would have preferred a music-off option so I could play my own selections or just enjoy silence.

I have over a hundred yoga videos -- even more if you count my Pilates, strength training collections...(yoga is definitely my focus though). I've maintained a daily practice for over 10 years, have done an alignment-centered teacher training and teach now and then. I (mostly) burned out on vinyasa/"power yoga" several years ago.

This DVD is defintely suitable for sharing shelf space with Barbara Benagh and Mr. Alignment from Within, Erich Schiffmann.

So glad I found this.
Clawing my way out of yet another bout of clinical depression, I've been trying to make small positive changes in my life. Things like getting up in the morning, making the bed, and doing yoga sound simple on paper, but anyone with depression knows they can take every ounce of energy when you're in the depths.

I believe in serendipity, and I'm grateful this DVD found its way into my hands. I've been using it for a little more than a month, and I find that it has become an essential part of my life. With varied session times and several different areas of focus, this DVD is easy to fit into my day, and it allows me to choose the intensity or discipline to match the day's tone. I've never seen a yoga or fitness DVD like it.

This is, as noted, an Iyengar practice, which makes it perfect for me, because the constant insistence on paying attention to each nuance of a pose allows me to go deeper inside myself, at the same time allowing me to move outside myself to become an observer.

I don't have easy access to a yoga teacher or class, and I find that the Iyengar method -- combined with a mirror and this DVD's unique menus that make it possible to tailor the session to meet the day's needs -- is as good a substitute as I'm likely to find.

I consider myself an advanced beginner, and I have not yet become bored by the beginner routines -- haven't yet done them all, in fact. I'm finding that this DVD offers me more opportunities to move deeper into poses I thought I had "mastered."

I do need to lose weight, but that wasn't the main reason for purchasing this DVD. If you believe, as I do, that yoga allows one to develop both awareness and acceptance of oneself, then it naturally follows that with regular practice you'd reach a balance and begin to take better care of your body and spirit. I've found this to be true, and I'm losing weight slowly as an indirect result of a more wholistic awareness.

As noted by other reviewers, rather than leading a hard calorie-burning workout, the instructor focuses on poses that affect the body's hormonal balance and organs. My energy level has heightened as a result, and I often find myself heading outside after my yoga session for snowshoeing or some other healthy activity.

The one negative has transformed into something more positive, as well. At first I found the instructor's voice a bit irritating, as was the endless loop of the soundtrack. As I've continued working with the DVD, I've begun to hear compassion and comfort instead.

If you are interested only in a "power" yoga workout, you won't find it here. If you want only a spiritual/aesthetic experience, this isn't it. But if you want to learn more about yourself, your body and how it relates to your spirit, and to move deeper into various poses, this is the DVD for you.

The varied workouts at three different levels of difficulty promise to keep me engaged for years to come. And that's what I want and need.

Yoga Complete for Weight Loss
I, too, found this DVD a bit boring. The instruction for each pose took forever, even in the challenging workouts. While in-depth explanation is useful for beginner or even intermediate practices, I didn't feel it was necessary for the challenging sequence. Also, I did not feel as if there was any flow to this DVD.