(Gaiam)
2004
What is it?
Forty-five minutes of energizing Yoga Poses, divided into five segments.
Who is it for?
Experienced Yoga practitioners who don't need much direction.
What to expect:
It is a mystery why this videotape says "beginners practice" on the box - this is definitely not for beginners! During the practice segments, Rodney Yee only gives the name of each pose and you'd better already know how to do it. If you're an experienced Yoga enthusiast, however, this tape will be a nice change - since the instruction is kept to a minimum you can concentrate on the poses without distraction. Shot on a beach on the island of Maui, the practice consists of five segments - "Awakening," a series of mildly stimulating poses; "Centering," consisting of standing and balancing poses; "Creativity," which contains a lot of backbends; "Reflection," a series of forwards bends and hip openers; and "Surrender" - the Corpse Pose (Shavasana). The poses are done in a flowing manner - the "Centering" segment is especially poetic. There's a five minute segment at the end in which Yee gives suggestions on modifying the more difficult poses - but chances are if you're already knowledgeable enough to handle this tape you are also already aware of the modifications. The best aspect of this video is that the practice is divided into segments - you can do all of them for a full session, or if you're short on time you can choose just one or two (none of them run over 15 minutes). And yes, it does energize you without getting you over-stimulated.