Search - YOGA FOR RADIANT HEALTH & WELL BEING on DVD

Difficult and complete, for serious practitioners

syoga | Alaska, USA | 01/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a 90-minute advanced-intermediate DVD that contains 30 minutes of meditation and pranayama (breathwork) at the beginning and then one hour of asanas and a final guided relaxation. This is labeled intermediate, but by the standards of most yoga DVDs on the market, in comparison, it's quite advanced. It's not quite as difficult as his advanced DVD, but it comes close. It includes several arm balances, some advanced backbending, and eka pada sirsasana (leg behind head), postures you generally don't find in yoga DVDs. Also, be very comfortable in headstand variations before trying this one.

The asana sequence includes classical sun salutations, abdominal work, a lengthy inversions segment, floor stretching and arm balances and then, inexplicably, a standing and leg balancing segment at the end, right before shavasana (rest). I'm sure he has a great reason for setting it up this way, but I've never seen this before and it did feel kind of strange... though the standing postures felt a lot more meditative this way than when done toward the beginning.

Yogi Hari is an incredible presence. His voice is incredibly soothing (it sounds like he's in a tunnel at times) and his instruction is clear. Though the postures in this DVD are difficult, this is not a fast-paced nor "sweaty" type of routine. It's relaxing and very complete.

I do think this won't appeal to most casual yoga practitioners, however, for these reasons and due to the fact that he doesn't offer any modifications or a lot of instruction. But there is plenty on the market for casual practitioners and beginners. It's nice to find something so challenging and thorough, whose instruction doesn't "get old" after repeated viewings."