Search - Yoga for Beginners on DVD

Brilliant :-)

Little Miss Cutey | Melbourne, Australia | 09/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am slowly learning to like yoga. It's still not my absolute favourite workout, but this dvd is helping me even more to enjoy it better. It truly is for beginners and even I found it easy(ish) to do.
Desi is a great instructor and she has a clear, calm way of cuing and the camera work also allows you to see the moves better and practice them yourself and follow along well. There are two workouts, Solar and Lunar, which seem to be a trend now (doing an AM and PM workout). The Solar one is energy boosting and the Lunar routine is more stretchy and slower paced to be relaxing. It is meant to also lengthen your muscles which I feel it is probably doing.
I've done this three times now and I'm constantly getting a little better. I find it great to do on hectic days because it really is relaxing, and each workout is under a half hour so it's not too hard to fit into your day. I like this a lot and would highly recommend it to almost everyone. It is very do-able."

Another fun video

M Mikan | Florida USA | 08/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just saw that Desiree had a new DVD out -- it is even better than the other one that i bought. I am trying to find out if she has more coming. If anyone knows, please leave a comment because I love having a variety.

I do yoga 4 days per week now.
"

Overall soothing & nice solar & lunar 25-28 min sessions

Lena, LMT | Nassau, NY | 11/26/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Menu options: music only, music & instruction, in English, Spanish or Spanglish. All instruction is given in voice over.

Solar 25 min:
Sitting on thighs & then up to kneeling w/deep breathing up/down, hands/knees for cat/cow deep breathing several times, single hand opposite knee balance a couple of times, repeat cat/cow & balance again. Downward facing dog, plank, lower chaturanga, cobra, down dog, quick 3 legged dog to crescent (knee on ground) with torso up & down to knee w/deep breathing, plank, chaturanga, cobra, down dog, repeat on other side. Standing fwd bend/mountain 5x, chair pose, standing fwd bend. Plank, upward facing dog, down dog, warrior 1 (no instruction of back foot at all), plank, upward dog, down dog, warrior 1, warrior 2, plank, chaturanga, upward dog, down dog. Hands/knees to dolphin with whole forearm on ground & very tight V with legs close to arms. Sit down to half boat & then full boat, down dog, standing fwd bend, mountain. Chair pose, chair pose w/torso on thighs, repeat, standing fwd bend, chaturanga, upward dog, down dog, quick 3 legged down dog, warrior 1 & 2, exulted/reverse warrior, plank up & down dog, repeat on other side. Dolphin again, dolphin w/1 leg raised, boat w/slowly lowering legs ala pilates. Reclined rocking knees to chest, single straight leg to head stretch, then that leg to each side of body & repeat stretches on other leg. Knees to chest rocking, bridge pose & with one leg in ear, knees to chest rocking & reclined savasana for barely 1 minute.

Lunar 28 min:
Sitting cross legged & side torso stretches to left & right 3x each, then lift arms upward & down fwd stretch. Repeat side torso stretches 1x each & fwd stretch routine 2x more. Hands/knees cat/cow stretches & circular pelvic/torso fluid stretching for a nice time. Down dog, 3 legged down dog held for good stretch, crescent, crescent w/1 side to knee torso stretch, pyramid pose to half crescent back/forth stretching, twisted crescent, twisted crescent with top arm stretching in circular motions, forearms to floor inside legs for deeper hamstring stretch, down dog & repeat on other side & end to child's pose. Down dog/child's pose 3x. Seated single leg fwd bend, side stretch over extend leg single leg fwd bend, rise & twist torso facing away from extended leg for opposite good stretch, then seated both leg fwd bend, repeat on other side. Table pose with stomach toward ceiling, seated both leg fwd bend, table pose again w/1 leg up. Reclined straight leg to head, figure 4 leg stretch for piriformis to chest, twist legs at knee & ankle spinal twist, repeat on other side. Bridge pose, knees to chest rocking, spinal rocking, butterfly, reclined butterfly, 1-2 min savasana.

Production quality is great as the trailer shows. Desi has a sweet voice that is overall soothing & seems honestly earnest in helping. She says the Sanskrit names & mostly energetic analogies to help you get into the pose which I think shows the more spiritual side of yoga rather then as just a weight loss/muscular workout like other dvds do. Beginner might be a bit lost because for those she doesn't give enough basic body placement, like foot placement for beginners unless you watch to mimic her body placement. I found her solar session VERY repetitive, and speedy aerobic feel of doing a pose in/out many times instead of the 1-2x with time to feel the stretch with mindfulness which is what I look for. The lunar was much more relaxing, and she did some alternate stretches not found on most yoga dvds, though it still had some repetitiveness like the solar. Desi does have some great body awareness which I saw by some poses she chose after another which works to perfectly balance the body energy, and I hope in her future dvds she lets it shine through instead of this more aerobic style."

Wonderful flow

Michele Meiche | 10/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is a great dvd; especially for beginners
the flow is perfect to bring one in deep communion
you really feel the connectedness desi has within.
her inner connection comes across in the tone, pace & energy of the yoga practice on the dvd.
as a yogi, spiritual life coach & meditation teacher i highly recommend this dvd for beginners as well as a "travel" accompaniment to keep in the flow of one's yoga practice while traveling.
Meditation for Everyday Living"