Does anyone else have this issue with yoga dvds?

  • I have a real problem with regular fitness instructors putting out yoga dvds.

    Is it just me?

    I mean, dvds put out by Kathy Smith, Leslie Sansone, Denise Austin, and whoever else...people who are certified fitness instructors/personal trainers/exercise degreed people...but who are not actually YOGA instructors, who practice the emotional and spiritual aspects of yoga, as well as the physical.

    I have tried yoga dvds by fitness instructors, and honestly, they are just not as good as something that you get from Yoga Zone, Rodney Yee, and other REAL yoga instructors. The workout might be there, but the spiritual and mental side of it is not...

    Am I the only one?
  • I've been called a "Purist" before (about a few things ) so it should not be a surprise that I feel as you do.

    Yoga is much more than just a physical movement or physical postures (Asanas) or breathing exercises (Pranayama).
    and Meditation. It's a Spiritual path. It is a body-mind-spirit philosophy.
  • See, I've never gotten into the whole yoga thing and it may be because my introduction to yoga was by following a Kathy Smith yoga video. I get that there is a whole philosophy behind it, and that can't be captured by an instructor who is known for doing quickie videos. But maybe if these videos were labeled as stretch videos or something, that would be less misleading. (Although they probably wouldn't sell as well, either).
  • Well, legally speaking, they ARE doing yoga poses in the videos, and not just general stretching...so they can call them yoga videos...

    What I find that I enjoy most about yoga, besides the physical benefits of course, is that I feel like my mind is cleansed afterwards. I also feel that a general fitness instructor doesn't stress the importance of the breathing, the importance of not PUSHING yourself into a position (because it hinders, not improves your flexibility), and other aspects of it as well.

    If I would have started yoga with Kathy Smith, I would have never gotten any further with it, either. I was APALLED that she put out a belly dance video a few years ago...when she is not a belly dancer herself. It isn't something that you can take for a couple of weeks, and then put out a video on. She was completely clueless about it...of course, someone who has never danced before wouldn't know this, but when I watched it, I was like "Oh GEEZ..."
  • For me it's the opposite. I got into Yoga because of Leslie Sansone's way of explaining it. It was simple, she didn't do really crazy stuff, and it was one on one (I usually did it after I did WATP). Now that I'm doing YBB, sometimes they use way too much technical jargon for me to pick it up right away so i'm constantly looking. However i must say i do get more out of YBB's yoga (the grounding part, not the streching part) than i did with leslie.
  • love love love Yoga


    Try this

    YOGATODAY.COM

    its a free one hour class everyday

    Try all three instructors as they are all so different

    you will be hooked
  • I like Namasta(Spelling?) Yoga on FitTV That is what got me into yoga and is the only one I do.
  • I can relate to what princesspeach says. I trust Leslie Sansone's videos. I trust that she will create videos that I can do, that aren't too intimidating, and that will give me a good workout. So I would be drawn to one that she puts out, even if I know that she is not truly a yoga instructor.

    Aphil, can you recommend a beginning yoga DVD for someone by a more traditional yoga instructor?
  • There is a wonderful set put out by Yoga Journal, you can go to the Yoga Journal website and take a peek at them. It is a set fo 3 dvds (they are numbered 1, 2, and 3) and they go through things very exactly.

    There are also some good ones out by Yoga Zone, they have an entire beginners series. Check Amazon.com, and punch in Yoga Zone...look for the ones with beginner in the titles.


    The thing that I have found that is the most important, is that the real yoga instructors STRESS not pushing yourself, and not straining. In other words, if you are not flexible enough NOW/TODAY to get into a "pretzel" position, then don't force it. Props such as straps and blocks are there for you to use, so that you can modify to your own body. A beginner should not expect to be able to do exactly what the instructor is doing...especially when they have years under their belts.

    You should never force a position, or stretch. It doesn't make you more flexible, it actually works against you. Videos by regular fitness instructors do not stress this enough. You only go to the point to where you feel a good stretch, and then hold that. If your face is straining to hold the position, then you have gone too far. By going just to where you can, over time you will be able to go further. By forcing/straining, you are not becoming more flexible...because to do that, you have to relax, not be forcing/pushing.

    Now as far as Yoga Booty Ballet...from what I have seen, I can't stand them. I looked up some of their videos on YouTube and watched, and I didn't see any yoga at all. I saw lots of hootin' and hollerin', and salsa like dance moves.
  • LOL Aphil
    What they have on YouTube isn't a real representation of what they have to offer. The clips are to their "live" workouts which is a mix of Cardio/Dance and then Yoga and then strength training. So the hootin' and hollerin' and salsa dance moves are more of the cardio dance bit.

    if you go to google video and search Yoga Booty Ballet, the infomerical is up and you can see that they do have yoga clips there (not actual ones because it's the commerical). What they do in every tape is sit in easy post, set an intention and then further down the video is the "yoga" section and they are really.. what you like, don't force it make it work for you, etc etc =)
  • Well, yes - and no.
    I tried yoga in my 20s and enjoyed it. I have always been very inflexible and the extra weight didn't help matters. Thus, I really thought that yoga was not an option at this point in my life.
    Then, I ordered a grab-bag of videos from Gaiam. "You Can Do Yoga" (Leslie Sansone - 10 minute intro to yoga) was in the bunch. It opened my eyes to the possibility that I CAN do yoga - even at 215 lbs. and 50 years old. The "Yoga for Weightloss" series by Suzanne Deason was also in the same grab-bag. I absolutely love this series. Suzanne does a wonderful job with the asanas as well as the philosophy. It is geared for all levels.

    So, yes - I am a purist - but maybe those other videos will get folk to try yoga and maybe move (eventually) into the spiritual aspects of the practice -
  • You tube has 2 Full Length Yoga Booty Ballet workouts, Their YBB Hip Hop Abs And the Cardio one, Those are not the clips but the entire workout
  • Quote: LOL Aphil
    What they have on YouTube isn't a real representation of what they have to offer. The clips are to their "live" workouts which is a mix of Cardio/Dance and then Yoga and then strength training. So the hootin' and hollerin' and salsa dance moves are more of the cardio dance bit.

    if you go to google video and search Yoga Booty Ballet, the infomerical is up and you can see that they do have yoga clips there (not actual ones because it's the commerical). What they do in every tape is sit in easy post, set an intention and then further down the video is the "yoga" section and they are really.. what you like, don't force it make it work for you, etc etc =)

    Okay...I borrowed some from a friend to watch. STILL don't like them.

    I would definitely consider what they do a fitness compilation (blending dance/cardio/strength/yoga all together...but not actual yoga. They are too "perky" to be yoga instructors.