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Thursday, February 21, 2008 by Timothy Burgin
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Element: Yoga for Beginners
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 Yoga for Beginners is a great DVD for those who are looking to start a yoga practice while being challenged and engaged. This DVD practice starts out slow and gentle with a pranayama (breathing) practice and an excellent series of warm-up movements. Once the body is warmed and energized, the practice moves into more challenging standing poses, and then ends with a good mix of floor poses and a final relaxation. |
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Thursday, January 10, 2008 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga, Inc.
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 What happens when a 5,000 year old spiritual practice comes to America? You get Yoga Inc., a fascinating combination between the ancient East and capitalist America. This captivating documentary explores the America’s often strange and controversial attempts to commercialize yoga, leading us on a journey from hot nude yoga and chakra panties to the American yoga championships. While the film touches on a wide spectrum of people, issues and ideas, there are only a few main areas of focus. In the beginning of the film we see a great overview of the history of yoga in the United States. Then the film dives deep into its main subject, Bikram yoga and its copyrighted yoga sequence, lawsuits, commercial franchise and national yoga competitions. |
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Thursday, October 25, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga
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 The absolutely amazing and deeply inspiring introduction track on this video program is worth the price of the DVD alone. Usually I find the intro tracks to yoga DVDs are fairly bland and tend to capture the instructor in a deer in front of the headlights performance. This is not the case at all here. David and Sharon shine and radiate their passion, understanding and love of the practice of yoga. I want to play this intro every morning to inspire me not only to practice my yoga on the mat, but off the mat as well. The other unique component of this video is that you can choose to have either David’s or Sharon’s voice guide you through the practice, giving you two different intentions and insights into the symbolism of the poses and practice. Both of these features will encourage multiple viewing, and with it being filmed in a beautiful sacred space with a backdrop of musicians playing peaceful music makes this DVD a treasure to keep. |
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Thursday, August 09, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Chakra Theory and Meditation
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 This 4-hour DVD lecture is a practical, no-nonsense approach to the theory, function, and practice of using the chakra centers for personal and spiritual development. Paul presents this esoteric information in a very clear and understandable manner, and the DVD is well organized with chapters and subchapters to allow the viewing to be broken up into digestible chunks. Paul’s lecture shines the most when he is presenting the theory and philosophy of the chakra system, and when he explains the purpose, function and practice of chakra meditation. While the chakras and the meditation techniques based on the chakra system have been exhaustively covered in the past, Paul takes a unique approach, incorporating pranayama, mantra and bandha to heighten the awareness and understanding of these energy centers. The practice he outlines is fairly advanced, and not for the feint at heart, but even if you are not prepared to engage in these meditation practices, the information presented will still be relevant and interesting for the serious yoga practitioner |
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Thursday, July 05, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Healthy Aging
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 Originally aired on PBS, this 85-minute program dispels the common cultural myths on aging, and replaces these with a healthy positive outlook on the aging process. Dr. Weil is an exceptional speaker with the ability to convey both scientific studies and personal observations in a clear, entertaining and engaging way. While he only mentions yoga and yogic breathing exercises a few times in the program, much of his 12-Point Program clearly reflects yogic values and principles: positive mental outlook, healthy diet with predominance of whole grains and vegetables, stress management, and moderation. Although much of this information we have heard before, Dr. Weil presents his advice in an uplifting manner and at the same time backs it with scientific studies and rational theories. His goal is not only to extend one’s lifespan, but most importantly to live a long, healthy and happy life. The bonus material includes a short biography, ideas for creating a walking labyrinth, the yogic breathing techniques, how to create an ethical will and additional questions from the audience. |
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Wednesday, June 06, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Creative Core Abs
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 Shiva Rea’s latest video explores strengthening the physical and energetic core of the body through breath, asana and dance-like movement. This 37-minute program is broken down into 3 main sections: Water Core, Spontaneous Core and Fire Core. In the first segment, Water Core, Shiva explores the muscles in the pelvis, hips and waist through fluid circling movements in a seated position. In Spontaneous Core, the intensity level builds with variations on abdominal crunches with twists and leg lifts, and this segment ends with a spontaneous flow of movements to be chosen by the participant. In Fire Core, Shiva starts with Breath of fire and lion breath, and proceeds with an integration of more intermediate movements and standing postures. This is a beautifully filmed and produced DVD and is a great way to strengthen the core of the body in a fun, creative and engaging way. |
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Wednesday, May 09, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Journal's Yoga for Stress
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 This doctor-designed program of stress relieving yoga practices is professionally produced, clearly presented and packed with great features. Two 35-minute practices form the core of the DVD, with one practice for stress prevention and another for relieving stress. Both of these have the ability to be viewed in ‘practice mode’ with minimized verbal instruction and have the option to hold the poses for an extended duration with the built in timer option. An 8-minute pranayama (breathing) practice is included, along with a 6-minute guided relaxation and an 8-minute guided meditation practice. All of these features combined with Dr. Bell’s calm soothing voice and the tranquil background music make this DVD is a great resource to help reduce and manage our daily stress. |
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Thursday, May 03, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yogic Arts - Source Power
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This follow-up to Duncan Wong’s first DVD uses the same high quality production and artistic filming to create a beautiful and stunning experience. Source Power is definitely an intermediate to advanced practice with its challenging, fast paced and complex sequences. Fortunately the most complex and intricate movements are repeated several times making them easier to follow and learn. The overall class format is very similar to Awakening Level, but this DVD goes much deeper through the almost doubling of its practice length (100 minutes) as well as its inclusion of more advanced and diverse yoga and martial arts moves. Even if this practice is a bit beyond your skill level, it can still serve as a motivation to further your practice as well as an inspiration for incorporating creative posture variations and unique transitions between poses. |
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Tuesday, April 03, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Trance Dance
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 A radical departure from traditional hatha yoga, Yoga Trance Dance is a synergetic combination of flow yoga and free form dance. The DVD is comprised of 6 preprogrammed practices ranging from 29 to 41 minutes and contains 15 segments that can be mixed and matched through the innovative “Yoga Matrix” menu. The practices break down into three main techniques. Prana yoga incorporates spiraling, circling and twisting movements within traditional yoga postures. The calming and centering moving meditations are primarily arm movements with breath connecting with prana and shakti energies of the body. The free form dance segments are just that, uninhibited explorations of moving the body with minimal verbal guidance. The filming and production of the DVD is extraordinary, with the stunning White Sands National Park in the background and intriguing panning shots with an Indian classical dancer and an African drummer in the foreground. Overall, the Yoga Trance Dance DVD is a visual delight as well as an opportunity to explore, have fun and be truly expressive through yoga and dance. |
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Wednesday, March 07, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yogic Arts - Awakening Level
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 Filmed in widescreen high-definition black and white with dramatic lighting through skylights and windows, this DVD takes the yoga video to new artistic heights. This 60-minute program is simply stunning to watch with its beautiful cinematography and Duncan Wong’s fluid, graceful and esoteric movements. Korean Buddhist Gung Fu, Ashtanga yoga, and Thai bodywork are combined to create a spicy and unique yoga practice with an extraordinary integration of pranayama, mudras and martial arts arm movements. This swift paced and complex sequence can be challenging to follow and thus not recommended for new beginners. Options enable the hour long video to be practiced in two shorter half hour segments. |
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Monday, February 05, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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A Day In The Light
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 This short documentary features the story and teachings of Indian Saint Pujya Swamiji. At eight years old he experienced enlightenment after his spiritual teacher sent him into the jungle to practice an arduous sadhana: an 11-hour meditation standing on one foot. Swamiji briefly tells of his experience alone in the jungle as the starting point to further discussions on obtaining eternal happiness, bliss and peace. This wise and gentle guru clearly speaks from his heart with grace and passion. His message is simple yet profound: open your heart, be present in this moment, let go of your attachments, and give to others. Overall this DVD provides an authentic Indian spiritual experience, full of vivid images of India and the Himalayan mountains, and accompanied by an exotic soundtrack of renowned musicians. |
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Thursday, January 04, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Short Cut To Nirvana
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 This fascinating documentary on the Kumbh Mela provides a glimpse into the longest running religious festival, and the largest human gathering in history. We follow several western pilgrims as they visit the many gurus and babas gathered in their individual compounds and interact with a cheerful young swami who serves as a guide, interpreter and interviewer. The video footage and stills capture a pure, non-judgmental view into the heart of both the pilgrims and the gurus. And the exclusive footage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama underscores the spirit of harmony, diversity and acceptance that pervades throughout the film. Overall, Short Cut To Nirvana is beautifully filmed, well produced and packaged with worth seeing bonus material: interviews with the western pilgrims four years after the Mela, extended conversations with five spiritual teachers, and an interview with the film-makers. |
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Now
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 Billed as a comprehensive exercise program, this 4-DVD set combines yoga poses and cardio exercises with nutrition and meal planning to promote muscle toning and weight loss. On the first 2 disks, yoga practitioner and actress Mariel Hemingway tag-team teaches with acclaimed yoga expert Rodney Yee in a live class setting. The 30-minute core workout has an option to view a modified version for beginning students while the 50-minute accelerated workout builds on the core workout and gives several voiceover audio options. The cardio portion of this yoga-cardio fusion involves arm swings, back and forth lunge stepping and small hopping in place movements. When teaching together, Mariel and Rodney have an upbeat, spunky and occasionally chatty style giving encouragement while providing light-hearted instruction. The two 10-minute programs, the a.m. energizer and the p.m. de-stressor are simple variations of the core workout that are useful if you are short on time. |
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Tuesday, November 07, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Burn
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 This latest DVD by Rodney Yee could very well have been called Yoga Zen. Slow, continuous movements are used to create mindfulness and mental focus throughout the entire video. The transitions between poses are given the same importance as postures and none of the poses are held, which creates a exceptionally graceful flowing practice. The “burn” in the title relates to the intention to build body strength through repeating the poses 2-3 times each and the use of many floor postures that target the abs and core muscles. While this Zen-like approach is quite different from Rodney's previous videos, the minimal instruction and emphasis on basic postures works wonderfully in this format. The Zen rock garden set and the beautiful tranquil soundtrack both greatly enhance the meditative aspect of practice. |
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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The Mandala Healing Kit
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 The Mandala Healing Kit provides step-by-step instructions to learn how to use the sacred mandala as a healing and self-transformative tool. The kit includes everything you need to create a personal mandala: a 96-page workbook, music CD, icon stencils, black paper, colored pencils and a silver gel pen. The workbook explains the history and philosophy of mandalas and contains 24 exercises for preparing and creating different mandalas, meditations and rituals. Specific CD tracks are required for different exercises to deepen your focus and heighten your visual perception as well as to encourage your creativity. Used alone or with a group of friends, this complete kit provides the tools, knowledge and inspiration for this sacred combination of art and spirit. |
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Thursday, August 09, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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The One Two Three of God
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 In this 4-Cd audio program Ken Wilber, applies his integral theory to the spiritual world to explain the fundamental nature of God. Through an engaging and humorous interview format, Wilber gives us a philosophical map to incorporate all of our different religious and spiritual conceptions of God. While this sounds impossible, or at the very least incredibly complex, Wilber’s simple framework elegantly weaves our different conceptualizations of God together. The “One Two Three of God” refers to the three primary perspectives with the Divine: first, second, and third person. This manifests as seeing God in mystical, devotional, and objective terms, and having three main relationships to spirit: communion, union, and identity. Many yogic terms and spiritual concepts are used throughout the program, and the discussion of the four stages of spiritual development and how they influence and support the three different perspectives is exceptionally fascinating and illuminating. The program ends with a series of guided mediations to directly experience the three perspectives and different states of spiritual consciousness |
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