| Beyond Basic Yoga for Dummies presents 12 yoga poses that skilled instructor Sara Ivanhoe calls the "daily dozen." Ivanhoe is calm, clear, warm, and patient, demonstrating each pose as the screen flashes easier and more challenging modifications. The too-frequent voiceover "tips," "mythbusters," and "warnings"--announced by sound effects--are louder than Ivanhoe's voice and become disconcerting interruptions. Since they also appear in print on the screen, the jarring voice is unnecessary. Ivanhoe herself could give any tips needed for safety and effectiveness. Ivanhoe's careful, detailed instructions for each pose keep the progression slow, and an experienced yoga practitioner could get bored. However, a beginning exerciser who has mastered a basic workout will find this program a helpful next step before going to an intermediate level. The 70-minute DVD edition also includes a 15-minute guided meditation and the option to eliminate the music--you still hear instructor cueing and voiceover tips, but you can play your own music. --Joan Price |
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 A few tips... |
| Review Date: January 7, 2003 |
| Reviewer: Andrew R. Chappell, Tempe, AZ United States |
| I have found both Sara's DVDs useful and fun. I will not repeat information from other reviewers that I agree with, but I will offer a few tips to those who have a concern over the length of time and "patter" in this series (Beyond Basic and Basic). These tips will work for both DVDs. If you have gone through the daily dozen with Sara several times and know everything she's going to say, do one of the following... 1. Mute Sara and just watch her do the poses with you while you put on a calming CD. You'll still feel like she's there with you and she'll keep you moving from one pose to another. 2. Don't use the DVD at all, but put the daily dozen list in front of you and just follow it at your own pace. (Also listening to some calming music.) You can increase or decrease the amount of breaths you take in each pose to modify your session. We do this a lot. 3. Do the intermediate session on the Basic DVD or the meditation on the Beyond Basics. Those 2 rotated make a great session on their own! When you want a refresher course on how the poses should look and feel, just turn Sara back on and review with her. Don't be scared off by other reviewers' comments! I've been using this series for a year now, and it's the one I'm happiest with! This new DVD is a great companion for the first. Namaste. |
Excellent follow-up to the first
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| Review Date: April 7, 2003 |
| Reviewer: Sara, New York |
| Just when I was getting bored with the routine from "Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies", they decided to come out with a sequel with the same instructor (the always wonderful Sara Ivanhoe) but with a more challenging workout. I had been doing the old routine for about 10 months when I decided to step things up a bit and buy the sequel. This video is a fitting follow-up to the first. While the first routine introduced you to yoga and got you used to practicing it on a regular basis, the second video really gets you into it and presents a good workout for the body. You will be surprised at how fit this yoga workout will make you feel. I've been doing the workout for 6 months now, and I'm more toned and muscular, and I've even lost some weight! (Never meant to, though, it just happened...) When I noticed that my clothes didn't fit as snuggly as they used to, and I had to buy smaller rings, I knew the yoga was working! Like the first video, the instructor goes through each pose step-by-step to make sure you are doing it properly. If you're a veteran of the first video, you'll have no problem learning the new routine. But even if this is your first time, you will have no problem learning and doing the poses since the instructor makes yoga so accessible for everyone. And the good thing about the video is that you can watch it a few times, memorize the routine, and then do it on your own after that. With this video, who needs to spend money on expensive yoga classes at the gym? You'll get a great workout at a great price. |
A great next step for beginning yogis
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| Review Date: October 8, 2002 |
| Reviewer: Jennifer K. Pierce, Douglasville, Georgia United States |
| Big fan of Sara Ivanhoe here. Her instructional style is pleasant without being patronizing; she looks like she's really enjoying herself and manages to convey the feeling that she is in the room with you. Her instruction creates a very clear picture of what the body is supposed to be doing/feeling/aiming for at any time. I found it to be not only a great sequel to Basic Yoga for Dummies, but an excellent companion to her two Crunch workouts--many of the poses introduced in the Crunch series are explored in more depth here, which made both the Fat-Burning and the Joy Of Yoga workouts become clearer. Once I understood the poses I wished that there were an option to run through them with fewer preliminaries, but I like the DVD so much anyway that I had to give it five stars. I'll be working with this one for awhile--there's plenty of room to grow with this workout. |
Yoga Postures for Strength and Flexibility
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| Review Date: March 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Rebecca Johnson, Washington State |
Sara Ivanhoe's nurturing teaching style makes her workouts perfect for beginners, but even if you are intermediate, she still knows how to present challenging postures in a way that makes you want to try them. This workout begins with a series of stretches to warm up the upper body, but you may want to walk for 20-30 minutes or do some aerobics to warm up the muscles. I found that without the walking or biking, I was not as flexible.
"The Daily Dozen" exercises are a little more challenging than the first DVD and I was actually surprised at two of the exercises because they almost seemed advanced. It was more the length of time you are required to hold the posture that seems to make them go beyond intermediate. Upward Dog is surprisingly challenging when held for six breaths. Normally I've tried this in a vinyasa style workout with flowing postures. When you take each posture and focus your attention for six breaths, this becomes a test of patience and endurance. The postures include:
Chair
Warrior
Triangle
Wide Leg Standing Forward Bend
Low Lunge Twist
Upward Facing Dog
Dolphin
Cow - I had never seen this exercise before! Total challenge!
Wide Leg Seated Forward Bend
Reclined Butterfly
Supine Twist
Final Relaxation
I really loved "Dolphin" which is like Downward dog with your arms bent and your head almost on the floor. It tests your upper body strength and balance, but feels great once you are done with the breathing exercises. Each posture presents a physical and psychological challenge which makes them even more fun.
"Cow" felt very much like an advanced exercise, mostly because of the flexibility required to even get into the posture. I literally sat there laughing when I realized there was no way my legs would "pretzel" the way the exercise required. So, you may just want to adapt that one for beginner/intermediate and it still seems to have the desired effect. Beginners will find some of the exercises to be more intermediate, and intermediate practitioners may find this workout great for developing patience.
For some reason, which I can't explain, Sara Ivanhoe's workouts leave me feeling more centered, balanced and generally happy and peaceful. It is as if the world spins a little more smoothly after the workout. A meditation session is also offered and Sara Ivanhoe teaches you a new mudra. I can also highly recommend her Candlelight Yoga workout and all of her 20-minute Makeovers.
Items needed: Yoga Mat
~The Rebecca Review
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Never done yoga before?? Look no further!!!! :-)
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| Review Date: October 5, 2003 |
| Reviewer: , NY, NY |
| This dvd is exceptional for beginners! Before purchasing this, I had never done Yoga before. I really love Sara Ivanhoe, she has a very soothing voice and makes you feel very comfortable. There are a lot of explanations before every pose, so if you have no idea to what you are doing, you will be perfectly fine. However, if you have some basic yoga knowledge already, this won't be the dvd for you. You will then find it very slow and boring due to all the explanations and slower pace. But, I would recommend it 100 percent for someone who has never done yoga before!!! Don't be afraid to give it a try!! |
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