Rodney Yee’s Yoga for Beginners

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A Yoga DVD geared towards beginners. Includes a 40-minute instructional session, a 22-minute “morning” workout and 17-minute “evening” routine. Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman instruct.

Those who are new to Yoga and want something deeper than your usual “beginners” DVD. Not necessarily for someone who has never done Yoga before, but great for someone who is still very early on in their practice. You will just need a mat — no props are used.

I think Rodney Yee and his collaborator (and wife), Colleen Saidman, have come up with a beginner’s Yoga DVD that is pure perfection. It’s well taught, beautiful and actually not all that easy for a beginner’s practice. If you’re new to Yoga (and even if you have been doing it for a while), you’ll want to start with the 40-minute tutorial. It’s a workout in itself, and Yee and Saidman spend quality time on form, highlighting common mistakes. Their insight will give you a new look at the basic poses, especially if your prior exposure to Yoga has been through DVD only. This session alone will keep you busy for quite a while if you are very new to Yoga. The two morning and evening segments are flowing routines that may seem to move a bit quickly if you are new, but which you should be able to grow into without too much time and effort. Yee is the instructor for the “morning” workout, which contains more vigorous standing poses, and Saidman teaches the “evening” routine, which involves more forward bending for introspection and relaxation. You have three instructional voiceover options for both routines — full instruction, pose only (just naming the pose with very minimal instruction) and inspirational (a deeper, more mind-body type of instruction). Unless you are an advanced beginner, stick with the full instruction. You’ll get great, detailed cueing, which you need if you are still new to Yoga. The “Pose only” instruction is too minimalist, especially for eloquent teachers like Yee and Saidman, who have a way with words. The “Inspirational” instruction is as gorgeous as the Hawaiian scenery in which these workouts were shot. Yee is pure poetry and Saidman weaves wisdom and cues together seamlessly. But you will need to be familiar with the poses, and with the workout before you’re ready for this instruction, so that you’re able to relax and really focus on what’s being said. You’ll find that this DVD has a lot of staying power, moreso than most beginner’s Yoga DVDs. You’ll learn something new every time you do these workouts.