Yoga is a popular practice for balancing body, mind and spirit. It offers numerous mental and physical benefits, including reducing stress, increasing energy, slowing your heart rate, improving breathing, building lean muscle mass and gaining better flexibility. A beginner DVD can assist you in making yoga part of your life.
Getting Started
The traits you seek in a beginner yoga DVD are relatively the same as what you would look for in a class or instructor. It should be the right type of yoga for you, taught in an intelligent, understandable way that is easy to follow. The DVD should be soothing and supportable, while also challenging you with the new poses.
Practicing at Home
One of the appealing factors of practicing with a yoga DVD is that you can do it anywhere. ABC-of-yoga.com says, “The important thing is the attitude--a big heart and a small ego.” They recommend choosing a place in your home that is quiet, clean, well ventilated and free from distractions. A yoga block or yoga strap is recommended for beginners, but otherwise there is no need for expensive equipment. Your clothing should be loose and comfortable.
The Right Type
Yoga classes and DVDs come in many styles. The first step is to determine your goals. Do you want a meditative, gentle or restorative flow, or are you looking for something more vigorous and dynamic? A Vinyasa-style class can build heat and potentially result in greater calorie burn. Other vigorous types of yoga include Ashtanga, which is known for being physically challenging; Power Yoga, which involves fast-paced invigorating poses; and Hot Yoga or Bikram Yoga, which are both done in a heated environment. On the other end of the spectrum, restorative yoga poses passively allow muscles to stretch and relax in a gentle, soothing manner.
Movement
Even as a beginner, any type of yoga will help you reduce stress, increase flexibility and tone and sculpt your body. While practicing yoga, all muscles in the body must work together in a functional way to execute and hold each pose. The result is a significant increase in lean muscle mass, enforced structure and increased flexibility, yet done in a way that is soothing to your body.
One Good DVD
A beginner DVD should explain the different basic yoga poses so that you are able to execute a safe and effective practice. Yoga Journal’s "Complete Beginner's Guide," featuring yoga teacher Jason Crandell, is a two-disc set that uses a 360-degree video camera to demonstrate the poses. You will be able to see the 35 most essential poses from every angle on disc 1, including backbends, standing poses and sun salutations. Once you are familiar with the poses and their proper alignment, you can move on to disc 2, which is a 60-minute essential practice plus a 15-minute awakening practice and a 15-minute calming practice.
Member Comments
Kaelyn1 August 18
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the great yoga for beginners article! I am a huge fan of yoga.
I just wanted to let you know that anyone that is new to yoga and doesn't feel ready for a yoga studio; there are live (not pre-recorded) online yoga classes taught by certified instructors on Physiic.com.
Physiic uses a form of videoconferencing that allows the instructor to view all online participants via webcam. The instructor can then monitor their form and offer assistance when needed; which is wonderful for beginner yogi's! The online participants can then ask questions to the instructor before, during or after class.
All participants need to do is go to www.physiic.com, browse the "Upcoming Live Classes" and purchase whichever class interests them. There are video previews to help select which class and instructor suits them best. The first class is free.
I hope this information is useful to you and your readership. Please let me know if I can offer any more info. You can find me on Facebook.
Thanks & have a wonderful week!
Kaelyn Byerly