The Best Beginner Yoga DVD

If you are a beginning yoga student who prefers to practice at home with a DVD, you should determine your reasons for practicing yoga and take the same considerations in choosing a DVD that you would in choosing a yoga teacher. Determining which style of yoga suits you best will help you pick a DVD that you will be comfortable doing regularly.

Rodney Yee, an advanced yoga practitioner and instructor, has developed a beginning yoga DVD for those interested in the basics of yoga. Focusing on the Iyengar style of yoga, Yee will teach and explain 10 basic yoga poses. The two yoga workouts take you through the poses you learned earlier for a slow-paced practice. The 20-minute morning workout is more vigorous, while the 15-minute evening workout focuses on more relaxing, restful poses.

If you are interested in the flowing vinyasa style of yoga, but are not ready for the intense vinyasa power yoga, you might find "Yoga: Gentle Vinyasa Flow" to your liking. This DVD, made by long-time yoga instructor Zyrka Landwijt, focuses on teaching the basics of yoga poses to beginning students. This DVD features six vinyasa flow sequences that will teach you the poses, increase your strength and flexibility, and with practice, prepare you for more challenging practice.

If you are interested in practicing yoga because you are recovering from an injury, or have been told that yoga can help with aches and pains, "Healing Yoga for Aches and Pains" might be a good beginning practice. This DVD is gentle, mild and perfect if you have health challenges that limit your ability to practice full-scale yoga. The instructors, Charles and Lisa Matkin, have used yoga to help others relieve chronic pain for many years, and this DVD is an extension of their work.

Professional athletes have enjoyed the benefits of incorporating the practice of yoga into their training regimen. With yoga's focus on core strength, flexibility and attention to the mind and body connection, many athletes have practiced with basic yoga classes. If you are already an athlete, this DVD will teach you how to integrate beginning yoga poses into your training and also explain how to overcome muscle tightness developed from over-training particular muscle groups.