I'd been doing upward dog (or cobra) for about six months before I bought this tape. But the detail that Walden provides in this tape helped me improve the pose immensely. I remember staring at the ceiling and thinking "This is the best cobra I've ever done." I love spending that extra time to get that extra extension.

That said-- the backbend series is mostly warmup to get to the backbends, and by the time I get to them, my arms are tired from the warmup! I can't usually hold the upward bow for nearly as long as she does. And she does it-- four times? Five? By then my arms are noodles. So, I'm challenged by this tape, but I don't usually do the whole thing through. Sometimes I put the tape in just for the up-dog/ down-dog vinyasa which she explains better than Yee, Schiffman, or Arkin.

The forward bend section is very enjoyable. I love the standing-pose-flow Vinyasa that she starts it with and occasionally put the tape in just for that vinyasa. I enjoy the symmetry in it; everything is done to the right and to the left, but smoothly, with dog pose in between. By the second time thru that vinyasa I'm feeling great.

After reading many reviews that ask the question "is this tape for beginners or not", I'd like to say: I think that all the rest of Yoga Journal's series (and the Living Arts series too) assume that if you have not taken yoga classes, then you have used the "Yoga Journal's: Yoga Practice For Beginners" tape. The rest of the "beginners" tapes could be renamed "for Advanced Beginners". If you are new to Yoga, do youself a favor and start with "Yoga Journal's: Yoga Practice For Beginners".

Instructor Comments:
Patricia Walden always provides excellent directions for working in each pose to get the most benefit out of that pose. This tape is no different. Her attention to detail-- especially stretching the spine, grounding through the floor, and opening the ribs-- continually challenges me to improve my asanas. Great instructor.

Helen Wright