Deep Slow Relaxed

Tilak Pyle
Year Released: 2008

Categories: Yoga
- Audio Workout


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This is my favorite of Tilak's iHanuman.com digital downloads to date. Beth has done an in-depth review, I'll just add some of my personal comments.

I first tried this during the holiday season of 2008 while I was under a lot of stress and had an upset stomach from eating junk at the office. Though not billed as a "digestive" yoga practice, Deep Slow Relaxed somehow eased my stomach - and also stretched my back, shoulders, hips, legs and just about everything else in all the right places. I have tried it on subsequent upset, tension stomach or tension headache days and it works every time!

The seated warmup is wonderful to relieve those hunchy desk/computer shoulders, and the all-fours work gives you a bonus calisthentic-type workout. I love the innovative twists Tilak adds to all of his iHanuman downloads. This is a good, 60 minute practice to turn to when you just need some Tilak ♥ but are not in the mood for a power practice. I highly recommend it.

Instructor Comments:
Tilak has a wonderful voice and manner for yoga instruction, and in this gentler practice these qualities shine. As I melt deeper and deeper into the sequences, it almost seems as if he is in the room with me. You'll hear Tilak gently guiding or chuckling with his students, which always brings a smile to my face at home.

Pat58

08/18/2009

Note: I received a free MP3 copy of this workout as part of my arrangement to review workouts for the site iHanuman.com.

In this 68-minute live audio session, instructor Tilak Pyle offers a quiet, restful yoga practice. As the title suggests, this class moves at an unhurried pace, with a focus on becoming softer and deeper. After an opening seated meditation and single round of Ohm, Pyle leads the group in about 10 minutes of breathwork (pranayama), including skull-shining breath and three-part breathing. He instructs well here, proving simple cues and also allowing opportunity for individual practice.

Following the pranayama, the asana practice begins. However, Pyle keeps his students on the floor, leading them through gentle stretches to open the chest, shoulders, and spine. This class also contains a variety of poses to target the hip flexors, starting here with an extended cobbler’s pose (or diamond pose) and then moving into a unique half-cobbler’s forward bend on either side. Continuing at the same leisurely pace, Pyle moves the class through various basic flows, such as cat/cow, leg lifts on all fours, and runner’s stretches in down dog. The standing postures in this practice include low lunge work and warrior 1 pose. Plus, Pyle sneaks in some strength challenges here and there—for example, moving into the lunge postures from 3-legged down dog. Final poses for this class include pigeon, kneeling dancer’s, full seated forward bend, reclining twist, and a 10-minute savasana.

This class definitely provides an excellent opportunity to take a break from a fast-paced world and enjoy a meditative yoga session. Although the practice is performed at a slow, relaxed pace, it is not a restorative yoga class per se, and it would be most appropriate for experienced beginner to intermediate level yoga students.

Instructor Comments:
For those familiar with Tilak's Yoga: Altar of the Heart, you already know that Tilak has a wonderfully soothing voice. Tilak does very well with the audio format--I found him generally easy to follow.

Beth C (aka toaster)

06/28/2009