Sura Flow: The Complete Integrative Program for Beginners

Sura Flow Yoga: The Complete Integrative Program for Beginners. Includes "Yoga, Energy Healing & Life Skills" and "Deep Relaxation and Guided Meditation".

This is a meditative, mostly gentle yoga practice which focuses on the mind/body connection and movement of the spine. There are no standing poses. All poses are done seated, on hands and knees or lying on the floor. Sura is an excellent instructor with a quiet, calm voice. The production quality is very high. The dvd was filmed at a mountain lake in Boulder, CO and the background scenery is gorgeous.

While billed as a yoga dvd, there are elements of tai chi/qi gong. Many of the poses incorporate circular or wave like movements of the spine and limbs. I use Lee Holden's Qi Gong dvds frequently and feel that this dvd has a kinship with his practices. People who prefer more active vinyasa style yoga might find this too slow.

Most of the poses would be accessible to someone who is new to yoga, but several require some upper body and core strength. For example, one pose takes you from down dog in a circular motion to the side and down through up dog, and around the other side back to down dog. There are several poses that will help you develop core strength.

Sura uses a great deal of guided imagery and visualization, particularly in segments 1, 5 and 6 listed below. In the 5 Elements of Healing, she has you visualize yourself connected to various elements of nature ( a stream flowing through you, the sun warming you, etc.). In the guided meditation, the focus is on the breath, observing stillness, observing yourself without judgment and peace.

I really appreciate the versatility of this dvd as you can use one of the premixed practices or design your own. There are 6 different segments and you can mix and match from the following:

1. Centering and grounding (6 min) (seated)
2. Sura Flow seated (30 min)
3. Sura Flow full practice (53 min)
4. Sura Flow active practice (20 min)
5. 5 Elements Healing (11 min) (lying down)
6. Guided meditation (10 min) (seated)

The premixes are:
Full practice (1, 3, 5 and 6 for a total of 80 minutes)
Seated practice (1, 2, 5 and 6 for a total of 58 minutes)
Active Practice (1, 4, 5 and 6 for a total of 48 minutes)
Centering and Grounding practice (1, 5 and 6 for a total of 28 minutes)

Instructor Comments:
I enjoyed Sura's teaching style and thought she was perfectly suited to teaching this type of practice. I hope she will put more of her work on dvd.

KathyS