Ageless Yoga

I came across this DVD at a used book sale. I am a yoga instructor, and I admit, I fell for the description on the DVD case, which said that this DVD offered innovative teachings "whether you are a yoga instructor or a beginner." I also expected that as the subtitle suggested, there would be both chair AND standing yoga sequences, plus I assumed that with the vast variety the DVD had to offer--over 60 routines!--there would be plenty to suit my needs, whether for practice or to assist with my teaching.

Unfortunately, the way that this DVD is marketed is extremely deceptive. First, although the DVD does include both chair and standing stretches, there are NO practices that are entirely standing--some are all seated, and all others are a mix of seated and standing work. This is obviously fine if that's what you want (and may be better for those wanting chair yoga only), but it was NOT what I had expected. Second, while there are TECHNICALLY 60 practices on this DVD, by no means are these unique footage! By my count, there are about 11 unique sequences on this DVD--5 labeled as Gentle, 5 called Challengers, and 1 meditation. The various practices on the DVD simply feature these practices strung together in different ways--e.g., a single sequence, or 2, 3, 4, or 5 sequences combined together for a longer routine.

A final issue that I had with this DVD is that it is VERY hard to navigate. There are actually instructions in the DVD insert for the "Technologically Challenged," but not only are these poor done, they would not even be necessary if the DVDs menus were simply better constructed. Part of the problem is that instead of defaulting to a Main Menu, the DVD loads an E-Z or Quick Start Menu (and yes, it is called different things in different places--also confusing!). It is difficult to know where the options on the Quick Start Menu come from in relation to the rest of the DVD, but here they are as listed:

Sitting Only, 30 minutes
Stretch Out, 18 minutes
Stretch, 19 minutes
Loosen Up, 17 minutes
Joint Freedom, 18 minutes
Balance & Breath, 18 minutes
MORE OPTIONS

More Options leads to the Main Menu, which offers Gentle-Sitting Only-Challengers-Meditations-Credits. The Sitting Only segments are taken from both the Gentle and Challengers series. For Gentle and Challengers, there are the exact five same segments under each--Loosen Up, Stretch Out, Joint Freedom, Stretch, Balance & Breath. The only difference is in the length--each Gentle segment is about 18-19 minutes, whereas each Challenger, 5-6 minutes. The submenus simply let you choose the options for stringing the various segments together. So, for Gentle, you have shorter routines of 18-37 minutes (1-2 segments) or longer of 54-90 minutes (3-5 segments) and for the Challengers, the short routines range 5-12 minutes (1-2 segments) with the long routines being 15-32 minutes (3-5 segments). Finally, for the Meditation sub-menu, you have various options as well (With Quiet-With Music-Just the Songs-With Ocean Sound-With Chanting), but all of the guided meditations feature the same Balance & Breath segment followed by whatever meditation option is chosen.

With respect to the practices, they are okay. There is focus on the breath, which I like, but no more formal pranayama (breathwork). There is also plenty of stretching and joint mobility, great for warming up, but there's not much here that will be recognizable yoga postures, even as adapted for the chair. Again, that's fine if that's what someone is looking for, but it doesn't really seem consistent with what was described on the DVD case. If this was billed as an exercise routine for those with physical limitations only, I would not have purchased it, but it seems like that's the best audience for these routines. Even so, I would still be somewhat hesitant to recommend the DVD--i.e., if you don't choose an-all sitting routine, the other routines have a lot of frequent up and down movement, which may not be ideal for some.

I'm still trying to decide whether to keep this DVD. If I teach chair yoga in the future, there might be some things here I can use, but otherwise, this has not been a good fit for my needs.

Instructor Comments:
John is likeable enough. He is encouraging and supportive.

Beth C (aka toaster)