Monday, June 20, 2011

DVD Review ~ Yoga for Morning, Noon & Night

Yoga for Morning, Noon & Night features Jason Crandell, a contributing editor for Yoga Journal who also teaches at YJ conferences and leads workshops and retreats around the world.

This DVD includes three yoga sequences of about 20 minutes each - perfect for sneaking a bit of yoga into your day, even on a busy day.

The first practice is a gentle wake up session featuring Half Sun Salutations (Sun Breath) plus a nice shoulder opener, side bends, and core strengtheners. I loved the pace Crandell led. I felt very taken care of.

The second practice picks up the pace a bit, using Sun Salutation A, standing poses and back bends. Even though the practice was more vigorous  than the first one, I never felt rushed. I was able to keep my breath deep, smooth and steady. In a faster paced class I think it is easy to forget your breath but Crandell did not let us do that. Maintaining relaxation and breath awareness during a flowing practice is something I really appreciate.

The third practice took us down to the floor for seated and supine poses. Mostly we worked on hip and hamstring openers plus twists and back bends - with a few down dogs thrown in there as decompression after back bends. I felt very relaxed after this practice.

Over all I enjoyed this DVD quite a bit. Crandell's voice was soothing, his pace (even in the faster paced session) was spacious, and I appreciate his emphasis on paying attention to your body and not pushing yourself beyond your edge.

I watched his interview after the three sequences were over and found out that he had had a serious back injury in the past. Perhaps this is why I felt so comfortable with his teaching: he knows what it is like to be in pain and does not want his students to ever go to that place.