A yoga DVD is a great way to learn or practice in the comfort and privacy of your. We’ll discuss why a yoga DVD can be helpful and then help you choose the best yoga DVD for your yoga goals.
Benefits of a Yoga DVD
The best way to learn yoga is to attend a small, personalized class with an experienced yoga instructor. There you can get specific instructions that help you focus on your goals and your challenges. However, this isn’t possible or comfortable for many people, especially when they are first trying out yoga. Let’s look at some of the obstacles to learning yoga and how to find the best yoga DVD to help you.
Low cost and convenience
A yoga class can easily cost $20 per hour long session, sometimes much more. But this isn’t the only real cost. You might want to go to yoga class in presentable clothes. You also don’t want to flash anybody or look indecent while trying out yoga poses. This means you probably will look to buy a new set of yoga-specific clothing. Let’s not forget the yoga mat. If you have an old cheap one lying around, no one will judge you in the privacy of your home. However, you might feel pressured to buy a new or expensive yoga mat that doesn’t shed particles on the floor if you attend a class.
Of course, time, is another cost. You have to commute, which also adds the fuel. If you have children, do you have to hire a babysitter?
All of these issues vanish when you use a yoga DVD. You can practice yoga whenever you want and wearing whatever you want all for a single one-time payment of about $10-15! For busy parents, there’s also the convenience of pressing the pause button when your toddler comes to you with an urgent issue, then continuing right where you left off.
Comfort and privacy for beginners
Yoga is a very physical and personal exercise, and some of us are not as publicly minded about such things. Beginners can be especially uncomfortable and worried about feeling embarrassed or awkward. People ask questions, like: what if I fall over? what if I pass gas? what if I can’t reach my toes?
Many beginners are also not in great physical shape and even more uncomfortable being seen exercising in public. Some people are also concerned about the demographics. What if I am the oldest one? What if I am the only man? This is unfortunate, because yoga welcomes everyone of all shapes and sizes. But the fact remains that some people are shy or introverts. That’s where a yoga DVD can help.
In the comfort of your home, you can try out yoga beginner practices using a yoga DVD and then build up the confidence if you want to attend a yoga class or work with an instructor.
More personalized choices and programs
Everyone has different yoga goals, and a particular class might not be available in your area. Perhaps you are an absolute beginner and just want to get your toes wet. Perhaps you are a senior citizen looking for a gentle exercise program. Or perhaps you just want to focus on losing weight through yoga without all the spirituality. DVDs offer a wide variety that are just an online order away so that you can find the best yoga DVD for your goals.
Recommended Yoga DVD Reviews
Review: Best Yoga DVD for Beginners
Yoga For Beginners
One great benefit of the Yoga for Beginners DVD is that it includes a large collection of practices, many as short as 20 minutes. This means you can eventually pick and choose to customize your workout. If you are in a hurry, you can perform a single 20 minute workout. If you want to revisit a particular set of poses, you can decide to do that. There are longer 90 minute routines as well, but unlike other yoga DVDs, you are not locked into the same 60 minute workout every single time. This is really helpful for a beginner who wants to explore a bit. Altogether, this yoga DVD includes 240 minutes of content, which is definitely one of the longest yoga DVDs you can buy. You are getting your money’s worth.
Tip for beginners: If you are brand new to yoga, we highly recommend a full length body mirror. You will be able to compare your pose with what you see in the videos and make the necessary adjustments. When starting out, some of the poses will feel awkward and you aren’t sure if you are doing them correctly. This is where a mirror is a tremendous help.
Review: Best Yoga DVD for Weight Loss
Yoga Meltdown
First of all, this is not a standard yoga program. There is no emphasis on spirituality or meditation. The yoga moves are also adapted a little bit. For example, instead of moving through a series of poses, Yoga Meltdown has you repeat a pose over and over a number of times. This is very similar to a calisthenic workout, but using yoga poses.
In exercise terms, the Yoga Meltdown employs interval training, with periods of many exercise repetitions followed by periods of easier movements. Your heart rate will go up and you will sweat. What’s great is that most yoga moves are quite safe and low impact. You won’t be doing burpees or other stressful jumps that are hard on your knees, for example.
The workouts are about 30 minutes long, which is a good time for this sort of interval training. The aim is for quality exercise, not quantity, and you will feel that you are actually exercising. For some relaxation yoga styles, you may not break a sweat. Yoga Meltdown will definitely make you feel like you exercised hard in a shorter amount of time.
Tip for weight loss: For this style of yoga workout, we recommend a yoga mat with extra cushioning and extra good grip under sweaty conditions. Our usual recommendation of the Clever Yoga LiquidBalance holds here too.
Review: Best Yoga DVD for Older Folks and the Elderly
Many yoga classes and DVDs cater to younger crowds. Older people looking to try yoga know that they have special needs, both with reduced flexibility, sensitive joints, and overall care necessary.
In this case, we recommend Gentle Yoga: 7 practices for your day with Jane Adams
The seven practices are all about 20-30 minutes long, and each has a different emphasis. Our favorite is the first one, the Lying Full Body Practice, which consists of floor work on a mat with plenty of stretches and mobility work. The other six practices are Morning Energy Practice, Desk and Computer Work Relief, Improving Balance, Standing Poses – Flow and Traditional, Core Strength and Flexibility, Evening Relaxing Practice, and Relaxation.
As you can tell from the practice names, there is a nice mix of different routines depending on what you are looking for. This yoga DVD is terrific, and you can read the many rave reviews from real 70 year-olds on Amazon. I’m sure younger beginners will also have a great time too!
Tip for elderly beginners: You don’t have to complete a full routine when you are starting out. If you just make progress 5 minutes at a time, that is good as well. You can build up to longer practices as you gain more experience and your body adapts. Don’t feel the need to go too fast. That is why you are home using a yoga DVD!
Conclusion
A yoga DVD can get you started on your yoga journey from home, or help you meet specific goals like weight loss. We reviewed three top titles available on Amazon and summarize them again here.
Best Yoga DVD for Beginners: Yoga for Beginners from Bodywisdom Media (click here to buy from Amazon)
Best Yoga DVD for Weight Loss: Yoga Meltdown by Jillian Michaels (click here to buy from Amazon)
Best Yoga DVD for the Elderly: Gentle Yoga with Jane Adams (click here to buy from Amazon)