A Yoga program from beginner to advanced?

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nelinelineli
nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there,

I'm looking for suggestions for DVD series I could follow to take me from a beginner yogi to an advanced level.

Before you suggest classes - which I am well aware are the BEST way to learn such practices - I live in a village and there's no Yoga class I can attend. So I'm turning to the next best thing - DVDs / online material.

I've tried to google my way around it, hoping I could find a Yoga-based set of DVDs, a bit like the ones you can find for resistance training and cardio-based programs (Insanity, Body Beast, you name it) - but with no success.

Does anyone have a road-map to becoming a Yoga guru? :D

Replies

  • hararayne
    hararayne Posts: 261 Member
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    Well, part of your problem may be because there are different types of yoga. Most people aren't advanced in all types of yoga. And it would be difficult to make a series that showed every type of yoga. Your best bet would be to choose a yoga style you want to progress in and then search for DVD's using that specific yoga type.

    Start researching first. That's actually a huge part of becoming a yogi. There is a whole philosophy and lifestyle that goes along with being a practicing yogi.

    The other part of your problem that you would learn from going to a class (sucks about where you live) is that each pose is adjustable so that as you progress so does your range of motion and you can make poses more difficult. Also, every body is different, so some poses won't look the same on you as they would on someone else.

    Start with a good beginners yoga dvd. Something that you enjoy. I personally love going to Body Flow class which is a mix of tai chi pilates and yoga, with a great soundtrack that changes periodically. I'm hoping to find videos of this class online sooner or later so I can do it at home as well.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    there is a 30 day email series called do you yoga. maybe check it out.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    There is a Yoga group on MFP - maybe try your question in there.
  • musetle
    musetle Posts: 70
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    Not dvd's, but I use yogajournal.com :) it has beginner, intermediate and advanced videos you can use for free which I think are great. They're a decent length too, the one I'm currently doing is 36 minutes.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I like Yoga Journal's DVDs, too, for the best instruction that gets pretty advanced. Their website also explains poses that come before and after asanas you are interested in, so make sure to read up on what you are doing, too :) They explain what you should be feeling or attempting to do with different body parts in a pose, so it's a very helpful resource.

    There are great books available, too, in general. Reading can be terribly helpful with yoga, in my experience. Good luck!
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,783 Member
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    Many people suggest on-line programs, that have a variety of different teachers. I like ihanuman.com - because I like John Schumacher and the way he teaches. He has quite advanced audios on there. However, for his classes, you have to already know the poses. There are a lot of different teachers on there - some video, some audio. You just pay for classes one at a time.
    You could check out your library and see if they have any videos as well. Yoga Journal also has free podcasts.
  • bowbeforethoraxis
    bowbeforethoraxis Posts: 138 Member
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    I've just signed up for Gaiam TV, if that's an option for you.

    You pay a flat fee, $10/month, and have access to all the yoga videos they have. Since Gaiam is so big, there are tons of good videos. There are other yoga channel things that you view either from your computer or a device like a Roku or Apple TV or PS3 or special blu-ray TV or dvd player, but I chose the Gaiam one because a) I like Rodney Yee's videos a lot and b) it was one of the cheaper options.
  • nelinelineli
    nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
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    Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and resource links! It definitely gives me a place to start.

    I'm realizing now I just have to start somewhere, there's never going to be "A complete step-by-step guide to Yoga". Probably through trial and error I'll understand a bit better what I am interested in to begin with and where to take it from there.

    Thank you all:)
  • Wilmingtonbelle
    Wilmingtonbelle Posts: 255 Member
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    Good stuff, thanks for sharing!

    Slainte! :drinker:
  • girlyfied
    girlyfied Posts: 10 Member
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    Yoga Journal has a really nice set called Living Yoga. There's beginner, intermediate and advanced rotations, so you can build your practice from a novice position. It has pose guides and various practices. Although it may be a little advanced for you, Ultimate Yogi is very good. A ton of practices and something you can really use to grow. Also from the same team with a different instructor is Yoga Warrior 365. I haven't tried this one yet, but I plan to get the set soon. Another I haven't tried, but hear good things about is DDP Yoga. That one isn't for purists, but it might work for you. These are all full sets like Insanity or P99x, but they focus on yoga. The Yoga Journal set is my favorite one. HTH!
  • nelinelineli
    nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
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    Yoga Journal has a really nice set called Living Yoga. There's beginner, intermediate and advanced rotations, so you can build your practice from a novice position. It has pose guides and various practices. Although it may be a little advanced for you, Ultimate Yogi is very good. A ton of practices and something you can really use to grow. Also from the same team with a different instructor is Yoga Warrior 365. I haven't tried this one yet, but I plan to get the set soon. Another I haven't tried, but hear good things about is DDP Yoga. That one isn't for purists, but it might work for you. These are all full sets like Insanity or P99x, but they focus on yoga. The Yoga Journal set is my favorite one. HTH!

    Thank you!!
  • Halasana
    Halasana Posts: 8 Member
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    Yoga for Every Body by BodyWisdom Media. This is hands-down the finest yoga program ever created. When you have done the Intermediate series for a month, you will be prepared to either move on to the Advanced sequences and/or The Ultimate Yogi's challenging programs.
  • lvnascar
    lvnascar Posts: 3,425 Member
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    DDP Yoga is another set.
  • Kimsied
    Kimsied Posts: 232
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    I've tried to google my way around it, hoping I could find a Yoga-based set of DVDs, a bit like the ones you can find for resistance training and cardio-based programs (Insanity, Body Beast, you name it) - but with no success.

    There are a few progressive yoga dvd programs that I know of, I haven't tried them myself but have seen good reviews on a fitness video forum I frequent:
    *Blissology: http://www.amazon.com/The-Blissology-Project-Meditation-Lifestyle/dp/B004CTI5SE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396814056&sr=8-2&keywords=blissology
    *Ultimate Yogi: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Yogi-Travis-Eliot/dp/B007OYK32K/ref=pd_sim_mov_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=18YGDT3YV5XQBXED5CBV
    *American Power Yoga: I've heard less about this one http://www.amazon.com/APY60-Power-Yoga-Fitness-Workout/dp/B00570VGKQ/ref=pd_sim_mov_16?ie=UTF8&refRID=0J53GFA8J9EZQSNWXR9Z

    I haven't tried any of them, I think there are clips online of all. I tend to go to classes or just get individual practices that I enjoy. With a good dvd, I get more out of it the more I follow that practice-it needs to get to where I know it well enough that I can just follow the cues without looking at the TV. But there are a lot of reviews on each.
  • Fitnessfunnn
    Fitnessfunnn Posts: 1
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    One of my favorite beginner yoga DVD's is Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners. He has a section of his DVD dedicated to just teaching you how to do the moves, and common mistakes people make. Check out this site for more videos you could buy off Ebay like you wanted--> http://www.squidoo.com/best-yoga-dvd-beginners. If you're not looking to spend any money, honestly YouTube has been a great place for me to look for yoga. There is a yoga video by Julian Michael on there that kills :P.
  • mousespecial14
    mousespecial14 Posts: 1
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    Rodney Yee's Power Workout is a great yoga video that is fast paced and fun. I love doing it with my husband and my kids like to try the moves too! It's rated #1 here http://www.squidoo.com/best-yoga-dvds-for-men-2012-2013
  • GalaxyBird
    GalaxyBird Posts: 24 Member
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    Yoga Journal has a daily email where they send you a 15-20 minute yoga workout you can follow. It is different every day and they have an advanced and beginner level you can choose from.
  • pobalita
    pobalita Posts: 741 Member
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    One of my favorite beginner yoga DVD's is Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners. He has a section of his DVD dedicated to just teaching you how to do the moves, and common mistakes people make. Check out this site for more videos you could buy off Ebay like you wanted--> http://www.squidoo.com/best-yoga-dvd-beginners. If you're not looking to spend any money, honestly YouTube has been a great place for me to look for yoga. There is a yoga video by Julian Michael on there that kills :P.

    I'm also a huge Rodney Yee fan. He has videos of all levels, but you won't find all levels on one DVD or in one boxed set. He also has a good book "Moving Toward Balance" that goes through the basics of many poses. Amazon is a good place to look.

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