Yoga Journal's Yoga for Meditation

Tape is perhaps too wordy which I found it distraction for easy meditation.

I enjoy this DVD and use it fairly frequently. However, the practices are very separate -- they don't flow easily together, so you can't really just do the whole video, one set after the other. Most people, I think, will find one or two practices useful, and ignore the rest.The first section, "Mountain" is a gentle flow series of yoga postures. These are slow, easy, and should be within the range of most beginners. You are left in a cross-legged sitting posture, so that if you keep your remote close by, you can just shut off the video and go straight into meditation. This makes a nice morning practice.The second section "Garden" is an unusual set of postures done in a chair. These help make the hips more flexible, so you can sit for longer periods of time in meditation. Rodney Yee also mentions that you can meditate while sitting in a chair. This series would be a perfect intro for those that choose this option. Also, once you learn these postures, it would be easy to do them at work, for a quick yoga break.The third section, "Tree" is purely instructional, teaching four sitting postures that you can use in meditation. It's not meant as a daily yoga routine.The fourth section, "Wind" is a breathing meditation -- such an important, and often neglected part of yoga. I use this section fairly often.The final section "Sky" is a guided meditation. It starts in a standing position, which is a bit inconvenient if you'd like to do the last two practices together. ("Wind" leaves you lying on your back.) You do sit down to meditate, though. I use it on days when I need the instruction to get myself settled. As you progress, of course, you're going to want silence for meditation.As others have noted, the scenery is pretty -- but I tend not to judge yoga tapes by that. After all, you are listening more than you are watching, when you do the practice. I like the music on this one better than others I've heard -- something a bit more important than what the video looks like, I'd think.This is a useful video; it would have been even more so if "Mountain", "Wind" and "Sky" could blend together more easily to make a complete practice.

Majestic images of Yosemite, serene music, calming narration: with these tools Rodney Yee presents five sessions aimed at preparing the individual for meditation by offering practice in breath awareness, posture, position, and flexibility to assume meditative poses. The last session is a guided meditation. Although the video lists seven props necessary to the video, only three are used: a chair, two blankets, and a block, and the last two are optional depending on your flexibility. MOUNTAIN offers a transition from standing activity to the floor, starting with mountain pose, then flowing through standing forward bend to downward dog to the ground. GARDEN presents chair exercises that stretch the inner thighs and groin in preparation for the seated meditative poses shown in TREE. In TREE, Rodney demonstrates four traditional meditative poses--cobbler, lotus, sage, and hero, including the use of blocks and blankets to make the asanas more comfortable. WIND is a session in supine focusing on the breath, and SKY is eight minutes of meditation guided by Rodney. I found the video relaxing and peaceful. Most poses are easy and well within the scope of a beginner, although GARDEN may prove challenging for individuals without much flexibility in the hips. Even if much of the video is not meditation per se, it still affords an opportunity to quiet mental chatter and relax the body. For me, this tape *is* Yoga for Relaxation!

Since I have a long-standing meditation practice, I did not buy this tape as an introduction to meditation, nor do I believe that it is necessary to attain the lotus postion in order to meditate (although working with this tape will help you do that if that is what you want). I bought the tape to work on my lower back, hips and legs. I have other yoga tapes and CDs, but this is the first one I have found that REALLY opens up the hip area, so I am very happy with it. I like Yee's manner, which is very calm and understated. He is not in your face. For those who are interested in the meditation aspects of the tape, I would say that he does a very good job of walking you through several postures for meditation and how to get into them, plus the exercises for loosening up the pelvis and hips. The Yosemite background is awesome, and Yee is very calming and gentles you into a nice internal space. Several times I have found myself slipping into meditation when my intention was to stay focused on the yoga. I will say that the entire tape is long, about 58 minutes, the first eight minutes being a long introduction that I now skip over after listening the first time.

Rodney Yee is a great teacher!

This is broken up into several different parts so you can do one or all of them. I like to do all of them. It helps to stretch me back and hips so that I am more limber through my day as I have trouble with both areas. It is gentle and easy to do with beautiful scenery. Rodneys voice is very soothing. I often find at the end that I fall asleep as I am so relaxed. I personally do not use it for meditation, but it would work well for that if you wanted to do that. My only complaint is that the only way you can get this is on vhs.

Fighting the beast, Cancer. This DVD is absolute perfection. Slow, steady, calming, beautiful. There are not enough words in the English language for me to convey how much I love it.

Only done the practice a few times so far, but it has been a very relaxing journey. Just need more undivided attention on my part. So far, the gentle joga exercises also have been easy to take in and don't stress me out before I even begin the meditations. I am very excited to have chosen this DVD, but then again, I have never been disappointed in Rodney Yee.

Take time. Enjoy. I must say that this sequence is insightful, relaxing, and a key tool already for my yoga journey. Cannot recommend highly enough. One note - Hero's Pose is not for everyone, and a block and chair are required for the whole practice. Its in 5 parts, originally produced (with great production values) for Yoga Journal magazine. The key is to work from where you are right now. Amazing.

this is just perfect. Had many yoga/meditation DVDs in the past and not taken to them at all. I love this guy he is mesmerising and maintains your concentration with his utterly serene easy to follow 10-15 min sessions, very good to destress and also relax the joints. Love it best buy in ages!!

VERY GOOD FOR THE ADVANCE YOGA PERSON. LOTS OF CONTENT AND VERY WELL ILLUSTRATED AND EXPLAINED. JUST MORE INTENSE THAN I REQUIRED. GREAT VALUE AND GOOD RETURNS POLICY. WHEN I AM MORE ADVANCED I WOULD DEFINITELY BUY IT AGAIN OR AS A PRESENT FOR SOMEONE MORE ADVANCED THAN MYSELF.

I watched this video for the first time the morning after it arrived, so excited. Some of the stretches were really hard, especially since I'm a beginner and not very flexible. When the DVD got to the chapter, "Wind", I actually fell asleep! Rodney Yee was demonstrating a calming breathing technique which made me go into deep relaxation.All in all, good buy. Try to stay awake!

Simply marvellous. I do really recommend this dvd. I have quite a lot of stress and have been a bit down . This really does leave you feeling calm and uplifted. Would not be without it.