Very understandable, very helpfulSeptember 13, 2007 Merope(New Mexico, USA) 143 out of 146 found this review helpful
First, this is a high quality production. I mention that only because many yoga dvds are such low quality. Gary Kraftsow is a real pro -- the visual and voiced instructions by him are excellent. The theraputic advice is clear and to the point. He says in the intro that the only way to focus on each of these poses is to know what their purpose is, so the first section of the DVD is educational and informative, the second is a pose by pose description, and the third is three separate practices, about 30 minutes apiece.
Kraftsow also favors function over form -- a welcome relief from America's silly yoga Culture of Perfection. You do the poses to strengthen and heal your back, not to compete in some "pose off", a la Bikram Yoga.
Pose instruction is easy, and the poses are very basic, even for someone in the throes of back pain or who has never done any yoga before. The sessions are flow yoga style and there are three different workouts, focusing on different issues.
All in all, highly recommended. Namaste.
Relief without the CopaysDecember 7, 2007 L. Ramsey(panama city, fl) 98 out of 99 found this review helpful
After months of chronic pain in my low back, hip and sacrum, I am so thankful I found this viniyoga therapy. Within a week of doing the exercises daily, I regained strength and stability in my target areas, and am continuing to enjoy these benefits and increased mobility and flexibility.
Dedicating 30 minutes a day to this gentle practice has changed my perspective on the importance of self-care. Three weekly visits to the physical therapist, daily meds, regular massages and over $1000 in co-pays have not given me what Gary's simple, effective therapy can.
The DVD provides helpful information in a simple format. Take from it what you need (I recommend reviewing the educational information in the first sections to increase your understanding of this vital system in our bodies. For examle, you learn about how we need to contract, expand, and relax our muscles to enjoy full health in this area). In the exercise sections, Gary's slow, measured approach allows you to focus on your breath and healing postures to make the most of this self-care routine.
If you are looking for relief, you've found it.
Excellent yoga video for increasing mobility in the lower back and hipsApril 11, 2008 Beth Cholette(Upstate NY USA) 73 out of 73 found this review helpful
This DVD focuses on issues of the lower body, specifically the lower back, hips, and sacrum (the other DVD in this series focuses on the upper body). It differs from other yoga media offerings in that it contains a strong educational component in addition to the practice element. Also, the practices offered on the DVD are designed for rehabilitation and strengthening, and thus they are more similar in feel to a physical therapy session than to a yoga class.
The main menu of this DVD consists of four separate segments: 1) Understanding Back Pain, 2) Technique Workshop, 3) Therapeutic Practices, and 4) Special Features. The Technique Workshop provides the opportunity to study individual postures in greater depth. The Viniyoga Therapeutic Practices offer three complete practice segments tailored to meet different needs as described below. (Note: the DVD also provides bonus MP3 audio versions of each practice.)
1. Lower Back Therapy (23 minutes). Gary recommends that you begin here, as this is the most gentle practice. The postures are performed entirely on the floor and provide very mild stretching of the lower back area.
2. Hip Therapy (31 minutes). This practice, while still gentle and centered on floor postures, focuses more on the hips. Unlike more traditional hip-opening sequences found in other yoga practices, the goal here is to stretch the hips from four perspectives (front, back, and each side).
3. Strength and Stability (32 minutes). This practice is the only one on the DVD to contain standing postures, and thus the intensity level is slightly higher than the other two. Gary notes that it is designed to build long-term health and fitness in the low back, sacrum, and hips.
The practices feature a single student working on a mat against a rather sparse white set, with Gary providing instruction via voiceover. Most people are likely to find the practices rather dry--Gary's voice is a big monotone and repetitive, and there's little "fun factor" here. However, these are therapeutic in nature, and as such, they are quite effective. Although I personally didn't get much out of the first two practices--mainly because the low back and hips aren't a problem area for me--I was pleasantly surprised by the third, as it nicely stretched out not only my lower back but also my upper back, shoulders, and entire torso. This DVD would be useful for virtually anyone who is at risk for lower back issues, from those who work at physical labor to those with more chronic conditions. I definitely recommend Viniyoga Therapy for Lower Back, Hips, and Sacrum as an excellent tool for alleviating pain and promoting health in the entire lower back area.
Stress and Pain ManagementNovember 17, 2007 wary student(ny) 28 out of 28 found this review helpful
I have alot of pain in hip area. I went to doctors to find some relief and was recommended to practice yoga. I wanted something that focused on my lower back and hips. After a quick search on Amazon, I found Viniyoga. I felt immediate results and the instructor takes the time to show the techniques and give info on why people are in pain. The DVD also gives you the options to vary the intensity of your workout. It's also very relaxing and I feel so much better. It will save you alot of money if you've been seeing doctors or going to classes to don't give you focus you need for these problem areas. A nice feature is the MP3 format you can download so you can practice anywhere!
Great therapeutic practiceMarch 1, 2008 A Reader(Utah) 27 out of 28 found this review helpful
A few days of doing the practices on this DVD ended a month of chronic pain in my hips, low back, and hamstrings. I had better results from this DVD than from a month of costly physical therapy. The practice is very intelligently designed, with its focus on dynamic stretches rather than long, static holds. For me personally, the long static holds of other therapeutic DVDs seemed to aggravate my problems, while this DVD provided relief. The practice is deceptively simple; I was skeptical after doing it the first time. But the next day, my pain had significantly lessened.
I will say that the practice is clinical and dry. The set is a plain, white background. You see a lone exerciser (a normal person, for once!) on a mat moving through the exercises while Gary narrates offscreen. Gary has a nasal voice--not particularly soothing. And narrates every movement--inhale, arms up, exhale arms down--all the way through. When you get to savasanah, he says, "This practice is now over. Stay in savasanah as long as you want." I prefer a guided relaxation, and find that I almost never stay in the pose after the session ends, which probably reduces some of the benefit.
The practices are also available as mp3s, so that you can download them to your ipod and practice anywhere. That's probably why the instruction is so meticulous.
If you want a beautiful, visually appealing yoga practice, this is not it. If, however, you need relief from chronic pain in your lower back, sacrum, and hips--this video is fantastic.
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