Yoga DVDs

Leave the organic, non-slip yoga mats to Type A personalities and other overachievers. Devote just one half hour each day to pursuing your yoga DVD practice, and you can harmonize body and mind without ever getting off the couch. I know a lot of people whose lives have changed because of yoga. They stand straighter, think clearer, breathe more passionately, and squat more lovingly. Seriously, the stuff is better than patent medicine and maybe almost as good as oxycontin. But there sure is a lot of bending and crouching and push-up –like things involved, and I’m the sedentary, desk-bound type. These days, even stretching for a metaphor can leave me with a backache that lasts a week.

Still, my life’s been changed by yoga too. Or, rather, yoga DVDs. Pop a copy of Yoga for Beauty: The Sunrise Program into your DVD player. Sit back and relax as luscious yogini Rainbeau Mars explains in her sort of shrill but mysteriously calming voice about how you can beautify your digestive system and help your inner organs achieve their optimal potential. Or something like that. The trick to watching yoga videos therapeutically is not to watch (or listen to) them at all – but rather to let them gently wash over you. Look at the TV screen with a soft gaze. Don’t listen too attentively. Imagine your mind is a pancake, and the yoga DVD is warm and delicious maple syrup spreading over it. Pretty soon you’ll feel your breathing getting deeper and more steady. Little tingles of pleasure will start shooting up your spine. You might start drooling a little, but don’t sweat it. Yoga DVD instructors are amongst the most nurturing, open-minded, encouraging beings on the planet. They will not judge.

I am pretty sure there is a law that says at least 50% of all yoga DVDs must be filmed on a spare wooden platform overlooking an ocean, or in the midst of a scenic desert. If you are completely new to yoga DVDs, choose one by Wai Lana or Rodney Yee, as they are guaranteed to help you attain quiet mind in no time at all.

Don’t overlook the indoors sector of the yoga DVD universe, however. The Namaste Yoga series, which airs regularly on FitTV and can be had on DVD too, is one of the most powerful cathode tranqulizers known to man. And Hemalaya Behl’s Yoga for Urban Living is another sure bet.

Word of caution: There’s a lot of yoga clips on YouTube. Use them for research purposes, but don’t expect to get the full narcotic effect from them. For that, you need the visual and auditory clarity that only a DVD can provide, and you need a TV screen or monitor that’s at least 36 inches wide. The idea is to create an immersive media experience.

Also, if you begin to feel your practice is getting stale after a few months or years, don’t be afraid to mix things up. Wrap yourself up in a soft wool blanket when watching. Sip from a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Remember, there is no one correct way to watch yoga DVDs. Do whatever works best for you. Namaste.