Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36539 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-12-27
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Video Description

Language: English

Synopsis
An exercise programme designed for beginners and the more advanced alike. Features warm up exercises and positions from the Ashtanga Vinyasa school of yoga.

From the Back Cover
William Robertson and Annabelle Purnell present the increasingly popular Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, an accessible program suitable for fit beginners and advancing pracitioners. Both instructors possess over 30 years of experience, achieved from study with the most important yoga teachers on the planet. An Essential Warm Up (used to improve strength and stamina) is presented before the complete Primary Series as an easy-to-follow step-by-step process. this unique section continues to prepare qualities of smooth movement, stable breathing and mental engagement for all students. The primary sequence of four is presented for the first time with invaluable perspective gained from study with this tradition's other leading innovators, BKS Iyengar and Desikichar. William Robertson is one of the most extensively trained instructors in Europe, having established a unique Progressive Individual Yoga Instruction programme at the West London Yogashala. Annabelle Purnell holds a British Wheel of Yoga Teaching Diploma and completed Derek Ireland's Ashtanga Vinyasa Teacher Training in India. They run yoga retreats in Thailand, Egypt, India and New Zealand. Beyond Dynamic Yoga can dramatically improve your health and the shape of your body; it increases your internal energy and will steadily improve your physical responsiveness.

Customer Reviews

beyond practising yoga!
Having moved abroad, and regrettably left a few excellent yoga teachers and classes behind, I bought this DVD to help me continue my practice at home and to keep myself motivated. I have been practicing regularly for a few years now so I am not an absolute beginner. Unfortunately this DVD was a bad choice. I finish my practice feeling irritated and despondent and feel absolutely hopeless. Instead of encouraging I feel I may as well give up now. The instructions.. well there aren't any. You follow by watching and admiring how wonderfully William and Annabelle flow in and out of their poses and become an arm chair yogi yourself. If this is the kind of yoga you like to do, then buy this DVD.....

Ideal for more experienced yoga fans
This DVD has had some mixed reviews on the site, but I'm glad I trusted my instincts and bought it. Many people complained it's not suitable for beginners, and I would definitely agree with that. This DVD is great for people like me who have been to classes and know what they are doing, but just want a few pointers to keep them on the right track and motivate them. It is fast-moving, but allows you to keep up a steady flow of movement. I could have done with a little more time to wrestle with some of the trickier postures, but they should come with time. I specifically didn't want a "celebrity" video but one with yoga professionals. I like the fact that one instructor shows the easier version while the other does the full posture, giving you something to aspire to (though I'm not sure I'll ever be wrapping both feet round my neck while balancing on my hands...) The setting is tranquil with no distractions, the music is unobtrusive and the instructions are given as a voiceover, leaving the instructors free to concentrate on the postures. All in all, it's a useful extra resource for more experienced users, but not ideal for those who need more guidance.

Beyond Dynamic Yoga-The Speed of Ashtanga?
I must say that I bought this DVD even though some of the reviewers on this site mentioned that the postures were not well explained and everything was rushed. However, I thought, I am quite experienced so I don't really need to hear where the legs go etc. Well, I have only myself to blame! In fact, not only the postures are not explained, but most of them are also not named- so unless your eyes are glued to the screen at all times you have no idea what is going on, even if you have quite a good idea about Ashtanga. Also, the postures change so quickly that it becomes less of a dynamic yoga, and more jumping around with no care whether you're doing it right or wrong and whether you're stretching, pulling and pushing as you should or just going through the motions as they look to you on the screen. To sum up, this DVD is a terrible choice for beginners and not a very good one for more advanced either. Maybe people who are such advanced practitioners that they don't need to follow anyone's instructions would be happy with this DVD...but then again why would they need it?