Choosing the Best Yoga DVD

By Bianca Worsley
When it comes to selecting the best Yoga DVD, there's no such thing as trial and error. Why not? Simply put, because they cost money and there's no point to you buying a bunch of them only to realize that you've just coughed up a couple hundred dollars and still not found something that you're happy with. And you will have to spend a bundle if you want to test drive all the yoga DVDs that are on the market today. Before investing in any yoga DVD, you need to ask yourself these questions:

What Are the Instructor's Credentials?

It is a sad fact that there will always be those who are looking for any opportunity to make a quick buck. Have you ever looked for real information regarding a so-called fitness guru and found only random sales pitches? These shysters exist in the world of yoga as well and, while they may not be able to fool a seasoned yoga practitioner, novices are often easy prey. The best yoga DVD will feature a tutor who has no problems with letting people know what their credentials actually are, and who can back up their claims. Ideally they should be certified by an accredited institution and have some prior experience teaching yoga. Given the advances in the internet, this information should not be difficult to find for a reputable individual.

What Am I Looking For?

Many people, especially novices, are under the misconception that yoga simply consists of a series of positions. While such poses, or asanas, are an integral part of yoga, there is so much more involved and the best yoga DVDs are reflective of this. Yoga is not just a physical science which targets the joints and muscles. True yoga practitioners know the value of the other aspects such as meditations and relaxation techniques. If you're going to spend your hard-earned money on a yoga DVD, you'll want the best, so look for one which covers the spiritual as well as the physical aspects. Strengthening your mind is often the key to having a having a healthy body.

What Level Am I Currently At?

The best yoga DVD will serve to teach you a lesson and, like all lessons, there are different levels. Specific DVDs are usually designed for beginner, intermediate or advanced students, and the poses being shown will have an appropriate level of difficulty. If you are new to yoga, you may be tempted to buy a DVD which caters for advanced students because that's the one which has the best reviews. Stick to your level of competency or you run the risk of damaging yourself or quickly losing interest because you won't be able to what the instructor is doing because you are too new.

How Much Am I Willing To Spend?

That depends on what you are buying, but you should always ensure that you get value for your money. The best yoga DVD for complete beginners are those which focus on light exercises as well meditation, so you can prepare yourself to eventually tackle the more strenuous poses. Advanced practitioners may be more comfortable with a complete system which involves easy preparatory exercises as well as more complex poses. Either way, an exorbitant price is not something that you should be willing to pay. Shop around so you get an idea of average prices. Get reviews and recommendations from trusted sources. Sometimes there may be older DVD which is just as good as, or even better than, the latest thing and you get a copy for a fraction of the cost.

The simple fact is that yoga has become increasingly popular over the years and there are always those who are ready and willing to take advantage of any trend. That's not to say that there aren't legitimate yoga practitioners out there who have developed excellent learning systems for the yoga student. Read the reviews, talk to other yoga enthusiasts, and you'll be in a better position to make a good decision.

Finding and Buying a Bikram Yoga DVD

By Malc Moore
Although it is easy to buy a Bikram yoga dvd from most popular stores, and this may give you a great introduction, it would probably be better to join a class. The benefits of joining one of the Bikram yoga classes is there will be people to interact with and even make friends with, also if you have any problems there will be an instructor on hand to help you with any problems. You will probably only need a mat, water bottle and good loose clothing when participating in a class.

What to Look For In A DVD:

A good Bikram yoga DVD will explain what Bikram yoga is all about, you'll find it is different from the other styles. It should explain how to heat the room to around 95-100 degrees without it costing you a small fortune on your utility bills. The reason for the high temperature is that the poses and exercises have to be done in a heated room, this is one of the main differences to other styles.

It should also explain in a clear manner, that there are 26 poses to practice and learn. It is also important to be shown the proper technique for each pose, this will help to lessen the risk of an individual injuring themselves during an exercise. Additionally a good Bikram yoga DVD should make allowances for beginners and give some easier alternative poses, whilst also offering the opportunity for more experienced practitioners to practice the most difficult poses.

A good quality Bikram yoga DVD should also give both instructions of the various poses but also shown some different workouts so a practitioner can choose the ones that suit them best. A class is usually around an hour and a half in length, therefore the DVD will normally offer a short version workout plus a longer version that is more in line with a class workout time.

Probably it will be better for an individual to go to Bikram yoga classes before practicing with their Bikram yoga DVD. The mean reason for this last statement is that unlike a DVD the class will have a trained instructor who will be able to make sure an individual is learning and doing the positions in the correct way, before doing them at home on their own. This will also reduced the risk of any injuries. Please Also Note! This style not be practiced by pregnant women, since it can raise the core body temperature.

Bikram Yoga DVD - Learning the Basics in Your Home

By Jessica Praman
Normally, in this kind of physical activity, there are studios that are designed purposely for it. The place is spacious enough, so that students will not look crowded during the exercise. But, learning Bikram Yoga can already be done in your home. You can now find Bikram Yoga DVDs out in the market. These DVDs are perfect for those people who have hectic working schedules.

In general, when you want to learn to do the Bikram Yoga, you attend classes. You will get a certain schedule of sessions that will fit into your daily schedule. However, if you happen to own a Bikram Yoga DVD, you would not have to go through all of these. You just have to watch it in your home, and begin to do it alone. In this manner, you can perform it anytime of the day. You need not to miss any class due to unavoidable circumstances.

If you are still a beginner, the Bikram Yoga DVD is very useful. There are people who are hesitant to attend the class because they are still new to it. This is because executing the different postures of Yoga seems to be awkward if you are not used to them. If you happen to own a video of Bikram's method, you can try doing the positions in your home. In this case, you will not have any qualms performing them. You can even have a practice, so that once you attend the class personally, you do not look naive about what is happening in the studio. You already have the idea how it goes.

Practicing Yoga in your home is an advantage to you. This type of Yoga is considered to be very intense. You expect the level of difficulty of the succeeding postures increases. Thus, constant practice will aid you in familiarizing them. You have to remember that, Yoga instructors can not fully focus on teaching all of their students one by one. They might be checking you from time to time but they do not give their complete attention exclusively to you. There is a need for you to learn the steps alone. This Bikram Yoga DVD will serve as your guide in learning the whole method.

There are a lot of shops that sell Bikram Yoga DVDs. These discs are very informative. They present other necessary links for a better understanding of Hot Yoga. They do not just show the different body postures, they also have Bikram Choudhary's life and his other related experiences. It shows the evolution of Yoga and the different methods. Songs that are played during the session are included as well. These DVDs come at a reasonable price. With all these features, you will definitely have no regrets getting one for yourself.