Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42801 in DVD

Customer Reviews

Great Ashtanga DVD with the newbie in mind
This DVD is a lot more expensive than most Ashtanga DVDs on the market. With that said it also one of the best DVDs on the market as well. There are two DVDs the first is the Primary Series from start to finish uninterupted (approximately 90 minutes). The second is a 3 hr step-by-step of how to do the primary series. It is broken down into lessons. Each proceeding lesson includes another pose. The first lesson demonstrates Sun Salutation A, the second Sun Salutation B. The ashtanga newbie can start with a 20 minute session which includes Sun Salutation A & B and modified closing sequence. The more experienced and comfortable you become, the more lessons you add, until you get to the point where you can do the entire 90 minute session.

This DVD is a great way for any new ashtanga practioner to learn ashtanga in a safe way. Going to an experienced and if possible certified/authorized ashtanga teacher while using this DVD to supplement your experience is best, but if that is not possible, this DVD will still help you along.

For the experienced Primary Series practioner, the instructor (Melaine Fawer) provides easy to follow prompts and does a very clean, basic version of the Primary Series (e.g. she does not do hand stands between navasanas, and does basic jump back/jump throughs on the marchiasanas). Her pacing is less rushed than the David Swenson Primary Series DVD (I've heard people complain about having too fast of pace), but is faster than Richard Freeman's Primary Series DVD (Some complain about holding poses too long). The entire practice takes about 85 minutes and she does a very traditional practice. Overall, this an excellent DVD if you are new to ashtanga or want a moderate pace to follow along with for your Primary series practice.

I would not suggest this DVD for a very advanced Primary Series practitioner other than for reference only.

LOVES IT!
I totally love this DVD. Melanie Fawer teaches the sequence of the ashtanga yoga practice with care and patience. Here, the student can move on it's own pace and slowly advance through the sequence with no rush. Most importantly Fawer maintains the traditional method of ashtanga yoga as taught by Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga Yoga Master. This DVD offers a very solid introduction to ashtanga yoga Mysore style practice. In the beginning of this DVD, Fawer takes you on an short journey to Mysore, India, allowing the viewer a glimpse of India and it's yoga tradition on it's purest form; simple and direct.

Great Mysore style instruction with one missing link
I agree with the positive statements of the other reviewers. However, I wonder why Ms. Fawer has omitted instruction on the breathing and the bandhas. This should have been covered in the first chapter prior to Surya Namaskara A.
Apart from this I like the very traditional and pure Mysore style approach that makes it possible for the new practitioner to build the practice pose after pose.