Product Description

Over the centuries, yoga practitioners have discovered the secret to achieving optimal health, vitality and happiness. For the first time, this path to living a longer, happier life is revealed on a single DVD. Excessive stress and negative mental attitudes in our daily lives are the greatest obstacles to achieving serenity, good health & well-being. This DVD teaches step by step, easy to follow practices to reduce negative thoughts & emotions while promoting positive thinking. With over 20 routines to address negative mental, emotional and physical issues, this DVD is the most comprehensive DVD of its kind. This DVD also includes an UNPRECEDENTED 30 minute instruction on meditation with the Dalai Lama! This exclusive discussion of meditation with the Dalai Lama himself appears only on this deluxe edition DVD. Considered one of the greatest influencers of our time, the Dalai Lama has spent his life teaching people how to be happy and promote positive thinking. His teachings are world renowned and this special bonus discusses both the benefits and techniques of meditation to promote positive thinking and cultivate happiness. Never before has a DVD revealed how to overcome dozens of common physical, mental and emotional conditions through the ancient science of yoga. This revolutionary, interactive system allows you to choose from 20 customized routines that range from 15-60 minutes and target common issues.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #660 in DVD
• Brand: Bodywisdom
• Released on: 2006-11-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 240 minutes

Features

• General Stress Relief
• Anxiety and worry
• Neck and shoulder pain; including headaches plus lower back pain
• Stomach and digestive issues
• Insomnia, Depression and more

Amazon.com
Yoga instructor Barbara Benagh has practiced and taught yoga for nearly 35 years. She discovered yoga while living in England and began teaching there. She moved to Boston and opened The Yoga Studio on Beacon Hill in 1980.

In addition to her local classes Barbara teaches yoga seminars throughout the US and internationally. She is a regular contributor of articles to Yoga Journal magazine. She has several audio CDs of live classes available as well as DVDs, the latest being Yoga for Beginners released by Body + Soul magazine, and Yoga for Stress Relief that includes a discussion on meditation from the Dalai Lama.

Barbara was kind enough to answer some questions from Amazon.com about this unique line of yoga DVDs.

How are these DVDs different from other yoga DVDs?

I was drawn to working with Bodywisdommedia because they produce DVDs they are interactive. Rather than a "one size fits all" single routine that is typical of most products, these DVDs offer choice, allowing the user to customize and change their yoga practice to suit their needs. No two persons are the same so the ability to change your practice - easing shoulder tension one day and an invigorating morning wake up the next - come as close as possible to allowing you to address your individual needs at home. Not only do people have different physical needs, but they have different time constraints as well. If you have only 20 minutes, there is a practice for you but there are longer practices as well (some as long as 90 minutes) that address the total body/mind connection. The sheer number of yoga sequences offered on each of these DVDs is a first. They are incredibly comprehensive.

How were you able to get the Dalai Lama involved?

This project dovetailed perfectly with the Dalai Lama's message that modern stress is one of the greatest obstacles to our mental happiness and physical wellbeing. Because we are long-time sincere practitioners, having a 30-minute lecture of the Dalai Lama teaching how to meditate on the Yoga for Stress Relief DVD was a perfect fit. Bodywisdommedia also has a broader relationship with the Office of Tibet and are releasing historic lectures with "A Path to Happiness" being the first one.

How will potential buyers of these DVDs know which one is right for them?

The titles are very indicative of what appears on the DVD and therefore a good guide. I really enjoyed making Yoga for Stress Relief because it is incredibly relevant. We strove to make the sequences accessible to as many people as possible, whether they are a beginner or long time practitioner. Yoga for Beginners is a great, non-threatening place to get started and includes lots of sound technique developed over my 30 years as a yoga teacher. Power Yoga for Every Body is a bit more challenging taking you from the beginning level and gradually progressing to much more demanding routines.

Review
"Once again, Benagh prooves to be one of our most effective teachers...[with] her clear and easy to follow instructions" --Yoga Journal

Customer Reviews

Excellent, versatile DVD providing a variety of programs to address various stress-related conditions
This is an extremely versatile DVD by renowned yoga instructor Barbara Benagh. She has combined short posture segments into a series of 20 different practices addressing a variety of stress-related conditions, from energizing after a long day to coping with aches and pains to relieving various digestive conditions. The practices, which are slow-moving with a mostly restorative focus, range in length from 15 to 60 minutes, making it easy to fit yoga into even your busiest days. Barbara frequently uses props; in addition to a yoga mat, I would recommend that you have at least one blanket on hand (preferably 2-3), with pillows and an eye bag being optional.

A breakdown of the DVD is listed below. The headings are the items found on the main menu, and the bullets indicate submenu items. The times for each practice are given as they appear on-screen, but I've added times in parentheses based on my own review. I've included brief notes on some of the practices that I have already tried; I plan to edit this review with additional notes as I use more of the vast material on this DVD.

Discussion of Meditation by HH The Dalai Lama (35)
Interview with Barbara (22)

Beginning and Ending Your Day
* Begin Your Day Slowly, 25m (24.5) - starts slowly on the floor and gradually moves into more active postures, including sun salutations
* Wake Up! 60m (58) - nice, slow flow combining seated breath work, sun salutation/standing postures, and seated forward bends
* Evening Revival, 40m (35.5) - starts in child's pose and moves on to standing postures and then shoulder/back stretches on the floor
* Letting Go of the Day, 40m (37) - a series of floor and restorative postures, including reclined cobbler's, supported child's pose, and seated forward bends/twists
* Insomnia Series, 35m (36) - relaxing postures to help prepare for sleep; starts with simple standing poses and moves on to seated forward bends, supported cobbler's and child's pose, and legs-up-the-wall

Neck, Shoulder, and Back Issues
* Easing Neck & Shoulder Tension, passive, 20m (19) - a series of reclined postures allowing passive relaxation of the neck and shoulders
* Easing Neck & Shoulder Tension, active, extended, 30m (29) - more active stretches of the neck, shoulders, and upper back from both seated and standing positions; ends with legs-up-the-wall
* Lower Back Tension, 35m (35.5) - reclined and prone postures to open up the back
* Hip Pain (SI Joint), 25m (36) - a series of gentle hip-opening postures including reclined leg stretch, open half lotus, and prone postures
* Tension Headaches, 45m (44) - a combination of sequences from both the passive and the active neck and shoulders segments above; ends with legs-up-the-wall plus a lengthy relaxation

Easing Your Mind
* Breathing Exercises to Calm the Mind, 15m (15) - a slowly moving series of different breathing techniques while lying
* Restorative Poses for Relaxation, 15m (13.5) - three simple postures to facilitate deep relaxation (supported cobbler's, heart opener, legs-up-the-wall)
* Deep Rest, 20m (18) - reclined breathing combined with a lengthy relaxation segment
* Mood Uplift, 30m (32.5) - offers a combination of calming and more active postures, starting with standing postures and moving to supported bridge and supported heart opener
* Serenity in Stillness, 35m (40.5) - combines elements of the digestive, hips, and neck practices; my favorite so far, especially with the supported bridge
* Anxiety Relief, 50m (40) - focuses largely on breathwork to calm the mind; also includes prone poses, reclined twist, and supportive postures

Stomach and Digestion Issues
* Constipation, 25m (27) - gentle prone postures to stimulate the stomach combined with standing and seated twists
* Improve Digestion, 30m (28.5) - sun salutations plus standing and seated twists; ends with half shoulderstand
* IBS, 30m (26.5) - starts with reclined breathwork and moves on to seated forward bends; ends with half shoulderstand and legs-up-the-wall
* Diarrhea & Indigestion, 30m (25) - nice series of gentle supported postures to open the upper back and release the stomach; includes supported bridge and legs-up-the-wall

One final important note is that not all of the practices end with the traditional relaxation pose, or savasana: some conclude with legs-up-the-wall pose, others end in a relaxed seated position. Overall, this is an excellent yoga DVD well-suited to a wide range of practitioners, from those fairly new to yoga to more experienced yoginis like myself. Highly recommended!

As good as it gets for stress relief
I have to confess I had become a lapsed Hatha Yogini. After years of practice, a few intervening accidents and life intervened and my Hatha Yoga practice was sacrificed in the caldron of daily life.

While I was aware of my body absorbing the toxins of people's nasty attitudes, violence on TV and in the newspaper,etc, I chose to persist in the exingencies of my work and studies ignoring the calls of my ailing body.

In that my work and study centers around stress relief and I am a student of the Dalai Lama, I decided to check out this video.

In my experience this is one of the best yoga videos among the now 1,055 yoga videos now listed on Amazon. It combines meditation instructions from the DVD A Path to Happiness by the Dalai Lama and a host of stress relief combinations from gentle awakening to more vigorous awakening to working on what malady our bodies are using to signal us that we are out of balance.

The instructions are clear and concise without undue explanation. (For students who seek more understanding of the poses, the videos of Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, John Friend and many others are out there.)

The instructions are for the average person. There are no Sanskrit names. There is excellent attention to proper alignment, appropriate focus and attention and use of props. Her breathing instructions are the best that I have heard from any yoga instuctor.

As I practiced these routines I could literally feel toxins depart, my stiffness start to leave and my "energy" flow more freely.

This is the video of a seasoned Hatha Yoga instructor and practioner and yoga practioner. If you want to learn complex advanced poses and their Sanskrit names, don't buy this video. If you want to detoxify, and restore balance to your life, this is the video for you.

Very mellow yoga and great for relieving tension.
I love this DVD. It is by far the best overall relaxing yoga sessions you can find. The segments are pieced together and are repeated in different sequences depending on your need. They are very Yin Yoga like / very gentle yoga sessions. Barbara Benagh leads you through the sessions and has a calm, soothing voice. She reminds you to breath, slow and steady. You get a total of 20sessions on the DVD. It is beautifully filmed at Half Moon Bay Resort in Antigua (much better than a boring yoga studio!). My only critic is that I would have liked to have a matrix where I could create my own sequencing from all the individual segments (like Shiva Rea's DVDs). Also, they should have published a booklet describing each session with the DVD, so here's my version ;o) Print this out and keep with your DVD. I highly recommend this DVD, it is well worth the money.

***BEGINNING & ENDING YOUR DAY***

Beginning Your Day Slowly (25 min.)
On your back in reclining cobbler's pose.
Lying back , wave breathing.
Modified downward dog.
Standing at the head of your mat, standing forward bend, sun salute movement.
Sitting, Shoulder stretch series (great!).
Sitting in cobbler's pose, forward bending.
Sitting cross legged, breathing.

Wake Up (60 min)
Lying back, wave breathing.
Sit on heals, then wide leg child pose.
Standing at the head of your mat, full sun salutation.
Standing, tree pose.
Standing, wide legs, triangle pose.
Standing, wide legs, side angle pose.
Standing, wide leg, twists
Sit in cobbler's pose, forward bending.
Seated wide angle pose.
One leg, revolved head to knee pose.
¼ dog pose (kneeling on all fours & on forearms).
Sitting cross legged, breathing.

Evening Revival (40 min.)
Sitting on heals, then wide leg child pose.
Standing, wide legs, twists with arms outstretching
Standing, wide legs, triangle pose.
Standing, wide legs, side angle pose.
Standing, wide legs, hinge over twits, then hang down.
Sitting, Shoulder stretch series (great!).
Lie face down, cobra series, 4 times (great!)
Revolving head to knee pose.
Sit cross legged, breathing.

Letting Go of the Day (40 min)
Lying on floor with feet on floor, knees bent, tune-in, breating.
Reclining cobbler's pose.
Sit on heals, wide leg child pose.
Cobbler's pose, then 1 leg forward bend (head to knee pose).
Cross legged, seated twist.
Knees bend, seated twist.
Savasana

Insomnia Issues (35 min)
Standing, wide legs, inversion
Modified downward dog
Cobbler's pose, then 1 leg forward bend (head to knee pose).
Supported resting cobbler's pose.
Supported child pose.
Legs up the wall pose.
Complete yoga rest.


***EASING NECK AND SHOULDER TENSION***

Easing Neck & Shoulder Tension, Passive (20 min.)
Bolster across neck & shoulders, prayer on forehead.
Lay on back, knees bend, 1 arm under back stretch.
Arm across chest twist, lying on back (on your side)

Easing Neck & Shoulder Tension, Active, Extended (30 min.)
Sit or stand, side neck stretching.
Sitting, Shoulder stretch series (great!).
Lie face down, cobra series, 4 times (great!)
Standing, wide legs, twists with arms outstretching.
Standing, wide legs, hinge over twits, then hand down.
Legs up the wall pose.

Lower Back Tension (35 min.)
Reclining cobbler's pose.
Wave breathing.
Reclining leg stretch.
Lying face down, crocodile & locus.
Upper back bolster.
Quarter dog pose.
Savasana

Hip Pain, SI Joint (35 min.)
Reclining cobbler's pose.
Wave breathing.
Reclining leg stretch.
Sit cross legged, open ½ lotus pose (aka square pose).
Lying face down, crocodile & locus.
Sit on heals, wide leg child pose.
Modified downward dog.
Savasana.

Tension Headaches (45 min.)
Lying on floor with feet on floor, knees bent, tune-in, breating.
Bolster across neck & shoulders, prayer on forehead.
Lay on back, knees bend, 1 arm under back stretch.
Arm across chest twist, lying on back (on your side).
Supported child pose.
Legs up the wall pose.
Complete yoga rest.

***EASING YOUR MIND***
Breathing Exercises to Calm the Mind (15 min)
Lying on back< knees bent, breathing.
Lying on back, knees bend, tune into breathing.
Lying on back, twisting with breath.
Wave breathing.

Restorative Poses for Relaxation (15 min.)
Supportive resting cobbler's pose.
Supported heart opener.
Legs up the wall pose.

Deep Rest (20 min.)
Lying on back, knees bend, breathing.
Complete yoga rest.

Mood Uplift (30 min)
Wave breathing
Standing at the head of your mat, standing forward bend, sun salute movement.
Standing, wide leg, twists
Standing, side leg, warrior 1
Standing, hanging forward bend.
Supported bridge shoulder stand (with block).
Supported heart opener.
Complete yoga breath.

Serentify in Stillness
Fold blandket in 3rd and half roll at the end. Lie face down with roll in abdominal. Massage belly.
Reclining cobbler's pose.
Reclining leg stretch.
Open ½ lotus pose (reclining).
Sit on heals, then wide leg child pose.
Arm across chest twist.
Supported bridge shoulder stand (with block).
Sit cross legged, breathing.

Anxiety Relief (50 min)
Lying back, wave breathwork.
Lying back, 1st lift breathwork.
Lying back, segmented exhalation breathwork.
Lying back, extended pause breathwork.
Lying face down, crocodile pose, breathwork.
Arm across chest twist.
Supported child pose.
Sit in cobbler's pose, then 1 leg forward bend (head to knee pose).
Sit cross legged, breathing.

***STOMACH & DIGESTIVE ISSUES***
Constipation (25 min)
Fold blandket in 3rd and half roll at the end. Lie face down with roll in abdominal. Massage belly.
Child pose exploration.
Inversion, standing wide angle pose.
Modifed downward dog.
Sit upright, cross-legged, seated twists.
Lying on back, Savasana rest.

Improved Digestion (30 min)
Stand at head of mat, standing, sun salute movement.
Standing feet wide, twists
Sit upright, cross-legged, seated twists.
Half shoulder stand.

IBS (30 min) Irritated Bowel Syndrome
Lay on back, knees bent, breathwork.
Lay on back, reclining cobbler's pose, unraveling.
Sit upright, cobbler's pose, forward bending.
Seated wide angle pose.
Half shoulder stand.
Legs up the wall pose.

Diarrhea & Indigestion
Laying on back, reclining cobbler's pose, unraveling.
Supported heart opener.
Upper back bolster opener.
Supported bridge shoulder stand.
Legs up the wall pose.