Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Gentle Yoga with Jane Adams is excellent! I am a yoga instructor as well as an occupational therapist and I have been looking for a good gentle yoga DVD to recommend to my students for their home program. This one fits the bill in spades! Jane emphasizes safety, good alignment and listening to one's body throughout this DVD. Jane's apparent love of yoga and her joy in teaching yoga comes through in all aspects. She teaches the yoga exactly as one would expect in a live yoga class, with plenty of time to follow her clear, step by step instructions, giving her students some time to actually experience the pose. There is no sense of rushing through any of the sequences, and one can actually do the yoga poses with her without having to pause the DVD to "catch up"! Jane divides her DVD into 5 crucial segments: - 1) a warmup section which is critical for preventing injuries and maximizing enjoyment; 2) a standing & balance section (so important for all of us!) with great use of props to allow all persons regardless of experience or flexibility/strength to participate; 3) leg and trunk section for core strength which can be done on the floor or modified for a seated chair position; 4) upper body/arms segment done seated on a chair to facilitate safe focus on the upper body; and 5) seven minute relaxation during which the student can integrate the "fruits of their labor" while gently releasing any remaining stress or muscle tension. I personally tried all the segments myself and found the sequencing to be very calming, as well as challenging. Jane teaches the basics of yoga breathing in the first warmup section and continues with cues to use the breath throughout the following sequences. The yoga (diaphragmatic) breaths help increase lung capacity as well prevent injuries. Each of the 5 segments are a yoga workout all unto themselves although I would recommend doing the warmup section before doing any of the other segments, for maximum benefit. I would also recommend doing the relaxation segment each time one uses the DVD. The student can make the yoga poses as challenging as one wants at the time. Done consistently, the yoga presented in this DVD would help facilitate better postural/spinal alignment, increased core strength and improved balance. The strengthening poses are done after instruction for good alignment, which increases both their safety and effectiveness. I also really enjoyed the peaceful background music used in this DVD - it began to feel a bit like a moving meditation as I followed the yoga instructions. Having an actual student doing the warmups (segment 1) and relaxation (segment 5) was great too! I felt somewhat energized but relaxed after I completed all the segments. Thank you to Jane and your student! I have already started recommending it to my students!