Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga DVD

Don't judge Kino MacGregor by her gorgeous look, blond hair, beautiful body, toe rings, short shorts, and colorful make-up although I have to admit that her physical attributes appeal to me personally. So go ahead anyway. It should have ended there for me watching her free YouTube videos. Why did I pay for her videos and plan to sign up for her classes when she's in town? Not to mention taking my time to write a review of her DVD.She deserves to have more good words spread around about her. There are two reasons to buy her products. First, she is an expert practicing and demonstrating very difficult postures of this hard-core Yoga style. Ms. MacGregor keeps going back for further training in Mysore, India, and is one of very few certified Ashtanga instructors in the world. Second, she shares her knowledge of Ashtanga with passion and dedication of a genuine teacher. With her pleasant voice and intonation, Ms. MacGregor is generous with all aspects of Ashtanga how-tos. Her instructions tell us what body parts are folded, bended, twisted, lengthened, shortened, and breathed into and out of. "Suck in your belly and draw your energy in." "Use your shoulder girdles. " She generously dispenses techniques and tips. Law of Attraction works for her that the more (advice either paid or gratis) she gives, the more (money or compliments) she gets.What I like about this DVD is the opening and closing mantras with their Sanskrit transliteration and English translation. Another instructor, Tim Feldmann lays a superb groundwork for anyone wishing to practice Ashtanga Yoga. The foundation of Ashtanga is that breaths lead (to) movements. For this reason, the extensive instructions, particularly the Vinyasa chapter, go in deeply to explain why and how each movement and breath is in sync and coordinates. "Otherwise, it's not Ashtanga," says Mr. Feldmann. Moreover, the video offers side-by-side comparisons of the advanced practitioner (Ms. MacGregor) and the beginner or less flexible (performed by another instructor, Greg Nardi).However, for reasons unknown, Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga does not state when Vinyasas are performed between asanas. Given that this is aimed as the Introduction, breath counts should have been mentioned. Generally, practitioners who are familiar with Ashtanga know that each pose is held for five breaths with the exception of asanas in the closing sequence. Ms. Macgregor casually says ten breaths for a final pose, Utapahih. One star is taken off for not stating the importance of Dristi in this video. Gaze points are not consistently included even though they are one for the foundations of Ashtanga. At one point or another, "looking up" during the float is uttered non-chalantly. In addition, different camera angles to show body alignments would add more to the title's name and be more useful to viewers.The video starts out with Sun Salutations A and B but ends at the 25th asana of the Primary Series. I suspect that a reason has to do with being "The Introduction," therefore not featuring all poses in the first Series.Despite some shortcomings of the video (three out of five stars), it is a must-have DVD that a serious Ashtangi should have. Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga with Kino MacGregor, Greg Nardi and Tim Feldmann is certainly an excellent supplement to books and other instructional resources out there. This product is not 100% perfect. By the time you watch all of Ms. MacGregor's videos, buy all of her books and attend her classes, you should be well versed in Ashtanga.The late Guruji instilled in her many, many qualities of a great teacher. Kino-ji (if I may call her with the suffix "ji") is now one of our finest instructors in the crowded Yoga field. Most of all, Ms. MacGregor inspires us to go beyond our physical limitations and to reach spiritual transcendence through the practice of Ashtanga Yoga.

When the video first started going I was intimidated by the pace of the movements. There's really no, "Hey, here's what we're about to do, so get ready" part. For this reason, I recommend watching the different movements once to get an idea of the flow, then doing it.The best part of this CD for me is the constant insight and talk about how to get in and out of the movements and what you should be thinking about. It seems like hearing her talk constantly while you're trying to have a relaxing/connecting experience would be be detrimental, but I found it very helpful. Each rotation she gives you more insight into each move and what you want to do to get the most out of it. Great for a beginner like me.Breathing section is great. I would have liked a little more help on breathing while going through the moves, but the little you do get on this is helpful.

Don't let the "Introduction" in the title make you think that these are beginner poses. The DVD has a lot of great information if you are just starting to practice, but as a beginner, I struggled with a lot of the poses (even the modified version). I think it is a great DVD, but if you are a beginner, don't expect to be able to do all the poses comfortably. I was a bit sore and exhausted after completing it. I have taken yoga classes before, so while I am a beginner, I am able to do most of the basic beginner poses sucessfully, just not some of the poses in this DVD.

Fantastic yoga dvd choice. As a yoga teacher I really appreciated the special features that were included in this set. Some yoga background, a breathing lesson, very fun especially if you are just discovering yoga. Although this is labled an introduction to ashtanga it is in no way just for beginners. There are several very difficult postures that assure more experienced yogis will not be bored but also new students have something to look forward and aspire to. I really enjoy this for my own use at home. I love being a yoga teacher but its nice to come home and do some yoga just for me, this dvd is great for that.

This dvd is an excellent resource for new ashtanga practitioners. It's divided into several sections - Yoga philosophy (short introduction), Suggestions for practice, comprehensive introduction to breathing and a great beginning practice of half primary. The practice has Kino doing the full form and Greg doing modifications. This will not replace a teacher and is not designed to do so. But it is a great way to get started and for those that feel they need a led class, this would be excellent to practice with at home, in between working with a teacher.

Although the section on breathing was informative and useful, the actual practice was way too fast for me to follow. I felt that there was not enough time spent on proper position/alignment. I have taken yoga classes before and my experience has always been positive and invigorating with relaxing and flowing movements. The title of the DVD as an "Introduction" is misleading and I would not recommend this for any beginner in the practice of yoga.

I have gone to one of Kino's workshop and it was amazing!!!! She really is a kick-ass (excuse my language) teacher. But her first DVD's I am not a bit fan of.

This yoga DVD is great for those who r looking into ashtanga yoga as a day to day practice. I wouldve like some features like turning the voice directions on/off and the music only.

I found this video too fast paced and the voice over too unclear for an introductory session to Ashtanga. I have been doing yoga for a couple of years but found this strenuous and hard to follow and keep up. I had to rewind repeatedly which was frustrating. Does not explain the finer points and no tips as to how to master the positions. I would say it is rather an exercise sequence for someone who have already mastered the art to some extent. I would suggest then that the title is misleading.