Altar of the Heart
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A challenging yet soothing and deeply relaxing practice. It’s beautifully filmed at five different locations in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with excellent production values. You even get the DVD menu options of Detailed Instruction/Minimal Instruction and Music On/Off. My bet is you will leave the music on because it’s absolutely outstanding. more info
My all-time favorite yoga video–I was in love after the very first time!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After only doing this video once, I already loved it! It was exactly what I was looking for: an intermediate flow series to help me take my home practice to the next level. The DVD is not traditionally chaptered, but the “scene selection” feature allows you to begin the practice at 12 different points. I’m not going to list every pose included; rather, I’ll provide a general overview to help you get a feel for the practice.
Tilak Pyle instructs via voiceover, and he and his 4 assistants are each filmed in different outdoor location. The practice begins on the floor–which I found to be a nice change of pace–starting with a meditation and simple seated forward bends. You then move to standing, but instead of going right into sun salutations (not my favorite thing), Tilak leads you through several balance postures (tree, eagle) as well as half sun salutes (very reminiscent of Yoga Mind and Body). You will then move into some lunges, including a moving “liquid” lunge and one with the forearms on the floor (similar to in Ana Forrest’s Strength and Spirit). The first standing series consists of warrior 1, 2, triangle, and side angle; short vinyasas are performed between each series, but not between every posture. After plank/side plank, there is a second standing series focused more on balance postures: pyramid, warrior 3, and half moon. Next, you’ll move into dog pose, open your hips, and then continue with pigeon. This is followed by a short child’s pose series which includes several shoulder stretches and then a brief savasana. This is about the 45 minute mark, so if you don’t have time for the entire practice, this is a great place to stop.
The second half of the practice begins with a spread leg standing quad stretch and then moves into standing wide-legged forward bend. Next you’ll lie on your back for reclined leg stretches, including hand to foot and thread the needle. From a seated position, you’ll perform rock the baby and a forward fold with cat/dog tilt. Next comes headstand, which Tilak and co. perform unsupported but which I did against the wall. I rarely practice headstand on my own, so I was surprised when I was able to kick up fairly easily and hold for the duration of Tilak’s soothing voice (not a long hold; probably <1 minute). Another child's pose and a brief pause follow. The final segment of the practice begins with seated forward bends and moves into shoulderstand, lying and seated twists, yoga mudra, and finally, relaxation pose. The asana practice ends here at about 1 hour, 15 minutes, but Tilak allows an additional 10 minutes for a long savasana, pranayama (alternate nostril breathing and retention), and final meditation.
The DVD offers several options for customizing your practice: you can select minimal or more detailed instruction, and both choices allow you to turn the DVD music off and substitute your own. Other DVD bonuses include a detailed asana list–offered in both Sanskrit and English–and “deleted scenes” or outtakes. Don’t miss this last section–Tilak and crew are hilarious as they struggle with uneven surfaces, wind, bugs, external noise, and the like. Tilak is a young, soothing, calming presence throughout the DVD. His voiceover instruction is excellent (only occasionally moving slightly out of sync with the screen), and while his instruction is not overly detailed (this is an intermediate practice, after all), I found his form pointers to be helpful. His style reminds me very much of Erich Schiffman in Yoga Mind and Body; in fact, this entire practice had a very similar “feel” to me to YM&B, which is also one of my favorites.
I really can’t think of anything negative about this DVD, but if I had to offer constructive criticism, I would offer two very minor points: 1) additional arm balances would have been nice (crow is shown in the deleted scenes but is not included in the practice), and 2) I would have liked the music to continue through the final savasana–there was just silence, and I keep looking up at the screen to see if the DVD had ended or not (which I’ll obviously know not to do in the future). Overall, however, I loved this practice and found that it was just perfect for my level, which I consider to be low-to-mid intermediate–hopefully this practice will help put me in more solid intermediate territory, and I know that I will use it often. Highly recommended!
HIGHLY recommend
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This was everything I was looking for in an intermediate yoga DVD. It really pushes me, but provides enough instruction to teach. There is this amazing woman on the video who does these poses on a rock near the river. She is inspiring. Her headstand is amazing. Get this – it’s great.
A Wonderful, Original Yoga Workout
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’m giving it four stars instead of five only because it’s not professional-quality camera work or film or whatever. I mean, you can kind of tell it was made at home.
Other than that this is a terrific yoga workout. It was long but not dull; in other words, long enough to feel like you had a really good yoga class and spent your time and money well. There were lots of original yoga moves, so you don’t get stuck doing boring, boring, boring sun salutations. It doesn’t overemphasize strength poses, but has a good mix. I liked the instruction to make it your own and be true to your own level. I like it that they switched to different people from time to time so you could see real people with real bodies doing yoga–just like me! I mostly listen to the instructions rather than relying on the view, and I found these instructions did not require me to constantly lose my balance while craning my neck to see the TV.
There is a good length savasana (rest pose) at the end of the workout, but it is silent (hooray!) unlike most videos where they yammer on at you and run you through a total body relax at breakneck speed. The only problem is that they don’t tell you the workout isn’t over, so you open your eyes and check. This would only be a problem the first time though. After the rest pose there is a not-too-long pranayama (breathing) practice. It takes a few minutes and is a good way to end the workout.
I hope to see more homemade yoga workouts by real people doing yoga. These really are the best kind. Professional quality filming doesn’t make up for lousy workouts. This DVD is a class you would really enjoy. It’s definitely worth the price and the five dollars shipping.
I hope to see more yoga workouts like this one. I’m tired of doing endless proud warriors and chatarungas. I think this workout is most appropriate for people who have yoga experience, but neophytes might enjoy it too.
Another homemade-type of video you might like is Yoga in the Garden of Serenity. Sounds crazy, but it’s a terrific workout especially for your neck and hips.
Amazing
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you love Erich Schiffmann’s “Yoga Mind and Body,” you will love this one too. It’s not power yoga, so don’t expect to work up a sweat. It’s a slow vinyasa practice that will leave you feeling wonderfully stretched and relaxed. Tilak Pyle’s instruction is so clear that you almost never need to look at the screen — but you’ll want to, because the scenery is breathtakingly gorgeous.