Yoga in the Snow: Video Yogi

Image by myyogaonline via FlickrThis morning's practice was guided by a DVD.Most days I let my trunk and my teaching skills guide my home yoga practice, but some days my "teacher mind" needs a lie and I pluck out one of the numerous yoga videos I proceed on hand for days like this and for character and inspiration when planning classes.Not all yoga videos are created equal, and not every picture is suited for every body.

o you get a mountain of videos you brought home or received as gifts, tried once, then decided they were no good because you couldn't do all the poses, they moved too fast (or too slow), or you couldn't be the statement and found yourself awkwardly twisting your neck trying to see the tv screen under your leg so you could see out if you had the pose correct?Me too.But there are a few tips for using yoga videos that might avail you rescue some of those videos from the discard pile.

1. Use the remote.DVDs give you loads of flexibility (how very yoga-like of them! when you check to use the remote.My favorite button is PAUSE.I make a yoga DVD with really nice sequencing, but the instructor rushes through the asanas so quick I just have time to make a breath.I maintain the remote close at hand, and when she heads into a pose I'd care to wait longer, I hit the pause button and see my breath for awhile.Didn't get something she said?Scan back and hear again.Need to get a shift in child's pose?The STOP button is handy too.
2. Modify, modify, modify.Very few videos, even the ones called "beginner" videos, offer modifications for the asanas, but you've been to yoga class and you recognize how to alter or prop some of those poses, so do it.Just because the video instructor isn't sitting on a cover in her forward fold doesn't imply you can't do it.Tell yourself if she could see you she'd be right there tucking that blanket under your sitting bones.
3. Look it up.A canonical book of yoga asanas is a handy video-watching tool, especially when trying something new.If you watch the instructions on the picture and the asana doesn't look right or you but don't get the directions, pause the video, grab your book, find the position and start reading.Maybe the word will hold you the "ah-ha" you didn't get from the video.
4. Listen to your body.Remember that the trunk on the tv screen isn't the one you want to be paid attention to.Just because the video goes on for two hours doesn't think you can't stop after 20 minutes.If an asana isn't good for you, skip it.Use the clock between PAUSE and Turn to find your way through your trunk and see something about that asana.
5. Don't skip Savasana.Savasana is the hardest pose for me to do at home.Many videos end by putting your on your mat and then roll the credits, leaving the witness to determine when Savasana is over.Unless the picture has a solid final relaxation segment, as shortly as I fall down I start wondering how long it's been and thought about what else I want to be doing.I notice that setting a meditation timer or simply the sentencer on my watch helps me let go of keeping track of the time so I can really relax.Savasana is the most important place of your practice, so don't cheat yourself and get 5 minutes for bliss.

Some videos will never float your boat, even with these tips.Make place for new ones by donating those to your local library.Who knows?The video that you never liked may be simply the thing to cheer someone else's practice.Share the yoga love.