Jivamukti At Home

In finding more ways to develop a stronger home practice, I haven't ruled out yoga dvd's. It has been maybe a year since I practiced with a dvd (thanks Netflix!). I was very fortunate to have received some from the wonderful folks at Acacia. A dvd I had wanted to get for a while now was Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga. I remember first hearing about a Jivamukti dvd coming out and not only was excited, I was curious to see how they were going to capture the vibe you get in a classroom setting and bring it into your home. The truth is they didn't, but that's ok and I'll explain in a bit.

The cover of the case says "Experienced beginners & beyond" so this is not exactly a dvd for brand spanking new yoga. But I guess you can see that just judging by the twist/balance pose on the cover. There is an introduction by David Life & Sharon Gannon, the founders of Jivamukti Yoga. They share their passion for yoga and the benefits this practice can bring to a more fruitful and happier existence. The session itself is only 60 minutes (a studio class is 1 hr 35 mins) and you can choose between instruction from David or Sharon. First I sat down and watched it, then I followed along.

Unlike other dvd's, but in Jivamukti fashion, they include chanting in the session but only briefly. The flow of the practice is fast paced where the longest you're holding a pose may be for only five breaths. They even instruct to not worry about the pace of the practice so much. If you do fall behind, you can catch up in Downward Dog. The practice includes standing, balance, twisting, backbends, forwardbends, and inversions providing modifications if you are not quite ready for the full pose. Another reason why this is for "experienced" beginners is the instruction isn't quite for newbies and at some points I noticed it was a little off but I was familiar enough with the sequencing to continue. It may not be the same for others. I think you have to be familiar with the asanas already as there is little instruction on the poses themselves. Come to think of it, they should just remove "beginner" from the title.

I know music is very important to the Jivamukti practice and the instrumental Raga music played thoughout the practice was wonderful. They had a Kirtan group playing their instruments in the room as they practiced. However, for some reason during Savasana they switch to a folky lyrical song which didn't fit at all and I ended up muting the television. Overall, it is a wonderful dvd to have to your collection.