Home Yoga Programs

Exercising at home has numerous advantages. You can easily enjoy it on your own time, you may cut down travel time, save membership and class fees and the hassles of sweaty gym rats. It is in fact very simple to spend quite a lot of money on expensive household gear that might just take up valuable space and remind you how out of shape you happen to be as it gathers dust in the corner.

A terrific, low-cost alternative is to try using equipment you already possess: a DVD player and TV. There are many kinds of home exercise DVDs, but in in this article, I will focus on doing yoga at home using DVDs that are easy to acquire from Amazon, your nearest library or many stores or internet sites offering exercise videos.

One can find wide ranges of yoga DVDs available. You should select carefully depending on your fitness goals, level of experience with yoga and yoga style preference. Common workout goals that may be achieved through yoga are:

1. Control Stress 2. Weight Loss 3. Increased Flexiblility 4. Increased Strength 5. Build Stamina

Of course, these goals are certainly not exclusive and quite often complement each other. The key for selecting the best video is determining which of the above your primary goal is.

Knowledge about yoga and general fitness level is another important aspect. These are generally divided into the following categories. Do not feel below par if you happen to be in the limited beginner level. Everyone needs to start somewhere and beginning in a level too difficult will surely discourage you against continuing.

1. Limited Beginner – No fitness experience, coping with injury or limited flexibility/mobility. 2. Beginner – A healthy body but little or no exposure to yoga or group exercise 3. Intermediate – Has some yoga experience or other fitness experience, fairly active and mobile with average degree of flexibility and strength. 4. Advanced – Have a regular yoga practice, fitness experience or seasoned athlete with reasonable amount of flexibility.

This is not a definite list of where you should be as far as challenge for a yoga class as there is some flexibility. For example, if you’re fairly active and limber, equipped to climb stairs, walk regularly and perform normal daily activities but have never took part in a group exercise program at a studio or fitness center, you may do fine by using a Beginner or Intermediate yoga video. If you are limited in your flexibility or have knee, wrist or back issues you may fare better with a slower paced video for a limited beginner where you will have enough time to make adjustments to meet your requirements. On the other hand, if you are a marathon runner with tight limbs and no yoga experience, a Beginner video may be the best place to start.

Regardless of what your level of fitness, yoga is very personal. During class, you ought to be prompted to modify your positioning, whether in a class setting with a live instructor or with a yoga video, to best be right for you. If you are limited in positioning you can adjust to a simpler posture to participate in a routine. A proficient athlete should have the skills necessary to adjust any class to challenge themselves, whether through tightening up muscles in any area or strengthening your body and mind in focusing on the yoga positions, breath and body alignment.

Whatever your fitness goals are, finding the appropriate yoga video starts with matching a relevant video to your needs: finding what type of yoga you aspire to practice, versatility of the workout, instructor style, options offered for varying levels, scenery and music.

As a certified yoga instructor with over twenty years of experience teaching yoga and other group fitness classes, I have seen many teaching styles and reviewed many exercise videos. For more help in deciding the best home yoga video for your particular needs, consult Yoga DVD Reviews.