Yoga for Weight Loss: Beginners & Beyond

Yoga for Weight Loss: Beginners & Beyond is a DVD which offers a variety of yoga practices. These practices are intended to facilitate weight loss, although many of the practices move too slowly to provide an aerobic benefit. However, the DVD definitely contains some more active practices which offer a good workout while at the very least providing some strength and toning benefits.

The Main Menu of the DVD offers the following options:

LEARN--Interview (6-minute interview with instructor Maggie Rhoades)

GETTING STARTED--Beginner Routines

AS YOU PROGRESS--More Challenging Routines

ROUTINES WITH WEIGHTS AND RESISTANCE BANDS

CREDITS

Each of the above options is broken up into practice sub-menus as described below. The times are as listed on the DVD, but I have added my own comments. Please note that every practice ends with a 6-minute series of floor closing postures, including hero's pose, child's pose, overhead stretch, reclined twists, and a short (1-minute) relaxation.

GETTING STARTED

*Getting Started (30m)--longer sun salutation series (4x), standing poses (tree, triangle, warrior 2, side angle, half-moon), and closing sequence

*Fundamentals (20m)--shorter sun salutation series (2x), down dog series, and closing sequence

*Fundamentals & Beyond (50m)--combines both sun salutation series from above but also adds additional standing postures (warrior 1, warrior 3, intense side angle); also includes down dog series and closing sequence

AS YOU PROGRESS--These practices are mostly compiled from the above segments, but they also add a long (and somewhat repetitive) standing vinyasa sequence

*Let It flow: Arms & Legs Poses (35m)--down dog series, standing vinyasa sequence (warrior 2, warrior 1, 1-legged down dog, etc.), and closing sequence

*Full Body Flow (45m)--shorter sun salutation series, additional sun salutations with longer holds of down dog, standing vinyasa sequence, and closing sequence

*Focus on Legs (50m)--standing pose sequence (tree, etc.) and additional standing poses from above (warrior 1, etc.), standing vinyasa sequence, and closing sequence

ROUTINES WITH WEIGHTS AND RESISTANCE BANDS--Combines some of the non-weighted segments from above with new segments using either light weights (1 lb.) or resistance bands.

*Sun Salutation Warm-Up with Weights (20m)--begins with shorter sun salutation series and then moves into somewhat traditional weights routine (upright rows, flies, bicep curls, side raises, back row, and various arms work while standing in tree pose); finishes with seated closing sequence

*Sun Salutation Warm-Up with Resistance Band (30m)--shorter sun salutation series plus yoga poses incorporating band with arms movement (arms work in tree, triangle, warrior 2, warrior 1, lunge, plank, boat); finishes with seated closing sequence

*Total Weights Practice (30m)--10m traditional weights routine plus yoga poses with weights (triangle, warrior 2, side angle, lunge, warrior 1, warrior 3); finishes with seated closing sequence

*Arms Focus with Weights (25m)--down dog and standing vinyasa series from above (unweighted); also 10m traditional weights routine and seated closing sequence

*Arms & Legs Focus with Weights (60m)--down dog and standing vinyasa series from above (unweighted); also 10m traditional weights routine, yoga poses with weights, and seated closing sequence

*Total Body Challenge with Weights & Resistance Band (70m)--combines many sequences above, including both sun salutation series, down dog series, yoga poses with resistance band, traditional weights sequence, yoga poses with weights, and seated closing sequence

Instructor Maggie Rhoades generally provides good voiceover cues, although she takes quite a long time to set up each segment. She is practicing alone against the beautiful backdrop of Half-Moon Bay in Antigua. Although some of the sequences here are labeled as "beginning" routines, I definitely would NOT recommend this video to those brand new to yoga, as even the "Getting Started" section includes some fairly challenging balance postures (eg, half moon, warrior 3). I think this DVD would be best suited to those with some yoga experience who are looking to take things up a notch and who are interested in adding a resistance training element into their yoga practice.