Maria Theresia & Roberto’s Yoga Therapy
I would have never heard of these folks if it hadn’t been for Bookins, and it just goes to show you that there are yoga gems to be found outside the corporate offices of Gaiam. I am very selective about my yoga DVDs, and I find that most of the mainstream ones offered just don’t cut it. I have a bunch of Gaiam’s yoga video offerings from back when they were called Living Arts, and I barely use them. They just don’t feel like a real class to me, and I don’t get any spiritual benefit from them either.
So I was pleased as punch to pop in Maria Theresia & Roberto’s Yoga Therapy DVD and find that it was a yoga DVD I might actually use. In their 60s, M.T. (as Maria Theresia is called) and Roberto aren’t glamorous, impossible-to-emulate yoga superstars. (Don’t get me wrong, they are in great shape!) Their video has a wonderful homey touch and you can tell they are passionate about what they do.
The style of yoga presented is their own: It is primarily a take-off of the Bikram series, with their own poses and transitions added in. (They also removed the two hardest and most dangerous Bikram poses, the toe stand and the fixed firm, which I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do in this lifetime.) The class starts with a standing series, with a short break in savasana, and then continues with a floor series.
If you like the Bikram series, you’ll like this DVD, but you might even try it if Bikram doesn’t totally do it for you. I find that M.T. & Roberto’s sequence is a bit more balanced and comprehensive than the Bikram series. For example, to balance out the lack of upper body strengthening poses, they’ve added in a downward facing dog and upward facing dog in the middle of the floor routine. There’s also some nice hip openers added. And you don’t need to do this set in a hot room.
Because there’s clearly a Bikram background presented here, don’t expect the kind of high quality alignment instructions that you might get from an Iyengar teacher. Some suggestions may be counter-indicated, so use your good sense. “Tighten your buttocks!” seems to be a mantra to these two, which is in contrast to the warnings I got in Shiva Rea’s training to loosen the rear to protect the sacrum.
The class also moves fairly quickly, but the poses are still held long enough to provide a challenge. The transitions are well thought-out and make the sequence flow quite well. It may be difficult for a total beginner to follow and keep up at first, but I found the pace to be just right for where I’m at now. They call this “yoga for everybody,” and indeed, without any inversions or advanced backbends such as wheel, most everyone should be able to handle the majority of the postures here.
There are a few moments of touchy-feely (Roberto is a bit funny when he tells you to hug yourself, and then to demonstrate, he starts kissing his own arms), so if you aren’t into that sort of thing, be forewarned. But for the most part, this class sticks to the yoga. A nice visualization is provided during the final sivasana. I was also pleased to find that they decided to include alternate nostril breathing at the end instead of breath of fire, which to me is too energizing to end a class with, particularly with a home practice, where the focus is stress relief.
Since I am very bored with the standard vinyasa flow class and DVD, I am always looking for something different. (If I had my way, I’d ban all teachers from doing sun salutations and vinyasas for a year, just to see how they’d cope.) There are thankfully no sun salutations in this series, no repetitions of plank/chaturanga/updog/downdog. I am more interested in stretching than sheer strength. With a good balance of poses, plus the fantastic backbends in the floor series, Maria Theresia & Roberto’s Yoga Therapy is a good alternative to yoga flow.
If there is anything missing, it is a few inversions, but you could always do those on your own at the end of the class.
I have found myself drawn to this video and looking forward to practicing with it since I got it. That’s rare for me. Usually I buy a yoga DVD and it sits on my shelf. But this one has now become part of my home yoga practice. I give it an enthusiastic recommendation to anyone who is looking for a simple, balanced yoga routine and is tired of the same ole same ole slick hatha flow DVDs found in Best Buy.
Running time: Approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes. (You could split up the video and just do the standing series or floor series if you need to save time.)
I agree with what you’re saying here. I’ve recently browsed through yoga DVDs and books and they all look like they were published in the ’80s. I think there’s a real lack of up to date, engaging yoga resources.
I took classes from Roberto back in 98 and 99. His classes are awesome and I bough their VHS when I left that job and couldn’t take the classes anymore. Super nice guy too.