Yoga Journal’s Yoga for Stress With Dr. Baxter Bell
I discovered that Blockbuster has some yoga videos to rent online. The selection is pretty thin but I managed to find Yoga Journal’s Yoga for Stress With Dr. Baxter Bell.
You might think from the cover (an attractive blond woman) that Dr. Bell is a woman, but no. Dr. Bell is a guy, and there aren’t any blond women in the video whatsoever (two brunettes, actually). It’s funny how so many yoga videos these days use cover models that have nothing whatsoever to do with the video content. But I digress. It’s nice to have some more male yoga instructors on video other than just Rodney Yee. (More men in yoga, please!)
Dr. Bell leads you through a fairly standard hatha yoga routine, with fairly precise instruction. I personally found the instruction to be way too detailed for my tastes, way too focused on the minute particulars of anatomy, though I do understand that some folks like that sort of thing. (Note: I read in another review that apparently there is an audio track you can use with less talking, but I did not see that during my trial.)
The poses themselves did not seem to be particularly stress-relieving: This is an actual workout. If you are looking for a gentle or restorative DVD, this would not be it.
With the talkative instruction and standard yoga workout, Yoga for Stress didn’t really inspire me. I found myself lukewarm about the DVD and sent it back to Blockbuster without using it again. I certainly don’t think it’s a bad video, and perhaps I’ll rent it again at some point in the future to see if I have a different opinion on a fresh viewing.
The catch 22 we have in the yoga community is that it is now a 6 billion dollar market and people will say, do, and market whatever they can to make money from one this sacred art. That’s okay too though because any yoga is better than no yoga. The benefits far outweigh the commercialism. -John. http://www.theashramyoga.com.