The first thing you notice about “Daily Dose of Bliss” is that most of the people in the DVD are beautiful. Also, the forest setting is gorgeous. My guess is that this DVD was filmed somewhere near Vancouver, Canada, where Eoin Finn lives. A nice touch is that there is a dog watching the participants. I could make a joke about Downward Facing Dog but that would be too predictable.

In the routine, the participants have varying levels of flexibility and strength, and one man has noticeably limited flexibility. Poses are shown from many angles, including from above using a camera crane. I have a feeling you will either love Eoin Finn or hate him. I am inclined toward the former. I would definitely take a class with this instructor. To get an idea how unusual he is, here are some of his quotes from the DVD:

“Another day, another chance to feel bliss.”
“Another practice, another chance to increase my fitness, my life force, and my vitality.”
“Sweet like a Sade love song”
“Taste the honey in your right hip.”
“If you want to go deeper, have a very good reason why.”
“This pose is the perfect balance of effort and surrender.”
“Focus your Gandhi laser.”
“Allow the corners of your mouth to move toward your eyebrows…it is called a smile.”
“Please find the joy and let go of the frustration.”
“It should feel like you are getting ice cream licked off your body.” (my personal favorite)
“The grin on your chin is more important than your chin on your shin.”
“If you can’t spring back, just flounder back like most of us.”
“Try not to create mental struggle.”
“This should be straight off the good-o-meter.”
“Notice and enjoy how you feel.”
“In this practice, we’ve improved our physical fitness, created a looser lighter body, decreased physical and mental tension, and detoxified. Most importantly, though, we’ve taken the time just to empty and feel the underlying foundation of all our thoughts. It is nice to take that time every day to have a sense that underneath all the layers of our thoughts, there’s a feeling of bliss, and of joy, and of freedom.”
“As you feel this radiant place inside you, just notice how a question forms. And that question says, “How can I share this feeling with others? So please, as part of your yoga practice, light someone’s fire. Spread it around. Call it a practice for a day. Let love rule. Let love rule. Namaste.”
“We sincerely hope that this yoga has helped you become even more full of fun, joy, and light. Wahoooo.”

At the end of the routine, the very handsome Eoin Finn begins hugging individual class members, and the DVD ends with a group hug and a picture of a gorgeous sunrise or sunset.

Completing “Power Yoga for Happiness” actually did make me feel rather blissful. Give yourself a treat and buy this DVD. Not only will you get “Daily Dose of Bliss,” but also other yoga routines: “Total Happiness” – 80 minutes; “Magically Hips” – 55 minutes; “Strong, Free and Happy” – 53 minutes; “The Quickie” – 30 minutes.

I can’t wait to try “The Quickie.”

One of their hypotheses is that surrounding yourself with your favorite foods will reduce anxiety about scarcity and enable you to mindfully eat small portions and be satisfied. Now at midlife and after literally hundreds of attempts to prove this true, I can safely conclude with certainty that this method is not the best for my biology and emotional well-being.

For years, I blamed myself for this, thinking I wasn’t doing the “overcoming overeating” strategy correctly or feeling ashamed that it didn’t work for me when it supposedly made so much sense. I thought if only I could become more evolved as an “attuned eater,” I would become a success story using the methods recommended by books such as “Breaking Free from Emotional Eating” (by Geneen Roth) and “Overcoming Overeating” (by Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter). However, something else occurred. As I began to practice yoga regularly, I arrived at my own truth, one that is different than I expected. With my increased age and wisdom, I now realize that it is much better for me to limit certain foods that upset my brain chemistry. If I rarely eat these foods, I don’t feel deprived, I feel sane, sensible, and NORMAL.

I now believe that some foods are addictive to the human brain, mostly because these foods are so artificial and so junky, they bypass the normal mechanism of satiety that occurs with less processed foods. I’m not alone in believing this – science is on my side. The former head of the U.S. FDA, Dr. David Kessler, says that giant food companies have teams of scientists dedicated to creating combinations of sugar, salt, and fat that are irresistible to many people’s brains.

Food companies do this because they want you to buy and eat more of their Frankenfoods.

I conclude that people come in two varieties, those who have brains vulnerable to chemically addictive food, and those who have brains that are not vulnerable. I suspect that more Americans fall into the first category, and I know that I do. For those in the latter category, you can fill your kitchen with trigger foods and the resulting feeling of calmness about abundance may reduce your desire to overeat. This happened for some friends of mine and they are very pleased. For everyone else, consuming chemically addictive foods is a disaster. People who advise “all things in moderation” are not taking into consideration the biology of addiction.

After many years of being stressed about food, I no longer feel ashamed that I avoid trigger foods. I consider some foods to be in the same category as dangerously addictive drugs. I don’t do cocaine recreationally, so I don’t need food as recreation, either.

If you have tried to follow the advice of anti-diet gurus and it hasn’t helped you, consider doing it my way instead. I am much happier and calmer and I reversed a frustrating weight gain trend. If you have difficulty deciding the best health strategies for your unique self, yoga is one of the best methods I’ve ever discovered to help with this sort of self-discovery. Try it!

Authors Ila Sarley and Garrett Sarley are at their best when explaining the rationale for combining both practices. They say, “Walking yoga is about nurturing your body and soul, not about forcing yourself to work out because you think you should. It is a form of exercise that — done properly — reliably produces an experience of coming home to yourself…with walking yoga, we have developed an active practice that will help reduce stress and produce peace of mind for those of you who can’t imagine sitting still to pray or meditate.”

The Sarleys recommend walking three times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes or more. They list health benefits of walking as heart strengthening, increased muscular coordination, stronger bones, weight loss, better posture, reduced stress, improved digestion, and calmer mind.

The Sarleys also say that daily yoga postures are the perfect complement to a walking practice. In addition to improving or maintaining flexibility, they cite increased body intelligence as one of the biggest health benefits of yoga practice. This intelligence means a greater sensitivity to the subtle experiences of the body. My experience is that this is absolutely true.

The next part of the book includes instruction. The Sarleys say you can practice the yoga postures either before or after a walk, as long as you start when your stomach is empty. They explain how to do:

• Neck Roll
• Butterfly
• Supine Leg Stretch
• Knee To Chest Pose
• Knee Down Twist
• Child Pose
• Forearm Stretch
• Sun Salutation
• Warrior
• Tree Pose
• Locust Pose
• Cobra Pose
• Yoga Mudra
• Forward Bend
• Corpse Pose
• Woodchopper Pose
• Half Boat Pose
• Complete Boat Pose

The next chapter offers material about yoga breathing and a nice discussion explaining that both overachieving and underachieving are both ways of ignoring the body’s needs. Next there are sections on “full-on-walking” (peak exertion), walking alone, walking with loved ones, contemplative walking, and walking with gratitude.

The final chapter is, “Yoga and Walking for Life.” This chapter is one of the book’s best. It discusses the challenge of keeping commitments to oneself and gives specific suggestions for how to make walking yoga a priority even during busy and/or stressful life circumstances. The authors recommend group support, experimenting with whether an early morning or early evening practice works best for you, and enjoying nature throughout the four seasons.

The one way this book could be even better is if the Sarleys produce a companion DVD or even better, a smart phone app. I would really enjoy following the poses by watching them dynamically rather than copying them from the pictures in the book, but this is a minor complaint. To date, this is the single best resource I have found to explore walking yoga.

If you are a prenatal yoga instructor and you would like to be listed here, please send me your name and location, a yoga-themed photo of you, and a quote containing your best advice for pregnant women who want to practice prenatal yoga.

Prenatal Yoga in California
	Lisa Pedersen, Hermosa Beach, California, USA – Lisa says, “I have taught many a group of women who practiced yoga together when pregnant. They are the best of friends now, and many went on to have their next baby at the same time. Prenatal yoga allowed them the opportunity to build their village, their support group.”
	Annie E. Appleby, Hillsborough and Burlingame, California, USA - Annie says, "Tell your teacher you are pregnant at the start of class. It might be obvious to you, but as a teacher, we feel weird for asking and what if you just gained weight and are NOT pregnant? It puts us in an awkward position, so PLEASE let us know. ALWAYS practice your alignment. Alignment is always key, before and after the baby comes."
	Felicia Marie Tomasko, Los Angeles, California, USA - Felicia says, “Often, I've had students tell me after they've given birth that their yoga practice was one of the single most important things they did while pregnant. Practicing as a way to get quiet amidst the demands of everyday life and have time to focus inward, on your own body and the developing relationship with your about-to-be-born baby is a delightful and rejuvenating experience."
Prenatal Yoga in Illinois
	Stephanie Mansour, Chicago, Illinois, USA – Stephanie says, ” “If you are new to yoga and practicing for the first time while pregnant, you will focus a bit more on gaining flexibility and strength rather than simply maintaining it.”
Prenatal Yoga in New Jersey
	Archarya Sri Khadi Madama, Beachwood, New Jersey, USA – Acharya Sri Khadi Madama says, “If for any reason your doctor tells you that it is not in your best interest to practice prenatal yoga, you can ask about practicing calming yoga breathing, simplified movements in bed, meditation, and deep relaxation pose, visualizing a healthy, happy pregnancy.”
	Annie Martens, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – Annie says, “Babies themselves are very present, and conscious about their needs and emotional well-being both when they are in the womb and once they are born. When a mother practices yoga while she’s pregnant, her child benefits from the release of emotional and physical stress.”
Prenatal Yoga in New York
	Kama Linden, Bronx and New York, New York, USA – Kama says, “It is OK to start….even if you never have…just make sure you choose a teacher who is certified in pre- and postnatal yoga.”
	Kelly Caraher, Ithaca, New York, USA – Kelly says, “Yoga gives you the opportunity to find a quiet space within to connect with your baby. In the hustle and bustle of today’s world, having the space and time to breathe together with your growing child is a priceless experience.”
	Doreen Foxwell, Monroe, New York, USA – Doreen says, “A baby’s first yoga poses are done in utero. Start practicing together from utero to birth to toddlerhood to preschool years to school aged and beyond.”
	Debra Flashenberg, New York, New York, USA – Debra says, “As teachers it is not our place to tell women how we believe they should experience their birth. Our job is to create a place where they can discover their own inner voice and confidence.”
	Charles Polanco, New York, New York, USA – Charles says, “When practicing yoga, go at your own pace. Every day the body is changing…accept where you are today, be present, and remember to have fun.”
Prenatal Yoga in North Carolina
	Ginger Garner, Emerald Isle, North Carolina, USA – Ginger says, “Yoga helps to prepare you for the immense changes which will occur as you enter into motherhood. Everything will be affected – your physical yoga practice, your psycho-emotional well being, your energetic being, your intellectual being (mommy brain!), and even your spiritual being. Your capacity to love increases, your heart opens, and all the while you are sleep deprived, overwhelmed with your new responsibilities as a mother and parent – yoga helps you to cope with all of the massive life changes you’ll experience.”

For expert tips about prenatal yoga, please read my article about yoga during pregnancy.

Sherry Knecht of Colorado, says, “When I was pregnant, I practiced prenatal yoga at a fantastic yoga studio in Boulder, Colorado, led by Richard Freeman. All the women who took prenatal yoga seemed to have such easy deliveries compared with other women. My labors were short and relatively easy compared to stories I have heard – my first labor was about four hours, and a year and a half later, my second was about three hours (both daughters). I am very convinced that yoga is helpful in keeping fit during pregnancy, in helping delivery, and in returning to normal afterwards.”

Recently I asked prenatal yoga experts for some advice about yoga for pregnant women. They listed these health benefits of yoga during pregnancy:

• Awareness of your body is improved, which is helpful during labor and delivery.
• Balance is maintained as your center of gravity changes.
• Yoga promotes cardio and lung health for mom and baby.
• Depression risk is reduced.
• Energy level is enhanced.
• Flexibility is maintained or improved.
• Yoga may increase the probability of a healthy birth weight for your baby.
• Back pain is reduced.
• Yoga improves circulation.
• Muscle strength can be maintained or increased through strengthening yoga poses that are safe for pregnant women.
• Neurological development of your growing baby is enhanced.
• Queasiness of morning sickness may decrease.
• Preterm labor risk is reduced.
• Relaxation can be enjoyed through restorative yoga poses.
• Stress management strategies can be learned through yoga that will benefit you throughout the entire challenging transition to motherhood and beyond.
• Yoga is a low-impact exercise.
• Practicing yoga while pregnant may speed recovery time after giving birth.
• Yoga offers a terrific opportunity for self-care.

The experts do advise a few cautions about yoga during pregnancy. They said:

• Before practicing yoga while pregnant, get your health care provider’s permission.
• Err on the side of caution. Yoga during pregnancy can hurt you if you are taught by someone who is not qualified to teach yoga for pregnant women.
• A prenatal yoga class should move slowly and take into consideration what trimester you are in. Before you start your first class, good prenatal yoga instructors ask you questions about what week you are in, how you are feeling, and if you have any concerns or questions.
• Do not practice inversions (any asanas that lift your feet over your head, such as shoulder stands and head stands), belly lying poses, back bends, or spinal twists while pregnant.
• After the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, avoid lying flat on your back.
• Don’t hold your breathe while practicing yoga while pregnant.
• During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin causes your ligaments and joints to relax in preparation for delivery. Because of this, you must be careful to stretch gently and not over-stretch. If you stretch to your personal limit of motion, you could injure yourself.
• After Savasana (Corpse Pose), roll over to the left to come out of the pose.
• Drink at least four ounces of water every 15 minutes. Eat a small snack before class to avoid hypoglycemia.
• Pregnancy is not the time to try new and challenging poses. Stay in your comfort zone.
• Do not get overheated. A core temperature change of just a few degrees can negatively affect your unborn child’s health or fetal development. Stay cool.
• Keep your heart rate below 140.

With so many health benefits of yoga for pregnant women, and just a few cautions to stay safe for pregnant women and their babies, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining a practice while pregnant. During each of my ­pregnancies, I used Shiva Rea’s Prenatal Yoga DVD. I suffered terrible pregnancy-induced sciatica and this DVD was the only thing that helped. I experimented with yoga after finding that chiropractic care, massage, Tylenol, or rest did not help me at all. Using the DVD routine to practice would bring pain relief for about 24 hours, and then I would need to practice again. I was so thrilled to find something that worked, I became a yoga fan for life.

When I was pregnant, I practiced yoga at home. Some pregnant women are interested in classes at a studio. If you are looking for prenatal instructors and/or classes, please visit my Directory of Prenatal Yoga Instructors.­

Rodney Yee says that for 17 years, he has started his morning by practicing yoga and that yoga is the foundation for his entire day. He asserts that developing your own AM yoga practice will help you begin each day with openness and peace, and he explains that the yoga poses on this DVD will increase circulation, improve mobility, and bring clarity to your mind. He adds, “In the beginning, the benefits of these exercises may seem small, but if you continue, I believe you will find that the rewards are truly great.”

Rodney Yee is not my favorite yoga instructor as I don’t care for his guru vibe, but he definitely knows yoga. If you can tolerate his style, the DVD routine itself is good.

In the PM yoga section of the DVD, instructor Patricia Walden practices yoga in Death Valley National Park. She describes the goal of PM Yoga as a calm transition from being active to being quiet, and she says, “Deep relaxation is the key to being healthy.” She asserts that PM yoga will “balance, calm, and revitalize you,” and after doing the yoga routine, I agree.

The PM yoga DVD includes 20 minutes of centering, standing poses, forward bends to quiet the nervous system, and restorative poses to promote relaxation. Patricia Walden says, “These poses take us to the heart of yoga and unlock the stillness of the soul,” and, “I hope my PM yoga program will bring relaxation, reflection, and vitality to your life.” This DVD definitely made me feel mellow and happy and ready to sleep soundly.

I really like Patricia Walden. She has a soothing presence and is a role model for graceful aging. I will likely continue to practice the PM yoga portion of this DVD.

One of my favorite articles about yoga for weight loss is Yoga Journal’s
“Why Yoga Works When Diets Often Fail.” The article explains that yoga contributes to increased body awareness, leading to healthier eating habits and the cultivation of peace of mind. Particularly for people who overeat because they are stressed or uncomfortable about something, yoga teaches them to live in the present and to experience feelings without trying to eat them away.

Related to this, a yoga practice will help you to discover what is true about yourself. As an example, I learned through my yoga practice that my quality of life is a lot better if I severely limit some foods that trigger overeating rather than attempt moderation that only frustrates me and sets me up for failure.

Whatever your size when you are starting, the physical practice of yoga can help the body become leaner and stronger. Blogger Kirsten Scott describes this type of success with practicing yoga, “Finding Your Muse (Exercise Muse, that is!).”

Yoga increases energy, improves circulation, and burns calories to help the metabolism to function better. Yoga’s effectiveness for weight loss goes way beyond calorie burning, but some practitioners do enjoy choosing styles of yoga that burn a lot of calories. Types of yoga that tend to torch the most calories have “Vinyasa,” “Ashtanga,” and “Flow” in the name. These types of yoga are aimed at fit individuals who are able to move from one pose to the next at a quick pace. Static postures are linked together to form a flowing sequence.

Another type of yoga that scores high on calorie burning is Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga is performed in a hot, humid room, and proponents of Bikram Yoga seem to love it. Others of us are a bit daunted by the thought of practicing in a room heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity, no matter what the weight loss benefits!

People who want to explore yoga for weight loss can either find a studio where they feel comfortable, or they can begin a home practice where it doesn’t matter so much what they are wearing or how they look.

Larry Sherman Before Yoga

Larry Sherman After Yoga

Larry Sherman once weighed 538 pounds. In 2006, Larry was so overweight he was in physical pain, to the point where he suffered a heart attack and he didn’t even realize it because chest pain felt normal to him. Larry was in emotional pain as well, constantly blaming himself for being overweight and calling himself “weak-willed,” “lazy,” and “lacking in integrity.” But Larry’s life was about to change forever. He was about to discover the healing power of yoga.

Meeting Michelle

Larry attended a health fair at work where he met a yoga instructor, Michelle Moten. Larry didn’t know much about yoga and he thought of it as “stretching yourself into weird shapes.” He asked Michelle if he could practice yoga at his size and she responded with a clear and confident, “Yes.” Larry signed up for twice weekly yoga classes. At first, he needed chairs and physical assistance from other people to move his body. But he noticed that when the instructor said, “Feel your feet,” or, “Fill your lungs and feel your breath,” he felt calm and tuned in to his body. Practicing yoga made him feel centered. He remembers that he was able to do triangle pose and she said, “Good triangle, Larry.” He felt motivated to continue.

Yoga Shelter

For six months, Larry practiced yoga at his workplace. Then one day he decided to visit YogaShelter, a Michigan-based yoga studio offering “sanga,” meaning community of people who come together to encourage and nurture spirit. Larry describes Yoga Shelter as his “true home and family.” At Yoga Shelter, he met yoga instructor Lisa Paskel and the owners of Yoga Shelter, Eric Paskel and Steve Feldman. Larry recounts, “In my first class at Yoga Shelter, still weighing 478 pounds and after 17 years of feeling fat, ugly, and disgusting, I found another miracle. Lisa Paskel was teaching that morning and she did yoga in a way I had not seen before. She did not talk in Sanskrit or play traditional yoga music. She played pop, folk, and rock. She spoke to the class about hope, redemption, and choices. She encouraged us to look deep inside ourselves and to change our lives from within.” Then Lisa helped Larry with a pose by putting one hand on his heart and her other hand on his back. Larry remembers, “This is difficult to explain but that one touch erased 17 years of self-hatred. I felt worthy of unconditional love and compassion.”

Transformation

At Yoga Shelter, Larry practiced yoga as frequently as he could and his skill grew. One benefit of his practice is that for the first time in his life, he was able to consistently follow a non-addictive eating plan. He says, “Going to yoga class helped so much.” As his yoga practice matured, he eventually developed the skill to do such advanced poses as shoulder stands and head stands. Because of his eating program and his yoga practice, Larry lost weight. As of November of 2009, he weighs 185 pounds. Larry has lost 353 pounds, without surgery or punishing exercise.

I asked Larry to tell me his life story. How did he get to be 538 pounds? He recounts, “I was so insecure. The physical weight was a reflection of emotional pain.” Larry grew up as the middle child of five children. He says he was always vying for attention and he was unhappy. Then he survived childhood abuse and he wanted to be bigger so that no one could hurt him. When he was old enough, he joined the military and he was constantly being threatened with discharge because of his weight. He would crash diet to meet weight requirements or compulsively exercise to keep his weight under control. He explains, “I would run twenty miles three or four times per week.”

As a young man, Larry struggled with multiple addictions including cocaine, alcohol, compulsive eating, and compulsive exercise. In 1985, he entered rehab for cocaine and alcohol. He has been clean and sober for 24 years. But the eating problems persisted. When Larry stopped exercising so much, his weight ballooned. In 2006, he had a 76” waist and was splitting size 6x shirts. He recalls that he tried to chop vegetables and the fat on his arms got in his way. For 11 years, Larry was in and out of twelve step programs for food addiction. He would lose weight and someone would express romantic interest in him, and then he would gain it back. He remembers, “I was always running from something.” Finally in 2006, around the time he met the yoga instructor who would change his life forever, he decided to pray for help and he committed to recovery for good. He said he changed his perception of God as someone who is “judgmental and hateful” to “an experience that is real inside all of us.” Larry felt motivated to rise above all obstacles and touch other people’s lives. He says, “If I can help someone, maybe that person won’t have to struggle as long as I did.”

Acceptance

Larry explains that yoga has been instrumental in teaching him how to “be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” He believes all children should learn how to practice yoga so that they learn how to cope with discomfort. He notices that parents try to soothe and numb all pain and he worries that doing this does children a disservice. He says some key lessons in yoga are that you don’t try to defeat a pose, you keep trying even when all you feel like doing is child’s pose, and you keep showing up even if you aren’t doing the difficult poses well. Larry says he no longer feels shame about his past and he focuses instead on the “good messages” of yoga.

Larry credits yoga for giving him the discipline to stay on a strict food program. He plans all his eating the day before so that he doesn’t have to make choices all day long. He eats only fresh unprocessed foods and he prepares the food himself. He avoids sugar and flour because he believes those substances are addictive to him. He left his twenty five year career as a chef because he no longer wishes to be surrounded by food all day.

A New Career

After yoga became a central part of Larry’s life, he decided to enroll in teacher training led by Eric Paskel at Yoga Shelter. Larry describes his experience with training: “Eric became not only my teacher but my friend. His understanding of addiction and redemption taught me how to base my beliefs on what feels right in my own heart and mind.” Larry adds that his friendship with Eric grew until they became like brothers. He admires Eric and the work that is done at Yoga Shelter, clarifying, “Eric started this community so would have somewhere to go to find peace and to continue his own recovery when things got rough. In doing this, he provided a place for many others who need the same. Five years after opening Yoga Shelter, thousands have walked through its doors to find hope, community, and trust.” Yoga Shelter partners with
YogaMedics, an organization that provides customized yoga programs for medical treatment and therapeutic recovery from addictions. Larry is currently undergoing training to work for YogaMedics.

In his free time, Larry goes to hospitals and meets obese patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost weight but then regained it back. He has advice for people who feel discouraged: “It all begins with the first step. Change your mind. You don’t have to believe the negative messages that other people tell you.” Larry believes his life purpose is to serve others, even if he isn’t yet sure of the specific path toward which yoga will lead him. He expresses his trust in this way, “When you are doing what you know is right for yourself, it might not be profitable at first, but you will be sustained and good things will flow to you.” I have no doubt that this will be true for Larry.

Larry, thank you for sharing your success story with YogaFixes.com!

The full DVD takes about 45 minutes to complete: 10 minutes of a warm up (“Body and Breath Awareness”), 20 minutes of work out (“Active Yoga Conditioning”), and a 15 minute cool down (“Balance and Relaxation”). The poses are classic: Cat/Cow, Downward Dog, Cobra, Triangle, etc. The instructor, Suzanne Deason, has an extremely professional and soothing style. The DVD was filmed in Sedona, Arizona, and even if you aren’t a fan of desert scenery, the backdrop of the red rocks is awe-inspiring.

A strength of this DVD is that there are four different instructors from whom to choose so you can perform the poses through a full range of motion (Suzanne), with slight variations (Marne), with partial modifications (Merrily), or with full modifications (Veronica). This makes the DVD accessible to persons with a wide range of flexibility and fitness.

In the introduction to the DVD, Suzanne Deason says that yoga is best known for its emphasis on stretching, meditation, and stress reduction, but that fewer people realize that yoga has therapeutic applications such as weight loss. She asserts that practicing yoga is a powerful way to naturally and permanently lose weight. She says that: (1) Externally, excess weight represents a fundamental imbalance in the body’s physiology, and (2) Internally, excess weight indicates a disconnection between the body and the mind…this disconnection prevents the body from maintaining its own natural inner balance.

Ms. Deason concludes the introduction by repeating her belief that yoga is one of the most ideal methods of weight loss. She states that yoga cultivates the calmness necessary to help you control your involuntary reactions and desires so that you can begin to heal yourself. She explains that balancing mind, body, and spirit will result in healthful weight loss because a balanced and healthy lifestyle results in a sincere commitment to proper nutrition and exercise.

At the end of this highly enjoyable practice, Ms. Deason says, “Stay in relaxation pose for as long as you’d like.” This never fails to make me chuckle because all the busy tired people I know would likely respond, “How about the rest of the day?”

Bottom line: Highly recommended. If you have a full 45 minutes to practice yoga, this DVD is a winner, not just for weight loss, but for general stress relief and relaxation as well.

The “Yoga Complete for Weight Loss” routine starts with several relaxation poses. For these, you need two blankets or a bolster, plus a yoga strap. My standard sized yoga strap wasn’t long enough to complete Supported Bound Yoga Pose as instructed, but I tried. Next came classic poses such as Downward Dog, Resting Forward Bend, Wide Angle Standing Forward Bend, and Head on Knee Pose. Ms. Pappas-Sandonas reminds us, “Blend effort with surrender,” which I thought was quite nice. While the transitions between poses are often jarring because the DVD was filmed with the setting abruptly changing, I started to feel better so I could forgive this production error.

Ms. Pappas-Sandonas sometimes says things that sound a bit “woo woo.” She likes to talk about doing poses “joyfully” and “enthusiastically” and with “luminous intention.” But the moment that made me laugh out loud was when one of her instructions included these phrases: “Skin on your nose releasing toward your chin,” and, “Release your tongue,” conjuring up images of skin sliding off and wandering tongues. She also continually reminds the student to remove any glasses you are wearing. I think it would have been better to say this once at the beginning and then be done with worrying about glasses.

During the middle section of the DVD, poses include Seated Forward Bend, Staff Pose, and Supported Bridge Pose. During one pose, Ms. Pappas-Sandonas has a wall with a ledge conveniently situated to assist her with positioning. I had neither a ledge nor a wall in the room where I was practicing, so I had to improvise. This part of the practice was still beneficial, but would be better for someone who has a room equipped identically to the setup in the DVD.

In the introduction to the DVD, Ms. Pappas-Sandonas says that she once gained weight due to several years of stress and medical challenges. By the end of this time, she was on bedrest and thus sedentary. She says she tried food restriction to lose weight but doing so only made her eat more. So she turned to a “sustaining, nourishing yoga practice” and successfully lost weight. She describes how she thinks yoga contributes to weight loss: (1) Yoga develops muscle that burns calories; (2) Yoga regulates hormonal systems, particularly those involving stress-induced hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, two hormones that cause the body to hold onto fat; (3) Yoga enhances your ability to make “mindful choices” about eating and activity. She says that if you are peaceful and centered, you are better able to ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” “Do I want to be fit?”, and/or, “If I want a cookie, can I be content with one rather than many?”

Ms. Pappas-Sandonas describes yoga’s power as “transformation through consistency” and she believes that daily practice is best. She warns that changes are subtle and you have to go onto your mat with faith, never forcing or straining but listening to your body. Overall, I like this DVD. I will rely on the Fatigue Fighter routine in “Yoga Complete for Weight Loss” on those days that I feel overwhelmed and tired and I don’t have the luxury of time to take a nap.