Viniyoga Therapy for Depression for Beginners to Advanced with Gary Kraftsow

5 to 6 stars: Gary is a master at sequencing. He has the ability to take difficult material and present it in a clear and concise manner in his lectures. For those who are fortunate to study with Gary will find that creating a posture (asana) is not imitating someone else doing the posture. We all have different conditions, structures, and backgrounds: i.e.--ages, physiology, and psychology.I found this DVD too energizing to do shortly before bedtime so I now plan accordingly and do it earlier in the day. Om Jyotir Aham is a beautiful chant: "I am the radiant light of pure awareness." This programs has shown me where I need to work and that I must be careful getting there in my own time due to certain physical and physiological conditions: minimizing risks and maximizing the benefit.Any posture on all fours, face down (prone) or face up (supine) I must use extra padding: a foam mattress liner with a sheet over it and a non skid pad underneath works. Obviously for standing, I move off this and work directly on the floor. Often instead of the final relaxation pose, I move into Constructive Rest Position as describe by Mabel Todd in "The Thinking Body---A Study of the Balancing Forces of Dynamic Man" : resting comfortably on the back with knees up and feet at a comfortable distance with knees together and arms folded gently across the chest. This reduces any built up stress in my sacrum and low back.In practice #2 I found that chanting after the retention after inhale was quite difficult without taking a slight inhale after hold in order to sound the chant. The other choice was to silently chant on exhale while everyone on the DVD chanted. This showed me where I needed to focus in pranayama and in doing daily activities. I discovered I have a tendency to forget to inhale after exertion. One reason is due to cervical and thoracic issues that can be easily aggravated with deep inhales and long retentions. For those of you familiar with Gary's: Yoga for Upper Back, Neck and Shoulders and the lectures, I have some of those funny sounding names relating to cervical vertebrae that also go into upper thoracic area causing nerve compression in the neck and brachial plexus with bulging discs on occasion. I originally studied with Gary years ago for sacrum and low back conditions.As I mentioned in my review of Viniyoga Therapy for Anxiety, I have been the primary caregiver to my 90 year old husband the last four years. We both know that he is in his final life stages. These two recent DVD's on anxiety and depression have helped me to start regaining some internal strength, which I can do something about. The external conditions I can only seek to modify when I can stay calm and centered.Thank you, Gary!

A Yoga teacher recommended this video as a good general practice. The postures are dynamic and the focus is on the breath. I feel very energized and relaxed after the practices, and get some serious core stretching done as well. The teacher has a very clear and calm voice and explains the postures and the breathing so you can follow along easily. Of course, the first time I got a little behind, but subsequently I was able to keep up. I was able to do all of the postures and I haven't taken Yoga in many years. i recommend that you listen to the lectures before starting the practices - they really give you the understanding of the Yogic world view and help you understand how Yoga can be beneficial for those suffering from depression.Like anything else, these techniques only "work" if you do them regularly. This video can guide anyone through a basic yoga stretch and breath practice but has special benefits to those suffering from depression. If you are looking for a good basic Yoga video - this is the one. If you have depression, I believe you will reap additional benefits.

This DVD is very similar to the Anxiety DVD, and my opinion is that the Anxiety dvd is 100 times better. If you can get a good price on the 2-pack I would recommend buying that, because I don't think this dvd is worth $20.

I've have been suffering from depression and found that yoga classes in the studio helps. So I figured I would buy a DVD to practice at home. I watched 2 of the practices. Both had one person doing the yoga while the announcer talked about the how to. The yoga participants look like they are made of wood. No expressions at all on their faces. They look more depressed than me.Then there is chanting, which I do like when in the studio, but this was just lame.I practice yoga to bring calmness into my life as well as to get fit. There is nothing serene about the practice on this video. Save your money.

The practices are wonderful for anybody with or without depression. Gary's lecture adds also a lot. I highly recommend this DVD as well as the one on Anxiety.

Very pleasant and easy to follow.

A great way to help reduce stress, and prevent or reduce symptoms of depression. The hardest part is finding the motivation to get up and put the DVD on if you are depressed.