Grab your mat and prepare for strength training that targets both your body and spirit. Expert yoga instructor Rodney Yee leads this challenging and highly satisfying workout program aimed at building strength, stamina and endurance. Created for users of all skill levels, this progressive exercise regimen guides you through a variety of beginner and intermediate standing poses and movements that connect the mind and body through focused breathing.

You can't help but let stress slide away if you unwind with this video of restorative yoga poses that replenish your body's energy and rejuvenate your spirit. Restorative means you're not working your body, but "undoing, allowing nature to restore you ...[and] the healing powers of yoga to reveal themselves to you," explains Patricia Walden, who teaches the first 30-minute session of resting poses. Your body is supported by props, such as folded blankets, a bolster, or a wall, so the stretches are not intense. The poses are taught slowly and quietly, with plenty of time to sink into each pose, open the joints, and relax the muscles. The second 30-minute session, taught by Rodney Yee, emphasizes forward bends, often sitting on the floor in various positions, with your forehead and arms resting on a chair for support. The instruction throughout the video is clear, complete, and patient. The whole experience is relaxing: with the instructors' soothing voices and the gentle music in the background, there's no rush to leave each pose.

 

This Yoga Journal DVD contains two workout programs: "Yoga Practice for Strength" and "Yoga Practice for Energy."
In "Yoga Practice for Strength," teacher Rodney Yee begins the lesson with variations of sun salutations and poses such as the dog, triangle, and others. In the second, more intense sequence, Yee leads the bridge, shoulder stand, warrior, and balancing poses, his narration soothing and his technique inspiring.