[.ca] Living Yoga: Back Care Yoga for Beginners (ISBN 0945671636)

From Amazon.com:
Yoga focuses on keeping the spine open and supported, so it is understandable why millions of people turn to yoga for self-care of their back, explains instructor Rodney Yee in Back Care Yoga for Beginners, a gentle, easy 30-minute introduction to yoga. Its 20-minute yoga workout maximizes the movements of the spine and Yee carefully demonstrates the back-strengthening yoga postures, sometimes using a chair (sitting in it or standing and propping one foot on it). His form is beautiful, his explanations clear. If you're a beginner, realize that you cannot begin to approximate his degree of flexibility. Your goal is not to get as deeply into each posture as the instructor, but to reach your own comfortable limit. Cautions are given for pregnant women. --Joan Price

Twenty minutes well-spent:
These comments respond to several made in earlier reviews. This video does more for my back pain than any medication doctors prescribed. It's a good idea to pre-view a new exercise video before you start. For this one you'll need a chair and a fabric strap of some kind (I use a bathrobe belt). Any exercise coach worth their salt will tell you if it hurts, don't do it. I certainly don't have the flexibilty Rodney displays, so I just do what I can and know that over time things will improve. When it's time to rewind, only go as far back as the beginning of the exercise segment so you don't have to watch the disclaimers and promotional announcements over and over.

Not for Beginners!:
I have chronic back pain which I'm being treated for by my physical therapist. I brought in this video for her to review before I tried it. She said that the yoga moves are great, but they are way too advanced for someone suffering with chronic pain. Some of the moves could actually cause more harm. These moves are meant for advanced yoga sessions, not beginners with chronic pain. Just wanted to share the info.

Great relief:
It's surprising how fast this really works. After a few days of doing this tape, I found the relief I needed. I can tell that as my flexibility increases it will help even more. I'm only 23, but recenty began having severe back problems, and this video helps faster than medications. Some poses aren't described as clearly as I would like them to be. Some positions or movements I'm not sure what he is asking. He also uses some terminology that is above beginner level. Overall, it's been wonderful to afford me the relief I was looking for, and after a few times through, I can understand better what he is asking.

Great for Back Flexibility-With a Tummy Tuck Bonus!:
I have been using this video for some time, and have found it to be a great way to stretch and strengthen the muscles in my back, especially my lower back. I have what is primarily a desk job, and this video has helped improve my posture significantly, as well as helping with my flexibility. As an added bonus, as my lower back muscles became stronger and posture improved, I noticed that my stomach was pulled in tighter and my spine was straighter. I highly recommend this video to anybody who sits at a desk all day-use it every other day for two weeks and see how you feel. Rodney Yee uses a clear style of presentation, but be sure to watch the video through a couple of times before trying it, so you don't keep trying to twist around and see what he's doing. The postures are done with a chair, and I found that a basic, plain old kitchen table chair worked great.

Back care to keep your healthy back healthy:
From my personal and professional experience I can tell: this is not recommended if you ve a serious back problem, in that case go for "Somatics"...