more video tapes

[Guest guest]

Of all the astanga yoga videos of primary series

I have watched, I have benefitted the most from

Yoga Works, where guruji is teaching 6 certified

practitioners (in California, 1993). Details see

www.ashtanga.com<br><br>This video is good because guruji is doing the correct

counting vinyasa after vinyasa, so that you can actually

learn the way the correct breating should be. If you

practce along the tape your breath will be even and

rythmic. Where as both Freeman and Swenson are talking too

much about body details, so that a lot of times you

will have to take a lot more breaths than 5 or take

more on one side than the other or wait inbetween

asanas etc. + after having listened to all that talking

a few times it is getting too much. Another

drawback is that Freeman's video does not show the

traditional transitions between some asanas, like betwen

upavista konasana and supta konasana he skips the jump

through. (Since he is one of the 6 students on guruji's

video I wonder why, since he should know

better.)<br><br>Another good point about the Yoga Works' video is that it

shows you 6 different bodies, including 2 women, doing

the yoga. It makes it possible to study a range of

variations within the same asana. <br><br>I have 2 more

videos, that I prefere to Freeman and Swenson:<br><br>The

Australian video with Sharath is a beautiful demonstration,

again with guruji doing the counting. It is easy to

watch because it only takes about one hour, but since

Sharath sometimes does only 3 breaths in an asana it is

not meant to practice along with. This is a video to

watch again and again for its beauty and dedication to

"the true teaching of the ashtanga system" (as the

cover says).<br><br>The plus about LIno's video is that

he has been dubbing the breath on the soundtrack, so

that you can precisely follow all his in- and

exhalations. Lino's video takes about 2 hours (because of the

full vinyasa) so it is hard to watch it all in one go

(or to practice along with), but as a reference to

look up passages, you want to study, it is

invaluable.<br><br>tt