Only recently have I gotten into podcasts. My selections range from updates from the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and the Economist to 1 Minute French and 1 Minute Spanish as well as some yoga audios. I am always on the outlook for tools for the Hatha Yoga beginner - especially for people who like me, tend to be uncoordinated and unathletic.
The past couple of days I sampled some yoga podcasts - downloading selections from yogajournal.com and yogaamazing.com. The podcast from yogajournalcom featured "gentle backbends." The yoga teacher's introduction emphasized that the poses should feel" expansive, even, and balanced" and this was more important than the "range of motion." I couldn't agree more! His voice was clear and well modulated. However, he spoke at a rapid clip and he start losing me shortly after the introduction which didn't specify what level of student the podcast was aimed toward.
After a few more minutes, I realized the session must be for an experienced yogi who was familiar with the sanskrit terms for yoga poses and who could grasp without seeing a visual what the instructor meant by creating an "internal space" when describing how to move into a pose. Also, the more I listened, the more I became confused because it seemed like I was listened simply to the audio track of a DVD. There's no way a beginner could fathom what to do or learn certain backbends from this podcast.
Another podcast, "Yoga for College Students" by yoga instructor, Chaz, is a video podcast of a large class of college students. Chaz explains the poses well - however, I could see students in the back of the class straining to see Chaz as he gave his instructions at the front of the studio. He clearly enjoys teaching and is enthusiastic about yoga -but again, I, the non-athlete would have trouble learning the more complex poses from this video and I definitely would be lost in his class if I were seated at the back. The size of that class was daunting. I will say that I gained some nuances from both podcasts. However, for learning the basics, I recommend the non-athlete beginner like me stick with clear, well-laid out instructions in books or step- by -step explanations on DVDs.
Thought of the Day: "Any dog, regardless of his age can learn new tricks, as long as the instructions are clearly laid out, step-by-step." ~Laura Venecia Rodriguez
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