|
Lois McEwan is a freelance writer and editor who works for The Sunday Times and The Times, among others. She has practised yoga for more than a decade. Here she picks the top five aids for one of the world's oldest exercise systems Click to view Top 5 Yoga Equipment.
|
Best Yoga DVD (Dharma Mittra - Maha Sadhana) |
|
 Sri Dharma Mittra, who founded the Dharma Yoga Center in Manhattan, is famous for his poster of 908 postures, some of which he invented, and has developed his own system of yoga. Every student can learn from his DVD of the Maha Sadhana, with practices tailored for different levels of ability and timeslots.
|
| |
Dharma Mittra, who has been practising for more than 50 years, can perform impossible postures with effortless grace - but he does have the unfair advantage of being Brazilian, bringing the transcendent skill of a Pelé or a Ronaldinho to the yoga mat.
However, it is hard to imagine Ronaldinho spending a decade as a full-time yogi and bramacharia - a celibate religious student who lives with his teacher and devotes himself to the practice of spiritual disciplines, as Dharma did, before starting teaching in 1967. He then founded the Dharma Yoga Center in 1975.
|
Heads First |
 The DVD of the Maha Sadhana, or great practice, is not just for marvelling at Dharma’s ability - having introduced tens of thousands of students to yoga, he has a lot of experience of explaining and demonstrating positions step-by-step so that they are easy to follow.
After watching the Maha Sadhana, I have been able to go into headstand without either using a wall or overbalancing and crashing to the floor and disturbing the whole class. For students with a fear of inversions, the headstand can loom over the finishing sequence like the north face of the Eiger, so it may help that it pops up about halfway through the Maha Sadhana, like any other position, instead of at the end when exhaustion makes it more difficult to hold without horrid teetering or bouncing.
His demonstration of tortoise (koormasana) makes another difficult posture much more approachable. Sadly, Dharma’s incredible look-no-hands version of the headstand, above, still looks out of reach.
|
Tailored for Every Level |
The DVD has an introduction, then four hours of practices for beginners and intermediate on I, and four hours of intermediate and advanced asanas on II. They last from 46 to 82 minutes, so you can select whatever suits your timeframe or stamina.
The Maha Sadhana is slightly less aerobic and flowing than Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, but it is strenuous. There is a lot of work on hip flexibility and backbends and it is very effective in these areas - there can be noticeable progress within even one session.
|
Rock of Yoga |
 There are also sections at the end where, on Maha Sadhana II, Dharma describes the making of the famous poster of 908 postures, when he photographed himself in 1,300 positions as an offering to his guru. There are also Dharma’s tips and tricks, and guided pranayama (breathing exercises) and mediation on both DVDs.
Singer Krishna Das says: “Dharma Mittra is the lotus on the flower of yoga”. Dharma is also known as the teacher’s teacher, and the Rock of Yoga. Rock on.
|
| |
Click here for a glossary of yoga terms
To buy this product try:
Amazon.com - The US arm of the giant online retailer
For currency converter click here |
|
Other great reviews in Sport:
|
|
RELATED PAGES
USEFUL LINKS
|
Could this