Good morning!
(a picture of Sullie because she’s a cuter birthday girl than me!)
Today is my birthday! I started my day at Y2 Yoga with a hot vinyasa class. What better way to kick-off my birthday than with a yoga class to honor myself and my practice?
I probably get asked once a week for recommendations on good yoga DVDs. Honestly, I don’t use them – I either attend classes or use podcasts at home – but I thought it would be fun to give away a yoga DVD since a lot of people don’t have access to a good studio or just want to try yoga at home.
My favorite type of yoga is vinyasa flow so I did some research to find a good beginner level DVD. I decided on Gentle Vinyasa Flow from Zyrka Landwijt.
Here’s a brief description from Amazon:
Move, Breath, Flow! Explore the power and fluidity of Vinyasa yoga with this comprehensive yoga DVD! Increase flexibility and strength while learning to integrate your breath with each movement. This is a beginning to intermediate yoga dvd. Featuring 6 yoga sequences each with their own difficulty level and length: two half-hour sequences, two three-quarter hour sequences, and two hour sequences. This means that you can choose your level, and amount of time that you want to practice, and this yoga dvd will give you exactly what you need! This Yoga DVD also features a unique Pose Guide section that gives detailed instruction on 23 poses including positioning, common mistakes, pose benefits, & contradictions. This means that you can learn the basics of each pose, without having to listen to detailed instructions that you already know during the main sequences. Over 3½ hours of footage.
To enter, please leave a comment telling me why you’d like to try yoga or if you have an existing practice, tell me a little about it!
The contest will end tomorrow, June 17, at noon. I will randomly select a winner.
Namaste! 😉
Love this, what a great idea! And happy birthday! I have recently started a yoga practice, going only once a week at this point, to a hot class at Charlotte Yoga. I love it because it is so beneficial for my knee – I had two surgeries for a torn ACL in 2007. It really helps with balance and stabilization.
Girl, you know I need to get rid of this baby weight! 🙂
I’ve done yoga in the past and really enjoy it. I’m currently doing Boot Camp two days a week along with working out on my own, but I would like something to do in between days. I’ve worn out my Yoga DVD and would love a new one!
Pick me! Pick me!!
Hey Jennifer! Happy Birthday! I have recently just started yoga to help with my running. I have encountered some injuries during my training, knee issues, tendinitis and a torn ligament and I have found that yoga helps so much! and it is so relaxing. I have yet to take a class here in bham but I have been using dvd’s and would love this one!
Again I hope your birthday is great!
Caroline
Before all the craziness of life kicked in, I used to enjoy doing yoga several days a week. I am looking at getting back into yoga to help my back issues and overall health.
My doctor suggest that I start doing yoga or pilates. I’ve been looking for a good video and this one looks great! Happy birthday!! Please pick me!! 🙂
Happy Birthday!!
I’ve been doing yoga on and off for a few years. I got into it thinking that I could regain some of that flexibility I had as a high school cheerleader. Now I use it to balance out the weight lifting classes I take and to relax after dealing with a classroom full of children for 8 hours a day 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE! I like yoga because it makes my butt look tight. Plus I look really good in the spandex onesie I always wear to class.
I need to find something that will work for me, help me find focus and respite. I have always wanted to try yoga, but classes I simply can’t do (single parent). Happy birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! As a runner like you, I have been looking for new ways to cross train. I love reading all about your yoga experiences, but have really never explored it for myself. Maybe this would help me get started! 🙂 Also, update me on how your marathon training is going!
ok, your husband is cracking me up! happy, happy birthday for sure. hope it’s awesome and that you celebrate appropriately. i’ve always wanted to get into yoga, but have never gone to a class. & it seems that all the videos i’ve picked up are for people more advanced than me cause i have no idea what they’re talking about. one day i’ll figure it all out. i hope.
You can always count on Brandon for the slightly inappropriate comment. 🙂 I laughed out loud.
Happy Birthday!
I LOVE yoga and was actually doing quite a bit of it before I started having more health issues. I feel so much better when I start my day off with it b/c it totally clears your mind and for a someone like me who tends to let stress get the best of them, it’s a Godsend. And thanks to you, I have fallen in love with hot yoga! I am now cleared by my doc to start back so I’m super excited! Just in time for this intense Alabama summer. 🙂
Happy Birthday!
I would like to try yoga because I really need to work on my flexibility. I just get bored stretching. People rave about it (yoga). These add up to me trying it. Possibly. This would definitely be a push in the right direction. Or I could just suck it up and stretch. Yoga sounds like more fun though.
Happy Birthday! My only experience with yoga has been Jillian’s DVD, but I would love to try something else. I am working hard to increase my flexibility!
Happy birthday, Jen! I stumbled upon your blog not too long ago and have been reading ever since! I’m training for my first marathon and can definitely use all the advice I can get. Training for a marathon also means I need to get really serious about the workouts I’m doing on my cross-training days, and yoga would be perfect. Too bad my gym has a horrible yoga schedule!
Carrie – thank you so much for your comment. It’s great to hear from you. Congratulations on training for your first marathon – that’s awesome! My training for Marine Corps Marathon starts June 28 so I will have lots more running info/posts coming soon! Yoga is a great supplement to marathon training to help stretch out all your tight muscles and balance your body a bit more.
I started doing a little yoga when had a lot of hip issues while training for a half marathon. I haven’t really moved beyond hip stretches, but I’d like to!
Happy Birthday! What a great way to spend the morning!
I want to start incorporating yoga into my training. I am a runner and training for my 2nd marathon. I researched local yoga studios, but with the cost of the classes and being that I already pay for a gym membership, it’s not in the cards.
I love yoga. Especially when you mix some granola in it. It makes such a creamy, yet crunchy treat. I also like it because it make’s Brandon’s butt look tight. Happy Birthday.
I’m literally giggling at my desk. Thank you and Brandon for adding some humor to my giveaway! But seriously…if your comment gets randomly selected you MUST give the DVD to Cristen. I know she’s recently started weekly classes and I’m so excited for her. And I think for fun you should try it with her, take a video and share it with me to post on the blog!!! 🙂
Happy Birthday!!! I love yoga. I haven’t practiced at a studio in a long time – usually just at home with my Baron Baptiste & Shiva Rea dvd’s. I’m finally getting my husband into it too, although he doesn’t have a spandex onesie yet! 😉
Happy Birthday! What a way to start your day. I have just started reading your blogs on healthy living and healthy eating. What an inspiration. I’ve always tried to eat healthy but this is just the extra inspiration I needed. I just started attending yoga class too. I love it! It is such an addiction. I have always loved to run so this is the perfect combination. I never knew yoga could be so challenging. I look forward to developing a consistant yoga practice. I love what it does for both my mind and body. Hope you have a glorious night. Happy Birthday!
Holy moly at the amount of comments. This yoga is one popular sport!!! I started attending yoga last week to add variation to my exercise routine and to add a little calm back into my day that revolves around chasing Camille. I loved the class last week and tried to go again yesterday but the class was cancelled. I really wanted to try yoga when I was pregnant but could not make the video work for me. I think that I picked the wrong one to get started. I am hoping that I will be very comfortable with yoga before the next pregnancy rolls around (not in the immediate future :). We only have one yoga instructor in my entire town and I would love a DVD to try at home.
Happy Birthday! Hope you are out having a yummy dinner with your hubby.
Happy Birthday Jen!
Check out my blog, you won an award.
My yoga is …. not really existent right now. I tried one DVD from the library and it totally kicked by butt. I now am going to try the biggest loser one I got also from the library.
I love anything active. I have been on and off with Yoga for years now. Recently started back up and realizing its what I love most! Right now I travel 30 min to a studio south of where I live. Would love to incorporate a practice at home.
I just started yoga about 2 months ago, maybe? My friend introduced me to it at her gym and I really enjoy it. They have a basic yoga class once a week and I would love to practice more often than that.
Happy birthday!!
I’d like to try the yoga disc because I am looking for lower impact exercise that’s focused on toning and stretching! happy birthday by the way!
Confession: One of the real reasons I like yoga is because you can exercise without wearing shoes.
I used to practice and would love to get back into it again.