Editor Reviews:

Amazon.com:
Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden guide viewers through five yoga sets to relieve common ailments. While they do warn that these movements are designed for minor ailments (of course, if your ailments are more serious, you should check with a physician) and do not replace a doctor's consultation, these simple and gentle movements should help alleviate aches and pains associated with stress, indigestion, fatigue, headache, and back problems. The video begins with conscious breathing, which is helpful no matter what your complaint. Then individual problems are addressed separately in five segments of approximately eight minutes each. Props are needed: a wall to lean against, a yoga brick, an eye bag, a strap, a chair, and folded blankets. Yee's soothing voice, the gentle lapping waves of the beach in Hawaii, and the relaxing yoga positions will help restore your inner peace and reduce your tensions. --Jenny Brown

Rating : - Nice offering of five short yoga practices for common conditions
This is the original VHS release of a product that is currently in re-release by Gaiam and titled "Healing Yoga." The video features five short yoga routines (each about 8.5 minutes), so the VHS format makes it somewhat awkward to maneuver from one to the next. The practices are led by yoga instructor Rodney Yee, who teaches via voiceover. In addition to the five main routines, the video begins with a 4-minute "Conscious Breathing" exercise: here Yee leads the viewer through breath awareness while in a reclined position. I have described each of the five main practices in detail below.

Stress. This practice is a bit shorter than the others (7.5 minutes), and it is designed to release tension from the head, neck, and shoulders; Yee demonstrates along with fellow yoga instructor Suzanne Deason. It begins with several arm stretches, including stretching the arms overhead and into eagle arms. There is also a single sun salutation and several standing poses (triangle, side angle, wide-legged standing forward bend). The practice finishes with some additional arm stretches an a brief savasana.

Indigestion. Here Deason demostrates alone, beginning in a reclined position for a series of reclined twists. Several variations on seated (sage) twists follow, and the routine concludes with child's and hero's poses.

Back Pain. This practice uses two blankets and a strap; Yee is practicing alone. The props are used to facilitate several supported reclined postures. There is a brief cat/cow stretch followed by down dog, and then cobra pose is practiced with the blanket under the hips. The routine finishes in child's pose.

Fatigue. This practice uses a chair and two blankets, and I believe the demonstrator is Yee's ex-wife, Donna Fone. The first posture is standing forward bend with the head supported on the chair, and then down dog is performed with the head supported on the block. Next, the chair is again used to support the head in a seated forward bend. The final pose was a sort of modified plow, resting the knees and the tops of the feet on the chair; this posture was a bit difficult to set up, especially given that not much time is allowed here. The practice finishes with a brief rest with calves on the chair.

Headache. This session, which Yee leads alone, was a bit longer at 9.5 minutes. It consists mainly of supported, restorative postures. Yee uses two blankets and an eye bag for both legs-up-the-wall pose and a reclined lying chest opener with the feet at the wall. This routine also includes practice of alternate nostril breathing and brief meditation.

Overall, this video offers a nice selection of short yoga practices. I would recommend it mainly to those with some prior yoga experience, as the practices move a bit quickly at times. My favorite routine was the Stress, which required no props and which did not suffer from the lack of longer pose holds. Finally, I would definitely recommend purchasing this practice in DVD format under its new name, Healing Yoga, to facilitate ease of use.