If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is priceless.
Since I probably will not ever be able to have a comprehensive listing here (so many videos, so little time), I suggest checking out the following links for more info on yoga videos:
www.ashtanga.com
Ashtanga.com maintains a good selection of DVDs on Ashtanga Yoga.
www.pranamaya.com
Pranamaya produces a very special collection of high-quality yoga DVDs
from a variety of teachers.
www.mauiyoga.com
Sewell Archives (mauiyoga.com) has a collection of videos mainly
produced in Hawaii, and mainly covering Ashtanga yoga.
www.myyogavideo.com
A collection of yoga classes on DVD.
www.yogalifestyle.com
Distributes lots of yoga DVDs and other yoga resources, supplies, etc.
www.yogamatters.com
European distributor of yoga stuff.
www.yogaunveiled.com
Get this DVD!
Ashtanga Yoga Videos
Yoga Ashtanga - Primary Series - DVD
This video is specifically designed for the DVD format. Can select from 2 different camera angles. Can switch the voiceover on or off, can switch the music on or off. Select different skill levels.
I have recently aquired this DVD and will comment more on it soon.
More info here:
www.johnscottashtanga.co.uk/dvd.cfm
Also see review in Yoga Journal JUN 2003 p195-196.
Yoga with Richard Freeman - Ashtanga Yoga - The Primary Series $29.95
2-hour video covering primary series ashtanga. Begins with some introductory explanation and then presents primary series so that it can be practiced along with. Includes a 96-page book describing each posture. Richard is one of the few Certified Ashtanga teachers in the world. This video is kind of a "classic".
Yoga Breathing and Relaxaton with Richard Freeman $19.95
1 hour 15 minute video. Kind of an introduction for beginners.
For more info or to order, see Richard Freeman's website: www.yogaworkshop.com.
The Practice - First Series (2 hours) $26.95
Excellent instructional video on primary series Ashtanga yoga.
(Pace may be a bit quick for some).
The Practice - Second and Third Series (1 hour 40 min) $26.95
The Practice - Advanced Series (90 minutes)
Performed by several teachers.
The Practice - Short Forms (2 hours) $22.95
3 short routines
DVDs are also available. I have not seen any of the DVDs. I assume that they are the same content as the above VHS videos.
For more info or to order, see David Swenson's website .
A source in UK: www.yoga-source.net
Rather than instructional videos, these tapes are documents of actual workshop classes taught by Pattabhi Jois and others. Videotaped by Tom Sewell.
World Tour 2000 - K. Pattabhi Jois - Ashtanga Intensive - 1st Series - Maui
This is a very cool video. Pattabhi Jois leads 120 students through primary
series, assisted by Sharath. KPJ's voice fills the large room (without a
microphone) as he continuosly calls out every move and counts every breath.
At the same time he moves throughout the group, adjusting, correcting.
His intensity and humor are well-captured. This could be a good one for
practicing along with. Can also serve as a recent document of primary series
Ashtanga yoga as taught by Pattabhi Jois. (Though it should be pointed out
that his usual teaching style in Mysore, known as Mysore style, involves
teaching each student individually, in small groups).
(1 hour and 38 minutes)
You can order it or read more about it at
www.mauiyoga.com (Sewell Archives).
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois World Tour 1993 - Santa Monica, CA - First Series
From his world tour in October, 1993. Skips some of the breaths in
most of the downward dog postures so this is not the best one for practicing
along with.
More details on this video here.
Ashtanga Intensive - Pattabhi Jois - 2nd Series - Santa Monica, CA
From his world tour in October, 1993
Ashtanga Intensive - Pattabhi Jois - 2nd Series - Lille, France
(1 hour 54 minutes) From world tour, summer, 1991.
Yoga on Maui - Ashtanga Intensive with Sarah Powers
Primary series (1 hour 59 minutes)
This is my favorite Ashtanga video. Sarah Powers is a great teacher. The pace
is not rushed. She says to aim for 5 seconds for each inhale and each exhale.
She carries on a continous monologue, imparting lots of information.
More details on this video here.
There was a brief but interesting profile of her on page 24 of the
NOV/DEC 2000 issue of Yoga Journal.
I hope she will make another video someday.
Sarah Powers' website: www.sarahpowers.com
Yoga on Maui - Ashtanga Intensive with Nancy Gilgoff
Primary series (90 minutes)
Yoga on Maui - Ashtanga Intensive with Tim Miller
Primary series (1 hour and 46 minutes)
Yoga on Maui - Ashtanga Intensive with Tim Miller
Second series (1 hour and 30 minutes)
Yoga on Maui - Tim Miller
Third Series (41 minutes) - This is Tim doing his personal practice.
Jivamukti on Maui - Liberation: A Yoga Intensive with David Life
This is a really cool video of David Life leading a class in his own style
of yoga (Jivamukti Yoga). Very similar to Ashtanga (which David is
a student and teacher of), but a bit different and with lots of interesting
variations that I have never seen elsewhere. The class is preceded by some
interesting lecture and some chanting.
Filmed in 2000 (1 hour and 55 minutes).
See also the What is Yoga? documentary listed below.
Mysore, India
This is an hour-long video including scenes of Pattabhi Jois teaching yoga
in his studio and some sights around Mysore. No date on it, but I think it
is from the late 1980's. Richard Freeman and Derek Ireland are among the
students shown practicing.
Some of these may now be available on DVD.
For more info or to order, see Sewell Archives website: www.mauiyoga.com.
These tapes are all useful to learn from or practice along with. Its good to have a document of Pattabhi Jois teaching and it can be good to practice with him if you like to practice with tapes. I like to hear him call out the moves and he counts every breath.
Ashtanga Yoga First Series with K. Pattabhi Jois
Ashtanga Yoga Second Series with K. Pattabhi Jois
Pattabhi Jois leads a group of advanced students (teachers) through primary and second series. The students are Maty Ezraty, Richard Freeman, Karen Haberman, Chuck Miller, Tim Miller, and Eddie Stearn. Filmed in November, 1993 at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, CA. These are demonstration videos meant to illustrate the correct form of the postures. Good to practice along with or excellent for reference.
Available from Jiva Mukti
$29.95 each.
Astanga Yoga Primary Series Full Vinyasa (114 minutes)
There is a review of this video at Yoga Chicago
For more info or to order, see: www.astanga.fi/video
Can be ordered from Yoga Vermont.
May also be available from Jiva Mukti
Lino's website: www.astanga.it
Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series
A demo with Pattabhi Jois and his grandson, Sharath Rangaswamy. Filmed in
Australia in 1998. 1 hour. $28.95. Can be ordered from
Jiva Mukti
Ashtanga Yoga 3-A Series - Sharath $34.95
Info at Yoga Shala, Chile
Can also be ordered from Gravity Plus
Primary Series
This video is in Finnish. These guys made this video since Ashtanga yoga is very popular in Finland and there were no videos available in Finnish. Format is PAL only. For more info or to order, see this website: www.sunpoint.net/~treenivideo/
Jungle Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga modified primary series led by Larry Shultz.
Meant for beginners to practice along with.
For more info, or to order, see the Its Yoga website. ($30)
Ashtanga, NY - A Yoga Documentary
Guru
Some Other Yoga Videos
Anatomy for Yoga with Paul Grilley
The first DVD from a new company, Pranamaya, which appears to be ready to produce a bunch of very special yoga videos. Paul Grilley is the author of Yin Yoga. This DVD mainly consists of a 4-hour lecture. This has to be one of the most important yoga videos that any yoga teacher could see. I decided to make a separate page to discuss this DVD a bit more: http://www.ionet.net/~tslade/grilley.htm
Paul Grilley's website:PaulGrilleyYoga.com
DVD can be ordered here ($40.00): Pranamaya.com
What is Yoga?
This hour-long documentary features conversations about yoga with David Life,
Sharon Gannon, Willem Dafoe, and Bhagavan Das. Lots of footage of Ashtanga
yoga asana practice, including group scenes and solo practices of David
and Sharon. Also footage of Nirmalananda, Brahmananda and Pattabhi Jois.
Very interesting. I like this video a lot. Its a good one to
show to anyone who may be receptive to learning about yoga. See also the
Jivamukti on Maui video above.
Available from Jivamukti
or from Mystic Fire Video.
(its a lot cheaper from Jivamukti).
06/01/05 - Looks like the VHS tape has been unavailable for awhile.
I just found out that they are working on a DVD release with maybe some extra
material on it.
There is also a video called Asana - Sacred Dance of the Yogis. This is Sharon and David doing three different dances which sort of include some yoga asanas. It is less than 30 minutes long. I didn't find it too interesting and would not recommend going to any trouble or expense to see it. Mainly of "artistic" interest. If you just want to check out David and Sharon doing some yoga, there is plenty of that in the What is Yoga? documentary above. Also distributed by Mystic Fire.
Extensive 2 and a half hour documentary covering the whole subject of yoga. Very cool.
Video Lecture - Yoga From a Western Perspective
Sam is not an Ashtanga teacher, but this video should be of interest to all students and teachers of physical yoga. It is not an asana class, but a lecture given during a workshop seminar. In the 90-minute lecture, Sam presents his basic concepts on the practice of physical yoga. These ideas are also covered on his website, extensionyoga.com, but it is probably more effective for most people to get these ideas from the video. I have read both of his books, ExTension and Recovery Yoga and have spent a lot of time on his website, but the concepts "sank in" a lot better from watching his lecture. He has some very important and very interesting messages. I hope he will someday produce videos to teach his ExTension yoga and Recovery yoga.
This video can be ordered directly from him (for $12.00) through his website: extensionyoga.com
Yoking the Shadow (Chaya Samyukta) - Hatha Yoga
Except for Paulie Zink's video (see below) this is probably the most interesting yoga video I have seen. Shandor was a top student of BKS Iyengar and later studied Ashtanga yoga. He has also studied martial arts such as Tai Chi and Qigong. He calls his own style of yoga Shadow Yoga. The yoga demonstrated on this video is almost nonstop movement and explores much of the territory covered by the asanas of Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga. The first 45 minutes is the short form, meant to be learned first and the last hour is the long form. It begins with some chants. Otherwise, Shandor does not speak. There is a narrated introduction and a little more info at the end of the video. In the article at Yoga Chicago (see link below) Shandor says he is working on a book.
Some more details on this video here.
Available from:
www.shandor.com.au (Shandor's website)
Manduka Matsource (US Distributor)
An interesting article about Shandor Remete can be found on Yoga Chicago's website here.
Monkey Kung Fu - VOL 7 - Fundamentals of Taoist Yoga
(previous title - Taoist Yoga (Chi Kung)
Wow! Paulie Zink is a master of Monkey Kung Fu. I first heard of this guy when I read that he was Michael Hedges yoga teacher. Later I read about Paul Grilley and Yin Yoga (see Yoga Books Page) - he was also a student of Zink. This is a very interesting video. It is very similar in some ways to Ashtanga yoga, but completely different. Lots of squatting and walking around in a squatting position. Could be hard on the knees. Later I found one of his Monkey Kung Fu videos on eBay - also amazing.
See www.monkeykungfu.com
and www.pauliezink.com
Can be ordred from: www.cf2w.com Right here
45 minutes of film footage from 1938, showing BKS Iyengar, Krishnamacharya, a couple of women and a couple of small children demonstrating some very advanced asana practice. (black and white, no sound) Very interesting. Available for $25.00 from the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. www.iyisf.org (look on the bookstore page)
Also available in PAL format from Iyengar Yoga Institute in London: http://www.iyi.org.uk/yoga_books_equip.html
Documentary about Kumbh Mela
This Russian site has lots of interesting stuff.
Here's a page of Ashtanga yoga resources from Ashtanga.com
I list Yoga Books on a separate page here.
Back to Slade's Home Page Back to Slade's Yoga Page
Revised 07/28/08. All links checked/fixed 09/25/01.