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Yoga For Beginners

Yoga instructor Barbara Benagh has practiced and taught yoga for nearly 35 years. She discovered yoga while living in England and began teaching there. She moved to Boston and opened The Yoga Studio on Beacon Hill in 1980.

In addition to her local classes Barbara teaches yoga seminars throughout the US and internationally. She is a regular contributor of articles to Yoga Journal magazine. She has several audio CDs of live classes available as well as DVDs, the latest being Yoga for Beginners released by Body + Soul magazine, and Yoga for Stress Relief that includes a discussion on meditation from the Dalai Lama.

Barbara was kind enough to answer some questions from Amazon.com about this unique line of yoga DVDs.

How are these DVDs different from other yoga DVDs?

I was drawn to working with Bodywisdommedia because they produce DVDs they are interactive. Rather than a "one size fits all" single routine that is typical of most products, these DVDs offer choice, allowing the user to customize and change their yoga practice to suit their needs. No two persons are the same so the ability to change your practice - easing shoulder tension one day and an invigorating morning wake up the next - come as close as possible to allowing you to address your individual needs at home. Not only do people have different physical needs, but they have different time constraints as well. If you have only 20 minutes, there is a practice for you but there are longer practices as well (some as long as 90 minutes) that address the total body/mind connection. The sheer number of yoga sequences offered on each of these DVDs is a first. They are incredibly comprehensive.

How were you able to get the Dalai Lama involved?

This project dovetailed perfectly with the Dalai Lama's message that modern stress is one of the greatest obstacles to our mental happiness and physical wellbeing. Because we are long-time sincere practitioners, having a 30-minute lecture of the Dalai Lama teaching how to meditate on the Yoga for Stress Relief DVD was a perfect fit. Bodywisdommedia also has a broader relationship with the Office of Tibet and are releasing historic lectures with "A Path to Happiness" being the first one.

How will potential buyers of these DVDs know which one is right for them?

The titles are very indicative of what appears on the DVD and therefore a good guide. I really enjoyed making Yoga for Stress Relief because it is incredibly relevant. We strove to make the sequences accessible to as many people as possible, whether they are a beginner or long time practitioner. Yoga for Beginners is a great, non-threatening place to get started and includes lots of sound technique developed over my 30 years as a yoga teacher. Power Yoga for Every Body is a bit more challenging taking you from the beginning level and gradually progressing to much more demanding routines.

From the Editors of Body + Soul Magazine comes a new line of DVDs designed to excite, inform, inspire and encourage your quest toward a balanced and healthy whole life.

YOGA FOR BEGINNERS is the perfect way to be introduced to Yoga and it helps you to explore and experience the numerous benefits of yoga. There are 8 routines to help build strength, increase flexibility, improve your health and vitality and transform how you look and feel.

Routines are led by renowned instructor Barbara Benagh who expertly leads you through tailored workouts ranging from 10 to 60 minutes. YOGA FOR BEGINNERS was filmed on location at one of the most beautiful, tranquil beaches in the world, Half-Moon Bay, Antigua, which adds to the overall experience of tranquility.

DVD HIGHLIGHTS:

-8 Customized, Targeted Routines

-Exclusive Interview with the Instructor

-Routines from 10 - 60 Minutes

-Includes articles from Body + Soul magazine

Yoga for Stress Relief (With The Dalai Lama)

Over the centuries, yoga practitioners have discovered the secret to achieving optimal health, vitality and happiness. For the first time, this path to living a longer, happier life is revealed on a single DVD. Excessive stress and negative mental attitudes in our daily lives are the greatest obstacles to achieving serenity, good health & well-being. This DVD teaches step by step, easy to follow practices to reduce negative thoughts & emotions while promoting positive thinking. With over 20 routines to address negative mental, emotional and physical issues, this DVD is the most comprehensive DVD of its kind. This DVD also includes an UNPRECEDENTED 30 minute instruction on meditation with the Dalai Lama! This exclusive discussion of meditation with the Dalai Lama himself appears only on this deluxe edition DVD. Considered one of the greatest influencers of our time, the Dalai Lama has spent his life teaching people how to be happy and promote positive thinking. His teachings are world renowned and this special bonus discusses both the benefits and techniques of meditation to promote positive thinking and cultivate happiness. Never before has a DVD revealed how to overcome dozens of common physical, mental and emotional conditions through the ancient science of yoga. This revolutionary, interactive system allows you to choose from 20 customized routines that range from 15-60 minutes and target common issues.

Yoga instructor Barbara Benagh has practiced and taught yoga for nearly 35 years. She discovered yoga while living in England and began teaching there. She moved to Boston and opened The Yoga Studio on Beacon Hill in 1980.

In addition to her local classes Barbara teaches yoga seminars throughout the US and internationally. She is a regular contributor of articles to Yoga Journal magazine. She has several audio CDs of live classes available as well as DVDs, the latest being Yoga for Beginners released by Body + Soul magazine, and Yoga for Stress Relief that includes a discussion on meditation from the Dalai Lama.

Barbara was kind enough to answer some questions from Amazon.com about this unique line of yoga DVDs.

How are these DVDs different from other yoga DVDs?

I was drawn to working with Bodywisdommedia because they produce DVDs they are interactive. Rather than a "one size fits all" single routine that is typical of most products, these DVDs offer choice, allowing the user to customize and change their yoga practice to suit their needs. No two persons are the same so the ability to change your practice - easing shoulder tension one day and an invigorating morning wake up the next - come as close as possible to allowing you to address your individual needs at home. Not only do people have different physical needs, but they have different time constraints as well. If you have only 20 minutes, there is a practice for you but there are longer practices as well (some as long as 90 minutes) that address the total body/mind connection. The sheer number of yoga sequences offered on each of these DVDs is a first. They are incredibly comprehensive.

How were you able to get the Dalai Lama involved?

This project dovetailed perfectly with the Dalai Lama's message that modern stress is one of the greatest obstacles to our mental happiness and physical wellbeing. Because we are long-time sincere practitioners, having a 30-minute lecture of the Dalai Lama teaching how to meditate on the Yoga for Stress Relief DVD was a perfect fit. Bodywisdommedia also has a broader relationship with the Office of Tibet and are releasing historic lectures with "A Path to Happiness" being the first one.

How will potential buyers of these DVDs know which one is right for them?

The titles are very indicative of what appears on the DVD and therefore a good guide. I really enjoyed making Yoga for Stress Relief because it is incredibly relevant. We strove to make the sequences accessible to as many people as possible, whether they are a beginner or long time practitioner. Yoga for Beginners is a great, non-threatening place to get started and includes lots of sound technique developed over my 30 years as a yoga teacher. Power Yoga for Every Body is a bit more challenging taking you from the beginning level and gradually progressing to much more demanding routines.

Young Frankenstein

If you were to argue that Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein ranks among the top-ten funniest movies of all time, nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way that Brooks's previous film Blazing Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks re-created the Frankenstein laboratory using the same equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for nonstop comedy. The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It.) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. Befitting a classic, the Special Edition DVD includes audio commentary by Mel Brooks, a "making of" documentary, interviews with the cast, hilarious bloopers and outtakes, and the original theatrical trailers. No video library should be without a copy of Young Frankenstein. And just remember--that's Fronkensteen. --Jeff Shannon

Mel Brooks' monstrously crazy tribute to Mary Shelley's classic pokes hilarious fun at just about every Frankenstein movie ever made. Summoned by a will to his late grandfather's castle in Transylvania young Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) soon discovers the scientist's step-by-step manual explaining how to bring a corpse to life. Assisted by the hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the curvaceous Ings (Teri Garr) he creates a monster (Peter Boyle) who only wants to be loved.System Requirements:Running Time: 130 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 024543371571 Manufacturer No: 2237157

Yoga For Every Body (With Over 35 Routines)

Body & Soul Magazine "Best Buy...will revolutionize your home yoga practice... Finally, an at-home yoga series customized to suit your needs!"

realage.com "Editor's Pick...Yoga for Every Body is an easy-to-follow DVD with lots of routines. It will teach you how to stretch, relax, really breathe... "

Product Description

Body & Soul Magazine "Best Buy...will revolutionize your home yoga practice... Finally, an at-home yoga series customized to suit your needs!" Get into shape, relieve stress, become stronger and more flexible & increase energy!

Yoga Complete for Every Body allows everyone, from the beginner to advanced students, to experience the joy, power and serenity of yoga. With over 35 routines, no other DVD offers so much to help you learn and progress in the healing art of yoga. Simply select the routine you need on any given day and this amazing DVD will adapt to meet your exact needs. Explore the amazing world of yoga with the most comprehensive and extensive DVD available. Practices range from 15 to 75 minutes.

Routines include:
- AM and PM practices
- Increased flexibility for targeted areas, such as the legs, back, neck, etc
- Strength building practices
- Back and neck pain, including headaches
- Relaxation
- Stress Relief
- Rejuvenation
- and many more!

JJ Gormley is a certified yoga instructor and has taught thousands of students throughout the world over the past 25 years. She guides students with a warm, non-judgmental style that encourages the expansion of physical, mental and emotional limits within the healthy and stimulating context of yoga.

You've Got Mail

By now, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have amassed such a fund of goodwill with moviegoers that any new onscreen pairing brings nearly reflexive smiles. In You've Got Mail, the quintessential boy and girl next door repeat the tentative romantic crescendo that made Sleepless in Seattle, writer-director Nora Ephron's previous excursion with the duo, a massive hit. The prospective couple do actually meet face to face early on, but Mail otherwise repeats the earlier feature's gentle, extended tease of saving its romantic resolution until the final, gauzy shot.

The underlying narrative is an even more old-fashioned romantic pas de deux that is casually hooked to a newfangled device. The script, cowritten by the director and her sister, Delia Ephron, updates and relocates the Ernst Lubitsch classic, The Shop Around the Corner, to contemporary Manhattan, where Joe Fox (Hanks) is a cheerfully rapacious merchant whose chain of book superstores is gobbling up smaller, more specialized shops such as the children's bookstore owned by Kathleen Kelly (Ryan). Their lives run in close parallel in the same idealized neighborhood, yet they first meet anonymously, online, where they gradually nurture a warm, even intimate correspondence. As they begin to wonder whether this e-mail flirtation might lead them to be soul mates, however, they meet and clash over their colliding business fortunes.

It's no small testament to the two stars that we wind up liking and caring about them despite the inevitable (and highly manipulative) arc of the plot. Although their chemistry transcended the consciously improbable romantic premise of Sleepless, enabling director Ephron to attain a kind of amorous soufflé, this time around there's a slow leak that considerably deflates the affair. Less credulous viewers will challenge Joe's logic in prolonging the concealment of his online identity from Kathleen, and may shake their heads at Ephron's reinvention of Manhattan as a spotless, sun-dappled wonderland where everybody lives in million-dollar apartments and color coordinates their wardrobes for cocktail parties. --Sam Sutherland

Neigborhood bookstore rivals unwittingly become e-mail pen pals in this charming remake of The Shop Around the CornerRunning Time: 119 min.System Requirements:ACTORS Jane Adams Reiko Aylesworth Michael Badalucco Heather Burns David Chappelle Dabney Coleman Elwood Edwards Kate Finneran Tom Hanks Hallie Hirsh Greg Kinnear Parker Posey John Randolph Meg Ryan Katie Sogona Howard Spiegel Jean Stapleton Steve Zahn LENGTH 2 hrs RATING PG ComedyFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating:  UPC: 085391695424 Manufacturer No: 16954

Yoga For Inflexible People

Yoga isn't just for people who are already supple--it's a way to become more flexible. Yoga for Inflexible People presents modifications and props to make traditional poses accessible to people who could not otherwise perform them comfortably or correctly. You get more than 35 workouts and about four hours of instruction and practice in all. Choose a general workout, focus on an area of the body (shoulders, legs, hips, and back), or select a peaceful or energizing workout. Within each category, you have a choice of several different 15- to 75-minute series (some seated), much more variety than most videos offer. Some of the poses are beginning level; others are not. Leader Judi Rice demonstrates well, instructing by voice-over, though her expressionless face lacks warmth and personality. You'll need a yoga mat, blocks (or large books), a long strap or belt, a chair, and blankets. --Joan Price

Yoga For Inflexible People is for anyone who considers themselves inflexible. The yoga postures developed 5,000 years ago were not created for people who are already flexible, but rather to help inflexible people become more flexible. A wide range of poses are taught and modified to help both beginning and intermediate students experience the benefits of yoga. The modifications includes suggestions for the use of props, which can be either actual yoga props or items you have around the home, such as a belt or books, to assist you when you feel you need additional assistance. Of course if you do not need props, you do not have to use any.

Customized workouts allow you to progress at your own pace and the DVD contains dozens of routines which designed to carefully guide you along your journey into yoga.

When Yoga For Inflexible People was released, the Yoga Journal declared it "One of the most intelligent and useful presentations served up in a long time" and praised it as a DVD "...for all beginning students whether they are inflexible or flexible."