Yoga Journal's Yoga for Beginners with Patricia Walden

I can't imagine a better tape than this one to start out with.


An Ideal Introduction for Beginners   April 23, 2002
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

An ideal introductory yoga video, with perhaps the world's loveliest woman. Patricia Walden gently takes a viewer from zero knowledge and experience of yoga, through the basic standing and sitting poses, emphasizing proper form and alignment.

As Patricia says, these poses are the foundation of yoga practice. Those who find this session boring are either too advanced for this tape, or else they are not getting everything out of it. There is a lot of information here, which unfolds with repeated, regular viewings and practice sessions. As a beginner I've welcomed its moderate pace (indeed I sometimes pause it and practice another series of repetitions), and I feel in no hurry to move on. If I were to study with Patricia, or B.K.S. himself, I'd be glad I spent time on these fundamentals.

The Death Valley sequence at the beginning is breathtaking. If you are new to yoga I can think of no better way to be instructed and inspired, than by buying this tape and working with it regularly.


excellent starting point   May 13, 2002
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

This program is, as the title implies, for BEGINNERS. If you are used to doing aerobics, you may become impatient with the methodical pace, or unnerved by Patricia Walden's freakishly serene demeanor. Following the short "show-off" intro (where Ms. Walden does a standing backbend that I immediately set as a long-term goal for myself), the actual instructional portion of the program is easy to understand and follow. There is a lot of explanation and demonstration, including modifications of the poses and the use of props to help those who are less flexible.

Reviewers who have found it boring or "too easy" are perhaps approaching this the wrong way. You set your own pace, and there are no poses that a practitioner is ever "done" with. As a klutzy, non-athletic person, I was thrilled the first time I did this program and was able to get through it without feeling flustered or uncoordinated. I did this tape and nothing else for a year before I felt like I needed to "move on." While I'll always prefer taking a live class, I highly recommend the Yoga Journal series, and especially this tape.


Bought it from a store -- sold it at a garage sale   September 28, 1999
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

As a beginner, the instructions were simple enough to follow; however, I found using all the props made it very hard to keep up, and this stressed me. I would have kept this tape had there been alternatives to using the props or no props at all.


Caution: A Demo Video, Not a Workout Video   February 2, 2000
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

This is a good video if you are only interested in learning basic poses and then designing your own routine (it comes with a booklet that suggests various pose routines for various purposes) It does not have a "workout" format for you to mindlessly follow (something I was looking for.)

If you buy it, it will be a decent reference video to learn the various poses.

Patricia Walden has a calm, soothing, and encouraging voice and manner. However, this video was too boring for me to watch/do more than once or twice. I ended up giving it away.