Yoga Challenge I Hatha Yoga with Tony Sanchez

I've tried many different Yoga videos over the years, believing Yoga is good for me and wanting to succeed at doing Yoga. This is only one that appeals to me. It's quiet, the person giving the directions has good timing as far as the step by step procedure for getting into and out of the poses, as well as giving hints like "remember to breath" just as I am starting to hold my breath. The modified versions done by the other 2 are also very helpful. I had the book by Bikram, "Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class" for a couple of years before purchasing Tony's Yoga Challenge on VHS. I would highly suggest getting both that book and this DVD. (No difference between VHS tape and DVD, I just needed it on DVD now) The book is funny, and gives lots of encouragement with pictures of others doing the poses starting out, and how they look later. Also explains why you are doing the pose, and what the benefits are. The exercises are NOT in the same order on this DVD, and a few (really hard ones) are not on the DVD. Tony is a student of Bikram Choundrey. (sp?) This is not exciting to do, and you do need an hour+. Don't let that turn you off from buying this DVD. It very easy to get addicted to doing something so quiet. By just listening to the directions, and concentrating, the time goes by faster than you would think. I do admit to sometimes skipping all the laying down between some of floor exercises, but I know I shouldn't! When I do this at least every other day, (I do weight training the other days) I feel energized, and sleep better. My chronic aches and pains, like an achilles tendon injury, lower back injury, as well as upper back area that knots up, all disappear. I can tell if I skip 2 days, I start hurting. My husband has started doing it also, he has degenerative back pain. He is also finding relief. This type of Yoga has the emphasis on the spine functioning at it's best. If your spine is strong and in alignment, the rest of your body will be healthy too. It does work your whole body, it is NOT easy, but anyone can do this, just do the poses the best you can. Try it. Give it an honest try, do your best, and start feeling better. Read more

I have an extensive yoga video collection, and this one is truly different from the others. The music is haunting and beautiful, the voiceover is nice, and the yoga is challenging yet soothing. The practice is set up differently from most videos, starting with warm ups I haven't seen before. There are a lot of balancing postures included here which may be challenging for beginners, but modifications are shown so that anyone can work up to it. It really left me with a nice feeling of stillness, and I enjoyed it very much. Read more

So I got the Yoga Challenge I and 84 Asanas Level 1 to see which I would like best and they were exactly the same. In fact, in the intro to 84 Asanas Level 1, it has the same intro calling the video Yoga Challenge 1. It is a good video and sequence overall but I feel ripped off. I would suggest the Yoga Challenge 1 over 84 Asana because it has an actual menu at the beginning with modifications listed and 84 Asana 1 just goes straight into the postures. Read more

I was trying to save myself the $150/month I'm paying to practice Bikram in my local studio, so I bought this DVD based on the positive reviews. If you're just looking for a ordinary yoga DVD, you may be pleased with this. But if you're looking for a Bikram substitute (and I mean real Bikram, not "hot yoga"), you may be disappointed -- as I was. I know Bikram has a stronghold on the Bikram sequence and dialogue, so I understand that some variation was necessary, but I was thrown off by a few things. 1) Triangle was the second or third posture, and my hamstrings weren't ready for it. 2) Not every posture repeats, and some are grouped in a sequence before the whole sequence repeats. 3) As someone else mentioned, there is no Fixed Firm, which is my favorite posture so that's doubly unfortunate. 4) There is the addition of some peculiar pilates-like moves throughout. And I didn't even finish the DVD, so there may be more distinctions to draw. I was also less than thrilled with the narration. There's virtually no setup for a lot of the postures, so if you've never been to a Bikram class and are not familiar with the postures, be careful not to hurt yourself. I also found the woman to be too mellow. Fine if you want to relax, but she didn't really inspire me to push myself -- or even to stay conscious. On the plus side, it's only 60 minutes. As a consequence, however, you also don't hold the postures very long. I hate to rip the video to shreds based on a comparison to Bikram, because it's not marketed to be a substitute. But let's face it, that's why most people buy it, and I wish someone had deterred me. That being said, if you don't care about Bikram, or if you aren't a strict practitioner, you may enjoy it. I, however, will return to paying my $150/month and will likely never watch this DVD again. Read more