find your namaste

I often tell my rowdy children, "You're ruining my namaste". They know this means they need to chill it and stop what they are doing. As we all know, 'namaste' is usually said at the end of every yoga practice, often with hands together and a little bow. That stretched out, relaxed, warm, peaceful feeling at the end of yoga class is what I call my "namaste" (of course I know it means something totally different but my kids get it when I say it!).

When I was 20 I started practicing yoga with this DVD, Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss with Suzanne Deason. I was pretty healthy at 20 years old so I didn't really need it for weight loss, I think that's a catchy title to grab the attention of today's society that is overly concerned with weight. It's a great choice for anyone, young or old, new yogi or advanced, all shapes and sizes.

A few years later as a physical therapist, the main form of exercise I did with each and every patient was yoga. I taught them first about their posture and then we dissected dozens of yoga poses together until I felt they could graduate to a video on their own. My goal was to help each patient incorporate daily yoga practice into their lives for their postural health and well-being and to minimize pain, but to also help them to calm their minds.

In all my years of practice, DVDs I have used, apps I have downloaded and classes that I have attended, this is still my absolute favorite yoga DVD. It was the DVD I issued to each patient, but I also did it myself every single day, BC (before children), then moved on to 1-2 times a week. It is only 45 minutes long and the series of poses re-aligns your spine, opens your hips and shoulders, strengthens your core and did a great job at toning my arms. It isn't too strenuous and Suzanne Deason gives the best cues to make sure you don't injure yourself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have for the last 20+ years! Namaste.