Tape recommendations

[Guest guest]

A friend of mine has been going to classes for a

while, and now wants to get a tape (audio, not video) to

help her get into doing her own practice at home.

<br><br>I don't really know much about what's available -

any recommendations? Isn't there one by Richard

Freeman?

[Guest guest]

yo alan- i used the david swenson primary series

audio cassette available at ashtanga.net - very helpful

and didn't take long before I had it memorized and

could go at it myself <br><br>he has intermediate audio

also- although, i've only listened to it in the car on

a long trip- a girl can dream can't she?<br><br>s

[Guest guest]

Personally, I can't see why anybody would want or

need anything other than the Yoga Works tape with

Pattabbi Jois leading six top students/teachers through

the primary series. <br><br>By coincidence, I just

looked at it yesterday, and I noticed that four of the

six practitioners on that tape are wellknown and are

frequently mentioned on this site (Tim Miller, Chuck Miller,

Richard Freeman and Eddie Stern). The other two (Maty

Ezraty and Karen Haberman, both female) I knew nothing

at all about, other than that they are on the tape.

I now have found that Ms. Ezraty is with Yoga Works

according to the ashtanga website. But, what is the story

with these two, and what do you (all) think accounts

for their relative anonymity?

[Guest guest]

Maty, along with Chuck Miller is the owner of Yoga Works. Karen lives in India,

and has for some time. She is well known in the Ashtanga community.Both of these

women are fantastic yoginis.

[Guest guest]

Hi!<br>I am interested in that tape you were talking about with Pattabbi Jois.

Where would I be able to get that?

[Guest guest]

malsag,<br><br>the Yoga Works tape is certainly

great, but wasn't Alan asking about an audio (not video)

tape? Uhm.<br><br>But maybe it's just that habit of you

Americans to learn Astanga from videos.

[Guest guest]

Whoops, you're right. (How exciting!) Maybe it's

just my American habit of not reading things

carefully. Or, maybe I just like that Yoga Works tape so

much that I couldn't stop myself. <br><br>I wonder why

Alan specified audio not video? (I don't have any

suggestions for audio tapes.)

[Guest guest]

I believe Swenson has audio tapes of 1st series,

maybe 2nd as well. Ought to be pretty good.<br><br>For

those who are new, one thing about practicing to audio

or video tapes: the heat factor.<br><br>For example,

if you choose to practice to Richard Freeman's

excellent astanga video, be aware that you may need your

practice room to be somewhat warmer than if you were

practicing to Swenson's tape. Why? Because Freeman's pace is

IMO signicantly slower than Swenson's.

[Guest guest]

I am looking for a good video. Preferably intermediate. Could you recommend any?

I have heard alot about Freemans videos, are they good?

[Guest guest]

My apologies also for misspelling P-a-t-t-a-b-h-i

Jois (more than once, too). I never had to write it

down before.<br>(Now I am puzzled -- how could a

mistake like that have failed to provoke any sarcastic

correction? Thank you for your restraint!)

[Guest guest]

Don't worry -- stevegadd1 spelled it "Pattabbi

Jois" [msg 6422] and he is looking for "a good video.

Preferably intermediate." [msg 6430]. This board is becoming

so peaceful that sunandmike and blondie may come

back.

[Guest guest]

try the yoga works videos, first or second

series. according to the ashtanga.com video section, it

is available thru jivamukti, but i could not find it

on their site anymore. the address for yoga works

is<br>Yoga Works<br>1426 Montana Ave, 2nd Floor<br>Santa

Monica, CA 90403<br>Tel (310) 393-5150<br>Fax (310)

656-5892<br>Wholesale contact (310) 664-6476 ext.5<br><br>i was also

unable to find a way to purchase the videos from the

yoga works web

page<br><a href=http://www.yogaworks.com/index.htm

target=new>http://www.yogaworks.com/index.htm</a>

[Guest guest]

Why did I specify audio not video? Because that's

what my friend wants - not something to learn from,

she has a perfectly good teacher for that - just

something to remind her what comes next while she gets used

to practicing on her own. Of course, she could just

use a video and not look at it.<br><br>The Yogaworks

video sounds interesting though, I might get it myself.

Does anybody know if American videos work in Europe -

aren't the TV standards different (NTSC & PAL)?<br><br>A

friend of mine studied with Karen Haberman in India for

a month last year and was very impressed. I'm

thinking I might go to her before or after I go to Mysore

next winter.

[Guest guest]

malsag,<br><br>"that habit of you Americans to

learn Astanga from videos" was not meant to be

offensive in any way - Good Lord, who wants to offend our

American friends?<br><br>It's a fact: the only European

video on Astanga Yoga so far available is the one on

Primary Series produced by Lino Miele. In America, you

have more to choose from.

[Guest guest]

Alan,<br><br>An alternative to the David Swenson

audio tapes might be the 2 tapes offered by The Prana

Studio: one is on Primary Series, the other one is an

"Ashtanga Shorty". See

<a href=http://www.thepranastudio.com/shopPrana.htm

target=new>http://www.thepranastudio.com/shopPrana.htm</a> .<br><br>But since I

don't use them, I don't kow

whether they are recommendable.

[Guest guest]

I believe you can also order David Swenson's Ashtanga Video Tapes in the

European format. He has all the info on his

<br><br>www.ashtanga.net<br><br>website.

[Guest guest]

OK so I am not the best speller. Can anybody give me a tip on the videos?

[Guest guest]

Yes, the Yoga Works second series video is as

wonderful as the first series one; it also features

Pattabhi Jois (!!!!) and the same six notables. I thought

that Jivamukti had both tapes (you're in New York,

right?), but if not I guess go to message #6433 and try

the information given there. (I have both - got them

at Jivamukti - but given my level of practice, I try

not to think too much about the second one.)

[Guest guest]

The David Swenson video of second and third

series is good. It does not include any of the standing

series or finishing series postures -- assuming,

correctly I believe, that anyone who is attempting second

or third series does not need this

information.<br><br>There is also the video Ashtanga Yoga: Second Series

with K. Pattabhi Jois which is a demonstration video

featuring Sri K. Pattabhi Jois guiding six of his senior

students through the Second Series of ashtanga yoga. I

have not seen this one but it is hard to imagine that

it would be anything but helpful.<br><br>the KPJ

video of second series [as well as the one of first

series] is available from Jivamukti -- $28.99 I think.

Their site is kind of hard to navigate. I simply ran

the word "Jois" in the search engine of their

"boutique."<br><br>Om Shanti,<br><br>Shambhala

[Guest guest]

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

'...our American friends?"<br>something of an oxymoron, huh?

[Guest guest]

boredcthis,<br><br>Why an oxymoron - do

"American" and "friend" contradict themselves? I think they

do not!<br><br>However, I noticed that the American

members here are VERY sensitive when you come to speak

about their country and you are NOT an American. So one

must be careful.

[Guest guest]

I've never met an American i didn't like, Their

energy, their openness, their software. . . <br><br>but

it's a fukked country and no mistake! <br><br>My

tuppence theory includes the words parvenu, history and

neuroses but who cares. May be the US is just all our dumb

ass litte country's writ large. And what is all this

puritanical 'Your yoga's not proper yoga' nonsense. It seems

so antithetical to what i take to be the essence of

yoga: a union with god. If it works then it's fine.

We're not Brahmin with a life to fill with a search for

the ineffable but (mostly) tiny westerners trying to

fit our practice into daft little lives. All this

tosh about some path writ in stone seems such a

distraction, so egotistical. . . oh damn you got me doing it

now!<br><br>To you all a peace that passeth all understanding

and God bless Amerika!

[Guest guest]

Oh well, I met "some" Americans I didn't

like...but then, nobody's perfect.<br><br>So I agree with

you: GOD BLESS AMERICA! (and by the way, Americans

seem to be much better at appreciating the value of

Astanga Yoga than we Germans do...I think on this point,

we still have to learn a lot from them in this

country.)

[Guest guest]

"....Americans seem to be much better<br> at appreciating the value of Astanga

Yoga..."<br><br>that's because americans have madonna