Viniyoga Therapy for the Low Back Sacrum and Hips with Gary Kraftsow

Studio: Bayview/widowmaker Release Date: 02/03/2009 Run time: 155 minutes

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars back pain video
very good DVD. Very good explanation of the reason of back pain. I have chronic back pain for a while now and this DVD help me feeling better.

4 Stars Wonderful!
My specific back problems deal with scoliosis – occasional muscle spasms and constant stiffness in the lower back.

I’ve had the DVD for a short time, however I think it has already had an impact in overall sustained flexibility…already the daily “tensing” that I’ve experienced in back over the last 20 years (I’m 35) has lessened and I’m optimistic that continued use will only improve the results.

I highly recommended if for those with chronic back pain.

5 Stars intelligent and practical
I find it beneficial to learn as much as possible about why I’m doing a yoga move and the exact anatomy I should be concentrating on, and the information portion of the DVD is very useful. Gary Kraftsow is excellent at explaining anatomy and purpose without being too technical or dumbing it down too much. When he directs moves during the exercise portion, his descriptions of the moves and calming voice help with concentration and effectiveness of the moves. Highly recommended! Everyone should use this DVD whether or not you have current back issues.

5 Stars Great back therapy, value for strengthening too
My wife bought me this DVD last Christmas but I was skeptical and my back was in too much spasm for me to consider it. I was also skeptical of chiropractic having been treated for over 4 years in the past with only short-term benefits. Since beginning NUCCA chiropractic therapy I have found a great deal of relief, enough to convince me to let go of my skepticism of yoga as well.

I am totally new to yoga, with 10 years of Army physical training beind me I typically seek out more aggressive approaches but I am finally recognizing that wasn’t getting me the relief I really needed. In the past few days I finally started using this video, and this morning before writing this review was my first time through an exercise routine. It’s a great video and good exercise program!

I started a few days ago with the Technique Workshop, where he talked through a demonstration of each technique in vivid detail. Yesterday I reviewed the workshop to be sure I was familiar with the movements, and this morning I moved right into the most strenuous of the 3 Therapeutic Practices – Strength and Stability.

This 32 minute routine takes you through a series of 17 relaxing but effective exercises and stretches. I’m in reasonably good fitness (I’ve been out of the Army 10 years now but still relatively active) but found it challenging at times to maintain the slow controlled breathing while doing these focused movements. By the end of the routine I really enjoyed the Savasana (deep relaxation) pose he leaves you with, spending about 5 minutes of deep breathing and relaxing before starting my day.

I definitely recommend this to anyone struggling with chronic back pain, and although I never tried it I believe his approach is gentle enough to try even while you are suffering from spasms. I like his staged approach and expect that, should I have another painful episode of back spasm, I should be able to use his other two Therapeutic Practice sessions – Low Back Therapy and Hip Therapy.

5 Stars Good for lower back strengthening.
Helpful excercises for lower back, however, my doctor advised against my doing them until after testing to see where my problems are. Will continue with the dvd afterwards because they are great for stretching and strengthening the lower back muscles.

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If You Have Back Pain

Studio: Bayview/widowmaker Release Date: 05/12/2009 Run time: 30 minutes

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Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Back Pain

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTHMayo Clinic one of the top medical centers in the country and GAIAM the health and wellness experts team up to bring you this groundbreaking integrated health action plan designed specifically to relieve back pain. Changing the way you live can change the way you feel.PART 1: UNDERSTANDING YOUR CONDITIONA 30-minute conversation with Mayo Clinic specialists. Dr. Brent Bauer introduces you to the integrative treatment approach and Mayo Clinic doctors share everything you need to know about back pain and an array of conventional and alternative therapy options.PART 2: EAT WELL TO FEEL WELLChange your diet to feel better. Dr. Donald Hensrud Chair Preventive Medicine Mayo Clinic takes you grocery shopping and shares smart ways to eat healthy every day. A Mayo Clinic dietitian follows up with making meal planning simple.PART 3: SOOTHING THERAPIESRodney Yee America s favorite yoga instructor leads you in a simple 40-minute session of gentle restorative yoga and stress-relieving meditation. The movements are ideal for beginners and designed to help prevent back pain improve circulation and release tension. Reducing stress will help you feel better faster. Take charge of your health today.BONUS: You ll also get the 52-page Mayo Clinic My Stress Solution booklet. Reducing stress will help you feel better faster. Take charge of your health today.Not all exercise is suitable for everyone. To reduce the risk of injury consult your doctor before beginning this or any exercise regimen.System Requirements:TOTAL RUNNING TIME : 93 MIN Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:

Yoga Therapy for Back Pain

Yoga Therapy for Back Pain includes 13 routines to help restore proper function to the entire back. These safe and gentle exercises increase mobility and reduce pain. This beautifully filmed DVD features five 15 minute & five 30 minute routines for the upper back, sciatic pain, bulging disk and sacro-iliac joint pain. Each condition is addressed separately, so you will get the proper care for your condition. There is also a general back maintenance routine in three time options (17, 32, & 44 min.) as well as a 20 min. Chair Yoga routine and a short Guided Meditation for relaxation. Whatever the level of your pain, or if you just want to strengthen your back, this DVD has the safe and appropriate therapy for you! If you are not sure exactly what type of back pain you have, this DVD also explains the different types so you can have a better understanding of your pain. Filmed in Santa Barbara, California in high definition.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Keeping my back healthy
The last time I injured my back (by merely bending over) I knew I needed to find a way to strengthen my back. I was in pain and semi-incapacitated for over a month. Yoga Therapy for Back Pain is my salvation and I have incorporated it into my daily routine. I have focused on the General Back and the Bulging Disk routines and I especially like having the option of routine length. With Emily’s guidance I feel I have found a safe, gentle and relaxing way to end each day knowing I am conditioning my back against future injury.

5 Stars very helpful and flexible routines
My partner and I recieved this DVD as a gift. We both have had back pain in the past and I had surgery to remove a ruptured disk nine years ago. The routines offered in this program are a great supplement to the other stretching and aerobic exercises we do. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Having a choice of longer or shorter routines is great too.

4 Stars Very gentle, perhaps a little too boring, but quite therapeutic
First, I do not recommend video yoga unless you have taken classes from a qualified instructor – this is because an instructor will personally make sure you understand what is meant by various instructions, and how to make the most of a pose.

I am just an amateur, but I find yoga to be very therapeutic both physically and mentally. At 58, I find that my lower back aches frequently, and I have had neck and shoulder issues for years, due to an old whiplash and being an accountant. My chiropractor always says that I am in better shape whenever I’m doing yoga consistently (which is not during tax busy season!)

What I like about this DVD is that it provides groups of routines for general back health, for the upper back, and then for three specific types of lower back issues. Each one of these provides two or more routines of increasing length, with the shortest being 17 minutes, and the longest about 45 minutes. The instructor also goes over the types and symptoms of different back issues in an overview segment, but I checked with my chiropractor to see which lower back routines she thought I should use (she suggested a combination of the routines for disk bulge and for the sacro-iliac joint)(upper back is a given).

This DVD does not provide advanced or difficult poses. I haven’t finished going through all of the longest routines, but the beginning of each seems to be exactly the same for all back issues, and it’s extremely gentle. I have no problem doing the poses as Emily Kligerman does them, which means they are not very extreme, and her video partner illustrates the same poses even more gently than she does them. Her voice is very nice and soothing and the repetitive background music is also soothing, although clearly the video has been spliced between poses because you can hear the break in the music – this is a minor grouse – it doesn’t rise to the level of an annoyance.

You should check with your doctor first, but it seems that this would be a fine DVD for someone who has pretty extreme back pain, because it’s so gentle. I also think this would be excellent for someone in injury recovery even if the injury is not in the back, because any injury involves trauma, and trauma tightens up muscles all over. I wish I’d had it last year after a bike accident and hip injury – my lower back started hurting from too much sitting around during the recovery, so I think these therapeutic routines would have been an excellent addition to my hip PT.

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Say Goodbye to Back Pain

This six-week series of easy exercises is a progressive program designed to eliminate or reduce back pain and prevent future problems. Learn the two causes of most back pain, six tests to find your real problem areas, seven tips on pain prevention, and ways to reduce stress and tension. Based on the work of Dr. Hans Kraus and the YMCA’s exercise program, “The Y’s Way to a Healthy Back”. Includes illustrated back exercise booklet.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Happy Customer
I was diagnosed with a degenerative disc disease years ago. I have had flare ups of back pain that kept me from life and work. I have always dealt with stiffness and discomfort. It was a common occurrance to have pain when I’d bend forward and when I first got up in the morning. I am in week 3 of this program and I have been feeling much better. I have a lot less discomfort than when I began this program. This program is very relaxing at first, then gradually steps it up in intensity. I was very skeptical and afraid of hurting myself more by doing this program. Needless to say my fears were for nothing. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a gentle, relaxing way to reduce or eliminate their back discomfort. I can hardly wait to get home every day so that I can “do” my exercises. Thank you Dr. Melleby!

5 Stars Been using this program for 20 years
I have a L5-S1 herniated disc. This is the program recommended to me by my orthopedist. It’s worked for me. I’ve only had minor flare ups every 3-4 years. Check with your doctor before using.

3 Stars DVD Menu not included
This DVD does not have a menu. It is very difficult and time consuming to navigate to the exercises on the DVD. While the results may be worth the investment in this DVD, the quality isn’t. In this age of high technology I expected a quality DVD in exchange for my money.

5 Stars We Call It the Miracle
In our household, we call this the “miracle video”. We’ve been using this video for as long as I can remember – maybe 20 years or so. We have it in VHS and I’m going to get it in DVD. I bought two VHS copies because I was so worried that something would happen to just one and didn’t ever want to be without it! It seems so simple and obvious – and yet the gentle, systematic program that builds so sensibly and gently over time is just the best ever. Having had quite a few episodes of back problems – from acute to moderate – over the years, I can speak from experience with this video. It has been a lifesaver many times over. It is excellent and wise.

5 Stars Great straight-foward tests & exercises to erase back pain
Back pain is mostly due to poor or little muscle use on a daily basis. Weak abs make your back work harder, poor posture puts strain. This course was done with over 1,000 people in the YMCA in the 1980s. Over 80% were pain free within 6 weeks. Only 2 % got worse & 5% felt no difference.

This comes with a nice booklet with many b&w photos so once you are used to it, you don’t have to go through the dvd to get what you are looking for.

This is done on a stage with Dr. Alexander Melleby, M.S. teaching with 2 women in leotards & 2 men in shorts & tube socks demonstrating.

This was redone in 2005 for dvd with many chapters for the intro, who Dr. Melleby is, the reserach, the Kraus, M.D. study, what causes back pain, the YMCA study, self-evaluation, the 6 Kraus-Webber tests & 3 chapters for each of the 2 weeks of the 6 week program.

You can see video clips at their site backpaindvd com

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