Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga: Primary Series with Melanie Fawer Certified by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

This a great but pricey DVD but I feel it is worth it. I will be working with this one for some time it challenges you but not to the point you feel like giving up. F.Y.I. I own Richard Freemans and Doug Swenson's DVD but I'm reaching for this one a whole lot more I appreciate her thoroughness. I would recommend this DVD to anyone looking for a great but not overwhelming Ashtanga DVD provided you're not an absolute beginner, I mean buy it if you really want to but she doesn't use props or hold poses long enough to accommodate a real inflexible beginner. I feel like you should stay in a pose that challenges you for at least five minutes so you can master it and one day go on with the flow. Here is something to think about: Manju Jois Interview New York 2000: Well for us it was fun to see my father doing yoga, putting himself in all these postures. You know it was really amazing. He used to pick a posture sometimes and he would like to stay in that posture for a long time. And that's how he used to practice. And that's how he started telling us to do that. There's no need to do millions of postures, just try to master one at a time then you can go to the next one. I really enjoyed watching my father doing yoga. Sometimes we all used do it together too: me and my sister and my father. Namaste

I really wanted to love this video, but I don't. I am new to astanga and really wanted to learn from this video. I am very frustrated that I can't get to the finishing sequences in any way on the practice video (or the instructional video either, for that matter), aside from fast forwarding to the very end (which would take a very long time.) I can't find any way to add the finishing sequences to my practice without memorizing them and "doing them on your own", as suggested within the video. Without being able to skip to the finishing sequences on the instructional video, I can't easily memorize them. In my opinion, the lack of any menu at all on the practice video makes it unusable. I have owned this for a few years. I keep trying again, and keep giving up. I will finally buy a video with a more useful menu.

I agree with the positive statements of the other reviewers. However, I wonder why Ms. Fawer has omitted instruction on the breathing and the bandhas. This should have been covered in the first chapter prior to Surya Namaskara A. Apart from this I like the very traditional and pure Mysore style approach that makes it possible for the new practitioner to build the practice pose after pose.

I have done other styles of yoga for years and after practicing Vinyasa Yoga for a while I became interested in the source - Ashtanga Yoga. I can't say enough good things about Melanie Fawer's DVD's. There is enough to keep me going for years here. All material is presented clearly and the dual formats (on two DVD's)are a great idea. Ms. Fawer is extraordinary, a joy to learn from. I feel that I have found a great source, not only for insights into Ashtanga Yoga, which takes years to learn, but for elements I can use in my current practice immediately. One small improvement might be more angles to view the asanas, but really, this series is so good, and Melanie Fawer so great to watch, that it is easily overlooked. I only wish I lived in New Orleans, to study with her directly!

I don't usually like to practice with DVD's but some are exceptional - David Swenson's and this one by Melanie Fawer. Each pose is broken down into manageable steps as the ashtanga postures are presented. One DVD is arranged to be used as instruction - very well done, and the other is the full primary series. There are sections that progress with added postures, a few at a time, so you can use the instructional dvd to get grounded in the series. Although not a substitute for a certified teacher, this set will be a very useful tool for both the new and experienced student.

If you want to learn yoga and learn it correctly, then this is your girl! The instructional shows the proper form and the second DVD allows you to practice it in a flow.

This dvd is great. I have a bunch of other ashtanga videos. I like them but this feels very authentic. Has great direction and though I am just a beginner, it gives me the feeling that one day I might be able to complete the entire first series (one day). I'm in love with this practice.

Really well made dvd Calming voice and moved at speed I like

Great instructional dvd.