I have gotten a lot out of Rodney Yee's Yoga Conditioning for Athletes. In addition to general progressions it has some sport-specific routines for sports like swimming, running, and cycling (whaddya know!), as well as pseudo-sports like golf. Haha.

I've found it useful. It's not really like real yoga in the sense that it's really just a lot of basic stretches and poses, but it is relaxing at the same time and I certainly find it worthwhile and a challenge to progress to the level Mr. Yee exibits on the screen. In addition to his super-flexible, supple self representing the ideal execution, there are two other people with him demonstrating variations on the poses for beginners and intermediates. The beginner guy is one ugly dude, but he does a good job.

I did a quick search for this item at Amazon and didn't see it listed on DVD, but it was available about a year ago when I purchased it there.

Check out www.gaiam.com for videos that may be hard to find. The one mentioned above, Conditioning for Athletes, is available through their site and at 50% off. Here's a link, hopefully it'll work for you:
http://www.gaiam.com/...oduct%5Fid=91%2D0158

If it doesn't work, go to the website, then click on shop and run a search on Yee. I have several (4 or 5) videos that I cycle through, my favorites are definately the Yee videos. Check out Costco for cheap yoga 'starter' sets if there's one in your area.

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New rule for ST users to make this a better place:
When someone asks for ADVICE, don't be a douche. Give advice or STFU.

I agree that gaiam videos seem to be pretty good. I have yoga for beginers, which is pretty boring as a workout, but teaches you the basic poses pretty well. After that I found a power yoga DVD which is nice. The poses are shorter, and you do more moving in it, which I like to think warms me up and makes me stretch better. It's a Rodney Yee one.

Just to add some variety...

Beryl Bender Birch developed a Power Yoga regimen for the New York Roadrunner's Club and she and her husband T(h)om have two DVDs that might be good. Power Yoga: The Practice has clear explanations of the poses as well as a pretty challenging workout.

David Swenson has three DVDs (short forms, first series, second and third series) that are supposed to be truly fabulous. If you want to become a serious Yogi these might serve you the best.

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Meg.

I've really gotten a lot out of Brian Kest's "Power Yoga" series of tapes - I think there are 3 different ones. He runs a series of classes in Santa Monica as well, donation only, that are great. I bought my tapes on Amazon a couple years ago, but he has a website, too - www.poweryoga.com

Whenever I have any aches and pains, especially knee/hip/back - a couple sessions of these tapes in a week straightens everything out.

Good luck!

Funny this topic should come up. I nearly got lynched for admitting I do yoga and own the "Yoga for Athletes" DVD to my brothers in arms.

My buddies busted my chops too when they found out I practice Yoga on my easy/rest days. Now, whenever they see me, they start chanting, "Ohmmmmmmmm...Ohmmmmmmm..." When I answer the phone or listen to my messages, first thing I hear is, "Ohmmmmmm."

I hope that doesn't become my new nickname. "This is my friend, Ohmmmmmm."

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E-Z

--It ain't a good idea to swim near MY bubbles!

I also use the Rodney Yee DVD "Yoga Conditioning for Athletes" and think it's great. As for what the detractors of yoga say, who cares what they think. Practice of yoga is highly recommended by Slowtwitch's JulieAnne White and Gordo Byrn (3rd overall at this years IM Canada).

Richard

As a long time yoga practitioner and new triathlete, I'd like to add that some yoga lessons are going to be very beneficial if you find a good teacher.

As with all sports, the correct form is important to prevent injuries. The videos can't walk around you making small corrections to the way you hold your body. A good instructor will do this. Getting set up correctly in the positions will go much further to helping you stretch than just trying to follow what's on screen.

Once you have the basics down, you'll be able to apply it to the poses you have in your videos and know/feel that you are doing things correctly.

om, shanti, shanti, shanti :-)

J.

I really like Power Yoga with Rodney Yee. I bought it from Amazon on DVD and have been really satisfied with it. It's got a series of three workouts: Stamina, Strength, and Flexibility. I'll be damned if I can make it past the Stamina one though. They will definately cause you to break a sweat, but I feel great afterward.

I have Baron Baptiste's Power Yoga tape and I really enjoy it. I don't think you can go wrong with any of his tapes. If you want to read some other reviews, go to www.collagevideo.com . You can also download a short segment of the video so you can get a general idea of what it's like.

Happy yoga'ing.

Dawn

Eoin Finn is my yoga instructor, so I do know him personally. I don't know him well enough to be able to call him a friend of mine, and I do not recieve any sort of compensation by recommending his product - I simply know the man and his teaching style, and think very highly of him.

While I have never used his videos (as I prefer to attend his classes live), I do know what his classes are like and have heard many, many positive comments about his video "Power Yoga with Eoin Finn". It isn't targetted specifically towards triathletes or even athletes like many of Rodney Yee's videos, but I prefer a more balanced approach to my yoga practice anyway. Aside from swim training, yoga is the only upper-body exercise I do. I started it mainly for the core strengthening benefits, but at this time would be hard pressed to find an area that has not been helped because of my yoga practice.

If at all possible, try to find a local teacher/studio where you can at least take a beginner class. Getting a proper foundation is essential to a good yoga practice, and helps to ensure that you won't injure yourself trying to imitate what you can see but may not fully understand. Eoin's directions are excellent, but there's nothing like personal attention to your form - especially at the beginning.

Check out the link for a video clip and a link to an on-line retailer.

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