Anyone have experience with DDP Yoga?

Kyougu

It's something I been looking at for a while, since it seems to have a huge positive buzz, just curious if anyone has any impressions of it.

I actually been doing yoga for a month or so and love it, but the problem is that my gym only offers once class I can realistically make it to. I really want to do more of it, since even with once a week I seen a great increase in my flexibility, which helps with my rock climbing skills. So this seems like it could be a viable alternative.

amateurhour

The biggest problem I could see with DDP Yoga is that without an instructor present it's hard to tell if you're hitting the forms correctly. That's why yoga instructors make decent money, they teach you how to stretch without killing yourself in the process.

That would be the only downfall I could see.

Edit: I missed where you've been to one class a week though so honestly the moves I've seen in DDP aren't much different than what most of the instructors in a local class would do, specifically for the beginner stuff, so if you feel comfortable with the poses then it would probably give you some good extra workouts during the week.

Felix

I decided to try it out and see how it worked. So far I'm on week 3, I would be further along but the whole family is recovering from some sort of flu. Since I'm only just beginning, I've only done two of the workouts.

It's kind of cheesy and "rawr! man!" at times, but I think that's how he's trying to set his videos apart from all the soft-talking yoga videos that most people are used to. I'm very much a beginner at yoga, so I can't say how good it really is but it does seem to give a decent workout and he seems to be knowledgeable/passionate about yoga.

schuss

Yeah, the key to any yoga regime is to have a good instructor to guide you on proper forms, though you can do it on your own and only do classes once or twice a week as a more cost-effective option. Alternatively, quit the gym and just do climbing/yoga, as that should give you enough strength and conditioning.

TL DR

Oh god, I saw the DDP guy in a yoga documentary and his whole approach and attitude made me want to vomit. His program might involve a good workout, but he made a point of shitting all over traditional yogic philosophy and method in the interview I saw, and came off as a total meat-head.

The benefits of yoga are numerous, but to really take advantage of the flexibility aspects it's important to be engaged in the mindfulness practice. Gaining awareness of where your limit is and exactly where you can relax or engage in order to move to various postures is essential for avoiding injury and building flexibility in a sustainable way.

If you can't find a yoga studio in your area and need to resort to a DVD, I started with a program by Gary Bromley that worked really well for me. It's 'soft-spoken', but don't doubt that you'll get a great workout. Another popular figure, especially for "power yoga", is Rodney Yee. The yogic practice of engaging the core is really beneficial for climbing.

I also want to note that if flexibility is your goal, you might want to look into Yin yoga. It's a slower-paced practice where a pose will be held for a number of minutes, as opposed to a Vinyasa or 'flow' practice. The idea with Yin is that the pose is taken such that the muscles are relaxed and the stretch can take effect in the fascia and connective tissues of the body.

I've been practicing yoga for a little over 2 years now in a variety of places, so feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Seruko

Srsly
for a beginner instruction and adjustment is key.