introduction

For about six months, I was looking for another Gaiam yoga DVD that will work in my DVD player. At first, I passed on this DVD when I wanted to buy this from another Goodwill store in Texas, but I noticed that the company was first called Living Arts in the late 90s and then used both the Gaiam and Living Arts branding in various home media releases in the early 2000s. Any workouts that were previously released under the Living Arts label now have updated the cover art on some of their VHS and DVD covers. My copy of The All Day Yoga Workout is the original 1999 DVD that is distributed by Living Arts, and the cover design looks beautiful!

a.m. yoga with Rodney Yee

In the morning, the body is usually stiff from inactivity and is “perfect time to open our bodies and center our minds,” according to renowned yoga instructor Rodney Yee. Over the course of his yoga career, he has always started his day with yoga to provide a foundation for each practice. To help us prepare for the day, he has created this program to open up the mind and body for the day ahead. 

He begins with doing a guided visualization exercise called “conscious relaxation,” which involves the use of the breath to observe the current state of the body and serves as a little warm-up for the workout. Then we do a gentle sequence of poses (including a modified version of a sun salutation) that will provide a smooth transition into the day. Finally, a short guided meditation concludes the practice to bring awareness to the breath, centering the mind. 

my thoughts…

This is the very first yoga practice in my workout collection that Rodney Yee has produced, and it’s different from the one featured in Rodney Yee’s Yoga for Beginners. My favorte parts of the workout was when he used a strap (which I substituted for a light resistance band that I also used for Shape’s Make Over Your Abs, Butt, and Thighs- Fast!) and the guided body scan at the beginning. If I do say so myself, his physique is very muscular for a yoga instructor. For one, I bet he can do these crazy show-off moves like headstands and shoulder stands, but I loved Rodney Yee in this AM yoga workout.

stress relief yoga with Suzanne Deason

The world has been moving at the speed of light, especially when we have more responsibilities than ever. After the pandemic started to slow down, the pace of life has accelerated as we transition back to our routines. Spending extensive hours online makes it difficult to fully engage in the real world, which contributes to many common symptoms of stress being present: muscle tension, stiffness in the joints, headaches, fatigue, and decreased energy. That’s when a yoga instructor ( Suzanne Deason, who died in 2023 due to cancer) noticed these common symptoms and created the Stress Relief yoga workout. Suzanne designed this program to “help you reduce the effects of stress and bring renewed vitality to your life.” 

As with most yoga practices, we begin standing in mountain pose while Suzanne walks us through a sequence of standing poses linked to the breath, giving a sense of relaxation within the nervous system. Then some back bends and simple twists are used to detoxify the body and allows the chest to open for deeper breathing. A couple of the poses in this workout are modified with a block and a strap, making the practice suitable for all fitness levels. It might be helpful for you to view this workout (along with the AM and PM workouts that are also on the DVD) before you begin your yoga practice, as she goes through the poses a bit quicker this time around. 

my thoughts…

First of all, I thought that integrating this practice as a way to start or finish your day allows for a peaceful state of mind. I admire the presence of twists, forward and back bends, usage of props, and even Suzanne’s voice. The music choices used here has got to be one of my favorite things about this workout because it reminds me of reflecting on my emotions and how I can put my mind at ease. Eventually at the end of this workout, I was able to relax all those areas of the body where stress can be stagnant: the neck, shoulders, and lower back.

p.m. yoga with Patricia Walden

Usually, many people feel exhausted at the end of a long day at work or school, and it can be hard to relax before going to bed at night. This practice is intended to “balance, calm, and revitalize you to end your day,” as instructor Patricia Walden addresses in the introduction. She begins with a series of breathing exercises linked to gentle stretches followed by some standing poses that relieve tension that has built up in the body; then introduces forward bends and restorative poses to promote deep relaxation. The usage of props is very minimal in this workout compared to the previous workouts, but a folded blanket, a block, and a strap can be used to accommodate those with limited mobility. 

my thoughts…

I loved that the PM practice was filmed in the desert, particularly in Death Valley, California. Patricia’s workout on the DVD is not too strenuous in nature, but it does help quiet the mind from an active day and bring harmony to the soul. My only critique for this workout would be that the modifications with props are shown for a brief second before transitioning back to the standard version of the poses, and during the final relaxation pose, a body scan technique is mentioned but does not have any gestures linked to the breath, which I loved in the AM practice.

bonus content

On the main page of the DVD menu, you can easily access any of the yoga workouts by selecting the “choose your workout” button with your remote, but there are a few submenus that are also present. 

Yoga pose guide

An important place to start when you are new to yoga is a guide to doing poses, which isn’t like the one featured in Rodney Yee’s Yoga for Beginners. Instead of a separate video demonstrating the poses, you get a submenu withing the guide that allows you to choose which pose you would like to view. After you select one of the 24 poses featured in each of the yoga workouts, it gives you some pointers on proper form and ways you can modify them with props.

How to Use Props

This is a bonus 15-minute instructional video that can be selected along with the other workouts, and Suzanne Deason gives useful information about how you can modify some poses with props. She works with a student to demonstrate proper alignment of the body when using these props, and how they can benefit certain poses. 

Music Sampler

All of the music for the Living Arts yoga workouts come from various Adagio: Music for Living albums composed by Peter Davison. When you select this in the bonus features menu, it allows you to listen to a handful of selections that you can use for yoga, meditation practices, or to just relax. 

Instructor Interviews/Biographies

The DVD-exclusive interviews take you on a journey into each of the instructors’ lives and tell you their stories of how they became yoga instructors. Each interview also provides you with why they love to do yoga and the behind-the-scenes process of how they designed the workouts; the instructor biographies are essentially a condensed version of the interviews yet they still get the job done. 

my overall thoughts…

In conclusion, “Living Arts: The All Day Yoga Workout is a comprehensive program that truly caters to all fitness levels. The instructors have put in the time and effort to select poses that are appropriate for different times of the day, such as the morning, afternoon and evening, all of which are led in an effective and time-efficient way. Whether you’re looking to start or finish your day with yoga, or to simply relieve stress, this DVD offers something for everyone. I highly recommend buying the original release or the Gaiam rerelease from Amazon!

Thanks for stopping by my little sanctuary. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog this year, and stay tuned for more new posts in 2025!

Rating (Part 2) –

Instructor(s): 10/10

Set: 10/10

Outfits: 10/10

Music: 10/10

Production Value: 9/10

Overall Benefits: 8/10

Exertion: 7/10

Ease of Movement: 7/10

Audio/Visual Modifications: 4/10

Special Features: 9/10

Use of Equipment: 9/10

Total Score: 93

Intensity Level: Low Intensity

Impact: Low Impact