Yoga-Conditioning for Life (Gaiam) (2001)

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General		Extras
Category	Yoga	Menu Audio Multiple Angles-Workout; Half Modified; Fully Modified Trailer-About Gaiam
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	41:30
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Ted Landon
Studio Distributor	Universal Pictures Home Video	Starring	Rodney Yee
Case	?
RPI	$24.95	Music	None Given

    Gaiam is a US based lifestyle company focusing on new age, natural and renewable products. The name Gaiam is, according to their web site, a fusion of "Gaia" and "I am". Gaia is the name given to the Earth when referred to as a single living entity, all animals, creatures and people forming a single living being. This is a belief that comes in a roundabout way from the ancient Greek belief in the mother Goddess.

    Gaiam sells a range of products including a wide selection of DVDs, videos and other material relating to yoga. This DVD is one of that collection.

    I do not have a great deal of experience with yoga but I think that this DVD is aimed at the knowledgeable beginner through to the more advanced practitioner. They do talk you through the routine and describe each posture, but it is more of a reminder for someone that knows the positions but has not yet memorised the entire order of a routine. An example of this is being instructed at one stage to press down into your heart chakra. This is great if you know what this is, but if you don't you will be a little confused as well as missing out on the energy flow that probably accompanies such an instruction. A true beginners DVD would include a separate introductory section with detailed descriptions of each posture.

    What they have done with this DVD, however, is to make use of the DVD angle feature very cleverly. There are three versions of the workout on the disc, the first aimed at the experienced and truly flexible practitioner, the second at the intermediate and slightly less flexible and the third at those just starting out. Each of these routines is assigned to a different angle and contains footage of someone performing the workout at that level . The accompanying voiceover describes the modified positions appropriate for that level. The three are obviously in sync and you can flip from level to level at will.

    The three practitioners are all on the same headland in Maui with the ocean making a very nice backdrop to the routine. They are arranged next to each other and the main and most advanced angle is a wide shot that includes all three practitioners or the occasional pan or close up on each. The other two levels are shown by the two outside practitioners and when that angle is selected the camera stays on that person exclusively.

    Rodney Yee is the main presenter for the DVD. His voice describes the workouts for the three different levels and he performs the most advanced of the positions. He is assisted by two women, one doing each of the two easier levels.

Video

    The material is presented at 1.33:1 which is most likely its original aspect ratio. It appears to be video sourced material and has a few problems.

    The image could be sharper. I think that a combination of the video source and some compression problems are probably the cause of this. The image is shot in bright sunlight and is fairly high in contrast. Shadows are restricted to shadows cast by the sun and sometimes lack some detail. There is some low level noise.

    The colours are fairly solid but there is some colour bleed such as under the arms at 5:32.

    There are some minor MPEG artefacts in the form of some pixelization, an example being the grass at 3:36. There is the occasional patch of posterization. The video source is relatively clean.

    There are no subtitles on this disc.

    This is an RSDL disc but the layer change must be in between the material as I saw no evidence of it.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Dialogue quality is very good and there are no problems with the audio sync.

    The main feature is not accompanied by music, only the sound of the waves in the background.

    The subwoofer was not put to use.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    A static menu with a montage of pictures of the three practitioners we see during the workout. You can select which of the workouts you wish to do right at the start rather than waiting and then switching angles. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0.

Trailer: About Gaiam (0:45)

    This looks like a long and interesting routine. I am sure that if you managed to perform this a couple of times a week you would quickly see the benefits.

    The video is a little soft.

    The audio is simple but functional.

    There are no extras to speak of.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall