Tony G and students in Yoga Elementals produced by Udaya
Teacher Tony G’s passion for and dedication to practice and teaching shines throughout Yoga Elementals. Co-owner of Yoga at the Raven in Silverlake, Tony collaborated with director Airrion Copeland, musician/composer Trevor Oswalt (aka East Forest), and production company Udaya for this visually and sonically inspiring systematic exploration of our relationship with the elements (space, earth, water, fire, and air) through posture, breath, and meditation. The way the music is integrated into the practice is inspiring; there are moments when it propels the practitioner from pose to pose and it seamlessly integrates with Tony’s teaching as well as the themes for the practices.
Yoga Elementals includes a flash drive loaded with a video program with the five elementally themed classes, 20 pose tutorials, four meditations, three breath work sessions, and a strength-building “build the body” class. In the five elements classes, the fire sequence is focused on arm balances and building core strength, while air element practices favor empowering backbends and twists, the earth element involves standing and balancing poses, water is mostly hips and hamstrings, and the space class is a full-spectrum energizing practice. In each section, the viewer practices with Tony as he leads a group of yogis. His resonant voice is a compelling, compassionate, and authoritative guide to deepening practice.
The easy-to-use set includes technology instructions (compatible with Windows XP and above and Mac OS X 10.4 and above). It was so easy that I had Yoga Elements loaded in a flash. introductions to the practices. The set also includes vision statements from Tony G, Airrion Copeland, and East Forest explaining their approaches to this set. You will also find in the box, a 27-day practice guide with asana, meditation, and pranayama suggestions to mixi and match the various practices available in order to set up a month’s worth of a Yoga Elementals routine.
Yoga Elementals is highly recommended and suitable for all levels of practitioner, those looking for a guide to home practice or seeking an innovative set of themed classes. I’m not the only one who has been looking forward to this series of classes by Tony. His innovative and grounded practice is inspiring and this set of classes is perfect to return to again and again. Learn more at tonygyoga.com.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.