Let’s Begin at the Beginning…

First: Do No Harm.


Yoga begins with Ahimsa (literally “non-injury”), which is in essence the Hippocratic epigram primera nocere: “First, Do No Harm.” Please consult your physician before beginning this or any other yoga practice. Even though the exercises included on this DVD are for the beginner student, they still may be challenging if you are not used to moving your body in the prescribed way.


If you are new to Yoga, please do not attempt the movements at the beginning of the video. This is an advanced demonstration performed by a professional stunt yogi with nearly a decade of experience. Remember, Yoga is progressive. Build a solid foundation first, then dive deeper. Go slow. Enjoy the journey. Practice regularly. Eat hearty…

3~’


I’ve been practicing yoga since the mid-90s when Yoga first started really going mainstream. The Yoga I fell in love with was not Hatha Yoga, which today has become the most popular form of Yoga in the West. To me, real Yoga was about sitting silently and exploring the inner world. It was about connecting with Spirit. So when I did begin to do Yoga postures (from a Sivananda Yoga book a mentor gave me) it was primarily to aid in being able to sit more comfortably. For whatever reason, I thought real yogis sit in lotus (aka pretzel), so I began working toward that. I was moderately flexible at that point, though fairly stiff in a number of areas due to over a decade of distance running and racing. Over time, slowly slowly things began to open up. I began to realize that working with the physical (Hatha Yoga) was really helping me with the more non-physical aspects of my practice. As my body opened and quieted, so did my mind (and vice versa). I understood that as I worked on the physical level, I was becoming more in control of my emotions and more and more the master of my destiny. This process continues…


So in other words, there is hope. If I (or anyone) can do it, then you certainly can. That said, work is involved; as they say, you’ve got to pay to play. If there is anything that I would like to impress upon you, it is the power of disciplined, daily practice. My feeling is, either I be proactive and discipline myself, or be let life do the disciplining for me. Wouldn’t I rather choose the former than the latter?


At the same time, I want to have fun. I want to enjoy my workouts as much as possible and not torture myself. So to you I would suggest: First, do no harm. If you are not enjoying a certain kind of exercise, find one that suits you better. There are as many “genres” of physical fitness as there are of music, or as there are kinds of fruit; they’re all tasty, but some you might like better than others. Personally, I’m a lifer. I want to stay fit the rest of my life, so I try to be creative and mix things up so as to not get bored or unbalanced.


Yoga ultimately says that we are much more than our bodies, that what we see on the physical level is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. On the other hand, Yoga’s wisdom also insists that we not downplay our physical existence; we have to ground ourself first before we can really move on. So an investment in our health and whole being is without a doubt one of the best we can make.



A note about this DVD: I see this video as championing the creative journey. I’m not a professional videographer or musician, but I’ve had a ton of fun and learned a lot through the process of making this short film. So much fun in fact, I’m ready to do it again. When we began, my friend Jim and I intended on making a short, Chaplinesque film. When that fell through (for various reasons), we decided to go with a less consuming format. That’s one reason why this “yoga video” at times feels like it wants to be something else, something more. To me, yoga videos are generally an unartistic and uninspiring lot. I would rather see a video that paints a broader picture, that gives some deeper insight into the human journey. Like: Who is this person teaching this yoga? How did they get to this place? What can I learn from their life’s experience. What moves them, and can they represent it somehow in moving pictures? Anyway, maybe next time we’ll be able to offer that.


SPECIAL THANKS

I wish to add a special note of gratitude to Angeliea Carson for her voice work and for her advice. Also thanks to Don Solins for his editing work. A special thanks to Page Penna for the cover art. Much thanks also to Joseph Taylor for his help with the final editing. Most of all I would like to thank my family for their love and support, and particularly Laurance for producing this project.

Alan