“Bella” Australian health and beauty magazine’s review of “Stretch Breathe Relax”

A NEW DVD SHOWS HOW YOGA CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO YOUR DAY. WORDS BY WILLIAM MELDRUM

“Stretch Breathe Relax” from Good Medicine Yoga focuses on stress-relieving practices, rather than full-on physical yoga, so it’s helpful and useful for those of us who don’t have the prowess of a superhero. The DVD teaches simple movements, like rolling the shoulders or massaging the face accompanied by basic in-and-out-breathing ad various depths and speeds.

It starts with an Introduction to the eight levels of yogic practice, the cornerstone of which is pranayama, or controlled breathing. There’s nothing too difficult about pranayama, it simply means breathing from the diaphragm, evenly and smoothly, through your nose.

The first and perhaps most useful lesson is on how to control strong emotions, such as anger and anxiety, and increase your powers of concentration with your breath.

The exercises that follow are divided into three parts – the Morning, Midday and Evening – and performed by three women in a leafy outdoor setting The exercises are all appropriate for people who work in offices, sitting down most of the day, as well as those confined to airplane seats, Movements are very gentle and seldom require much space.

The narrator talks you through the correct approach a progression of exercises designed to improve mental and physical well being. While the exercises it outlines are low impact, Stretch, Breathe, Relax offers a lot of sensible advice that can take the stress out of your day and the wrinkle from your brow.