AHP Perspective is a magazine published bi-monthly for members of the Association for Humanistic Psychology. It includes interviews, articles, essays, updates on member activities, conference announcements, and book reviews. Members receive the complete AHP Perspective as part of their membership.

AHP PERSPECTIVE April/May 2002 Table of Contents

YUMMY YOGA: Gentle Stress
Relief for the Hips, Back, and Neck
WITH CHRISTA RYPINS
MA: Adams Media, 2000, video, $20,
ASIN: 0964769832.
Reviewed by Marilee S. Niehoff

F or all of you yoga enthusiasts, and especially for those of you who may be intimidated by traditional yoga and exercise routines, Yummy Yoga is a must see! I have been practicing yoga and water exercise for years, and I think this may be one of the most wellproduced yoga videos that I have ever seen!

This video screams, “Anyone can practice yoga!” The participants in the video are diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, gender, and fitness level. They also look like “normal” people whom you could imagine practicing yoga to improve their wellness and enhance their quality of life. Rather than models with perfect bodies, the participants are people to whom the average person could relate. This is important because it demonstrates that one can improve wellness and reduce stress at any age or fitness level.

The production and format of Yummy Yoga is very user friendly, making learning the routines efficient and fun! Christa and the other participants lay on a circular mat. While Christa describes the movements, the camera gives multiple perspectives on body positions and movement sequences, which provides an integrated presentation of how to perform the movements. I found this extremely helpful in learning the routines. The excellent camera work and narration in conjunction with the video’s comfortable pace allowed me to participate immediately. The routines utilized in some videos are so fast-paced and complex that one needs to watch the video through before trying to participate. However, Yummy Yoga allows for immediate participation.

Yummy Yoga’s emphasis on somatics, a form of neuromuscular reeducation, gives this video the feeling of a progressive relaxation exercise. In somatics, muscle tension is thought to be caused when neuromuscular connections are impeded by life stressors. Impeding the neuromuscular connections does not allow one’s muscles to fully relax and, thus, they remain in a state of constant contraction. Constant muscle contraction can cause pain. However, by tensing one’s muscles and then paying careful attention to their relaxing, one can begin to reeducate the neuromuscular connections and achieve a deeper state of relaxation. This helps to relieve chronic tension and pain.

Yummy Yoga effectively integrates yoga movements with somatic relaxation techniques to make for an excellent blend of wellness and stress reduction. I think that this video would benefit anyone interested in yoga, but might have some special applications for the working professional who sits at a desk most of the day and winds up with a tense neck, back, and jaw. If you need to relax or are interested in starting a yoga program, I highly recommend Yummy Yoga!

MARILEE S. NIEHOFF, Ph.D., spent much of her early career as a consulting organizational psychologist and college professor focusing on wellness and stress reduction. She is a licensed water therapist who specializes in Watsu therapy, a form of Shiatsu exercise and relaxation that is beneficial in relieving pain and stress.

AHP PERSPECTIVE April/May 2002 Table of Contents

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