I loved my Yoga Zone Conditioning & Stress Release VHS (part of a boxed set I purchased in 1997) so much that I brought it with me when I moved to Europe. Afraid that the tape would wear out or the recorders become obsolete I now own it in DVD! I'm sure blu-ray is next...

11 years ago as a former ballet dancer I needed a way to stay supple and stress free after I quit dancing. Now as a Pilates teacher I use this tape to start my day relaxed and stretched. It is the perfect antithesis for an active Pilates teacher who regularly uses her core. I also love the momentum of this tape to get my day started, working out aches and pains. The clear and precise information Alan Finger imparts develops body awareness, an important aspect to owning a body. Much like a car, one must listen to the rattles and wheezes to know when to add oil or send it for a tune-up. Mr. Finger has a soothing voice and he never says too much going slowly enough to make it a pleasurable session everytime, even after 11 years! It is the perfect meditative way to start my day.

Lastly, I was also able to use Conditioning and Stress Release at home while doing physical therapy to rehabilitate my shoulder after arthroscopy for a torn supraspinatus tendon. Routinely and gently doing the many neck and shoulder stretching exercises finally helped me to realize my goal of almost 100% full use of my arm.

I recommend this tape for anyone interested in starting yoga. The boxed set which includes this DVD is perfect for continuing on with meditation and the asanas.

This video is way to basic, and you barely get anything out of it. Too much talking and not enough flowing. If you're a beginner, start with the intermediate videos. They're just as easy to follow, but you get more out of them.

I have several yoga DVDs and VHS tapes, but Alan Finger and Yoga Zone are among my favorites. This particular title, "Conditioning and Stress Release" is one I use the most. I think it adequately addresses both flexibility/strength and stress release, and no matter how many times I do this DVD I do not tire of the moves. Alan is very soothing to listen to, and describes the asanas so well that you need not look at the screen to know what you should do after the first few viewings. I had this in VHS format and replaced it with DVD, I loved it that much. I take it with my portable DVD player when I travel.

This is my second yoga DVD. I am a 32 y/o male who is trying to take up yoga as a way of dealing with chronic neck/low back pain and also stress relief. My first DVD was Element: Yoga For Beginners with Elena Brower. I felt it was excellent overall.

This DVD, however, just hasn't been very good for me. It seems less like a beginner DVD and more like a just past beginner/early intermediate stress relief type DVD. The instructor, Alan Fingers, is very thorough in his descriptions. Quiet honestly though, for stress relief, he talks entirely too much and his voice is not soothing at all. Its a non stop voice that sounds more like a professor in a lecture hall than a yoga instructor who is trying to help you relax. Elena Brower's voice and music combo was far more soothing and I had always felt an immediate sense of ease and release when starting her DVD.

Overall, I feel like this one may be good for a lot of people. I may even come back to it later after I have become more comfortable with my breathing and postures. I just didn't find it to be a good DVD for my purposes and tastes. However, considering the knowledge and instruction given are top notch and my issues are with the presentation/voice/etc., I would rate it 3 stars because it seems to have a lot of good information.

I have practiced yoga for a number of years, and although I still only consider myself beginner-intermediate, I am in fairly good "yoga-shape". I have 4 Yoga Zone dvds, and this is the one I pull out when I am sore from some other vigorous activity, like hiking or a cardio class. For me, this video is less like a yoga workout and more like yoga physical therapy. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy... yoga never is! But this is the least strenuous of all of my yoga videos, and my favorite for a good stretch and some de-stressing.