Neck Pain Relief

Acacia is a premier producer of healthy and ‘user friendly’ exercise DVDs. Particularly recommended for personal and community library DVD collections is “Yoga To The Rescue For Neck & Shoulders”, which features Desiree Rumbaugh providing a 30-minute, step-by-step, visual tutorial in a gentle, ‘user friendly’ program to address the aches, stiffness and tension of the neck and shoulder region. A highly recommended exercise videos with technically flawless recording, and a welcome additions to any dedicated exercise regime be it daily or weekly in nature.
Rating: 5 / 5

I bought this dvd because I have a terribly tight, uncomfortable neck (any time I go for a massage, the therapist says ‘I hope I helped you. You have A LOT of tension in your neck’), and I was hoping that this dvd would help with my neck issues. I have been to a few yoga classes and am basically a beginner. It is great that this dvd has a tutorial, because it would otherwise be way too fast paced and advanced for me. I have started with the tutorial, and I sometimes have to pause the dvd to make sure that I am doing things right. I haven’t tried the flow sequence yet because I think it will be too quick. I do think that the poses are helping my neck (it is definitely going to take time and patience), and I am pretty happy that I bought the dvd. In order to get the most of of this dvd, I think that I should probably take some more yoga classes so that I am more adept at moving fluently from pose to pose and can ask questions about certain poses (which of course you can’t do to a dvd). I would defintiely not buy this dvd if you have never done yoga because I think it would be challenging and frustrating.
Rating: 3 / 5

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this DVD from the web site Metapsychology Online.

I took a yoga workshop with Desirée Rumbaugh, the instructor of this DVD, in September 2008, and it was absolutely amazing. However, I also tried Rumbaugh’s previously two DVD releases, Yoga to the Rescue and Yoga to the Rescue for Back Pain, and unfortunately found them to be be disappointing. Happily, this latest release succeeds where the prior two videos failed.

One important change which Rumbaugh made for this DVD is that there are two separate 30-minute practice segments: the “Tutorial” offers more comprehensive instruction plus a detailed review of modifications for most of the postures, whereas the “Flow Sequence” is a faster-moving, more dynamic session based on the postures introduced during the tutorial. For both segments, Rumbaugh has an assistant, Andrew Riven, who displays the modified versions of the poses. Rumbaugh instructs the Tutorial segment via voiceover, although a few of the segments are preceded by brief live introductions. The chapters of the Tutorial are listed below:

*Wall Shoulder Stretch & Chair Pose
*Neck Strengthening
*Push-Ups
*Sphinx & Cobra
*Bow Pose
*Down Dog
*Locust Pose
*Side-to-Side Leg Lifts
*Crunches
*Lunge with Twist
*Side Plank
*Shoulder Stand
*Bridge, Plow & Shoulder Stand
*Relaxation

As the title suggests, the Flow Sequence moves along at a significantly quicker pace. Rumbaugh again teaches via voiceover, but there are no chapter breakdowns and no pauses between segments. The entire practice continues in this vigorous manner before concluding with the short (approximately 4 minutes) relaxation.

Although I am very pleased with this DVD, I would offer a few cautions. The DVD case states “For Beginners & Beyond,” which I think is misleading. I would recommend these practices for experienced yoga students only–i. e. , advanced beginners and above. The case description also suggests that the practices will help to “alleviate pain and stiffness,” and I do think the DVD would be valuable for this purpose–that is, in terms of normal, everyday aches and pains. I would be much more hesitant to recommend this DVD to someone with any type of injury or other special condition which might require a more GENTLE therapeutic approach.
Rating: 5 / 5

Desiree is awesome, let’s face it. Acacia has done an excellent job at showcasing her. I love how they have the tutorial section to get details on the poses in the flow section (and a few extras), as well as an index of poses so that practitioners can focus on poses that feel good. The music is great and inobtrusive, and I like the option to be able to turn it off and just have instruction. The demonstrations are great, showing Andrew with a little less mobility and Desiree showing more advanced options.
This video will work for beginners and even more advanced practitioners. For beginners I would say, watch the video at least once without doing anything. Go slow at first. Skip anything that feels too hard and come out early if you need to. Let your body adjust by focusing on the poses that are easier and then you can start trying poses that were harder over time.
It’s hard to know if you’re doing the poses properly, and if you’re feeling pain, please consult with a professional teacher. Don’t give up. You can find a local teacher in your area who teaches the same therapeutic alignment as Desiree at [. . . ]
As Desiree says, “Yoga shouldn’t hurt!”
Personally, I will use this video often – it’s a great home practice I can do before work (30 min). I will definitely get her other videos too, so I can mix it up. Thanks Desiree!
Rating: 5 / 5

I have tight shoulders and lack the natural curve of the cervical spine or back of the neck. As a regular practioner of yoga, I am always looking for ways to loosen up those areas. I used this video once and immediately felt more flexible. I love the detail of the instruction in the tutorial. Although, the flow moves a little faster than I like, after a few more times, I should be accustomed to the sequence and be able to flow with it. So this video is broken into a tutorial and a 30 minute flow sequence using the poses explained in the tutorial. I love this video and will be using it daily!
Rating: 5 / 5