Review of "Viniyoga Therapy for Anxiety"
By Gary Kraftsow (Director)Bayview Entertainment, 2011
Review by Beth T. Cholette, Ph.D. on Nov 1st 2011
This DVD (along with its companion, Viniyoga Therapy for Depression), represents the latest partnership between Gary Kraftsow, yoga instructor and founder of Viniyoga Therapy in the United States, and pranamaya.com. As with Kraftsow's prior Viniyoga Therapy DVDs, he has designed these new releases to include not only a practice element but also a strong educational component in the form of lectures on both yoga therapy in general and the treatment anxiety in particular.
The Main Menu of the DVD is broken up into two sections, Lectures and Practices. Also on the Main Menu, there is a link to a short (less than 1 minute) introduction from Kraftsow providing an overview of the DVD plus a second link to Special Features. The latter include Gary's Biography, information on The American Viniyoga Institute, Bonus: Anxiety Practice MP3s, About Pranamaya, and DVD Credits. For the Lecture segments, Kraftsow is in front of a small group using a slide show; the chapter breakdowns are 1) Foundations of Yoga Therapy, 11 minutes, 2) Viniyoga Therapy for Anxiety, 18 minutes, and 3) Questions and Answers with Gary, 32 minutes.
Selecting "Practices" opens a submenu which lists the following options:
Guidelines for Practice, 10 minutes
Practice 1, Physiological Rebalancing
Full Practice, 45 minutes
Practice 2, Shifting Mood and Self-Concept
Option 1, Full Instruction, 54 minutes ? Explain Option 1
Option 2, Concise Instruction, 47 minutes
Kraftsow emphasizes five guidelines for practice: 1) breath-centric asana practice, 2) pranayama, or breath control, 3) chanting, which is used in the second practice, 4) meditation, and 5) modifying the practice as needed. The Concise Instruction option can be selected once viewers understand how to incorporate "mantra japa," or chanting, that is used in Practice #2. (Note: the four chants used in this practice are listed in the DVD insert; they also appear on screen briefly.)
I have provided a general overview of each of the two practices below. Each practice is performed by a different model in an airy studio with light wood floors. Kraftsow provides all of the cuing via voiceover; he does not mirror his instructions to the viewer. Initially, Kraftsow refers to each posture by its Sanskrit name (which will also appear on screen), but he will sometimes follow-up by using the English term as well.
1. Practice #1: Physiological Rebalancing.
This first practice does not incorporate the use of chanting. Rather, the focus is on pranayama, or control of the breath. In particular, Kraftsow leads the viewer through simple postures combined with brief intervals of breath retention. He begins with a body awareness exercise lying on the back, then comes to the knees for child's pose to a cat flow. The breath retention work first appears within downward-facing dog pose, but it also occurs with more flowing movements. To conclude this practice, Kraftsow first cues a 6-minute guided savasana centered around increasing awareness of the left and right brain; an additional 5.5 minutes of pranayama closes the session.
2. Practice #2: Shifting Mood and Self-Concept.
This session begins in a lying position, with a focus on gradually extending the breath. Many of the movement are asymmetrical in nature?for example, lifting one arm overhead while flexing the opposite foot. The middle of the practice includes a long mediation with an accompanying self-reflection regarding a source of anxiety in one's current life. The chanting work is incorporated throughout the practice, in various postures from mountain to hero's pose. The final 12 minutes of this session involve pranayama and meditation. Here Kraftsow chants aloud while the viewer is expected to follow along by chanting silently to oneself.
Kraftsow's credentials and knowledge are undeniable. Unfortunately, however, as with his last series of DVDs, his approach is rather dry. There is no music to accompany these practices, and because Kraftsow does not perform the asanas himself, there is a general lack of warmth and connection to the viewer. Combined with Kraftsow's often overly intellectualized vocabulary (e.g., "cogitate on?"), there is a rather cerebral feel to these sessions. As a psychologist myself, it is difficult for me to imagine someone with anxiety easily connecting with these practices?which is a real shame, as I have no doubt that they would be helpful.
One final note: this DVD is packaged in 100% Recycled Packaging, including a recycled cardboard folder (full-length but slimmer than a regular DVD case), recycled plastic DVD tray, and vegetable-based dyes. While I personally appreciated the eco-friendly approach, I did not like that the case was held closed only with tape (which tore at the cover when I attempted to remove it).
© 2011 Beth Cholette
Beth Cholette, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who provides psychotherapy to college students.
Resources
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Articles
- What is Anxiety?
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The Biopsychosocial Model of Anxiety
- The Biopsychosocial Model: Causes of Pathological Anxiety
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety Disorders
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety: Part II
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety: Part III
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety: Part IV
- Psychological Explanations of Anxiety Disorders
- Psychological Explanations: Part II
- Social Explanations of Anxiety Disorders
- Development & Maintenance of Anxiety Disorders
-
Classification & Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders
- The Classification and Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders
- Panic Attacks: A Classic Symptom of Several Anxiety Disorders
- Panic Disorder
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Selective Mutism
- Agoraphobia
- Specific Phobias and Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Other Anxiety-Related Disorders
- Anxiety and Other Psychiatric Disorders
-
Anxiety Disorder Theories and Therapies
- Anxiety Disorders: Theories and Therapies
- Behavioral Learning Theory and Associated Therapies
- Operant Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning and Avoidance Learning
- Contemporary Views of Behavioral Learning Theory
- Behavioral Therapies for Anxiety Disorders
- Cognitive Theory and Associated Therapies
- Cognitive Therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Adjunct Therapies
- Pharmacologic Treatments (Medication)
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Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
- Treatment for Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Treatment for Selective Mutism
- Treatment for Panic Disorder
- Treatment for Specific Phobias and Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
- Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (OCSDs)
- Conclusion
- Anxiety Disorder References & Additonal Resources
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News
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Questions and Answers
- Anxious About Opinions
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- Stay in Therapy Because I Like it?
- Is My Anxiety a Normal Reaction?
- What am I Supposed to do With a Hypochondriac Step Daughter?
- Need Help
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- How Can I Overcome my Debilitating Shyness and Fear of Life?
- Really Desperate..Please Help
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111 more
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- OCD
- 19 Yr Old Naive Daughter
- Fear of Choking
- Help
- Should I be Worried?
- Too Much Time doing Homework
- Falling Apart
- Can't Stand Noise
- What Is Intimacy, Exactly?
- Is She Ill?
- Social Anxiety, Depression and More...
- Do I Have Just Social Anxiety or Other Diagnoses Combined with SA?
- Need To Ask Someone
- False Memories
- Help! Please!
- Two Year Old Son Wandered
- Infections and The Brain
- Are Personality Disorders For Life?
- I am Terrified of Death.
- Anhedonia
- Our 23 Year Old Son Refuses to Get Help for His Anxiety Attacks and Depression.
- Anxiety
- Anxiety Disorder vs. Personality Disorder: Differences?
- Restroom Phobia
- I'm Afraid I'm Going Crazy
- Post Brain Surgery Mental Problems
- Would Medication Help?
- obsessive strange thoughts about life and existentialism
- Am I Crazy?
- Is it Anxiety? Is it Normal to Be Like That?
- Depressed 19 year old college student
- Depression helps to contribute to my unemployment! - Paula
- Relationship Anxiety
- Disconnected
- I'm Scared
- Please help fix my mom. - Kenny
- OCD?
- Saving my Son
- Scary thoughts, dark feelings, help?
- Swallowing fear
- Is there something wrong with me?
- I have PTSD and I feel nothing
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- I have OCD. Will this increase my child's chance of developing Autism?
- Crazy Thoughts
- 20 Year Old Female: no friends, depressed, what should I do?
- unwanted thoughts!
- crazy thoughts... all the time
- A very low threshold for stress tolerance
- Why can't I get gross images out of my head?
- fear of expiration
- SPECIFIC PHOBIA
- anxiety or going crazy?
- OCB
- visions of what could have been
- about depersonalization
- obsessive compulsive disorder
- OCD/ANXIETY while pregnant
- Amnesia
- Social Phobia
- Constant Counting Disorder
- Anxiety
- Is this OCD?
- Worried about my therapist
- No Friends
- Teenager...angst vs. mental health issue
- phobia regarding uncertainty
- Obsessed with running out of things
- Do I Have OCD?
- Do environmental factors hold a person back?
- Never Had a Relationship
- Shy Rural Student
- Nursing Student's Anxiety
- I'm Afraid They Are Judging Me
- Part Time Work and Stress
- Anxiety
- Panic
- Bathroom Phobia
- Anxiety?
- Mastery Of Anxiety And Panic
- Very Determined Panicker In The South
- Panicking Boyfriend
- Alternatives For Anxiety Treatment
- Is Anxiety A Hereditary Factor?
- Unable To Keep Eye Contact
- Is It Really Panic? And How Do We Get Help
- A Cure For Claustrophobia?
- Panic Attacks
- Shyness And The Post Partum Blues
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- A Cure For Anxiety?
- Panic Attacks
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- Anxiety?
- Social Anxiety
- Linda writes:
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Book & Media Reviews
- 8 Keys to Stress Management
- A Brief History of Anxiety
- Anxiety
- Anxiety
- Anxiety Disorders
- Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic
- Been There, Done That? DO THIS!
- Calm Beneath the Waves
- Elsewhere
- Exercise for Mood and Anxiety
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31 more
- Getting Control
- Helping Students Overcome Depression and Anxiety
- Just Checking
- Mind-Body Workbook for Anxiety
- Monkey Mind
- My Age of Anxiety
- Overcoming School Anxiety
- Panic Disorder
- Passing for Normal
- Phobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents
- Repressed Spaces
- Self-Coaching
- Stress
- Stress Survival Guide
- Textbook of Anxiety Disorders
- The 10 Best Anxiety Busters
- The Age of Anxiety
- The Anxieties of Affluence
- The Dutiful Worrier
- The Emotional Eater's Repair Manual
- The Male Stress Survival Guide
- The Places That Scare You
- The Stress Cure
- The SuperStress Solution
- Treating Affect Phobia
- Under Pressure and Overwhelmed
- Viniyoga Therapy for Anxiety
- When Words Are Not Enough
- Wish I Could Be There
- Yoga for Anxiety
- Yoga Journal's Yoga for Stress
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Self-Help Groups
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Links
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Videos
- How to Manage ADHD and Anxiety
- What You Need to Know about Students with ADHD and Anxiety
- How To Make Room For Gratitude In An Anxious Brain
- How to Stay Calm When You Know You'll Be Stressed
- Anxiety and Teen Girls with Lisa Damour, PhD
- Identifying and Treating Anxiety in Kids and Teens
- Anxiety, Trauma and How Prolonged Exposure Therapy Works For PTSD
- How Weighted Blankets May Lift Anxiety
- Too Scared: Social Anxiety Disorder
- Treating Anxiety Disorders: A Unified Protocol
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19 more
- Treating Youth Anxiety and Social Phobia
- Overcoming Anxiety in Children and Teens
- Treating Anxiety in Children and Teens with ASD
- Back-to-School Anxiety
- No More Shame: My life with Anxiety and Depression
- Adolescent Depression and Anxiety
- What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
- Living Without Fear
- What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
- What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
- School Anxiety! Activities To Help Kids and Teens Manage It
- Recognizing and Treating Problematic Fear and Anxiety in Children
- How To Stop Overthinking When You Have Anxiety
- My Anxiety Is Making Me Anxious!
- Evidence-Based Treatment Planning for Generalized Anxiety Disorder Video
- Managing Anxiety in Youth: More Action Than Talk
- Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety
- Recent Advances in Anxiety - Children/Adolescents
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More Information
- Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with David Barlow, Ph.D. on the Nature and Treatment of Anxiety and Panic Disorders
- Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Dr. Michelle Craske on Anxiety Disorders Research and Treatment
- Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Richard Heimberg, Ph.D. on Anxiety Research and Treatment
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