Frequently Asked Questions
What should I wear to practice yoga?
Wear something that allows you to move easily, that won’t get in your way,and that keeps you at a comfortable temperature. Sweatpants or tights, with a t-shirt works well. Sometimes I start out wearing a long sleeve shirt, and as my body warms up I change to a sleeveless top. You want to keep your muscles comfortably warm so that you can safely stretch. Also make sure the room is heated to a comfortable temperature. I keep the temperature in my studio at 72 degrees, and this works well for most people.
How often should I do yoga?
To see results you might want to practice at least 2-3 times a week. If you have the time and energy to practice a little each day that would be best. But every little bit helps - if you can only practice once a week that’s much better than not at all. Also, let your body guide you. If you are feeling really tired or sore, you may be overdoing it. If you aren’t seeing any results, you might want to practice more often.
How long should I practice each day?
Every person is different. It depends on your schedule, strength, stamina, and energy level. If you are just starting out and have been inactive for a long time, 10-15 minutes may be all you should do. If you are stronger and more active, you might want to do several sequences for a longer practice. And every day is different. Some days you might want to do a long strong practice, and some days lying on your back for a guided relaxation is all you can manage. That’s the beauty of practicing at home with a dvd – you get to decide how much or how little you want to do. The best guideline is how your body is feeling.
How do I decide what to practice?
Let your body and your fitness and health goals be your guide. If a particular practice addresses something you really need to work on, such as balance, core strength, or flexibility, it’s fine to do those practices more often than the other practices. But it’s also important to work your entire body, so you might want to consider including other practices in your routine also, at least occasionally. There are no hard and fast rules.
I’m having a hard time motivating myself to do yoga. Any suggestions?
Especially in the beginning, when it may take a lot of discipline to make yourself practice yoga, do whatever practice you most enjoy. If you are dreading it, you’ll find all kinds of great reasons to avoid doing it! Often if you put in the dvd, and get yourself dressed and ready to practice, you’ll find the motivation to continue. Doing a short easy practice, or doing just the relaxation, is much better than doing nothing. And feel free to skip any poses you don’t feel like doing, or that don’t feel right for your body. Developing a yoga practice is a journey, and you want to make it enjoyable enough so that you’ll continue with the journey. You may also want to do an online search for motivation to exercise, or find a good book that addresses this. Finding a way to motivate yourself to do yoga and other kinds of exercise will be time very well spent.
I’m the stiffest person in the world. Can I still do yoga?
I’ve heard this so many times! Absolutely, positively, yes! Just practice with extra compassion and patience. Keep in mind that flexibility is largely genetically determined, and that being stiff is not a character flaw! Less flexible people often benefit more from yoga than flexible people. I come from a family that can barely touch their knees and am stiffer than the average yoga teacher, so I totally understand the frustration of being a stiff yogi. Keep in mind that it’s not how deeply you go into a pose, or what it looks like from the outside that matters. What matters is how sensitive you are to your own unique wonderful body, and respecting and honoring your limitations, while doing what you can do to help your body be the best it can be.
Where can I buy yoga props - mats, blocks, straps, etc.?
Most big box stores like Target carry yoga mats and blocks, and you can buy them online at places like Amazon. If you want higher quality yoga props you might want to look into companies like Hugger Muggger, Jade, Gaiam, or Manduka. The mats I use in the dvd’s are from Hugger Mugger.
Where did you get the shoes you wear in the Balance & Strength Exercises dvd?
I’ve been asked this so many times! The shoes are made by Keen. I don’t know the style name but they have leather uppers and a wide elastic strap across the top. They’re super comfortable.
I have (various) health and physical issues. Is it safe to practice yoga?
As with any new physical activity, if you have any doubts at all about whether something is safe for you, please check with your doctor. You might want to view the dvd first so you can describe to your doctor any movements you have questions about. In particular, if you have had a hip or other joint replacement, please follow guidelines given to you by your doctor or physical therapists. Always err on the side of caution. If anything causes pain or discomfort, stop doing it. If you get out of breath or feel lightheaded or dizzy, take a rest. Feel free to skip anything you feel unsure about.
Can I lose weight practicing yoga?
Yes, but not because you are burning a whole lot of calories (although you will definitely burn some). When we practice yoga we pay close attention to how our body is feeling. We are aware of sensations of breathing, stretching, and muscles working, all on a subtler level than with other kinds of exercise. This helps us stay safe in our yoga practice so that we don’t overstretch and injure ourselves. It also helps us to be more aware in general of how our body is feeling. For example, we become more aware of when we have eaten enough, and how different foods make us feel, like the sluggish feeling that comes with eating junk food. Over time most people also develop greater respect and appreciation for their bodies, and start making healthier food choices because they genuinely want to.
Another big reason you are likely to lose weight is because yoga helps you to relax. When you are more relaxed you are less likely to eat mindlessly. You also have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol circulating in your bloodstream. Cortisol is a hormone your body releases when you are stressed. Cortisol stimulates the appetite, especially for rich, sweet, high calorie foods. Cortisol also assists the body in laying down stores of fat, especially around the belly. Cortisol also lowers testosterone levels, leading to lower muscle mass. So if you’re feeling stressed and too tired to do an active yoga practice, you can still help your weight loss along just by doing a nice guided relaxation – how great is that?!
Yoga will also help strengthen and tone your muscles, and can help turn fat into muscle. You will feel and look much better with better muscle tone. Higher muscle mass also burns more calories than fat.
Can I play this in my Senior Center, Church Group, etc.
Yes, you are welcome to use any of my dvd’s for group exercise. Many church groups, senior centers, retirement homes, groups of friends and even RV parks use them regularly. I am more than happy to allow you use them for group practice. I only ask that you respect copyright laws, and do not make copies of the dvd’s, and if people ask about them you give them information so they can buy their own copies if they like.
Do your DVD’s and videos have closed captioning?
The dvd’s do not have closed captioning, but the Amazon streaming video’s do have closed captioning. You will find that option next to the main picture of the dvd cover on the Amazon webpage, or by searching on Amazon for the name of the dvd.
I’m having problems with my Amazon order. What should I do?
The arrangement I have with Amazon is that I send cases of dvd’s to Amazon, and Amazon takes the orders, packages up the dvd’s, and mails them out. If you are having a problem with packaging or shipping, for example:
- The dvd hasn’t arrived, even if the tracking says it arrived.
- The package arrived but there was nothing in it
- Amazon sent you the wrong item
- The package was damaged in transit, etc.
If you have one of these problems you will need to contact Amazon directly. To do that use the “help” link on the bottom of the Amazon homepage. Most of the answers to your questions can be found here. If you can’t find the answer you are looking for you can try calling 1-888-280-4331.
My DVD isn’t playing correctly. What should I do?
If the dvd loads, and the piracy warning plays, and you get to the main menu, but then you can’t select the section you want to watch, you need to use your dvd remote control. First find the up and down arrows on your dvd remote control. Then point the remote at your dvd player and press the down arrow to scroll down through the menu. You should see the boxes on the left side of the screen change color as you scroll. Then just press enter on your remote to select that section.
If your dvd skips, freezes, or doesn’t load the first time you try to play it, you may have received a faulty dvd. I use a very good U.S. dvd production company that uses state of the art technology, but the technology isn’t perfect and sometimes dvd’s are faulty. Please accept my sincere apology! Please contact me directly and I’ll make sure you get a dvd that plays correctly. Just email me via the “contact us” page on this website, tell me what the problem is, the Amazon order number (so that I can verify you purchased a new dvd from me), and your address and I will send you a new dvd ASAP.
If your dvd plays when you first use it, but then stops playing as it should, most likely it has gotten scratched or there may be dust or dirt inside your player (this happens in even very clean houses). You can try cleaning the dvd and blowing dust out from inside your player. You can find instructions online for how to clean dvd’s and the inside of your dvd player.
If you have a newer computer and the dvd isn’t playing, you may need to install special software in order to play dvd’s. To see if the problem is with your computer or the dvd, you can try playing another dvd that you know works well. If that dvd won’t play either, then you probably will need to download software in order to play dvd’s. You can look online to find which particular software is required by your computer for playing dvd’s, and instructions for downloading it.
If you have any other problem with the dvd not addressed above please contact me. I want all my customers to be happy and to have a product that works perfectly. I greatly appreciate it when you give me the opportunity to help you with the problem. You can email me at jane@kalispellyoga.com. If you want to talk to someone right away you can call me at 406-257-4527. Due to the high number of spam calls and robocalls I often do not answer the phone for numbers I do not recognize. Please leave a message and I will call you back ASAP.
The DVD I ordered is too easy or too hard for me. Can I exchange it?
Yes, you can. Simply send me the dvd you have and tell me which dvd you would like. Send it to: Jane Adams, 1401 4th Ave West, Kalispell, MT, 59901. Make sure to include a note with your address, your phone number in case I have questions, and clearly state which dvd you would like instead. If the dvd you are requesting is more expensive than the one you are returning please include the difference (see prices below).
I don’t like to buy things online with my credit card. Is there another option?
Yes. You can order one directly from me (Jane Adams) with a check.
DVD prices:
Gentle Yoga: 7 Practices for your day - $17.00
Balance & Strength Exercises for Seniors - $17.00
Yoga for Seniors – 2nd edition - $15.00
Yoga for Beginners (2 dvd set) - $19.00
Stronger Standing Balance - $15.00
- Add $4.00 shipping for each address you are shipping to (if you are ordering multiple dvd’s and they are all going to the same address it is still just $4.00 total for shipping).
- Make the check to “Jane Adams” for the cost of the DVD (s) + shipping.
- Mail the check to Jane Adams, 1401 4th Ave West, Kalispell, MT 59901. Make sure to include a note saying which dvd’s you want, the address to send them to, and a phone number in case I have questions.
- If you have any questions about the above you can call me at 406-257-4527 or email me at jane@kalispellyoga.com.
How to Write a Review on Amazon
Something most people don’t know is that there are two different places to leave reviews on Amazon. The reviews you see prominently displayed on the Amazon website are called Product Reviews. Product Reviews will be visible indefinitely for other customers to view, unless the author chooses to remove or change them. Product Reviews are meant to talk about the Product itself, in this case the DVD or streaming video.
The other kind of review is a Seller Review. When Amazon sends you an email after you’ve purchased something and asks if you’d like to write a review, it is a seller review. Seller Reviews are meant to talk about the Seller, not the product. Appropriate comments here are about customer service, packaging, shipping, late items, etc. These reviews are visible to customers only if they actively look for them.
If you’d like to review the product you want to write a Product Review. To do that, go to the Amazon website and find the product you want to review. Scroll down to the review section, and at the bottom of this you’ll find a link “Write a Customer Review”. Click on this and write your review.
I am sincerely very grateful to all the people who have taken the time and energy to write reviews. They are extremely helpful to other customers, and to people who are selling on Amazon. It is because of honest customer reviews that a small town yoga teacher like myself can actually compete with big video production companies. In deciding what to write, just think about what kind of information you think would be helpful to other customers who are trying to decide whether or not to buy the product.