Tag Archives: Peggy Cappy

Interview with Peggy Cappy

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Turning Point: Peggy Cappy

From Kripalu Online: http://www.kripalu.org/article/890/

Peggy Cappy, author of Yoga for All of Us, is known through her best-selling video series Yoga for the Rest of Us as seen on public television. Her DVDs include Back Care Basics and Heart Healthy Yoga. Peggy teaches yoga internationally and also teaches a gentle yoga class that has been ongoing for over 25 years, and includes many students in their 80s and 90s. www.peggycappy.com

Kripalu Online Describe what you do in 15 words or less.
Peggy I create “yoga for the rest of us” programs for PBS, inspiring and empowering others.

KOL Tell us about a turning point in your life.
Peggy I made a top-quality, gentle-yoga video of my ongoing yoga class of 25 years, which led to a yoga program that became an unprecedented success, first through WBGH in the Boston area, then nationally and internationally through exposure on hundreds of other PBS stations.

KOL What do you love about teaching?
Peggy I love knowing that I have made a tremendous difference to many in relieving pain and restriction, helping them to feel better, move better, and enjoy life more. In each class I teach, I am devoted to creating sacred space that demands focus and one-pointedness of mind, while fostering greater health and freedom in the body.

KOL What are you passionate about right now?
Peggy Meditation. Although I have practiced meditation over the past 40 years, it is especially fruitful and fulfilling at the moment. I am amazed that it can be both familiar and new.

KOL What do you do in your downtime?
Peggy I love to spend time in nature, whatever the season. I treasure connecting deeply with friends and family, whether through traveling, art activities, or simply sharing a good meal together. I love doing what makes me laugh.

This interview appeared in Kripalu Onlines: http://www.kripalu.org/article/890/

DVDs for Yoga at Home

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Recently, a friend asked for some recommendations for yoga DVDs.

These are some of my personal favorite yoga DVDs. My criteria are: 1) can I understand the instructions, 2) are they using language I can understand instead of arcane “yogaspeak”, 3) do I actually enjoy doing the sequences?

If you are inflexible I recommend starting with a slower-paced practice that will give you some time to get into the poses correctly and spend a few moments maximizing the stretch. Look for words like “gentle,” “hatha,” or “Kripalu.”

Ashtanga and Power Yoga may be too fast-paced to allow enough time for a real stretch if you are inflexible. They’d be better after you develop some flexibility.

Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss

I love this one – Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss – I think it’s a great beginner tape. You can ignore the “weight loss” part. I has 4 people doing the sequence with different levels of modifications. You can watch them as a group or just the one who is closest to your level of flexibility. 

Available from Amazon

I also like the 2 DVDs of Kripalu Yoga. Kripalu Yoga is sometimes called meditation-in-motion because it combines the poses with breathing and relaxation.

Kripalu Gentle
“Two complete and distinct gentle yoga experiences: first flow 32 minutes, second flow 28 minutes. Includes warm-ups, a variety of floor postures, basic standing postures, a meditation-in-motion posture flow, and relaxation. A well-rounded experience-great for increasing flexibility, releasing tension, opening the spine, back care, and gentle strengthening. Appropriate for all levels. There’s no need to be especially strong or flexible to receive the full benefits of Kripalu Yoga.”

Available from Amazon

Available from the Kripalu Online Store

Kripalu Dynamic

“A dynamic sequence designed to awaken the wisdom of your body as you build strength, endurance, focus, and concentration. A classical series of 30 asanas including warm-ups, standing postures, salutations, balancing postures, floor postures, twists, and inversions, ending with a meditation-in-motion posture flow and relaxation. Postures familiar to most intermediate-level practitioners. There’s no need to be especially strong or flexible to receive the full benefits of Kripalu Yoga.”

Available from Amazon

Available from the Kripalu Online Store

Yoga for the Rest of Us: Heart Healthy Yoga

Lots of Sun Salutations – but at a comfortable pace. It’s both good cardio exercise and a comprehensive series of standing poses. Doing 10-20 minutes of Sun Saluations every morning totally changes my perspective on the day.

Available from Amazon

Available from Peggy Cappy

Yoga at any age

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 A recent Yoga Journal e-newsletter featured an arcticle titled “Forever Young,” about older adults doing yoga.

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2669

Peggy Cappy, creator of  the Yoga for the Rest of Us DVDs, was quoted throughout the article.  If you don’t know her work, please buy or rent the DVDs.

Peggy has been teaching a Gentle Stretch class in Peterborough, NH for over 20 years. Many of her students are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

I had the privilege of observing the class during a teacher training course with Peggy this summer. Her older students are amazing – active,  joyful. If they hadn’t told me their ages, I would have guessed much younger ages.

Peggy Cappys Yoga for the Rest of Us

Peggy Cappy's Yoga for the Rest of Us

When prospective students ask if I think they are too old or too inflexible to begin yoga, I always tell them about Peggys’ students.