Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind & Body

If you’re a baby boomer, you may remember Ali MacGraw in Love Story. She was also married to film producer Robert Evans and later to actor Steve McQueen (the man’s man). Ali also garnered attention for her minimalist sense of style, wearing little makeup and shiny pulled back hair.

Here's a photo of Ali the movie star.



For me, the best thing she did was take an interest in yoga. Another great thing she did was to team up with yoga master Erich Schiffman. In Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind & Body, Erich Schiffman leads some advanced students while they follow his soothing voice, doing yoga positions in stunning white sand.

You must be an advanced student to keep up with this DVD and to do all the positions. But I still think it’s the best yoga DVD or video ever made. You probably won’t be able to do all the poses (I cannot). However, I love the continuous flow of the exercises. The explanations are not redundant and a waste of time. Erich Schiffman’s beautiful and commanding voice helps me relax and focus on what I’m supposed to do.

I have to refrain from expecting a lot from myself. I can dream of being as flexible as the participants on the DVD. Ali MacGraw is so darn flexible that I’m guessing she has done yoga most of her adult life. There are cast members to represent various age groups and races. They are all graceful and flexible like dancers, moving from one pose to another. One of the members is Jennifer Grant, daughter of Dyan Cannon and Cary Grant, when Jennifer was a bit younger (1994). What a stunning and graceful girl.

Instead of feeling frustrated or competitive with the experts, I try to focus on the beauty of their movements so that my mind can memorize the poses, and hopefully this manner of viewing the DVD will help with my muscle memory eventually.

The video shots are stunning. The DVD is a visual delight for anyone to watch. I’ve seen nothing comparable.

The best way to do yoga is to repeat poses or to take the time to breathe into them. Other videos move along too fast to give you this opportunity. There is danger in hurting yourself unless you slowly warm up. You must breathe into the pose, giving yourself the chance to slowly push yourself into stretching a bit more each time.

Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind & Body has a nice variety of different poses, enough to create the right balance and to cover most parts of the body. The DVD—which was originally a VHS video—has been divided into chapters or tracts, making it easier to skip sections if necessary. But I recommend watching the sections you skip while continuing to do your breathing.

The longest sections are sun salutations that move right into a downward facing dog series. The series of poses repeats, giving you an opportunity to improve each time. Another long section is called the Standing Pose Flow that includes the triangle pose and similar positions done on each side. I will post a blog and throw a party the day I can do these positions without losing my balance.

This DVD is more advanced than many. But I still recommend it to everyone who is interested in yoga. Make no mistake that you can hurt yourself doing yoga, if you’re not careful. One of the purposes of yoga is to develop a relationship with your own body by feeling your way through the positions and waiting patiently for signals to push yourself further. It is always necessary to proceed with caution, only doing the poses you can do without stretching your body further than it wants to go. It is surprising how fast you can gain flexibility with persistence.

The New Age percussion and music add to the atmosphere and peacefulness of the DVD. Erich Schiffman’s narration—the specific words he uses in his instruction—help the listener go deeper into each pose, both mentally and physically. If you like yoga, you’ll enjoy this DVD. If you’re not a fan of yoga, buy the DVD anyway.

Why I Love Amy Sedaris

Strangers with Candy began its run on Comedy Central in 1999. My recent viewing of the insane 2006 movie, based on the series, prompted me to buy the three-season DVD . The movie and series have a preposterous premise about Jerri Blank, an ex-con, ex-drug addict, ex-prostitute “runaway.” At age 46, she returns to high school as a freshman to turn her life around. The humor is tacky, wacky and politically incorrect.

Although “Jerri,” played by Amy Sedaris, stands out as a nerd and a loser, the kids and teachers don’t seem to notice her age. The writers
--Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert, and Amy Sedaris--may have started with the show After School Special and thought, How can we take each episode and seriously scr*w with it? In a story with a lesson, each shallow character learns something. We're not sure what.

This movie trailer shows a taste of what I attempt to convey:

Trailer to 2006 Movie

Amy Sedaris’s transition to Jerri Blank requires her to freeze a pathetic expression on her face, like Billy Bob Thornton did when he played Karl Childers in Sling Blade.



The real Amy is adorable. She appears as the cat lady on My Name is Earl tonight (May 31). Below she attends the Bewitched premier (2005).



This is what fascinates me about Amy: She has figured out how to combine her talents in a unique way. Not only does she act, write, and perform demented comedy, but she has expertise and creativity as a homemaker. She has created a beautiful, but kooky book about entertaining. Someone (maybe Amy) coined her as “Martha Stewart on crack.” I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence features photos of prepared foods and completed crafts, shot in Amy’s funky apartment. The book has a campy look to it with Amy wearing vintage clothing. She also runs a business out of her kitchen called Dusty Food Cupcakes.

I Like You includes several Greek recipes, like Koulouraki and Kourambiethes (cookies) that are part of my family tradition (my family name is Tahtaras). Besides delicious food, the book gives advice about having guests. My favorite tip is: "Try filling your medicine cabinet with marbles. Nothing announces a nosy part-goer more successfully than an avalanche of marbles striking a porcelain sink." This sample page shows the flavor of the book:



Amy Sedaris should have her own show on HGTV, the Food Network, or Comedy Central. I Like You is something that has never been done. In plain words, it is awfully darn funny, and would make a great gift.

I only write reviews about things I buy. If you find SNL funny (Amy is from Second City), you will like Strangers with Candy, available as a TV series and movie. I Like You doubles as a useful cookbook and pretty coffee table book--it is large with 304 pages of color photos, drawings and recipes.