Kundalini Yoga for Energy & Super Radiance! ALL LEVELS - with Ana Brett and Ravi Singh

Kundalini Yoga for Energy and Super Radiance with Ana and Ravi.WOW!Well, firstly, let me tell you a little bit about my Kundalini journey so far. Prior to discovering Kundalini Yoga I had practiced Hatha Yoga (a beautiful practice) for approx one year. My practice is now Kundalini and for over a year now I have had a regular morning practice. It was like I had found what I was looking for when I started doing the DVD's, I resonate completely with it....it was like something clicked into place. I have a good library of Kundalini DVD's that I rotate throughout the week and have also a growing library of books including some by Yogi Bhajan....so inspiring.Anyway on to the review!Set with a colourful background depicting ocean and green landscape, buddha, lotus flowers...I found the production to be visually pleasing and of good quality. The sound and accompanying music I also found to be good quality, the music is uplifting and inspires me to keep going, or if I need to stop to start again when I am ready :)There is a good menu of options which include a matrix where you can design your own class to suit your needs on any given day. There are a good selection of pre sets to choose from and these have clear descriptions of how difficult they are likely to be eg for beginners and for intermediate and a real challenge. Also you have the option of simply 'playing' the DVD class through which is a good option too.To begin with there is Tune in via mantra and this is set to some music which I thought was a nice touch.Next is a good set of warm ups and includessufi grindcat cowcat cow variationpiston variation with arms raised.Stretching set includesRag dollRow boatseated side stretchesseated side stretches using armslegs wide while seated on the floor and side stretchlegs wide while steated variation stretching forward and deep breathingsquat on balls of feet and rotate both feet one way and then the other way (really nice!)Energy and radiance set includesalternate from standing postition into a seated squat positionstanding coordinating arm and leg movements (cardiac..good!)some breath of fire used with thisvariation on standing coordinating arm movements (cardiac..good!) some breath of fire used with thisStanding in a starfish pose, legs apart arms raised to the sides...deep breathingStanding with legs apart and arms raised to sides lower opposite arm to oppostie foot and repeat on other sideStand and meditate for a short periodStand with feet approx hip width apart, kick out alternate legs and chant the mantra 'Har'alternate from standing position to a seated squatStanding coordinating arms and legs (good cardiac)starfish with deep breathsStand with feet approx hip width apart, kick out alternate legs and chant the mantra 'Har'lie on back, alternate leg raises..breath in 8 parts whilst moving leg up and out in 8 parts while lowering legRadiance setSit on heels (or in easy pose) with hands interlaced behind back bow forward, raise arms, sit up and then this kriya continues for a good length of time....I really, really enjoyed this I felt so tranquil and meditativeSit in easy pose, extend arms to shoulder level and have hands in claws (like a tiger)raise them up over your head in the shape of an arc and back to shoulder level to the rhythm of breath of fire. Near the end the tongue is enxtended from the mouth and then returned and the breath held and then released. This is a real test of endurance! I had to stop and restart quite a few times but it is something to work on :)enjoyed it!RelaxationLying down on back with arms and legs apart, palms faced up in Savasana....lovelyMeditationsolar poweradi shaktiBeautiful meditations, among my favouritesTo closefinal prayerTune out via mantraThis class was amazing! Ana demonstrates beautifully and both Ana and Ravi encourage throughout, the instruction is clear and I am very comfortable with their way of teaching, gentle and inspiring! I feel wonderful, radiant, energised and very very happy when I have done this class............a class I will treasure and work with often!Thanks to Ana and RaviSat Nam x

I did this dvd this morning and I must say that it reminds me of as someone here said "old school kundalini yoga" One reviewer said that this dvd is not what he/she is used to. I say that this dvd is like what you see in the kundalini yoga manuals and I think that RaviAna toned it down a bit so as not to overwhelm viewers. For example, in most kriyas, squats are done sitting all the way down on your heels and coming up. Rarely are squats done half way, usually that is a modification. To do them the traditional ky way, you can put a rolled yoga mat under your heels and make sure that your feet are forward and not out to the side. Also the Har kicks are usually shuffle bounces. I modified these exercises and you can too depending on your abilities. Also with the har kicks, RaviAna didn't mention that Har is pronounced "hud". If you say it quickly it sounds like "hudda" with the tongue striking the top of the mouth.I loved, loved the Radiance salutations. This is actually an intermediate meditation. The music for the salutation is the Jap Sahib which is one of the Sikh morning prayers. It is a Bani (prayer)that describes the many characteristics of God (nameless, formless). When doing this kriya, try to keep the rhythm by bowing (third eye on the floor or pillow)on the Namastang or the namo words. I have bad knees so I put a blanket between my bum and thighs. I also have tight shoulders so I use a strap to pull my arms up. Loved it.The tiger claws exercise was the hardest thing I have done in awhile. I wanted to stop but I kept say to myself "victory, victory" This gave my brain something to do to block out the pain. What happens in long exercises like this is that your soul takes over and after awhile you don't feel your arms and your mind stops complaining, but you can't stop not even for a second. This is the beauty of kundalini yoga to push you further than you thought you could. I once had to do Sat Kriya for 31 minutes, never thought I could do it, but I did!!To the disappointed reviewers who say that this is not kundalini yoga, I suggest that if your complete exposure to this yoga is through RaviAna dvds, then go the 3HO web site and find a ky teacher in your area. Get out of the house and experience Kundalini yoga live!My only minuses on the dvd were the mantra music. I didn't like them so I downloaded Snatam Kaur's version of Har Gobinday. It's free at spiritvoyage/mp3 downloads. Also there is an Adi Shakti song is by Sada Sat Kaur. You can download it at omstream. My new favorite Adi Shakti song is by Sat Purkh Kaur called "Jai Ma". It ends with the Adi Shakti mantra. You can download it at kriteachings. There is also a video that shows the celestial communication (arm/hand movements) that go with this mantra. Simply beautiful. Otherwise great dvd. Get it you will love it!

This dvd does seem to have more variety of exercises than what's on their other dvds but I like it for that reason, as so many of the typical kundalini exercises are found and are repeated on their other workouts. My main critique of the disc however is in the pre set workouts. The longest workout coming up at 1:40 min. has far too many repeated kriyas. I get it; repetition is how one builds both physical and psychological endurance and strength but it just felt like a lazy approach here and left me feeling cheated after completing it. A few different kriyas would have really been appropriate in my opinion.Yes it's more modern fusion-type music, yes Ana went back closer to her natural blonde hair and likes to wear her long fun ponytail (who cares?!!!)and yes it's no longer a blank white set but maybe it's for production reasons or maybe they wanted something cheerier to look at and our eyes are supposed to be closed remember?Ravi and Ana have unique personalities but are very dedicated to teaching Kundalini and people need to get over their intolerance and prejudices. This is supposed to be about ones spiritual journey not judgement. I think when some people are feeling challenged physically or otherwise they focus on the wrong things....