Customer Reviews

Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond

5 star:		(275)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

I ordered this video because it was the number one rated yoga dvd on Amazon. I'm a beginner and thought this would be an excellent introduction to an amazing yoga experience.

First - the young lady (Anna?) demonstrates proper form and breathing very well, BUT a I felt like a slacker not keeping up with her.

I overdid it, felt sick to my stomach and dizzy and put the tape away for a while. Then, I did a little research. Found out what could be causing the nausea:

1. I shouldn't by trying to keep up with Anna. The moves may look very simple, but I need to take it slower.

2. Some the the moves (twisting) are focusing on cleansing and massaging inner organs that have been sitting idle full of toxins for a long time.

3. Incorrect breathing can also cause nausea.

I did some research, learned how to practice the long breaths. I'm also going to stop trying to keep up with Anna and move at my own relaxed pace and focus on the breath and proper form.

Other things I learned are:

1. Not to eat an hour before, but hydrate well.
2. Drink water after the workout to help get rid of the toxins that have been released during the workout.

MUCH better experience.

I first read about the 5 Tibetan rites about 2 years ago and tried to do them on a daily basis. Like most people I find it hard to do exercises from a book. I need someone to do them with me. This DVD is perfect. It starts off with a basic spinal set " rise and spine" and ends with Sat Kriya (my favorite) The second set is the 5 Tibetan rites. Albeit in reverse order than what is written in the books. But that's Ok because Ravi's exercise order seems to work better for the spine and compliments set 1. He also adds a kundalini spin to the camel exercise. The original doesn't include bowing forward and camel and breath of fire. Ravi's version is so much better. The magic number for the rites is 21 reps. Ana doesn't count, but if you want to track your progress you can mentally count your reps. The books say that you should work up to 21 and not go over that number as you will not derive any more benefits by increasing the reps over 21. Whatever! It works and it feels great! Love it Love it! The meditation at the end of set 2 is to feel you pulse in your finger tips and say sat nam to each pulse. This requireds SO much concentration that it takes you to another plane. Thank you Ravi and Ana.

I always do extensive research before deciding on a purchase and when I decided to try a yoga DVD I stuck with my program. I asked around, I read all the reviews (though I don't have much faith in most of the reviews out there), I surfed the web and looked at many many clips . My criteria for a perfect beginner Yoga DVD were:
a)The instructor should be a real yoga master with many years of experience - no ex-actresses or aerobic instructors.
b) no need for props, ie. ropes, balls, blocks, blankets etc...
c) short sets ( as a beginner I may not be able to do more then 30 minutes at a stretch. I also do other fitness and want a short yoga routine as an add-on)
d) preferrably no cliche new age sounds which make me cringe - birds chirping, bells, oceans. Something a litlle more urban and edgy would be nice.
e) finally, I was looking for a real yoga workout. I wanted to experience yoga at its rawest i.e., no fluff, no excessive talking at the start. I just wanted to be able to get right to a workout that would stretch, strengthen, relax and inspire me

And that is exactly what I got with Ravi Singh & Ana Brett's Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond. It's a really great program! I actually happened to find it at my library, tried it and paused it halfway while I ordered from Amazon. I knew this was the one:Two 25 minute sets from 2 long time yogis. Ravi Singh has been teaching 30 plus years. Ms Brett has been doing it since childhood.
The way it's sequenced really builds in a way that open your body very gradually and I think it is excellent for someone looking for a complete, gentle yet thorough, yoga practice. Not only is this a completely doable enjoyable workout for a newcomer to yoga like myself but I feel this is one I can still continue to do no matter how far I advance. In other words: this one is a classic.
I look forward to trying other of the Ravi & Ana workouts.

This is a wonderful DVD for beginners to start with and progress at a comfortable pace. The most challenging on this DVD was a camel pose and beginners would have to do a modified version (which is briefly demonstrated). After practically each active exercise there is a few minute long meditation break, which allows even to beginner enough time to rest and continue at a comfortable pace until the end of DVD. I was delighted that this DVD contains Tibetan Rite exercises. I have started doing them some 10 - 15 years ago from a book, but have now found it's even more fun going over the Tibetan rites with the DVD. And I was also thrilled that the active exercises include the locks which further help to prevent the leakage of energy and to move the energy up the spine.

I am not a yoga practitioner. I cannot bend into any pretzel positions and my sense of balance isn't that of a dancer's. However, I had heard about Kundalini yoga- how it is as much mental as physical, how it doesn't require you to bend into difficult shapes, how it focuses on meditation and mental calm, and how you can actually move and dance while doing it. All of that is true, although not all true about this DVD. This is an excellent beginning DVD- you can do a 30 minute or 60 workout. Much emphasis is placed on meditation in between each exercise. Yes, there are a few stretches and positions that newcomers will find challenging, but the instructors quickly provide alternative positions. Try this DVD after a stressful day when you really don't want to exercise, but know you should-- the mental focus and the breathing exercises will help you focus on the present and forget your worries. If your mind wanders, as they say, just let it come back to you.

I didn't need to lose weight when I started this program so that was not a goal- I just wanted to exercise more than I had been and it definitely got me doing that. As a bonus within about two weeks of using it my jeans and other clothes fit much better and I noticed more muscle definition/less fat particularly around the mid-section. I suspect if you combine this workout with a diet, you'll experience even greater results.

My only complaint is that at the beginning and the end of the routine the woman is dancing in a free-form joyful way-- I wish that were part of the workout. Perhaps it's on another DVD. In any case, this is a great DVD for stress reduction, stretching, mind-body awareness, and as a way to ease back into exercising if you haven't been working out a lot. I highly recommend it.

This series of DVDs seems to be a lot like the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. The hundreds of people who have given this release a 5 star rating (myself included) all exuberantly proclaim that salvation has arrived in the form of Ravi Singh and Ana Brett. On the opposing side, those who hate this DVD REALLY hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.
How to reconcile such a vast gulf between the opinions? Well, first I would suggest trying to find this series through your library, as I did. (Netflix doesn't have it yet). This is a very specific form of yoga, and if you're not prepared to just go with it, I can see how a person might be confused or disappointed, especially given how highly rated this disc is among Amazon users. (that old psychological trap of raised expectations, I suppose)
Anyway, throughout years of various movement classes, I have developed a pretty good sense of my own body and what I need to do to keep myself safe. Someone trying to keep up with Ana who doesn't have this sense of their body's limits may very well experience the workout as frightening. At certain points I felt myself getting dizzy so I sat out one or two repetitions and then joined back in. I personally felt like I was in very safe hands, with plenty of guidance and safety tips, but clearly some reviewers feel that this area needs improvement.
Ultimately, however, I found this DVD workout to be deeply therapeutic and it put me into what I can only describe as a transcendent state; I was practically high. At first I thought that with the chanting and meditating that this would mostly be a relaxation workout. It certainly does have that benefit, but my body got an incredible physical workout, as well. About half an hour after my husband and I had finished this practice, he remarked that he felt all wobbly like a baby giraffe, and I thought that description was very apt. I was quivering from head to toe from the exertion. Today I feel lactic acid fermentation in the muscles of my back, glutes, and arms, but none of the typical aches in my neck or back that come from alignment problems. I just feel like correct posture is the easiest thing in the world right now.
I love how this workout made me feel, and am excited to try the rest of the series.

I have been giving this DVD to friends and family to get them interested in yoga.
I feel this is sort of an easy access path to getting into a regular yoga practice. First off, its fun, secondly, to me Kundalini Yoga as presented by Ana & Ravi is the best of all worlds because you get all the poses of hatha but they add movement and breath to the poses like Vinyasa and boy does my body respond quickly to this type of dynamic yoga! I feel one can get all the strengthening of Power and Ashtanga Yoga with the precision of Iyengar and all the stretching of Vinyasa as well. There is even a cardio element. Add the energy and relaxation benefits (I am sleeping like a baby again!) and what more does one need? If you are new to yoga this one can get you on your way. If you've done some yoga before this will openup a whole new world to you. The instruction is clear, well paced and easy to follow. The Spine set is awesome and the 5 Tibetan sequence is the best 5 Tibetan sequence out there!

Rarely in my life do I come accross something which proves indispensable. I remember when I finally got e-mail, after years of resisting--Now I can't imagine being without it. Same thing with this astounding DVD. It makes so much sense to move and breathe like this. The sequence of exercises is very elegantly considered, like a work of art. I know how important the spine is, because everything is connected to it. THe first 25 min. or so set works its way right up the spine in a way that no other yoga I have come across has done. The second set is a bit more challening but doable for an old fogey like me (('m 46). It's definitely a workout. I know it's good because I'm usually exercise intolerant and I keep coming back for more. My body has been craving this everyday. I would like everyone on Amazon to try this to see if they were impressed as I was with Ana & Ravi's excellent yoga DVD.

Something unexpected happened to me with this tape. I had been bothered by a pain or stiffness in my lowere left back, actually the buttock, for months. I think it is probably sciatica but that is just my uneducated guess. I did this tape and felt so stretched out after that I don't feel a hint of soreness. I don't know how it works, but it feels great!
I agree with the reviewer below that this yoga is more athletic. I like that aspect since I don't have time to do anything else somedays. The second set is a great strength building routine
I love the meditation at the end of the workout and have to say the meditation is really interesting and gave me that parasympathetic buzz

Everyone making a beginner yoga DVD should take a look at this one. The big mistake most producers make is dumbing things down too much. Making the workout so frigging slow! It is hard enough to try something new without having to battle boredom (they should market them as PM workouts since the put you right to sleep!)
Thank God for Ravi & Anas productions. After a short brilliant breath primer, they get right into the workout. The music is great, the moves are fun. Bam! Before you know it you have had your yoga workout and can now officially call yourself a yogi!