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 enlarge | Director: Ana Brett & Ravi Singh
Actor: Ana Brett & Ravi Singh
Studio: www.raviana.com
Category: DVD
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $10.99
You Save: $4.96 (31%)
New (3) Used (3) from $9.46
Rating:  283 reviews
Sales Rank: 821
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 0
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 60 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
UPC: 880239003399
EAN: 0880239003399
ASIN: B000BRM992
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: October 19, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 283
 WOW!!! November 2, 2008
genrock88 (Bronx, NY United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Words can't express what this DVD has done for me. I used to do gymnastics in grade school...had three slipped disks, a pinched nerve and a twisted pelvic bone. As a young adult, I was in a river accident and broke my tailbone...only to break it three more times later in life. I also ruptured a disk in my neck while delivering my second daughter...so I had a full cervical diskectomy with fusion. I'm older and living on the East Coast in the cold winters. When I do this DVD, it's like I'm having a complete overall body manipulation treatment without having to leave my home. I don't need pain pills if I do this DVD soon enough before the pain gets too bad. At that point I need to take a muscle relaxer, then do the DVD and after about three days from then, I'm PERFECT! I don't have to see a doctor for those pains anymore because of this DVD. Also, I have IBS and Interstitial Cystitis. I love how this DVD cleanses the organs. It WORKS!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!
Also, I must mention all the exercises on this DVD are while you are sitting or laying down. I have not been able to do the advanced section of this DVD, but anybody can do the beginner part. It's that simple and so great at the same time!
Great video!! October 24, 2008
Fran Goldstein (San Diego, CA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have four other ravi singh/anna brett videos. I love them all but this is one of my favorites.
lovely Kundalini sets for beginners and intermediates October 21, 2008
Alex Grayson (Los Angeles, CA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've been doing Kundalini yoga for a long time and even went through Teacher's Training (which is amazing if you can find a way to do it), so I came to this not as a beginner, but just wanting to augment my expansive library. I love the variety Kundalini offers.
The chapters and Matrix menu options are fabulous, with times listed next to each chapter so you can plan your time accordingly, and I really appreciate that.
The matrix option means you can pick and choose which chapters to do, if you have neither the time nor the inclination to do the whole DVD. It also lets you change the order, if you'd like to do the 5 Tibetan Rites before the spinal set, but I actually think the order they're in is absolutely perfect.
If you're brand new to Kundalini, the breath primer is valuable, and even a seasoned student could often do with a refersher...if nothing else it brings you into a place of focus and stillness before the Tune In and Warm Up. But again, you can simply skip that chapter or program your Matrix that day without it if you feel like you've got it down and don't have the time.
The warm up set is concise and to the point, but also gradual and very effective; sufi grinds, spinal flexes, the wonderful "washing machine" twists, an active stretch for the backs of the legs, etc.
The first set, Rise and Spine, I find a really lovely series. For a beginner, it will likely feel a bit awkward at times, and Ana's pace can seem overwhelming but they continually remind you to go at your own speed and take it slow when you need to. The end of the set includes some unique poses that incorporate bear grip in front of the throat and over the head while either holding breath in or out with the mulbandh/root lock engaged (contracting the muscles of the rectum, sex organs and navel) and then my favorite, Sat Kriya. Again, I think an absolute beginner might have more questions and need time to adjust to this unique form of yoga, but I don't think Ana and Ravi could have done more in terms of information and choosing approachable sets. I think this would make a wonderful morning set or a great quickie.
The set that I was really anticipating personally is the second, The Five Tibetan Rites. I've known about them for ages but like so many others I find doing them from a booklet a bit dry...must be spoiled by the home video/DVD life! But this is a great set, it challenged me. I did notice they do them in the reverse order from the presentation in the books, and they add a little Kundalini twist with adding full camel (or a modification) with breath of fire, and they don't seem to count them for us, it seems to be more about timing them. In the books about the Rites, they suggest slowly working up to 21 reps of each exercise. I counted Ana and she stops around that point but not exactly. If you're a stickler, count your reps. But I counsel everyone, beginner or not, to take these slowly. They are more powerful than they seem.
For those who don't know and are curious, the five rite are:
- spinning clockwise, slowly (even I was dizzy afterwards but they have you apply root lock at the end which stopped that instantly)
- lying flat on your back, raising the legs (they can be bent to accomodate your back) and the head, for a navel energizing exercise
- kneeling as if about to do full camel, but only arching back to where you feel a nice stretch, to which Ravi&Ana add coming down into child pose in between, which feels really lovely.
- moving from an upward dog/cobra pose (on the balls of the toes though, not the tops of the feet) into down dog, back and forth
- moving from a sitting position with legs in front of you into table pose and back
Traditional literature suggests beginning with literally just a few reps of each movement and to work slowly up to 21 reps. I do Kundalini regularly and found the Rites to be challenging but invigorating. A beginner might find them to be too much, so follow the old wisdom and start with just a few reps. It might seem like 3 reps isn't enough, but again they are deceptively simple.
After the Rites, you have a lovely deep relaxation as always followed by a simple but very effective and powerful meditation; sitting comfortably (cross legged or in a chair with the feet flat), with the index fingers and thumb tips touching (Gyan Mudra, the Mudra of wisdom) and just enough pressure on the fingers to feel the pulse within...or, if you can't detect a pulse there, to simply notice the rhythm of your heartbeat and to mentally chant "Sat Nam" (sounds like "but mom") in rhythm to the heartbeat/pulse. Yowsah. That really took me right out of my head and into pure relaxation. It's a great meditative choice for beginners because it gives the practitioner something to focus on without being too "woo-woo" as I've heard people say about other Kundalini meditations with mantra.
What might throw some newbies is the way in Kundalini you "tune in" and end each class with specific mantras chanted out loud. That might strike some as religious, but it's not really. It's meant to connect you initially to the teacher within, your higher self, and to vibrationally set the tone for the class. And at the end, the chanting of "Sat Nam" once, held for a longer count, is sort of the energetic bookend. Certainly they are't mandatory, so beginners who don't resonate with them can skip them, but just know that they aren't dogmatic.
I recently sent this DVD to a friend whom I've wanted to introduce to Kundalini for a long time and I think he'll find this very useful; the first set is approachable enough to begin with and the set with the Tibetan Rites is something to grow with as well.
A nice class for beginners but also fun for those who are intermediate or advanced as well.
Excellent Choice for New and Experienced Yoga Students October 12, 2008
K. Martell (NY)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a long-time student of Kundalini yoga, and I heartily recommend this DVD to jumpstart the addition of yoga into your fitness routine. I have shared "Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond" with friends new to Kundalini-style yoga or to yoga in general, and the feedback has been extremely positive.
The DVD includes two 25-minute workouts, both easy to follow. Everything is explained -- you really can't get lost. The quality and pace of the presentation works equally well for the novice and those poised to take their practice to an intermediate level.
The first set focuses on the back and is great for building energy and releasing tensions in the body. The second set deals with strength building. I do both together for a super workout.
I especially appreciate the primer on the use of the breath and proper breathing, as it is one of the things that sets Kundalini-style yoga apart from the other types of yoga. The benefits associated with the breath techniques have made a tremendous difference for me, personally. The addition of the Matrix Menu allows for personalizing the workout to whatever order of exercises you choose. The DVD also comes with a booklet that explains Kundalini Yoga and how best to incorporate its practice in your life.
Ravi and Ana are seasoned teachers and both bring their particular strengths to their work. Ana is expert in teaching proper alignment and Ravi is known for the inspiration and encouragement he brings to yoga students. (I say that also from direct experience: I have had the pleasure of attending their classes.) In short, Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond is a must-have!
Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond NEW! Now with the **MATRIX** MENU OPTION!!!
Results! Results! Results! October 11, 2008
T. Fenner (Evanston, IL)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My husband and I have made a firm committment to start doing some yoga everyday and DVD's like this make it easy! I find Kundalini yoga not as uncomfortable as regular yoga. It's less about achieving some impossible balancing pose and and more about moving and breathing and attaining results quickly. The instructers (Ana Brett & Ravi Singh) are very pleasant and excellent teachers.
i have only been doing Kundalini Yoga for beginners & Beyond (alternating with their Fat Free Yoga) for two weeks now (everyday, religiously!) and i feel my body getting into better shape already! i feel alot more confident and for the first time in my life i really believe that I can reach my goal weight and feel good about myself again!
I was happy to discover that this DVD teaches the 5 Tibetan Rejuvenation Rites. I had read about these and actually practiced them years ago. They are 5 simple exercises which provide a complete energetic workout. I am happy to be able to incorporate them into my practices once again as I enjoyed them so much before.
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