Search - April Bernardi: Transformation Through Kundalini Yoga with April Bernardi on DVD

An authentic, powerful Kundalini experience

Damon Zex | Columbus, OH | 03/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike so many recent Kundalini DVD's with all sorts of bells and whistles, this simply edited masterpiece truly demonstates what a real Kundalini experience ought to be. Look, it's not about whether there's music or a chant at the end. It's about whether a kriya really forces a person to "keep up" and push past the point where one really wants to quit an action. This tape has A & B salutations, something I always thought should have existed on several kundalini tapes. I know several real Kundalini teachers and have seen this done. Unfortunately, most Kundalini marketers want the viewer to think he or she is getting something far different from classic yoga which uses salutations, to ensure the buyer doesn't get confused. The truth is there are universal components to all yoga and the salutation is part of this. April Bernardi moves through a very hard set with a real sense of how long kinetic actions are supposed to continue. Most Kundalini tapes fail to do this, trying to put in too many actions for too short of a time. Real breakthroughs in Kundalini only occur when the will is truly challenged. I also lift weights, and have done all varieties of yoga for nearly a decade. When it comes to truly connecting the mind and body together and recentering the self with a fantastic inner piece, this DVD achieves this. As I stated, the holds are for so long that even though I consider myself to be reasonably strong, I must push myself past a point of exhaustion. The other great thing about using this DVD as a real practice is that all the annoying verbal nonsense accompanying most yoga DVD's in general is missing. April simply instructs the viewer how to do each exercise and without continuous dialogue, one can actually focus on the mantra Sat/Nam internally without distraction. I am not buying yoga DVD's for cheap entertainment or to be psychologically uplifted. I am buying them to do the routine and go on with my day. This DVD is something I can use in the morning or even after work and if I've had a trying day, it completely recenters me. I've had a lot of suspiciously bad side effects from Kundalini DVD's which somehow either aren't good routines for the whole body or force too much exhale holding and breath of fire, creating a turbo charged high I don't really need. Like Baron Baptiste's Long And Lean Power Yoga DVD which doesn't have everything in the world but has holds which truly work the body because of how long they are, this DVD truly challenges the practitioner more than all the recent high end over produced DVD's which never force a person to test endurance of the will, the body, and the mind. If you want an unassuming, simple, yet real 60 minutes which I do as one unit even though it's broken up into two sets, this is the DVD for you. It's ironic that the best Kundalini DVD I've purchased in years hasn't even gotten one revue yet. Most people who buy these tapes don't understand the true notion of raising Kundalini or augmenting the electromagnetic field around the body. After doing this DVD, I can feel a real Kundalini raising, something quite different from merely feeling hyperactive."

Intermediate Level, good strengthing and range of exercises

D. Bisala | London | 11/28/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fast paced two part session (not including the introduction and 'sun salutation' i.e. the beginning warm up of each session to come), she doesn't end each exercise properly to allow the blood to flow back and allow you catch your breath so this is more for the intermediate level for those who are familiar with kundalini yoga. It's like a dance session where the tutor goes straight into the steps and you have to catch up and get into it. This is also a streamlined version without, in my opinion, enough meditation or breathing technique - the mantras seem to be said for the sake of it and mis-pronounced, pronunciation and breath/speed are very important in mudra and mantra as the sound vibrations encourage different things. This is a good DVD for conditioning, as an addition to more experienced tutor DVD's like Gurmukh or Gurutej. However, by itself it is a good physical workout, but don't strain yourself, kundalini energy is supposed to rise gently, you're not supposed to get spinal ache or neck ache like you could do if you do it exactly how this tutor does it. Some people look to yoga as if it were pure calisthenics or aerobics but yoga (and martial arts whose 'child' areas are contortion and gymnastics) have to be practised in conjunction with their philosophy and meta-physical science (known in India as spirituality) for full effect on the lifestyle and mental change, when practised as such your body becomes a more efficient machine with you in charge, it needs less but has more effect and will naturally start to eliminate and not want things that pollute the digestive processes, electro-magnetic functions, glands, immune system and nervous system. (Strangely enough 'Breath of Fire does not feature on this DVD'.) Many people just want to 'get on with it' and ignore what they consider the 'mumbo jumbo' but that is akin to practising martial arts without the discipline and emotional/mental training."

Useful

KK | 02/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD makes a useful adjunct to the Ana and Ravi series. It works on some muscles that the Ana/ Ravi series doesn't (eg quads and inner thighs).

Contrary to one of the other reviews I must say that I am not a fan of sun salutations.
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