Search - Dance the Chakras Yoga Workout - Ana Brett & Ravi Singh ***With the New MATRIX Menu Option*** on DVD

Wow! Wow! Wow!

YogaGirl | san francisco, ca United States | 10/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just finished doing this DVD and I wanted to write a review while it was fresh in my mind. The class has a 30 minute chakra workout that includes seated hip grinds; seated leg alternate leg movements up and down;crow pose with breath of fire; butterfly pose; abs (of course); shoulder stand w/ BOF; arm movements for heart chakra; child's pose while lifting clasped hands with breath. Then comes the fun 30 minute chakra dance workouts. Kind of hard to describe, but you will love it. I think there are 4 segments of this. Some are lead and some are free form. the last dance segment is a lotus opening movement with turns. Divine! This segment ends with a WONDERFUL moving meditation chanting in tantric style Sat Nam Wahe Guru. Splendid! Final relaxation then a mantra mediation. Ap Sahai Hoa, a mantra for peace prosperity and self-esteem. It frees the mind from negativity. It is done with arm movements. This DVD is so wonderful. Anna and Ravi keep out doing themselves each time they release DVD's. This is the spirit of Kundalini yoga and includes everything I love: yoga, dancing music, chanting and meditation. Sweet!!!!"

Enjoyable and relaxing combination of Kundalini yoga and gui

Beth Cholette | Upstate NY USA | 10/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although I actually took a Kundalini yoga workshop with instructors Ana Brett and Ravi Singh in 2005, this was the first of their DVDs that I tried, as my home practice tends to consist of more traditional forms of Hatha yoga. To my surprise, I enjoyed this DVD very much, and I expect that I will now include some Kundalini as part of my home practice.

Unlike their live workshops, Ana and Ravi's DVDs feature Ana only on screen, with both Ana and Ravi providing instruction via voiceover. Dance the Chakras is broken down into two main sections, a Kundalini yoga sequence and a series of short guided dances. The DVD chapter menu breaks down as follows (I've added approximate times and brief details):

Introduction
Tune In (just under 3 minutes)--includes ong namo guru dev namo chant
Yoga Set 1 (9.5 minutes)--stomach grinds, ragdoll (fast head-to-knee pose performed repeatedly), crow (a type of squat, not an arm balance) with Breath of Fire [BOF], butterfly with forward bend, bridge with BOF; includes brief pauses to meditate throughout
Yoga Set 2 (16 minutes)--moving legs in and out while lying on back, rolling, chest expansion (arms raised at right angles move in and out) with BOF, arms held at 60 degrees, shoulderstand with BOF, plow, rolling, neck rolls, cat/cow sequence, baby pose (child's pose) with arm mudra and 3-part breath; includes brief pauses to meditate throughout
Shake Your Chakras:
Tribal Dance (5 minutes)--arms opening, surfer dips (rock down and back up), tribal dance (pulse arms down, work your way up)
Hippy Hippy Shake (3.5 minutes)--hips shake side-side-side-up, hip rolls up to one side, side to side sways
Funky Temple Dance (3.5 minutes)--free form, with side sweeps and other large arm movements
Dance of Power (4.5 minutes)--punches, victory dance, sweep kicks
Rock Your Soul:
Heart (2.5 minutes)--includes spinning
Trance Dance (4 minutes)--freeform dance with sat-a-nam wahay guru chant
Deep Relaxation (3 minutes)--relaxation pose
Chakra Mudra Chant (5 minutes; also called mantra meditation)--repeated arm movement pattern while singing ap sahae hoa-suchay da sucha doa-har har har
Closing Prayer (1 minute)--pray for self, other, world peace

Although I don't have much experience with Kundalini yoga, many of the postures included in the yoga sets were familiar, and I enjoyed the mix of fast repetitions with more slow relaxed holds. Ana and Ravi talk about which chakras are being worked via each exercise, moving from the lower body to the top of the head. I was more wary of the dance section: although I do enjoy some dance workouts, I tend not to like more freeform workouts. Surprisingly, I found that these dances were really enjoyable, particularly the Hippy Hippy Shake, with all of its fun hip swings and sways, and the Dance of Power, which had a bit of a kickboxing flavor. Ana's moves are sensual and free, and although I did try to follow her, I didn't feel pressured to copy her exactly either. The chakra mudra meditation was another pleasant surprise that left me feeling very relaxed and focused.

The entire workout comes in at about 60 minutes. However, the DVD also includes some great pre-sets (premixes) which give you several different shorter workout options. These include Shake Your Chakras, 30 minutes; Chakra Light, 30 minutes; Sweat and Glow, 45 minutes; and Angel Tango, 20 minutes. However, you might find that you enjoy the DVD so much that you want to do the entire thing! I think that fans of Ana and Ravi will definitely love this DVD, but I also would recommend it for those new to Kundalini who approach the practice with an open mind and spirit."

High Energy Fun!

Nouma Y. | Vancouver, BC | 01/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fell in love with this style of yoga when I tried Ana & Ravis Fat Free Yoga based on all the 5 star reviews. I just got did Dance of The Chakras and did it for the first time this morning--not the whole thing, just the "Sweat & Glow" premix--and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. The dances were really fun; I especially liked the "Hippy Hippy Shake." I wore my heart rate monitor and found that I actually got cardio as well. If this is all I need to stay fit I am going to be very, very happy! I'm going to try the entire workout tomorrow.

A positive result from doing only Kundalini Yoga the last two weeks - I have lost 3 pounds and people have remarked that I look healthy and aked what am I doing!!!!!

Definitely very highly recommend this workout!"

10 Stars!!!

Tammy L. | South Bend, IN | 01/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was surprized by the review below that said she felt like she was flailing about. It is hard to believe that she is doing the same DVD I am!! I do agree with the reviewer who prefered this over the Trance Dance: style of hippie yoga dance. Dance the Chakras feels more like a dance workout dvd to me, which is what I was looking for, and I know I will do it a lot because it is so much fun. What I liked about these dances was that they were structured so you could feel safe and not totally left to your own devices yet the moves were still very loose and flow-y, not overly choreographed. You just repeat a move a few times in a row--for example, a hip shake--then Ana tells you to keep moving as you prepare for the next move, during which she's kind of free-flowing, and then you do a new simple move which you again repeat several times. You never string the moves together in a choreographed dance or anything like that; you just flow from doing one, then another, then another, then back to the first, etc.
I must say that the time goes fast. Ana looks so happy to be doing the workout and their voices are so perfect for yoga instruction. They have a great attitude and enthusiasm for their yoga that is just so contagious!
The actual yoga practice portion is excellent all on its own but both these sets together is a really powerful workout. I like the pre- planned set options of different lengths as well.
I really love this workout!"