Search - Kundalini Yoga to Detox and Destress with Maya Fiennes on DVD

Great for beginners,

YogaGirl | san francisco, ca United States | 06/26/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have been doing Kundalini yoga for about 5 years now and I am always on the lookout for new dvd's. I own everything by Ravi Singh. I already have this yoga set on another dvd which is more complete than Maya Fiennes' The only thing I do like about her dvd is the music. The other reviewer said that the chants were African. No they are gurmukhi mantra chants. The music is tribal. That said here is what you can expect.

Setting: Totally white. Teacher is dressed in white on a sheepskin rug.
Music: tribal with vocals. I really liked the music
Instruction: In voice over. She tells you a lot about kundalini yoga during the poses.
Kriya: This is the set for the adrenals. It consists of hands in lotus and moving them out to the side; wrist press; body drops, active cat/cow; pelvis lifts holding ankles and a couple of other poses.
The class ends with deep relaxation.
What I didn't like: No meditation at the end of the class. I think teachers do a dis-service to students when they only teach the physical part of kundalini yoga. I'm a traditionalist in that respect; to me kundalini yoga is much much more than stretching. Without the meditation, you might as well do pilates! There are 1000's of meditations to choose from and she couldn't include one of them on this dvd. That is what I love about Ravi Singh's dvds, he includes meditations on EVERY SINGLE DVD he puts out.

If you are interested in this set on dvd. Get the dvd by Sat Jivan Singh Khalsa at the spiritvoyage website. It includes 4 meditations and a delightful GONG relaxation. You haven't lived until you've relaxed to the sound of the GONG.
I rented this dvd from netflix and after previewing it I sent it right back.

Overall: If you are new to kundalini yoga, you may like this. Old timers may be a bit bored. But she has good energy and is nice to watch."

Great Practice, New Agey Though

A.H. | 05/12/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Initial Warning: New Age Cheese Factor is present in this DVD. My boyfriend walked in on me right as Maya was encouraging me to "become the New Aquarian Person!" and he burst out laughing. I don't mind it, being something of a low-key hippy person who talks to her plants and worries about her chakras, but although Boyfriend was interested in joining me for this work out (it does a lot of back stretching and flexing, which since he has a very tense, stiff back, looked appealing to him) he didn't think he could make it through and keep a straight face.

His loss. Still, if being told to become "the new Aquarian Person!" or "We will now chant to strengthen the kidneys" will utterly ruin your enjoyment of a practice, you might, ah, wanna rent this one first. Just in case.

Now, on to the review proper:

This routine can be fairly intense if you're not in shape. It's fun, I like it very much, but it can be quite the work out considering you don't actually *stand up* at any time. That being said, I'm not in the most phenomenal shape of my life at the moment and I can finish this practice. And I enjoy it very much indeed! It is currently part of my regular yoga rotation and I often do the warm up portion of the DVD even on days when I am not doing the full practice. It's very dynamic: you will not hold anything but corpse pose and easy pose. And it's all done sitting or kneeling. Props are not necessary even for We the Inflexible Yogis and Yoginis of the World, which I think would make it great for travel, although I do tend to sit on my yoga mat when I do this practice.

Kundalini yoga is very different from the other hatha yoga styles I've been exposed to. But it's fun, it made my back feel FANTASTIC, the music is great, and I felt reinvigorated and centered after it was done."

Energizing kundalini yoga workout

Lena, LMT | Nassau, NY | 07/13/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've tried 2 of Ravi Singh & Ana Brett's dvds so far & love them. I also love & have almost all of Gurutej Kaur & Gurmakh's.
I felt good energy from this one, parts of my body vibrated, I had sweat, & after dong one exercise, I suddenly felt my muscles in my body release & I was immediately much more flexible. I was dizzy & feeling weird for 15 min after that while I detoxed & my body opened up the energy, but felt great even before that.
She gives great history info about how kundalini & came to the US, and during each exercise, she encourages you to keep going, what each exercise works on & how it benefits your health & spirit. She gives more info about how Kundalini works then Ravi & Ana do.
She actually executes the movements more slowly then Ravi & Ana do. She did a different breathe called "cannon?" (she has a bit of an accent) that felt great that haven't seen on any other dvd yet.

You can see a preview at acacicatalog com"

Love this!

Eureka Girl | Arkansas | 10/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Maya is a fantastic teacher -- I love it that she tells you exactly what the movements are doing for you: ie: this is draining your lymph nodes, this is massaging your kidneys, this is working your waistline, this will open up the flow of blood to your head to prevent headaches. Some Kundalini programs I've tried (ie: Gurmukh) are just TOO MUCH for me right now -- maybe someday I'll be able to do them, but for now, this is the perfect pace, leaving me energized and making me feel great, not defeated.

Also, the music is just WONDERFUL and that's what really matters in a practice you do with your eyes closed. Really inspiring!"