Search - Kundalini Yoga With Grace & Strength on DVD

An Engimatic, Beautiful, & Inspiring Workout

Damon Zex | Columbus, OH | 04/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who thinks this workout is disjointed clearly is not meditating while moving through this kriya. First, it's time to shed some light on what this type of kundalini sequence actually is. This is definately a Yogi Bhajan sequence. Bhajan created several kriyas with similar names - "Grace & Prosperity," "Flexibility & the Spine," for example. "Grace & Strength" is a fusion workout existing in an interzone between the original "Warrior Workout" and "Flexibility & the Spine." Like the "Warrior Workout," there is a running segment, frog pose, and several back bends like bow. Like the flexibilty or spinal kriyas, there are cobra, seated wide angle forward bends, wheel, crow squats, and standing back/forward bends. Carol is showing you exactly how this kriya would have been taught by Yogi Bhajan. Anyone who has ever done Ravi Singh's and Ana Brett's "Ultimate Stretch Workout" can see obvious similarities to this set. The difference is that it has a more rapid motion, contains an aerobic component, a segment designed for the heart chakra, and a rather complex abdominal sequence in the middle of the set. I personally think Carol magnificently explains breath of fire, what real strength is, and concludes her set with a beautifully inspired resting pose dialogue. As she says, this set is to improve your strength, not prove your strength. I have spent years doing power yoga, ashtanga, and kundalini. This segment, in a similar mode to Donna Davidge, works on the body and the mind throughout the day after performing it in the morning. Also, those hatha yoga critics who claim it is unsafe to begin in table top (truly one of the less difficult asanas) need to understand that before doing any intermediate kundalini sequence, one should already be warmed up. Before I do this or any kundalini set, I perform the Five Tibetan Rites. After doing any rigorous segment, Carol gives you more than ample time to consolidate your gains through a moment of still meditation. Realize, if you are doing yoga simply to de-stress through deep breathing, kundalini yoga is less appropriate than hatha, ashtanga, or power yoga variations. If you are doing this to actually raise kundalini, work the lymphatic, nervous systems, and increase the internal will linking the body and mind together, this is the type of yoga to do. Upon finishing this workout, even though it is made up of an anti-intuitive sequence, I feel active, strong, defined, and just as ready to take action in my day as I would if I did power yoga. Often, power yoga can make me feel too heavy or weighted down from too many held poses. I like how this unusual sequence jump starts my heart after running/skipping in place, making me feel extremely light on my feet. I also think her return to child's pose and her instructions on how to round up, using your abdominal muscles makes transitioning between meditating and action extremely fluid. Those who have criticized this DVD should take a look at a kundalini book and understand the wide variety of sequences Bhajan created before displaying their obvious lack of knowledge to the world. Carol Carlson didn't make this DVD for shock value, fame, or bedazzlement. It is clear that she expresses a true, deep felt love of kundalini and a true urge to give you, the viewer, a true kundalini experience."