Kundalini Yoga With Grace & Strength [VHS]

Best yoga DVD
Excellent DVD on Kundalini Yoga. Carol Carlson is excellent. Watch it all the way through, then do the steps. She knows her stuff!! Kundalini yoga is by far the best yoga I've done to tone the body and keep your insides working correctly.

Teaching yourself to become healthier and calmer
I have used this tape for several years, starting at a time when I was in a highly stressful management position. It was difficult to start, I needed nearly one year to learn the breathing and poses in the way they are useful. I tried many other programs. This one is the best. My physical condition and mental state are excellent. I am 66 years old, play tennis 4 times per week and golf on Sundays. I wear no braces, wraps, or supports of any kind. I work muscle straign out with this yoga routine. I work mental straign out the same way. Mastering the breathing has tightened up my core, keeps me looking great - flat stomach and all. I suffer from restless leg syndrome. Using baby pose every night before retiring brings relief to the nerves and lets me sleep. I can't say enough good things about this tape. I recommended it to many of my friends, however, it is NOT AN EASY routine, and they mostly give up. If you are strong and want the most and best from life. Buy this tape and teach yourself to become more able mentally and physically than you ever thought you could be. A true 5 star program. If you are not weak of resolve, feable and easily discouraged, give yourself a chance to start this program today. I did not say try - I said start.

Best Kundalini disc I own
Thank God this made it to DVD, I've already worn out two VHS tapes. I was fortunate enough to take classes with Carol in NYC before she moved to the wilds of northern Minnesota (my wife and I were really bummed). She and Ravi Singh were the best teachers we ever had (I own a bunch of Ravi's discs too but Carol's is my overall favorite). You don't have to be terribly experienced at yoga to enjoy this set, though it helps to be in reasonably good shape. It really puts you through your paces and leaves you feeling relaxed and energized. For me it is the perfect workout and I can't recommend it enough.

Not bad, music is a bit boring
I actaully enjoyed this DVD overall. I liked Kundalini yoga A Journey through the Chakras W/Ravi Singh better. They both had many of the same poses & many uses of breath of fire for many of them. The music worked much better, faster in Ravi Singh. I did feel good doing this dvd & as it progressed I did feel more energy. Her voice feels a little stiff & it's just her alone w/blank white background. It didn't have a wrmup & got right to it, but I as able to keep up & didn't get bored or want to turn it off though I get bored easily.

Great practice (and what strange reviews!)
I read these reviews and was initially turned off. However, my library had this available, so I thought I had nothing to lose and gave it a try. It's excellent. I taught vinyasa yoga for a few years, but I don't consider myself an expert- and certainly not on Kundalini. However, by the end of the practice I felt clear and happy, and the effect lasted well into the next day. The instructor is not, as others have pointed out, overflowing with effusive joy, but she is still inspirational and expert in guiding what I would consider to be a high beginner kundalini practice. I've got to say, I think other reviewers overreacted to some of the kriyas used here. When I read "she starts with a full backbend", I was a little nervous. However, I don't think that's accurate. She starts with what others call "tabletop", not "wheel". I think your shoulders might complain more than your back, but I had no problems. I also think that the concept of "flow" isn't appropriate for a Kundalini practice. This isn't vinyasa or in the lineage of Iyengar, Ashtanga or Viniyoga, for which that might be a more pertinent criticism. Kundalini, from what I have seen thus far, is aimed at releasing energy usually located at the base of the spine all the way up to the crown of the head and throughout the body. There is then perhaps a "flow" of energy, but not necessarily physical movement. Most of the practices I've seen usually start with movements aimed at opening up the chakras or energy centers from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head, perhaps starting first with spinal warmups. This practice was no exception, although she doesn't discuss the chakras at all. This practice has quite a bit of abdominal work (though not of the "crunch" style), some of which may be too intense for absolute beginners, including the Kundalini staple Stretch pose, as well as a bicycle and inner thigh stretch/kriya. Even with a regular yoga and Pilates practice, my abs were still talking to me for the rest of the day- but I liked it. I also liked that even though there were several "stretchy" positions that utilized long holds, it wasn't as demanding of perfection as some other styles of yoga. Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the relatively long rests between postures, as well as the guided meditations, relaxations and chants. I think this practice can give physical "results" as far as weightloss and appearance, but if you're just here for the physical, you might find the other trappings off-putting.