My Kundalini Experiment

[muck_a_luck]

This weekend I picked up Ana Brett & Ravi Singh: Warrior Workout: Kundalini Yoga.

I am fairly ignorant of yoga spiritual practices. I'll let you visit the Wikipedia page on Kundalini yoga and this website about Kundlini Kriya Yoga for your own edification. One of the important aspects of Kundalini appears to be releasing/controlling the energy of the lower spine to generate enlightenment and bliss. Two of the main tools are kriya and prana, and there's some very interesting breath work as well as challenging and enjoyable kriyas on this DVD. If you are interested in more in-depth discussion of kriyas, visit Kundalini-Teacher.com and PinkLotus.org.

As an aside, not really related to the DVD, you might be interested in this discussion of the possible hazards of unexpected, unguided spiritual awakening of kundalini energy.

I thought this was a well-rounded DVD for someone who wants to blend meditation and physical activity. It opens with a short meditation and closes with a long one (very well-reviewed on Amazon, though I have not had a chance to explore), with brief pauses throughout to stop and re-center with very brief meditative moments. It actually struck me as an interesting combination of vigorous activity and stillness.

Rather than long vinyasa type flow sequences, this DVD is almost completely made up of kriyas, defined by me as simple, though powerful, actions performed in repetition. Almost all of the kriyas are performed for periods of about two minutes.

It would have been very helpful if the kriyas had names. :D Alas, I could not find them, if they exist.

The Warm-Up section has the following kriyas:

1. Grind your abdomen in a circle. This was done with deep breathing and very forcefully.
2. Sitting on your knees, inhale arching the spine and moving the belly forward, exhaling and arching the spine back. It was very like a seated version of Cat's Breath. This kriya is to make the solar plexus flexible and open. Mr. Singh describes the solar plexus as the "hub of the nervous system." Ms. Brett comments, "Nerves of Steel are a warrior's sword and shield."
3. Dolphin Plank, with long deep breathing. OMG held forever!
4. Return to the Cat's Breath type action of #1, but this time, with breath of fire.
5. Sit in staff pose. Raise arms straight out from shoulders "like a Barbie or Ken doll," then inhale, leaning back 20 degrees, exhale forward, arms reaching past the feet. Mr. Singh emphasizes that arms must be extended thumbs up. The position of the thumbs is related to the sciatic system, "the long nerves that all nerves are tributaries of."
6. Breath of fire with variation on Heron pose. One leg, then the other.
7. Frog Pose (a variation on yogic squat with heels together, knees out to the side, hands on the floor between knees) to standing forward bend for 1 minute. Inhale as you straighten the legs to stand up, exhale as you return to the squat. This is hard. Mr. Singh reminds you to "Be brave."
8. Hold a variation of Crow Pose with breath of fire.
9. Inhale up, exhale down into Table/Bridge/Crab.

Warrior Cardio includes the following:

10. High-stepping walking with breath of fire. Press feet into the floor as if about to leap. Swing the opposite arm up to shoulder height.
11. Down Dog with long deep breathing.
12. Three repetitions of the transition vinyasa from Surya Namaskar B.
13. Meditate in Easy Pose, holding one arm out to the side. Then switch arms. Deep breathing.
14. Sit in with legs open as for Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend, but rather than bending forward, inhale spine forward, exhale spine back as in #1, above.
15. Continue in the same seated posture, but intertwine fingers and press palms into the floor. This is an isometric strength exercise.
7. The return of Frog Post to Standing Forward Bend. It is really, really hard the second time. Srsly.
16. From a kneeling posture, place hands palm down on thighs, then rise up onto knees, inhaling, exhale back down to kneeling.
17. Down Dog on fingertips and toes with breath of fire. This one is for the circulatory system, and man is this way harder than you would think it ought to be.

Cardio Cleanse includes the following:

18. Lay on yourbelly, arms by sides, palms down. Feet flat, not flexed. Raise and lower hips to the rhythm of breath of fire. Momentum can even carry knees off the floor. Hips are "bouncing on a trampoline." Removes toxins from layers of fat.

19. Rock back and forth on your belly in Half Bow Pose (Bow Pose holding only one leg). Inhale back, exhale forward. Suggested modification was with hands interlaced. Switch legs.

20. Inhale back, exhale forward in full bow pose. Or hold bow pose with regular breath. Mr. Singh states that, "according to yoga, if you do this one enough, you'll never look a day older."

21. Lie on back with hands under hips for support. Lift feet six inches off the floor. Raise head six inches off the floor. Hold the posture. Breath of fire. One leg at a time is proposed modification.

22. While on back, inhale both arms straight up to 90 degrees. Exhale, legs up to 90 degrees. Inhale legs down, exhale arms down. Another Barbie/Ken movement. After a minute, use the same kriya, but lift the left leg only for about a minute. Then right leg only for about a minute.

Rock on spine to sitting.

23. From Easy Pose, stand up and sit down without using hands. "Be safe," but put "umph" into it. Make it a "symbolic act." "See how brave you can be. Against all odds, keep going."

24. From standing, clasp your hands behind your back. Inhale arms up, exhale down. Raise alternate knees, walking in place.

25. Breath of fire while standing on toes with arms up, fingers wide.

26. While standing, place your hands on your shoulders, fingers in front, thumbs in back. Inhale elbows up, exhale elbows down, while walking in place.

25. Breath of fire while standing on toes with arms up, fingers wide.

27. Sit in Easy Pose, punch with breath of fire. Punch through the wall that has been holding you back. "Warriors get angry when they want to, so that they don't when they can't afford to."

28. Twisting side to side in Easy Pose in time to breath of fire. This helps to purify the liver and contributes to mental clarity.

29. Sit on knees. Lion's Breath. "Panting" with breath of fire. "Turn anger into inspiration." Opens the solar plexus. "A warrior is strong as steel and steady as stone and is willing to fight for what's right and live peacefully in spite of everything."

30. Savasana.

My impression, as a person used to doing vinyasa/flow/power yoga was that this has more pulse to it. The movements are rapid and repetitive. The breath of fire takes practice and is very different from ujjayi, and practicing using so much rapid breathing has a very different rhythm.

After 17, at the end of Warrior Carido, while you are resting on your belly, Mr. Singh says, "Rest, breathe. Fill every cell with pure light." It was easy to have that feeling of glowing. After 18, the hip bouncing kriya, he says to feel "…rivers of light coursing through your body." I did find that after this disc, I felt bright and fresh and refreshed, even though it was a fairly tough workout.

This morning I also tried Fat Free Yoga with Ravi Singh and Ana Brett. It had longer meditative pauses between kriyas, and more breath work. I was less sweaty after this one. It had cardio, but I think the cardio was trimmed to allow space for a good, challenging abs section. Again, I found it to be a well-balanced workout.

In all, I have enjoyed my Kundalini experiment and will probably try both of these DVDs a few times more. I admit to being morbidly fascinated by this video of Cardio Dance Blast last fall, and Dance the Chakras also intrigues me. Probably something will make it to the Christmas list.

Comments

[walk_of_the_fallen]

I'm also fairly innocent of yoga; I own a few Vinyasa DVDs and did enjoy doing some of that. But my long-standing neck injuries made some of the work difficult or pain inducing. Still, it sure makes me long for the sensation I got when finished to read of your experience.

[seleneheart]

I shall have to check this out -- I seriously need to make a library run! I like the spiritual aspect of yoga and I've found that it's hard to separate the two.

[just_ann_now]

Dance the Chakras was the very first yoga video I ever bought, and the only yoga I did for a long time. I'm looking back laughing now at how difficult I thought it was (and how sore it made me, for a long, long time.) I did it tonight, after neglecting it for a long, long, time, and my gosh, the dance part was so much fun! So energizing!

I really love the emphasis on breath work, and the pauses for meditation, in these dvds. It's more slowly paced, more thoughtful. I like having these, and having the vinyasa flow type dvd's, too, and being able to select what type of practice I want to suit my mood.

[zats_clear]

I am so excited you tried this out! And thank you for the detailed information about this dvd and links to other Kundalini sources. Do tell, did you manage to keep a straight face while working out with Ana??????

[muck_a_luck]

It helps that I hardly ever look at the screen when I'm doing yoga. And to the extent I do, I'm not face focused. Plus, when she's all yoga serene, there's less of the smiley girl thing! The bigger problem is when she addes to the voice-overs she has quite an accent. I THINK she sounds like Madonna. Since she wears a Spartans shirt in that dance workout thing, I'm guessing she's from Michigan, possibly the Detroit area, and that's why. So the short answer is YES. :D She is an awesome yogini, btw, amazing to watch.