Rating: Summary: Grace and Strength an apt title Review: I am a relative beginner to yoga, and have used two tapes. Grace and Strength with Carol Carlson and Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh. Carol Carlson is serious, energetic, and unaffected. Her straightforwardness was attractive as it countered the stereotypes I had harbored about yoga practice. As a New Yorker I liked her no nonsense style very much. The workout could be said to be difficult, but this was no problem as I usually rest during the last bits of each exercise. Her thoroughly engaging seriousness and lack of affectation allowed me in and opened me up to other styles that I would have shunned. Gurmukh is such an example, who's style and voice at first seems nothing less than flaky-but who turns out to be just as serious and unaffected as Carlson. But, without the entrée' provided by Carlson, I never would've gotten past minute one of Gurmukh. Both tapes complement one another perfectly. I use them both regularly.
Rating: Summary: Don't waste your money.... Review: I am not a certified Kundalini yoga instructor, but I do have classes with friends and co-workers. Occasionally we do our class with Gurmukh's video... a wonderful experience -- very uplifting -- she is such a gentle soul. One day, someone brought in Carol Carlson's video and we decided to give it a try. Not only did every one of us find her hard to follow... but we also felt she was very annoying and rather condescending. It did not feel like a Kundalini yoga class at all... not one that we are used to anyway. We have not watched the video since... no one even wants it. If you are looking for a great Kundalini yoga tape, buy Gurmukh's. If you already have Gurmukh's, then try one of the Kundalini yoga websites and try someone else's. Even buying a Kundalini yoga book and going through the sets on your own is better than doing it with this. Honestly.. don't waste your money.
Rating: Summary: great intermediate dvd Review: I am not a kundalini expert but have been doing various forms of yoga for a few years (nothing too advanced). I wasn't too sure about the dvd when I started- but it seemed to be working on somethings that I don't get in a regular yoga class. So I decided to give it a month. I can say, a month later, that I can feel the difference and am very happy with the results. I just came back to see if she had another dvd out. The worst part of the cd is the kind-of new-agey talk but it's not that bad especially if you turn it down and put up your own music!
Rating: Summary: Feel great on every level! Review: I bought this video on the recommendation of a couple of other reviewers on this site, and I use it at least 3 times a week! When I finish it, I feel relaxed, energized and worked out from head to toe. I agree that there isn't much warm up--it's a little hard to tell when the "workout" begins--but I just start about 7 minutes into the tape and that's worked fine for me. It's a very straightforward workout, not a lot of coddling. Ms. Carlson has a style which I can see might be interpreted by some people as slightly aloof, but to me it's like having a one-on-one class with a serious, professional instructor who really knows what she's talking about. This video seems to have been made on a slightly smaller budget than the Gurmukh one, but in my opinion, beautiful scenery is nice if you're planning on sitting on your butt and just watching the video, but if you're doing it right, you probably won't notice. This video does have very nice, understated music, though, which does enhance the experience.
Rating: Summary: motivational tape Review: I enjoyed this tape very much. The fire breathing helps make one more interesting to do yoga differently. The tape is too long. It is more for an intermediate or advanced flexibility.
Rating: Summary: Instructor Arrogant! Review: I found Carol Carlson's style to be very arrogant. There is virtually no instruction in this video. Carol is video taped doing her workout and then she dubs over to state "bridge pose: breath of fire". If you have never done kundalini yoga before, you will shut it off after seeing this. There is no introduction or explanation. The only people who would value this video would be people who have been doing this type of yoga with some mastery for a while and just want to watch someone else do it with good form. So what was the point? If you want a good intro to kundalini yoga, get the Chakra Yoga video by Gurutej Kaur.
Rating: Summary: Challenging but disorganized...? Review: I found the actual poses to be good, difficult Kundalini practice though perhaps a bit disorganized. They (the poses)didn't seem to go in a logical order for where the body happened to be placed at a given time. The instructor was learned but devoid of any child-like good naturedness that yoga is supposed to proliferate.
Rating: Summary: Really annoying instructor and difficult workout Review: I found the instructor incredibly annoying and kept wishing she would stop talking. I found her "affirmations" inane and repetitive, with not enough instruction on the techniques. She starts with a backbend pose, in the midst of which she stops and explains in detail how to do breath of fire! In all my classes we have started out with less strenuous stretching positions. I also didn't feel the workout flowed well from one position to the next.
Rating: Summary: Kundalini Yoga For Grace and Strength Review: I have been a hatha yoga practioner for years. This is the first video I ever did of Kundalini yoga. I loved it. I felt so relaxed in mind and body. After I had finished with the video, I desired to go right into a meditation. It felt wonderful. I have never experienced this kind of yoga before. I love hatha yoga but this yoga... is different in a lovely way. In a subtle way, I just felt energetically different. I felt happier the rest of the day. It is strenuous and physically challenging yet at the same time very spiritual. Worth every penny. I can't wait to try other Kundalini videos and learn more about what Kundalini is all about.
Rating: Summary: Kundalini Yoga Review: I have been an avid Gurmukh fan, enjoying the aerobic style of Kundalini Yoga. Grace and Strength takes that to a new level, not as aerobic, but intense enough. I love this vidoe and in fact, gave it to my mom, because she liked it so much. I am on today to purchase another one.
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