Rating: Summary: Most Beautiful Review: I was always daunted to try Kundalini Yoga - just because the many cautions every book says one needs to be aware of. This DVD introduces one to Kundalini Yoga in a rather straight forward manner. Working mainly along the spine - from the top to the bottom - the series of postures try to activate the energy centers along the spine. The Breath of Fire is introduced and used in many postures. This form of Yoga is more dynamic than Hatha Yoga; so many of those physically oriented especially beginners may find it interesting. The postures and beautifully demonstrated. The 70 minutes of it may seem to be a stretch to a beginner. The author doesn't explain the precautions needed for one to practice this form of yoga and breath of fire. Many original texts on Yoga caution the practitioner against invoking the Kundalini energy if one isn't ready for it. Especially practising the Mula bandha, I personally have found it to be having a mostly negative effect on me - irritation, nightmares, etc; thus one has to be ready for the energy released due to the mula bandha and breath of fire. As the editorial review cautions, this DVD is for experienced practitioners who are willing to cautiously experiment with Kundalini.
Rating: Summary: kundalini yoga with grace&strength Review: i was very dissappointed with this video because for being a yoga teacher for over a decade she starts off without any warmup in addition she went straight to a very difficult pose. I also felt that her intructions weren't very clear.
Rating: Summary: A great Kundalini yoga workout Review: I've been practicing and teaching Kundalini yoga for about six years and authored an article on Kundalini Yoga which appeared in the January 2000 issue of Yoga International Magazine. I think this video is one of the best out their on Kundalini Yoga and closely simulates what a person would encounter in a typical Kundalini Yoga class. Carol's in-person classes are extremely energetic and aerobic and she does come off as a "serious" and even aloof personality, but that is not a problem for me. If you are looking for an invigorating Kundalini Yoga workout in the style of Yoga Bhajan and his followers, this is a great tape. It is probably more suitable for those already familiar with this form of yoga. This is NOT Kripalu or Iyengar -- so get over it reviewers 1 and 2. Its Kundalini and its life transforming and its great.
Rating: Summary: KUDALINI YOGA: WITH GRACE AND STRENGTH Review: I'VE DONE KRIPALU YOGA, BEEN TO THE KRIPALU CENTERS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND A SATTELITE CENTER IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, AND I'VE DONE GURUMUKH'S YOGA TAPE, WHICH I ENJOYED AND I'VE DONE CAROL CARLSON'S TAPE. THEY ARE BOTH EXCELLENT TAPES BUT THE RELAXATION FOLLOWING CAROL CARLSON'S "KUNDALINI YOGA: WITH GRACE AND STRENGTH" WAS MUCH MUCH DEEPER AND MORE PROFOUND. THE MOVEMENTS IN THIS VIDEO ARE NOT NEARLY AS BOUNCY AS GURUMUKH'S, BUT THE WORKOUT IS JUST AS INTENSE. I FIND GETTING WARMED UP WITH GURUMUKH'S TAPE AND THEN DOING CAROL CARLSON'S TAPE BRINGS ME HOME.
Rating: Summary: Yogi Bhajan's Students Strike Again Review: I've practiced Ashtanga Yoga for many years and have had very powerful Kundalini experiences. The material Carlson presents in this video strikes me as rather cursory and misguided. Carlson presents an intermediate/advanced workout that moves along rather too quickly for any real benefit. The breath-of-fire she teaches is really hyperventilating so don't let that fool you. Hyperventilating will just as surely alter your state of consciousness as the fancy sounding "Breath of Fire" she proscribes. Better is slow, deep breathing, even to the point of subtle retention. I must say also that Carol Carlson is the most unhappy yoga teacher I've ever seen. I don't recall a single moment in her presentation where she genuinely smiles, or even appears to put out anything other than the vibe of a terse, dry young woman who likes to be in charge. In her puruit of purity and practice she seems to have sacrificed all feeling and joy. If this is what her yoga practice does for her, then I see no reason to follow in her footsteps. Though she doesn't wear her bee-hive turban of a Sikh follower in the video, she wears all white clothing and sings the praises of Yogi Bhajan. So though she manages to appear harmless and generic, it is clear she is coming from the same clan as all the other Sikh teachers with videos out these days, such as Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. Anyone who comes to believe that spiritual evolution lies in wearing foreign clothes and getting a new name from their guru/yogi/swami/baba is sorely mistaken. You can't buy an awakened kundalini. Though, as these Sikhs are proving, you can make a living by appearing to have one. My advice: seek answers elsewhere.
Rating: Summary: The best I've tried Review: I've tried quite a few yoga videos and this one is definitely the best. In fact it's the only one I like. It's a challenging workout that goes through everything from stenght to flexability to relaxation. Carol's method of teaching is striaght to the point, there's none of those fake smiles and silly affirmations. The workout is all about focus. It's hard to get through, but that's what makes it so much more rewarding at the end.
Rating: Summary: Gets all the parts moving Review: If you are looking for a yoga practice to do in the morning to get everything working again and unstiff this is the program for you. Be warned, you need to have some idea of yoga and yes it has a strong spritual component. The point of Kundalini is to get your chi out of your pelvis and moving up. Every part of the body is awakened and used so its great for limbering up if your a little older or just simply stiff in the mornings. Don't be intimidated, use the video take from it what you can each day and you'll never have the same practice twice!
Rating: Summary: The most comprehensive Yoga workout I've seen on video. Review: Ms. Carlson presents the most total-body Yoga workout I've ever seen on video or done in class. The routine is at once strenuous, productive and soothing to the mind, body and spirit. Beginners can do this workout as long as they keep in mind that they are to only go as deep into the postures as they can; which I believe Ms. Carlson adequately emphasizes throughout the tape. The video production itself was obviously low-budget, but if you're doing the workout to get a good Yoga workout and not necessarily to be entertained by high-priced sets and Hollywood-bound demonstrators, it's worth every penny of this less expensive tape. Of all my Yoga tapes this is the one I recommend!
Rating: Summary: Kundalini Yoga with Grace and Strength Review: This is by far one of the best yoga videos I've ever done. It is challenging enough to hold my interest, but at the same time, leaves me feeling completely serene and grounded by the end. I have yet to tire of doing it and Carol is a wonderful example of what yoga should be.
Rating: Summary: KUNDALINI YOGA: WITH GRACE & STRENGTH Review: This is one of the best videos I have practised with. Carol Carlson is a wonderful teacher. She is calm and very precise in her instructions. One receives a full workout together with calming meditation and relaxation. I highly recommend this video.
|