Any Kundalini Yoga Fans?

B

BAM

Cathlete
Due to some current physical limitations, I'm trying to find some type of exercise that I can actually do and kundalini yoga seems quite doable for me. I've tried Ravi and Ana's "A Journey Through the Chakras", "For Beginners and Beyond" and "Fat Free" which I got through my library. I am most interested in hearing your thoughts overall on kundalini yoga. How has it helped you? What have you noticed by practicing it and are you seeing any physical changes? Also, which ones would you recommend? I would appreciate any in depth information that you'd like to share as it will help me make the right decisions before I shell out money that I don't have right now. :)

Thanks very much!

Bam
 
Hi!

The benefits that I have experienced from yoga (not just Kundalini) include improved cardiovascular ability (from rapid breath of fire and other breathing techniques which do not require extraordinary poses) and improved flexibility (if you can walk before, I find it to be most beneficial after at least 10-15 min. of easy walking.) When I started I couldn't even touch my toes, now I can easily place both palms on the floor without flexing the knees. I find that yoga helps with weight loss. I don't know why. I sleep better. It has improved digestion/ helped with my IBS. I do not practice yoga during my menstrual cycle btw.

If you have a netflix account you can try lots of yoga dvds through it without having to keep it. Its not free like the library but its not bad. Also, some places have record/dvd/tape resellers that have old DVDs. Yoga Today is a bit advanced but I think you should check it out, its free online and streaming. There are new classes every week. Sarah Kline is my favorite instructor.

Do you have an injury that you are recovering from?
 
Thanks, RapidBreath. I don't have a specific injury but I have severe neck/shoulder and back issues that haven't been receptive to the many modalities I've tried to improve them. I have done traditional yoga in the past but right now I need to do something with the least amount of effort/movement on the body and kundalini yoga seems to fit the bill. Are there any specific dvd's that you like best?

Bam
 
I don't understand kundalini yoga in general and ravi/Ana in particular. Of the kundalini I tried, I like Sarah kline of yoga today best. I prefer regular yoga. I have never done yoga to the exclusion of traditional strength training, so I cannot talk about results in that sense. I achieve a sense of physical well being that I don't experience from any other form of fitness from regular yoga. All types of fitness make me feel great but yoga does the most. Yoga works synergistically on endurance, flexibility, strength, balance. I may be imagining it, but my body feels holistically fit. i feel radiant. From an everyday health perspective, I have a slight tremor since childhood. If i hold out a limb, it will tremble ever so slightly. When I am doing regular yoga, it disappears. My periods seem shorter and like any other day. No discomfort what so ever. I have tons of energy. My skin glows. I sleep deeply and peacefully. I catch less colds. If I do catch a cold, a session of yoga works better than any medication with symptoms. Yoga breathing exercises and matching breath to movement is an incredible way to clear the head and lungs. I also find my mind better able to cope with issues. I suspect some of it could be a placebo effect, but I am not complaining.
 
BAM said:
Thanks, RapidBreath. I don't have a specific injury but I have severe neck/shoulder and back issues that haven't been receptive to the many modalities I've tried to improve them. I have done traditional yoga in the past but right now I need to do something with the least amount of effort/movement on the body and kundalini yoga seems to fit the bill. Are there any specific dvd's that you like best?

Bam
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Have you tried viniyoga?
They are a set of DVDs for the issues you mention that are very highly rated. I found the delivery very boring. They start with a tutorial that guides you to go slow and progress as you get better. I hope you get better soon.
 
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Vee, have you ever considered being a P.R. person for yoga? Wow! What a great representative you are. I'm certainly convinced. I'm so glad you've gotten such amazing results with yoga. It's nice to hear about people discovering wonderful things to help their body, mind and spirit. I felt good just reading your post! :) I actually have the Viniyoga dvd's and have tried one of them only once. I suppose I should try it again. As I mentioned previously, kundalini yoga just seemed to be a very gentle way for me to do something. I am going to look into Sarah Kline. I just am getting a bit disgusted at the flab and folds that I'm acquiring without being able to do much about it - not that I had a killer bod before I couldn't work out but at least I could do what I needed to do to at least give gravity a run for its money! :D Thanks so much for your response.

Bam
 
Hi BAM

I tried to get into Yoga a couple of years ago and became pally with a ballet teacher on a Yoga site who extolled the virtues of Kundalini endlessly. During our discussions I mentioned that I was a die-hard stepper and it was she who introduced me to CATHE - which has substantially enriched my life and for which I shall be eternally gratefully. (High-5 Cathe)

Anyway I digress. We ended up swapping lots of DVDs and I purchased a few in addition. I think I've got all of Ravi & Anna (except 1) - inlcuding the laughting one (oh dear).

Suffice it to say I couldn't really get on with it at the time, but I wasn't very fit back then so some of the extended holding out of arms etc I couldn't maintain. However, after reading 'Vee's' post on here - as I'm feeling very lethargic today and was wondering what workout to do to energise rather than exhaust me I'm going to go home this afternoon and give this another try, as there are undoubted benefits to be enjoyed.

One reason why I flunked out of it before was because of the daily meditation element which I could never fully embrace or adapt to.

I've seen Cathe posting on here a couple of times about BIKRAM Yoga which made me a bit jealous as that's something that I'd love to try. But before I put my extensive Kundalini collection on e-bay you've motivated me into giving it another go. I'll come on here tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

Uuuuummmmmm (oh I can feel it working already) :D
 
BAM said:
Vee, have you ever considered being a P.R. person for yoga? Wow! What a great representative you are. I'm certainly convinced. I'm so glad you've gotten such amazing results with yoga. It's nice to hear about people discovering wonderful things to help their body, mind and spirit. I felt good just reading your post! :) I actually have the Viniyoga dvd's and have tried one of them only once. I suppose I should try it again. As I mentioned previously, kundalini yoga just seemed to be a very gentle way for me to do something. I am going to look into Sarah Kline. I just am getting a bit disgusted at the flab and folds that I'm acquiring without being able to do much about it - not that I had a killer bod before I couldn't work out but at least I could do what I needed to do to at least give gravity a run for its money! :D Thanks so much for your response.

Bam
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Bam, I am a p.r person for yoga and everything else I discover that is wonderful. :) Sarah Kline does kundalini and non, so read the description and level before you buy. My yoga teacher is a qualified physiotherapist who frequently treats injuries and pain issues with yoga based pt. His patients have managed to use yoga simultaneously as a workout and as therapy with his guidance. At the Iyengar yoga center in India there are remarkable stories of recovery from pain and injuries. However, most yoga teachers unfortunately are trained just on yoga as fitness.
 
Bam

I, too, am recovering from injuries. Through another poster, Heather, "Lightening16", I started using yoga conditioning dvds by Jill Miller. She has a series called Yoga Link, I am using all three - Hip Helpers, Shoulder Shape-up, and Core Integration. For your particular injuries the latter two would be most helpful. The dvds include workshops, where she discusses each conditioning move - I found the workshops to be very, very informative.

This Pilates dvd, Pilates for Dummies, has been very helpful too.

A few years ago, I was attracted to the hype surrounding Ana Brett and Ravi, and bought a selection of their dvds. They did not click with me. I will likely never use them. If you are interested, I would be happy to send them to you.
 
KadetKim, good for you for giving it another try. I hope it works for you and I really am looking forward to hearing how you made out. It's nice when we connect with workouts that work for us in many ways. Cathe has been great for me but I just can't do her workouts now and it really frustrates me when I think of what I used to be able to do and what I can, or can't do now but hopefully this will change in the near future. I've never tried bikram yoga but I know so many people love it. As with anything, it's whatever works for you. I hope you get energized with your kundalini workout today. Happy Breath of Fire"ing"! :D

Vee, I suppose I'm like you as well. When you find something so fabulous, you become the greatest spokesperson for it and want the world to know. I know traditional yoga has helped many people with their injuries and limitations. Perhaps I need to find a qualified person who really understands what's going on with me. I'm trying to do as much as I can on my own as money is an issue for me right now. I have talked to some people in the business about my problems and they all want to work with me one on one but I can't afford it, at least not now. The classes that they offer are more general but I will still inquire to people I meet.

Janis, thank you so much for your kind offer. I did send you a pm. I'm sorry that you've been plagued with injuries as well. Before I purchased the Viniyoga dvd's, I did some research on which ones to get for injuries and the Jill Miller ones were recommended as well. I guess I just threw the dice and Viniyoga won but I've only done it once. I don't think I connected with it but I certainly didn't give it a chance. What type of injuries have you sustained and how long did it take for you to find some benefit from doing Jill Miller?

Bam
 
BAM said:
Janis, thank you so much for your kind offer. I did send you a pm. I'm sorry that you've been plagued with injuries as well. Before I purchased the Viniyoga dvd's, I did some research on which ones to get for injuries and the Jill Miller ones were recommended as well. I guess I just threw the dice and Viniyoga won but I've only done it once. I don't think I connected with it but I certainly didn't give it a chance. What type of injuries have you sustained and how long did it take for you to find some benefit from doing Jill Miller?

Bam
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Hi Again,

The shoulder injury is a repetitive use injury on the anterior deltoid/long head of the bicep. I found IMMEDIATE relief and benefit from Jill Miller's Shoulder Shape-up.


I also am recovering from hip flexor-Iliospoas tendinitis, which was so extreme I was on bed rest and had to use crutches to get around. Jill Miller's Hip Helpers dvd and her Core Integration have strengthened and stretched the area so well I am walking and sitting and functioning without pain, my bodily response to the two dvds was also immediate.

To go from fit and athletic to pain ridden and decrepit was a shock. Jill Miller's dvds not only revealed my weak areas, they drove home how important core strength is to the mechanics of the whole body, plus they are re-balancing my body in the process.

They aren't the typical yoga practice where you warm up and flow from one movement to another Vinyasa style. Instead they are conditioning exercises and moves.

Here is her website: http://www.jillmilleryoga.com/products.html

And Amazon's product page:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...r&x=0&y=0&ih=5_5_1_0_0_0_0_0_0_1.90_61&fsc=-1

HTH
:D
 
Janis, thanks so much for the great links and book suggestion. I am definitely going to look into them. I am so sorry for your injuries. I absolutely can relate to having your fitness regimen halted. It's not an easy situation to deal with. On the other hand, I am so happy that you found such immediate relief from the Jill Miller dvd's. I can only imagine the feeling of being able to help yourself on your own and not be subject to just hoping that it heals quickly. Congratulations!!! After I read your links, I may have a couple of questions about them if you don't mind.

Thanks again for all the helpful info.

Bam

ETA: Yippee!!! I just checked some local libraries and one of them owns both Hip Helper and Shoulder Shape Up. Someone checked out Shoulder Shape Up but I'm about to reserve Hip Helper and put the other one on hold. Woo Hoo!!!!!
 
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sniff sniff sniff sniff

Well that was certainly different. After reading other posters I don't think, with my limited experience, that I'm at all qualified to comment. However, I did try to reacquaint myself with a practice (Mantra Girl - An Introduction to Kundalini and Chanting Vol 1) which after 45 minutes I thought had ended when she said "that concludes..........." but that just turned out to be the warm-up!!!!!!!!!!

I think that you'd really have to practise this to derive benefit from it as the syncronisation of the Breath of Fire and the belly does take a bit to master. I didn't complete each cycle in it's entirety as I was experiencing a bit of head-rush, but obviously that would improve after repeated attempts. When I was devoting myself to Yoga more seriously a couple of years ago I definitely felt a lightness and a spring in my step, however, more traditional forms of Yoga concentrate on very different asanas than the Kundalini style formula.

Although I'm not sure that this is for me I have decided to continue with it for a few weeks to give it a real chance - and check in with you again to ascertain your progress (if that's OK??).
 
KadetKim said:
sniff sniff sniff sniff


Well that was certainly different. After reading other posters I don't think, with my limited experience, that I'm at all qualified to comment. However, I did try to reacquaint myself with a practice (Mantra Girl - An Introduction to Kundalini and Chanting Vol 1) which after 45 minutes I thought had ended when she said "that concludes..........." but that just turned out to be the warm-up!!!!!!!!!!

I think that you'd really have to practise this to derive benefit from it as the syncronisation of the Breath of Fire and the belly does take a bit to master. I didn't complete each cycle in it's entirety as I was experiencing a bit of head-rush, but obviously that would improve after repeated attempts. When I was devoting myself to Yoga more seriously a couple of years ago I definitely felt a lightness and a spring in my step, however, more traditional forms of Yoga concentrate on very different asanas than the Kundalini style formula.

Although I'm not sure that this is for me I have decided to continue with it for a few weeks to give it a real chance - and check in with you again to ascertain your progress (if that's OK??).
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(In response to your first line) O.K., this is going to be bad so I apologize in advance. Did you use a tissue first? :p I have to share something funny. When I was taking the dvd's out from my library, 2 of the workers were asking me about it and I told them that there's a lot of breathing involved and I proceeded to demonstrate the breath. Well uh, let's just say, that's the impetus that lead to my tissue comment. :eek: No need to say anymore! :D

Like anything, it certainly can take a while to master the practice. I'm just starting and would LOVE to get the head rush. I guess I'll have to work at it! :p Good for you for deciding to try it for a few weeks. How else can you make a proper assessment. Please let me know which dvd's you're doing and how you're liking them and I will do the same. I only have 2 out from the library right now so I'll probably just be doing those. Since I just got Jill Miller's dvd, I'm going to add that into the mix and now I'm thinking I might want to add some traditional yoga in as well. I have quite a few Yoga Zones and I like them because a lot of their practices are only 15 minutes long. Geesh, ya need half a day to do all this stuff. Can't see anything wrong with that, right? :rolleyes:

Enjoy the rush and, uh, here's a tissue! :p

Bam
 
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