Kundalini Yoga Questions to Ponder

[Lannette]

The threads I start aren’t usually burners and that’s probably because I’m thoroughly entrenched in the past where workouts are concerned. So I’m going to pose a couple questions about Kundalini Yoga that I’ve been pondering with the hope that the few Kundalini mavens left on the board will share their thoughts.

1. Kundalini Yoga, specifically Raviana KY was for more than a few years a hot topic. I experienced this first hand but then re-lived it again as I searched the board for information to assist me in purchasing the few DVDs I didn’t own. Did the trend just run its course?

I kind of fell away around the time Ana decided to become blond. I don’t want to believe I stopped buying for such a superficial reason and I think that the feel of the WOs also changed at that time and I didn’t give it a chance. Now I love them! (Not getting into appearance because I think Ana is adorable no matter.)

2. Raviana Streams - I’ve heard there are no chapters but the Short Sets description mentions warm-up, three sets, Meditation and this sounds like chapters.
I noticed most say they’re longer than 40 minutes, is this true? When they were listed on Prime the time for the back health stream was 35 minutes.

Do you like the streams? Why or why not? Favorites, especially the shorter ones?
Am I correct that you use data with each use? (Considering purchasing a few for travel)

3. What other Kundalini Yoginis do you like? I have 2 Maya Fiennes DVDs but don’t seem to reach for them. I have one with Nirvair Singh Khalsa. The length puts me off. I have others - none call me.

Does one need to cultivate an enjoyment when it comes to Yoginis with less razor dazzle? I’m reminded of the Firm. Back when that was all I did production, choreography, costuming all mattered so much. T-Tapp for example paled beside it. Yet eventually I got used to looking past the flashy delivery to how the workouts felt and left me feeling.

That’s probably enough for now. Answer one question or comment as you please. Pose your own questions. Let the thread go where it may or even die a natural death.

[eam531]

This post will probably not be popular.

I came to kundalini yoga via live classes in Washington DC, and got involved wth 3HO teacher training at the studio where I took classes. I bought quite a few of Ravi and Ana's DVDs, when Ana was in her brunette phase, and enjoyed them for awhile. Ana has terrific form and does the kriyas with grace and beauty. But I eventually got rid of all of their DVDs.

Nothing, NOTHING, that Ravi and Ana put out can hold a candle to the live classes I took in DC. My teacher, who died a few years ago way too young, lived in a 3HO ashram for several years and also was certified in Ashtanga yoga. She was a compassionate hard-a$$ with a warrior's heart. Her classes were absolutely phenomenal. The meditations with the gong were fantastic. And in the teacher training course I took, our teachers were also musicians and all the music was live. That course was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. (Interestingly, none of the students in my teacher training class had ever heard of Ravi and Ana, because they all took live classes exclusively or owned videos by Nirvair.)

It really started bothering me that there was absolutely ZERO mention of, or gratitude towards, Yogi Bhajan for the longest time in R&A's videos. I have no idea why that was--perhaps Yogi Bhajan was litigious while he was alive--but it shows a shocking lack of gratitude towards Ravi's guru. Without Yogi Bhajan there would be no Ravi and Ana.

If one is going to be a purist, these kriyas were not meant to be sliced and diced. Yogi Bhajan transmitted them and they were to be done exactly as he taught them. That's why Nirvair's practices are as long as they are.

R&A saw that video consumers wanted a different experience, and that was very clever of them. Sometimes you want a shorter practice and R&A provide that for people who practice kundalini yoga via video. They had a much greater awareness of the needs and wants of people who buy exercise and yoga videos than 3HO did and a better grasp of the importance of production values. They have profited greatly from this; they are canny marketers.

What bothers me is this idea that somehow R&A are the only "real" or "good" kundalini yoga teachers and that other teachers, like Nirvair, are somehow not "authentic" (!!!!) or are "too weird" because they are not like R&A. I am not saying Lannette has this idea, but I have definitely seen it stated on this forum.

It's perfectly fine to dislike teachers like Nirvair; I dislike some excellent teachers (Travis Eliot springs to mind). R&A are very popular but they do not call me like they once did. I like the lower-key and less show-biz approaches of 3HO kundalini yoga teachers who *always* credited Yogi Bhajan.

Any kundalini yoga I do now is from the DVDs I have from Nirvair (especially Heal Your Back Now--its one of my desert island discs), or I do kriyas from the printed manuals I have.

It is my hope that when a younger generation of people take the helm at 3HO, the organization will put out video content that rivals that of R&A. The kundalini yoga universe is surely big enough for "traditional" teachers as well as innovators like R&A.

[Pat58]

Thank you for your post Betsy, all that you mentioned is good information. I've never had the good fortune to attend great, live Kundalini workshops other than the three I enjoyed with Ravi and Ana. The classes you've been to sound phenomenal.

I have read at VF that R&A slice and dice from the traditional practices so that the workouts provide options for busy people or those who do not have access to pure Kundalini classes. That's actually one of the reasons I gravitate toward them; also the music, Ravi's voice and poetry, etc. I have Nirvair for special days, and have some Maya Fiennes, Mariya Gancheva and others, but my mood just reaches for R&A most of the time. I'm pretty sure you gave me one or two of your RaviAna DVDs when you cleaned out your collection.

ETA: On some of the DVDs Yogi Bhajan is thanked in the credits, "with love and gratitude." He is mentioned regularly in their newsletters. They never do mention him during the workouts, though.

[Pat58]

Lannette, some answers:

1. Kundalini Yoga, specifically Raviana KY was for more than a few years a hot topic. I've reviewed tagged threads from the hot topic days and have theories. Some of those discussions got pretty feisty (Ana's in her knickers again, Ana's dancing in big boots, Ana's shirt is see-through) and I don't see those posters at VF anymore. It seems a lot of the RaviAna lovers have either left VF or stick to their check-ins now. I still see R&A activity in the various check-ins. Also, the first times I saw the word Kundalini was a RaviAna cover on Amazon and then kept seeing the word in VF threads. It was new and unique. I was very late to the party because of the negative comments. R&A were pumping out new DVDs regularly and had lots of interaction such as "choose the next cover" and things like that. They are more about teacher trainings, now and the newsletters have gotten wishy washy.

I kind of fell away around the time Ana decided to become blond. I don’t want to believe I stopped buying for such a superficial reason and I think that the feel of the WOs also changed at that time and I didn’t give it a chance. Now I love them! (Not getting into appearance because I think Ana is adorable no matter.)
I wasn't thrilled when the "blonde era" ushered in. Not because of Ana's appearance but because (A) the background was loud and jarring; and (B) they began using the lengthy kriya like Tiger Claws and Ringing the Bells of Heaven. Now I love them all (but don't participate in the long Tiger Claws type kriya, they make me anxious).

3. What other Kundalini Yoginis do you like? I have several of Nirvair's videos and use them when I feel like I need a gentle Kundalini hug. I also have a couple Maya Fiennes, Mariya Gancheva, a Kundalini on the Ball video and one or two instructors that I can't remember the names off the top of my head. When I had a YogaGlo subscription I adored Kia Miller, but dropped off because so many of her practices are lengthy. I like them all, but Ravi and Ana are just my go-to instructors most of the time.

Does one need to cultivate an enjoyment when it comes to Yoginis with less razor dazzle? I think it depends. I loved Kia Miller from the first minute and YogaGlo is just a floor and a wall background.

[bee]

Wow, Betsy, I had no idea that some people would think R&A are the authority and others are less authentic. That makes me laugh, as I always saw their stuff as pretty blatantly catering to the masses and trying to make more sales. I came to the KY party late. My first was the Gurmukh dvd -- different than anything I had ever done. At some point I tried some R&A and it seemed odd to me but I eventually began to appreciate it for what it offered -- the matrix feature on their dvds being great for getting in a shorter practice. Since then I have done some of Mariya's stuff -- I like that quite a bit -- and I have a Mantra Girl dvd or two that I've done. To be honest, I haven't done KY in a long time and this morning just did the new R&A one which I enjoyed quite a bit, and I'm reminded that I need to do some kind of KY on a more regular basis.

[Lannette]

Betsy, you were one of the VF Yoginis I had hoped would respond. You too Pat.

One of the things I noticed when I started collecting Matrix DVDs is that R&A do now give Yogi Bhajan credit, usually at the end of the credits. I wondered when that started but never followed up on it.

So what happens in a live, full length class when a participant isn’t capable of doing a movement or maybe sustaining 90 minutes of practice? Are they out of luck, told to sit quietly until they can join back in, given a modification?

I guess one of the things I value about R&A is that they made KY readily available for anyone. There are certainly more people who do Kundalini Yoga even if they aren’t purists. Isn’t that a good thing?

I’m also wondering if anyone has seen Nivair’s beginner DVDs? If so, I would love a description. It seems that they’re an hour long and so I imagine they’re lecture vs practice. I actually see him as being very authentic.

There is actually a 3HO owned Retreat and wellness center 10 miles from me. There were two weekly classes but both fell within the hours during which I see clients. I’m also rehabbing from an injury and I’m afraid of getting into a situation where I’d injure myself again. 31 minutes of Sat Nam Kriya isn’t happening. Now there’s only one class so it seems that the attendance isn’t great.

What if you don’t want to be a purist? Or can’t be for a very real reason? There are several I can think of off the top of my head. How do you get there from where you are? It sounds rather sad and bleak and not at all welcoming.

[Lannette]

Pat, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. You too Bee.

[bevatron]

I've only done Kundalini for about four years, never could get into yoga before that, Raviana was what I started with. I never thought theirs was "authentic" Kundalini like Nirvair and I understand you're not supposed to mix & match. I have all kinds of other Kundalini DVDs and figured I would do them once I got stronger & better at Raviana's. But I like the mix & match, and that I can work on specific areas in a short time, so I haven't moved on from Ravi & Ana. I still plan to do "real" Kundalini in the future, but am very happy with my current workouts. I do not stream & only use DVDs.

[Gale K.]

I have not been doing much kundalini lately, but I really like Harmanjot Kaur's practices, available on Amazon. I don't know if she has ever been mentioned on VF. She works with Guru Jagat. The videos are well produced, doable but at times rigorous practice. It s pretty straight forward Kundalini-wise; she talks about the benefits of the exercises but doesn't go into huge detail. I love her voice, too! And she looks to be in amazing shape.

I have all of Raviana's and still adore them. I am appreciative of their efforts to make Kundalini known and accessible to the "masses" (i.e., me, lol). I tried their new one (streaming) this morning, and for some reason I just could not engage. I may revisit Harmonjat Kaur tomorrow.

[Lannette]

Bevatron, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it.

Gale, I’ve been looking at her two DVD set. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on them. Total Fitness DVDs has a sample video of it but the video won’t play for me.

Has anyone heard of Guru Rattana ?
It’s streaming, which I don’t generally do. Each session is around 100 minutes but the are chaptered using links.

Two of her books are available on Amazon’s kindle unlimited. She has a free introductory course - more of a 25 chapter book. I actually learned quite a bit just reading through her website.

I started reading one of her books and she started doing Hatha yoga by doing 3 poses daily - 3 poses. Later her sister, who studied Kundalini Yoga taught her “some poses.” She added them to her three Hatha poses and eventually attended a weekend of classes with Yogi Bhajan. As they say, the rest is history.

This makes me feel so much better. I wasn’t doing any KY due to personal and family constraints. I gave myself permission to do as little as I needed to do each day and I’ve not missed a day for months. I may not be authentic but I’m consistent baby! Funny how you go poking around without expectations and out pops what you needed to find.