Dance the Chakras Yoga Workout - Ana Brett & Ravi Singh ***With the New MATRIX Menu Option***

Although I actually took a Kundalini yoga workshop with instructors Ana Brett and Ravi Singh in 2005, this was the first of their DVDs that I tried, as my home practice tends to consist of more traditional forms of Hatha yoga. To my surprise, I enjoyed this DVD very much, and I expect that I will now include some Kundalini as part of my home practice.

Unlike their live workshops, Ana and Ravi's DVDs feature Ana only on screen, with both Ana and Ravi providing instruction via voiceover. Dance the Chakras is broken down into two main sections, a Kundalini yoga sequence and a series of short guided dances. The DVD chapter menu breaks down as follows (I've added approximate times and brief details):

Introduction
Tune In (just under 3 minutes)--includes ong namo guru dev namo chant
Yoga Set 1 (9.5 minutes)--stomach grinds, ragdoll (fast head-to-knee pose performed repeatedly), crow (a type of squat, not an arm balance) with Breath of Fire [BOF], butterfly with forward bend, bridge with BOF; includes brief pauses to meditate throughout
Yoga Set 2 (16 minutes)--moving legs in and out while lying on back, rolling, chest expansion (arms raised at right angles move in and out) with BOF, arms held at 60 degrees, shoulderstand with BOF, plow, rolling, neck rolls, cat/cow sequence, baby pose (child's pose) with arm mudra and 3-part breath; includes brief pauses to meditate throughout
Shake Your Chakras:
Tribal Dance (5 minutes)--arms opening, surfer dips (rock down and back up), tribal dance (pulse arms down, work your way up)
Hippy Hippy Shake (3.5 minutes)--hips shake side-side-side-up, hip rolls up to one side, side to side sways
Funky Temple Dance (3.5 minutes)--free form, with side sweeps and other large arm movements
Dance of Power (4.5 minutes)--punches, victory dance, sweep kicks
Rock Your Soul:
Heart (2.5 minutes)--includes spinning
Trance Dance (4 minutes)--freeform dance with sat-a-nam wahay guru chant
Deep Relaxation (3 minutes)--relaxation pose
Chakra Mudra Chant (5 minutes; also called mantra meditation)--repeated arm movement pattern while singing ap sahae hoa-suchay da sucha doa-har har har
Closing Prayer (1 minute)--pray for self, other, world peace

Although I don't have much experience with Kundalini yoga, many of the postures included in the yoga sets were familiar, and I enjoyed the mix of fast repetitions with more slow relaxed holds. Ana and Ravi talk about which chakras are being worked via each exercise, moving from the lower body to the top of the head. I was more wary of the dance section: although I do enjoy some dance workouts, I tend not to like more freeform workouts. Surprisingly, I found that these dances were really enjoyable, particularly the Hippy Hippy Shake, with all of its fun hip swings and sways, and the Dance of Power, which had a bit of a kickboxing flavor. Ana's moves are sensual and free, and although I did try to follow her, I didn't feel pressured to copy her exactly either. The chakra mudra meditation was another pleasant surprise that left me feeling very relaxed and focused.

The entire workout comes in at about 60 minutes. However, the DVD also includes some great pre-sets (premixes) which give you several different shorter workout options. These include Shake Your Chakras, 30 minutes; Chakra Light, 30 minutes; Sweat and Glow, 45 minutes; and Angel Tango, 20 minutes. However, you might find that you enjoy the DVD so much that you want to do the entire thing! I think that fans of Ana and Ravi will definitely love this DVD, but I also would recommend it for those new to Kundalini who approach the practice with an open mind and spirit.

I just finished doing this DVD and I wanted to write a review while it was fresh in my mind. The class has a 30 minute chakra workout that includes seated hip grinds; seated leg alternate leg movements up and down;crow pose with breath of fire; butterfly pose; abs (of course); shoulder stand w/ BOF; arm movements for heart chakra; child's pose while lifting clasped hands with breath. Then comes the fun 30 minute chakra dance workouts. Kind of hard to describe, but you will love it. I think there are 4 segments of this. Some are lead and some are free form. the last dance segment is a lotus opening movement with turns. Divine! This segment ends with a WONDERFUL moving meditation chanting in tantric style Sat Nam Wahe Guru. Splendid! Final relaxation then a mantra mediation. Ap Sahai Hoa, a mantra for peace prosperity and self-esteem. It frees the mind from negativity. It is done with arm movements. This DVD is so wonderful. Anna and Ravi keep out doing themselves each time they release DVD's. This is the spirit of Kundalini yoga and includes everything I love: yoga, dancing music, chanting and meditation. Sweet!!!!

I just finished doing this DVD and it's just PERFECT!!!!! What a great workout for the body and the soul.... this DVD elevates my mood like no other!!! This should get 10 stars!!!!! It's soooo much fun!!!!!!

I love the kundalini yoga set for the charkas (it's about 30 min). It includes shoulder stands, crow pose with breath of fire, among others.... then the real fun starts with the dance the charkas set!!!! I had such a great time doing these sets.... Ana demonstrates different dances, really easy to follow.... It's so freeing.... The DVD has 6 different dances you can choose from. One of my favorite dances was the Tribal dance and Rock your soul (heart) dance.... amazing!!! I also loved the mantra meditation, simply beautiful!!!!

A great bonus is the incorporation of 4 pre-set workouts into the DVD... two 30 min. workouts, one 45 min. and one 20 min workout!!! This is great for when I don't have enough time to do the entire DVD!!! Just Brilliant!!!

Congratulations Ana & Ravi for this wonderful work!!!!!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 156 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars