Happy New Year. We are looking forward to a great 2007 with all of you! Our wish is for you to continue to stay inspired in your Kundalini practice and  be fired to meet every day of 2007 with the same sense of  optimism and excitement that the New Year ignites. Don't look back, look forward. Invite new beginnings, branch out, forge new connections, and discover yourself on many new levels.

Here are some of your most frequently asked questions which seem especially pertinent for this time of new resolve:

I am a complete beginner in Yoga. In fact, Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond was my first experience with any kind of yoga.  What is Kundalini Yoga supposed to do for me?

Kundalini will actually do whatever you need it to do for you. Whether that entails losing a few pounds, making a breakthrough in your career, or finding peace of mind. Kundalini is defined as the energy of our higher potential.  It's that spark of genius we all have inside of us, but which few people are able to access.  Kundalini Yoga has been handed down to us from ancient times. It was actually considered to be a gift from the gods to help ease human suffering.  The reason Kundalini Yoga is still around after all these centuries is that is does what it says it does.  We have seen that most people suffer needlessly, because their minds and emotions are not under their conscious control, and their lifestyle doesn't always support good health.  Kundalini Yoga is a technology to help people experience a positive way of life.

I have almost all of your DVDs. My question is this.   How do I rotate the DVD's. Also, can I do the yoga everyday?

Kundalini Yoga is meant to be done everyday. That is why, for people's convenience, we have designed so many of our DVD's with shorter sets.  You can rotate the DVD's randomly depending on your current needs, or areas of interest. Every DVD covers everything you need to work on in a day to stay in optimum balance - body, mind, & spirit.  Each DVD has a slightly different focus. Fat Free Yoga focuses on weight loss, Ultimate Stretch Workout focuses on lengthening and strengthening muscles and fascia release, Yoga Bliss Hips on freeing tight hips and mastering moods, Warrior Workout on endurance, Dance the Chakras on moving your energy to move your life, etc.

I am a beginner, out of shape and would like to lose some weight. Which DVD's are best for me and do I need to do the whole DVD. Or will a shorter set do:

In addition to Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond, we would recommend Fat Free Yoga and Yoga Total Tune Up.  You should do as much as you feel inspired to do. If you can complete the workouts you will experience the benefits much faster. We also recommend adding some extra cardio, even if that entails just taking a brisk walk although you may find that some of our DVD's supply enough cardio to meet your needs.

If there are days when you don't do the yoga, we recommend a meditation from any of our DVD's. When thinking of weight loss it is important to transcend a linear state of mind. We have seen that working on the mind and emotions bring results on all levels more quickly.

In the course of your Kundalini Yoga practice, listen to your body and your heart and go with what feels right.  This, hopefully, will be a lifetime endeavor, and over time different Kundalini Yoga techniques will feel more relevant to where you are in your life.  Remember, there are no fixed rules beyond what ultimately feels right for you.

I am new to Kundalini Yoga and have a question you might not often hear. It may seem shallow but it causes me great distress. I frequently have bags under my eyes. Do you know what might cause this and is there anything I can do to alleviate it?

Yes, we do not often hear this exact question but it is certainly a universal concern! Bags under the eyes are a sign of disharmony somewhere in our life style. Bags, or dark circles, relate to kidneys, stress, water and sodium balance in the body, disrupted sleep patterns, and blocked energy.

You should also investigate your environment for possible allergens i.e., pets, dust, pollen, chemicals. Also, try to eliminate coffee, salt, carbonated drinks, and alcohol. Acidophillus would be very good for you to take everyday to help maintain homeostasis.

A consistent Kundalini Yoga practice, along with the appropriate lifestyle adjustments mentioned above, will soon make your dark circles a thing of the past!

Since I started doing Kundalini Yoga, I frequently see flashes of color while meditating. Does that mean my third eye is opening?

The answer is yes and no. Kundalini is known as the Yoga of Awareness, and the Third Eye, the command center of our awareness. The pulsation of the pituitary and the amplitude of its pulsation is said to help us process information of a more subtle nature, information about our true nature and hints for a successful passage through the gauntlet of time and space.  In the initial stages of a yoga or meditation practice, phenomena such as you describe relate to an energy clearing which paves the way for the process of personal transformation. It is important not to view these experiences as ends in themselves, but as signs that the process is proceeding. Please remember, that once this initial clearing has taken place the process usually becomes a quiet, graceful one, and transformations occurs on a deeper level.  You may have heard this quote, but it bears repeating:  "We're not human beings seeking a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings seeking a human experience."  So, the bottom line is, it's important to experience our lives more deeply, rather than to yearn for something outside of ourselves.

I'm interested in the "Raw Food Diet" but it sounds so boring....

When most people think of raw food they think of carrot and celery sticks and huge bowls of lettuce. We find that boring too!  We actually eat a 90-95% raw diet which includes: "live"  versions of granola, hummus, guacamole, sprouted breads, nuts and nut butters, as well as raw food versions of everything from chili and lasagna, tortillas and burritos, to amazing desserts like pecan and coconut cream pie!!! A raw food diet doesn't have to be all or nothing either.  The more enzyme rich foods you can include in your diet, the better you'll feel.  Enzymes help us digest our food better and help the body detoxify.    You may find you can eat whatever you want on a raw diet without gaining weight as readily, but you also may feel yourself filling up much faster since raw food is very nutrient dense. You will also find you have much more energy than you thought possible for you!

One thing we encourage, whether you choose to cook or un-cook, is to opt for 100% organic ingredients.  Our nervous systems and livers, etc., are not meant to withstand the onslaught of pesticides and heavy metals which have found their way onto and into our produce! Bottom line: You will always get longer lasting results if you institute healthy changes over the long haul.

Overall, we find that a healthy diet is a good enhancement to one's yoga practice. Like anything else, we feel it is important not to make one's diet an end in itself, but another tool for healthy living.

Centering Meditation for the True You

Sit comfortably with your hands pressed firmly together at the sternum in Prayer Pose.  Your eyes are one-tenth open gazing downwards.  Allow your personality and the particulars of your life to merge into the inner aspect of you.  Center yourself in the beauty and silence of the Self.  Gently ask your intellect to suspend all thoughts and concepts.  It may be stormy on the ocean's surface but in the depths calmness reigns.  Meditate in this manner for 11 to 31 minutes.

This meditation is deceptively simple.  It works with an important concept in yoga: we take on the qualities of whatever poses we assume, on our yoga mats and in our lives. Prayer Pose neutralizes energy in the body so that the inner and outer can interface.  This meditation has a soothing effect on the personality.  It enables you to commune with the Divine Being which is who you are.  When this relationship is established, deep peace will permeate your life. Blessed is the person, who with conscious intentionality, takes the first steps in exploring the mysteries of Self, and is able to use that experience to continually heal and uplift themselves and the world.

 
NEW RAW FOOD SUPPLEMENT ON OUR WEBSITE
 
We are happy to introduce a new raw food supplement which is for sale now on our website.  It's called Tocos. It's a super antioxidant powder. It is a great, healthy (and tasty!) thickener for smoothies. Even eaten straight from the jar with a spoon - its delicious!!! (follow with a swig of water).

Tocos improves circulation, prolongs life of red blood cells, and strengthens capillary walls. It contributes to healthy skin and hair. It's a powerful antioxidant and diminishes the effects of harmful free radical compounds.  Tocos is a proven aid in the prevention of cardio vascular disease and has been helpful in helping people prevent cancers of the lung, stomach, colon, breast, and cervix.  Tocos promotes fertility in men and women It also helps with vitamin A absorption.  Tocotrienols are a much more potent form of vitamin E than the more standard form. 2.5 oz. $14  12.5 oz. $48
 
For healthy live food recipes check out Ana's Live Food Page. Go to:  http://raviana.com/live_food http
 
 
 All Best to You,
 Ravi Singh & Ana Brett
  www.raviana.com / 212.982.5518