|
Ana Brett & Ravi Singh's March Newsletter
|
|
NEWS & NOTES
Amazon.com is currently offering our 3 new titles on sale for $11.99 (or less!). All 3 for $34.97!!! If you buy more than one title on Amazon.com, you also get free shipping!
Yoga for Beginners & Beyond: Stretch, Strengthen, Be Stress Free!
is
the best of both worlds: Kundalini Yoga's dynamic aspect with the
focused intensity of power and ashtanga yoga.
Kundalini Yoga Cardio, Stretch, & Strengthen
is
also the best of both worlds: an amazing Kundalini Yoga set with its
spiritual depth and power as well as a complete fitness experience:
stretching, in-depth ab work, an effective and a fun dance-influenced
cardio routine
Kundalini Yoga for Energy & Super Radiance!
Live
on fire. Shine like the sun! This is a Kundalini Yoga "old school"
workout with cutting edge music and more. Features a complete whole
body workout including some extended exercises which will test you, and
bring out the best in you!
***This past month all 3 new DVDs were finally listed as "in stock" on Amazon (yay!!). (Please note that our warehouse, the New & Used seller Chakra44 (our warehouse), on Amazon.com, is stocking these titles, and when Amazon.com is sold out, they can still be purchased from this seller).
We want to thank all of you who had preordered for your patience! We also want to send a huge thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write with your feedback. We are so happy to hear that you are enjoying the DVDs and finding them useful! We really appreciate your support!!
What Works
Have you ever tried to describe Kundalini Yoga to someone not familiar with it and found yourself not quite able to encompass the magnitude of this system in one succinct statement? How about: in Kundalini Yoga, the bottom line is what works. And what does work, more quickly and more powerfully, than just about anything, is a combination of breath, movement, and poses, along with the science of sequence, rhythm, as well as mental focus and vibratory effect. Kundalini Yoga has the global effect of balancing the glandular and nervous systems, freeing up trapped energy, and serving as a catalyst for emotional healing and creative, and spiritual expansion. The workouts in Kundalini Yoga have evolved, over thousands of years, with this global effect in mind.
Words pale before direct experience.Therefore, to help someone really understand what Kundalini Yoga is all about, have them try this: Sitting comfortably with a straight spine. For 1 minute: Inhale raise the shoulders up towards the ears, exhale lower them. Move vigorously and breathe powerfully through your nose. Don't waver. Keep going with power for the full duration of the exercise. After all, it's only one little minute. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. To end, inhale raise your shoulders, then relax and sit still with your eyes closed for 30 seconds. Be aware of how you feel when energy is present.
As a key ingredient to happiness, what we all want, is control, some guarantee in the matter of what becomes of us. A way to self-determine. Now you know that every time you do that exercise, you will be energized and feel better. It turns out that there are a wide range of techniques that have pre-determined benefits. Techniques which are easy to make part of your life. Techniques you can count on.
Join Us on Facebook
Facebook is such a great way to connect! If you haven't already, please come join Ana on her new Facebook page! And also now active: the RaviAna group page as well as the RaviAna fan page also on Facebook. There are already discussion groups forming on the group page, one of which is a 40 day meditation we highly recommend to everyone (see details below). On the fan page we will eventually have music as well as more photos, and other fun stuff....
Ana & Ravi Workshop in March
We hope to see all of you in CT on March 21st from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Your Community Yoga Center: 39 Putnam Ave., Hamden, CT / $55 or $50
pre-reg. To register call Alan Franzi: 203.488.1700 (ceyoga@att.net) / For directions call the yoga center at: 203.287.2277 (www.yourcommunityyoga.com)
The theme of this workshop will be:
Let Yourself Shine in 2009! A Spring Equinox Kundalini Yoga Event. We'll share special techniques to
capitalize on the new energy of Spring to plant the seeds for new possibilities in our lives. In addition to a whole body
workout, this session will feature exercises to help us let go
of old stress and emotions and make room for the new.
As always, we will generate a powerful group energy to help us all make great gains on the inner and outer planes. Also featured will be a sonic healing to the transcendent sounds of live gong music. 85%
physical/ 15% meditative.FOR ALL LEVELS.
Our New Website
We have updated our website: raviana.com with a new design and a new page called the A-Z Heath Archive. You can look up Kundalini Yoga advice for everything under the sun. This is a work in progress and we are adding new material all the time! |
Top Ten Yoga Tips to Weather the Recession
1. Commit to daily Kundalini Yoga & Meditation (even if you only have 15 minutes!).
Kundalini Yoga done daily can help you stay, in spite of external pressures, in a very positive place which will then become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
2. Opportunities always exist. As long as there are human beings there will be social networks and there will be commerce. Kundalini Yoga will give you the awareness and confidence to perceive and act on the opportunities around you.
3. Now is a good time to practice lightening your load and simplifying your life. Do you really need a new pair of skis when your current pair are perfectly fine?
4. Don't let the media's gloomy forecasts color your thinking. Everything is cyclical. There will be an upswing as assuredly as spring will come.
5. Many people base their self worth on their economic station in life. Times like these are a blessing in disguise, because they allow us to go deeper to find out who we really are.
6. Know that because your identity is Infinity, abundance is your birthright. Abundance is much more than your net worth. It's the recognition of Infinity in you.
7. Keep your Navel Center strong. More than anything else, this will help you be victorious, accomplish great things, and orchestrate positive outcomes.
8. Call your local house of worship, dept. of social services, or community center, and ask how you can be of service to those in need.
9. There is a powerful technique which flies in the face of logic but allows you to create a relationship with the source of all abundance. It's called tithing. Commit to giving a percentage of your income to a good cause or those in need, even when not convenient. It's a law of the Universe that those who give will always have.
10. Bottom line: we're hoping that your yoga practice is helping you to love yourself, no matter where you are with regard to the circumstances of your life. Give yourself the same patience, love, understanding, and encouragement you would give to a dear friend, loved one, or stranger in need!
|
|
***SPECIALS OF THE MONTH***
Amazon.com is currently offering our 3 new titles on sale for $11.99 (or less). All 3 for $34.97!!!:
Yoga for Beginners & Beyond: Stretch, Strengthen, Be Stress Free! -
$10.99 - is
the best of both worlds: Kundalini Yoga's dynamic aspect with the
focused intensity of Power and Ashtanga Yoga.
Kundalini Yoga Cardio, Stretch, & Strengthen-
$11.99 - is
also the best of both worlds: an amazing Kundalini Yoga set with its
spiritual depth and power, as well as a complete fitness experience:
stretching, in-depth ab work, an effective and a fun dance-influenced
cardio routine, and more!
Kundalini Yoga for Energy & Super Radiance!-
$11.99 - Live
on fire. Shine like the sun! This is a Kundalini Yoga "old school"
workout with cutting edge music and more. Features a complete whole
body workout including some extended exercises which will test you, and
bring out the best in you!
***
It's still fitness season, the time when many people's thoughts turn to jumpstarting their fitness level for spring. Try Fat Free Yoga, Kundalini Yoga Cardio, Stretch, & Strengthen,along with Kundalini Yoga for Energy & Super Radiance and Warrior Workout to melt away any extra pounds with total fun fitness Kundalini style! All of these (among others) are
currently on sale on Amazon.com for as low as 10.99. If you buy more than one title on Amazon.com, you also get free shipping!
Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond -
$10.99 - a Kundalini Yoga 'must have,' for any level. Featuring the essential
Rise & Spine set, followed by strength building "5 Tibetans"
Kundalini Yoga style!
Fat Free Yoga
- $10.99 - Four 20 minute sets: Start Your Engines, Burn Baby Burn, No Impact
Aerobics, Your Life is In Your Own Glands. Also: 2 meditations and
more!
Ultimate Stretch Workout -
$10.99 - best of both worlds combining the great dynamic elements of
Kundalini Yoga with deep stretching of Power and Vinyasa
Warrior Workout - $11.99 - A perfect workout for 2009! A non-stop energy feast!
Dance the Chakras Yoga Workout - $14.99 - 2 yoga sets and movement work. A perfect balance of flexibility and strength work and fun low impact cardio dance.
Yoga Beauty Body - $14.99 - The "Perfect" Yoga Workout. Includes the Magnificent Seven. Daily "must," yoga exercises.
Yoga Bliss Hips - $15.99 - Kundalini Yoga for Hip Opening & Mood Mastery
Navel Power - $14.49 - for a Stomach of Steel & Personal Power
Yoga Quick Fixes -
$15.99 - almost 4 hours of workout options. Pre-set workouts plus Quick Fixes for everything from Depression to Headaches.
Am/Pm Yoga - $14.49 - Start & End Your Day in a Great Way!
Yoga Cleanse-
$14.49 - Lighten Up & Purify!
A Journey thru the Chakras -
$14.49 - Climb the Ladder of Lights. A Great Inner/Outer Workout.
Yoga House Call - $15.99 - A set a day keeps the doctor bills away! |
***QUESTIONS OF THE MONTH***
We want to thank all of you for the insightful questions and comments you send to us. If we don't reply to your question within 3 weeks please resend! It probably means that it was lost or somehow never got to us!
Radiance Salutation & Self Doubt
Thank you for all the wonderful things your KY practices bring into my life! If you don't mind, could I please ask two questions - one about the
new radiance DVD - that Radiance Salute exercise (it's rather hard :) - I
kept getting frustrated with Yoga Bhajan for whatever reason - but then eventually
got over it and wasn't so bad really) - what is it supposed to do? And also,
normally during challenging exercises you provide a lot of support - positive
commentary, etc.,(like with the Tiger Claws exercise that follows) - is
there a reason you leave us on our own during the Salute? Is it something
we are supposed to find power within us to help us with? Thanks in advance!
And the other question - more personal - would you please recommend
a practice or a meditation or both :) to help build confidence? I seem to
have this recurring theme in my life - I am always scared to do things -
I still do them, but I am always scared in the process. I run marathons,
and training for them, no matter how good and strong I felt during the previous
run, I am always nervous before the next long run - I keep feeling the strong
run I had was just a fluke and this time around there's no way I'll run strong
again - the "real" weak un-athletic me will come out. I still do a lot of
things and I have a lot of willpower, but it would be nice to have more confidence. And same with relationships - I feel like I date the same person over and over
again, and never feel like I am going for what I really want, just sort of
let myself to be picked out? I am very confident professionally somehow -
i know I am an expert at what i do and it really comes across very well,
I don't doubt myself nearly as much - I don't know what's wrong with the
relationship aspect - people sometimes take advantage, it's really easy to
make me feel bad about myself and like everything is my fault, because frequently
deep down that's how I feel - and then later in retrospect realize, well,
no really it wasn't. Thank you so much for
your advice and thank you so much again for your help - you've helped me
so much in past already and your practices are just so wonderful for me.
I genuinely wish you the best of luck with all your projects - the new
DVDs are wonderful - everything about them, the music, the variety, how accessible
they are for people of all levels, (and yes, the hair and the outfits :)
are absolutely lovely!) And I am always so grateful for your commentary -
I swear, "the end is endless" and "core power is your secret weapon" have
carried me through many very long runs :)
The Radiance
Salutation exercise on Kundalini Yoga for Energy & Super Radiance! was taught by one of the Masters in the Sikh tradition,
Guru Gobind Singh (so he is the one to get frustrated with! It is
actually meant to be done for 31 minutes!!!). The music is a long poem that
he also wrote. He was known as a Warrior/Saint. Out of necessity, he trained
regular people like farmers and merchants, etc., to become fierce warriors
and defend their communities. Radiance Salutations works on the Radiant Body
which is our capacity to transcend our physical limits and access our greatness. We don't talk as much in that exercise because we want people to absorb the
poem/music and get into the "zone" where the "end is truly endless." The poem/music in that exercise is called Jap Sahib and takes the listener to a very deep place.
Regarding the patterns you describe in your life: Almost everyone, to
varying degrees, is conditioned to doubt themselves. Often the greatest people have the greatest doubts! In spite of everthing, cultivate a firm intention around the most positive outcomes, and despite setbacks, keep your eyes on the prize! We feel that working
on the Navel Center is the best way to address self-doubt, and of course practicing
So Darshan Chakra Kriya (the current 40 day Facebook meditation we have just
begun) is one of the most powerful techniques we can recommend. Please note,
that your feelings of self doubt may become somewhat more noticeable as you
are processing "stuff" out via that meditation. But, very soon, those patterns
and feelings of self doubt, etc..will become very dim echoes of things past.
You may want to do that meditation for longer then 40 days. Really apply yourself and it will work! Keep your intention strong. Please keep us posted and we will always answer you as soon as we can. We wish you continued success with your yoga practice, joy, health, and blessings!
Raw Food
Well, I have a couple of questions for you when you have a moment: first, I've been feeling called to make a shift into living foods for
a long time but have such food addiction issues it's been slow and tough.
I don't particularly like the raw food world with complex recipes replicating
cooked foods like lasagna, they are just too fatty and I can never digest
them. But living on lots of juicy fruits, lush salads and creative veggie
sandwiches on sprouted grain breads and such seems so right. I'd love to
transition to being about 80-90% living foods, still allowing for some cooked
veg and sparing use of sprouted breads (I love my sandwiches!) but I'm wondering
a) what your daily diet is like, just as an example, and b) what meditation
you think could support my shift into this lifestyle and help to overcome
those horrid cravings!
Also, while I tend to avoid dairy like the plague and have for ages,
I do find myself drawn lately to really good, organic yogurt and kefir; both
dairy and goat milk varieties. I even used to make my own kefir and then
added fresh fruit and stevia and found that to be a fabulous morning smoothie.
But what are your thoughts on including things like that? Generally, I listen
to those kinds of specific cravings and have found none of the adverse effects
I used to get with dairy, but I'd still value your input.
I think for me, transitioning into a highly alkaline, energizing, life
giving living foods lifestyle is the key to creating the life I want and
I really need to tackle this issue I have around food. I was bulimic on and
off for 10 years, but that was over 10 years ago. Still, I seesaw back and
forth between super healthy and absolutely horrible! LOL But UI have to believe
it's a good sign that I CAN do the super healthy, so now I'm just looking
to Kundalini to help me cross that bridge. Sat Nam!
Sat Nam!
I don't think you need to be 100% raw to get all the benefits of a raw food
diet. In the interest of glowing health, It is more important to think of maintaining an
alkaline diet by eliminating or cutting way back on meat, sugar, coffee, overeating,
etc... And adding plenty of quality organic fruits and vegetables. A raw food diet is higher in "life force," and you can really feel a difference
in your energy levels when you start the transition to a more refined diet. When done correctly,
you get a wonderful feeling of "lightness." It really supports the yoga, but,
you are right, a raw food diet can be hard to digest for some! Some vegetables are better lightly steamed. Also many people first transitioning to live food eat too many fats and sweets which can strain the liver and makes one's energy sluggish. No diet, including a raw food diet, was meant to be an end in itself (but thank God for the fanatics because they
have given us so much good information!) but as a set of guidelines to customize to your own situation.
I have an 85-95% raw diet. I steam
the harder to digest vegetables, and every so often I eat sprouted bread.
Have you tried the barley sprouted bread by Alvarado? Its so good! And when
I have it, I very lightly toast it to make that more digestible. Are you
taking digestive enzymes? I think you might try taking them when eating raw
foods.
A good probiotic would be a beneficial supplement for you as well. You may
be drawn to kefir and yogurt because of a need for probiotics although, if you just want to enjoy the kefir I say go ahead! Different bodies
need different foods and sometimes our bodies know best. Also, the ideal
diet is one which is very healthy but not to the extent where feel you are denying
yourself.
It's great that you are doing So Darshan Chakra Kriya. That meditation along with a regular Kundalini Yoga practice will help to
resolve the underlying causes for any food issues and stabilize the
see-sawing. Kundalini Yoga is called the Yoga of Awareness because it helps
us see clearly the lifestyle elements that are best for us along the way. Please keep us posted! We wish you joy, health, and blessings
Family Resistance
Hello Ana and Ravi! I have been enjoying many of your dvds, and am awaiting the arrival of one
of your newest. I thank you for these dvd's, as I have noticed drastic improvements on
my mood and stress level. Aspects of my life that used to stress me out
and put me in a horrible mood no longer phase me. I am now more focused
on finding true enjoyment in life.
My question is about a family member with a genetic disease that has resulted
in an enlarged spleen and low platelets. His doctor has said he will need
a liver transplant, but he is not yet sick enough to be on the transplant
list. Throughout your dvd's you mention exercises which are good for the
liver. I have suggested that he might try adding some raw foods (I am a
big fan of eating raw foods, but I come from the midwest, where my family
lives off meat and potatoes) and yoga so that he might feel better until
more viable treatment options are available. Of course I was laughed at (although
they did appreciate the thought), since both raw food and yoga are far from
the norm in my family. Do you have any advice for a) talking to family members
about yoga and living foods without freaking them out and b) suggesting specific
exercises that might strengthen his liver, promote healing, or just help
him feel better so that he can have productive days. Thank you for listening, and I appreciate any advice.
Thanks for writing. We are happy to hear you are enjoying our DVD's! In instances such as the one you cited regarding your family member, all one can do is be supportive and try to implement positive lifestyle changes incrementally. Possibly you could do one or two exercises with them. In our new DVD (Yoga for Beginners & Beyond: Stretch, Strengthen, Be Stress Free!) we have included some chair exercises which would be a perfect place to start. Also, the breath called Sitali Pranayam which entails inhaling through a curled tongue and exhaling through the nose would be really helpful for their liver. See if they would be willing to do it for 3-5 minutes to begin. working up to 11-31 minutes over time.
Regarding raw food (it might not be a good idea to call it that!): You might just call it food with healthy enzymes and vitamins. Suggest that they add a salad to their main meal and have a piece of fruit during the day (stress the importance of organic), also small changes like substituting raw nuts for roasted can make a big difference. If you can get them to start drinking filtered water that would also be a big plus.
People unfamiliar with a healthy lifestyle will resist, but there is a tipping point when they become aware that they feel a little better, and that they do have a say regarding the quality of their lives. |
MEDITATION OF THE MONTH
It's
not easy to move forward when the past is constantly tugging us back.
What better time than now to, once and for all, resolve the core issues
of your life and be happy. There are many amazing meditations in Kundalini Yoga, but the So Darshan Chakra Kriya Meditation is the most powerful technqiue we've found to
help you get to it and through it, resolve the unresolved, stabilize your mind, and allow
peace, calmness, clarity, creativity, and joy to permeate your life. We
are stating as definitively as we can that those benefits will acquire a
real dimension through the practice of this amazing technique!
Please join us for our ongoing 40 day So Darshan Chakra Kriya practice on the RaviAna group page on Facebook.com: There is already a great group forming there who have begun practicing this technqiue and sharing their experiences. Congratulations to Tom Carden our music composer, who's already done 15 days!
There is strength in numbers and even if the idea of commiting to a 40 day meditation seems daunting now, know that in the spirit of Kundalini Yoga, the previously impossible becomes commonplace. Come and join in and know that you are not alone! |
|
