Ana Brett & Ravi Singh
 Kundalini YogaApril News"I know that God won't give me more than I can handle. I just wish that Hewouldn't trust me so much!"
--Mother Teresa |
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News & Notes
Happy April everyone! Yoga means many things to many people but ultimately it's about balance. A regular practice gives us a flexible body, a calm, clear, and creative
mind, and keeps us grounded and inspired!
Kundalini is the catalyst which expands the scope of what it means to
be human. Genius means to be unique, effective, spontaneous and gifted. It's been defined as
a perfect storm in which genetic triggers are switched on by a rare
arrangement of environmental conditions. Kundalini Yoga insures that
genius becomes more than an accident of nature. It's the everyday means
by which we can be geniuses in our own lives. It's Spring everyone. Let your genius flower! Sat Nam x Ana & Ravi Our New DVD's
Thanks to all of you who continue to write to us to let us know that you are enjoying the three new DVD titles ( 20% OFF ON AMAZON!):
It means so much to us to hear
that so many of you are using the DVD's to keep up a regular Kundalini Yoga practice, and gain momentum towards new possibilities in your lives! Your feedback & support (and reviews!) are gratefully appreciated and keep us inspired to keep you inspired!
Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training/Workshop
April 9 - 11 is the third session of our 200 hr. Teacher Training Certification at Give Yoga in Memphis! In this session, in addition to lots of great Kundalini Yoga, we'll be learning about a model, greater in scope than the chakras, more precise than astrology, and filled with deep insights into the human condition. The Yoga of the 10 Bodies and Tantric Numerology can deepen your understanding of relationships, teaching, and the rhythms of life.
If
you are interested in signing up to attend this event as an individual
workshop, contact Olivia (901)493.1431/olivialomax@yahoo.com. We have very limited space!
Check Out These Links!
Raviana Fan Page on Facebook - Please join us here if you haven't already for the most up to date news. Make the Fan Page your daily destination for everything fun going on in Ana & Ravi's world.
Raviana Group Page on Facebook - The community for the Kundalini Yoga enthusiast seeking the latest on Kundalini Yoga and the lifestyle which surrounds it! Deepen your practice here!
Be Ana's Friend On Facebook- "I love Facebook because it gives me the opportunity to connect with so many of you when I'm not teaching in a city near you."
Ana on Twitter
We've Got Answers for What You've Got!
What do Ana's beauty secrets, seasonal allergies, focusing at the tip of the nose, and jealousy have in common? They're all posts on the A-Z Health archive on raviana.com. We're constantly updating and adding new posts so check it out. You may find some valuable information regarding a condition you never even knew you had!
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 Top Ten Funny Spiritual Quotes
1. "Reality is an
illusion, albeit a persistent one." --Albert
Einstein
2. "Why is it when we
talk to God, we're said to be praying, but when God talks to us, we're
schizophrenic?" --Lily
Tomlin
3. "If the world comes to an end, I want to be in Cincinnati. Everything comes there ten years later. " --Mark Twain
4."You have to stay in shape. My grandmother started walking five
miles a day when she was 60. Now she's 97 and we don't know where the
hell she is." --Ellen Degeneres
5. "Mantra to get rid of deep-seated guilt: La-di-da."--Ana Brett
6. "Be careful when
reading health books. You may die of a misprint." --Mark Twain
7. "I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman where the Self Help section was. She said if she told me it would defeat the purpose." --Dennis Miller
8. "Time flies like an
arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."
--Groucho Marx
9. "The earth laughs in flowers." --e.e. cummings
10.
"If God took LSD would he see people?" --Stephen Wright
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Specials of the Month - It's still FITNESS SEASON and many of our titles (some of which are hardly ever on sale) are currently on sale on Amazon.com
for as low as $11.99!!! If you buy more than one title on Amazon.com, you
get free shipping! (click on link to go to Amazon)
 Kundalini Yoga Solar Power All-In-One Workout - 10% off on Amazon! (click on link toShine like the sun, energize, stretch, and transform your life! Experience an all-in-one Kundalini Yoga workout you will love for life! This DVD features techniques which target the all-important solar plexus, known as the "moving center," for balance on all levels, energy, & the ability to open yourself to fulfillment & live in the rhythm and flow of life. From yoga newbie to expert, this is the yoga experience you've been waiting for! Featuring the powerful "Awaken Your Senses," et as well as a new mantra chant to open your heart.
 Kundalini Yoga Transformer All-In-One Workout - 20% off on Amazon! Transform Your Body. Feed Your Soul. Change Your Life! Ana & Ravi take you to a new level of fitness and self-growth. Included are an in-depth yoga workout & two profound sets plus meditation to purify your past and liberate you from old habits and feelings which detract from your fulfillment. As in all the Ana & Ravi DVD's, inspiring music will enhance your workout. Kundalini Yoga is the perfect practice to help you live long, seize the day & prosper! Featuring the "Born Free" set which will take you from the mundane to the miraculous!
 The Kundalini Yoga Meditation & Breathing DVD - 20% off on Amazon! TRANQUILITY WITHOUT TRANQUILIZERS! Calm Your mind and emotions. Redefine yourself from the inside out. Transform your life! Meditation is a must in the context of the lives we lead! As an antidote to constant activity and information overload, our minds crave this type of inner activity the way a dry sponge is starved for water. This DVD features 13 Meditation segments which include: The All & Everything Meditation, Deep Meditation into Stillness, Rewrite the Book of Your Life, and Breath Purification Series. Bonus Material includes a Sitting Primer, Mantra Primer, Commentaries for each of the techniques and much more! As with all of Ana and Ravi's DVD's, this program features amazing music. This DVD will keep you uplifted and inspired and will be a friend for life!
 Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond - $12.99 - Two 25 minutes sets: Rise & Spine for back health and everything else, and The 5 Tibetans, for youth & health everyday, plus meditation, & more! If you would like to introduce Kundalini Yoga to friends and family this is the one to give them!
 Fat Free Yoga - $11.99 - 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! This DVD will keep you young, healthy, hormonally balanced & trim!
Warrior Workout - $14.49 - Updated with the Matrix. A perfect workout for 2010!  A non-stop energy feast! For circulation, elimination of toxins, and to be a hero in your own life!
Ultimate Stretch Workout- $12.99 - The best of both worlds combining the great dynamic elements of Kundalini Yoga with deep stretching of Power and Vinyasa. Also,a heart-opening mantra chant.
 Yoga for Beginners & Beyond: Stretch, Strengthen, Be Stress Free! $14.49 - This program features a fusion of Kundalini Yoga and traditional yoga moves (presented Kundalini style!). Segments include: Standing Warm-Ups, A Yoga Flow Salutation Sequence, The Challenge, Nerve Strength & Core Power, Upper Back & Neck Stretch & Strengthen, A Be Stress Free Meditation, and an uplifting mantra to chant along with. The best of both worlds: Kundalini Yoga's dynamic aspect with the focused intensity of Power and Ashtanga Yoga. |
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Kundalini Yoga Cardio, Stretch, & Strengthen - $14.49 - 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- $15.95 - 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!
Navel Power - $14.49 - for a Stomach of Steel & Personal Power and to develop the will to take a stand: turn negatives into positives and prevail! Also, the meditation on this will help you magnify your abundance.
Yoga Cleanse- $14.49 - Purify your body: purify your mind and emotions.
Dance the Chakras Yoga Workout - $15.95 - 2 yoga sets and movement work. A perfect balance of flexibility and strength work and fun low impact cardio dance.
A Journey thru the Chakras - $12.99 - Climb the Ladder of Lights. A Great Inner/Outer Workout.
Also, please note that many of these items are for sale on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca |
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 Questions
of the MonthAmerican Tantra
Dear Ravi and Ana, You might want to consider at some time in your path as a teacher of Yoga, that this "psychologization" of the chakras, even though it has been embraced by many modern Indian teachers, is very much a westernised idea begun by the theosophists when they became enamored of Yoga in the 18th century and eventually located their center there. It has little to do with the classical Tantric view of chakras as it existed before the British occupation of India. In the Tantric model, for example, muladhara chakra, which is the seat of kundalini shakti, is regarded as a reflection of sahasrara chakra. The vrittis in its four padmas are said to be either 1) the four types of bliss, or 2) the four aims of human life (of which the fourth is moksha, or spiritual liberation), depending on which textual source you read.
Thanks for writing and for your great feedback. We don't really
make a distinction between Classical Tantra/Neo-Tantra or
pre/post British India. Yoga is not a static but continues to evolve as a
dynamic system. What keeps yoga viable and alive is that its core
teachings continue to be validated across time, space, and cultural
diffusion. We base our practice and teaching on the experience of what
works, and to us that is the true essence of Tantra: being flexible enough to dispense with labels but maintaining reverence for the Teachings which have been gifted to us and getting to the crux of the process and practice. Kundalini Yoga was lost to humanity for a very long time, because people retained the names of things and the philosophy, but neglected to keep the practice alive. On the other hand, it is important to be knowledgeable about the tradition one has chosen to embrace. The ideal is when lineage and innovation exist in perfect balance. Carl Jung expressed the essence of Tantra when he said "I would rather be whole than good." He was suggesting that you have to be true to yourself and not be afraid to walk the 'wild side' in the personal quest to complete ourselves, while at the same time, living in accordance with the laws of nature, the rhythms of the Universe, obvious moral and ethical considerations, and a loving attitude. Living yoga is all about balance. We wish you joy, health, and blessings!
From Dating to Setting the Date
What is a good Kriya for Love relationships. I've been with my
boyfriend for 5 years and am ready to move towards marriage. Thanks!
We've been giving a lot of thought to your question. How does your boyfriend feel about taking that step? Are you both committed to being together but still negotiating the
terms? If that's the case you might both read Getting the Love You Want by
Harville Hendrix
It may be disingenuous for us to simply give you a mantra or meditation
to address such a multi-faceted life issue. We all get impatient at times because we're usually ready for something before it actually manifests on the physical plane. Nevertheless, we're always in good hands because the Universe is aware of our deepest prayers and is working very hard to answer them. The manner in which those prayers are answered is often surprising, but in retrospect, exactly what we needed.
If marriage is what you want and something which will prove to be a positive support
to your inner and outer growth, then work on your arcline and aura will
be helpful (we suggest Solar Power Workout, and Yoga Bliss Hips). The
arcline, according to yoga, is an aspect of one's energy field which is a
projection of the psyche. All of Kundalini Yoga,
especially the meditation aspect, can strengthen the arcline. We suggest that you dedicate your Sadhana, especially the Long
Ek Ong Kars Meditation (on AM/PM Yoga), to the realization of the scenario you envision. It is
possible for a woman, through her prayers and spiritual discipline, to
make a man greater than he was destined to be. For now we suggest that you and your
boyfriend practice our Kundalini Yoga Meditation DVD together. Marriage is many things to many people. For some it's a social convention. For some it's entered into for security's sake. Yogi Bhajan called marriage a "carriage to Infinity." That means that it's a bona fide Spiritual Path and just like our souls, it has to be polished every day. Emotions and Aura
I always enjoy reading your newsletters, I wish
they were weekly or even daily!
I have a question, I've read that having a strong aura will keep away
the negativities , I wonder which poses or meditations can help enhance
the aura and make it stronger? I have most of your DVDs, I'm currently
on Fat Free Yoga also trying to do the am part on AM/PM yoga every
morning before work.
Also there are some mantra meditations I enjoy doing alot like Ad Gurey
Name and Sat Name Wahey Guru on Dance the Chakras or my favorite Ek Ong
Kar .... but find it really hard to do some like So Darshan Chakra Kria
which I really know is a miracle worker. Does this mean I still have
uncovered parts in my life and mind? Thank you for all the light you give!
Thanks for writing. A very powerful aura strengthener would be
the AM portion of our AM/PM Yoga DVD. Also, the PM meditation that DVD
is also very good to strengthen the aura. The No Impact Aerobic segment
of Fat Free Yoga is a very good aura strengthener. If you are not
practicing So Darshan Chakra Kriya, you don't have to worry that you may
be not getting everything covered. All of the meditations in Kundalini
Yoga work on the essentially the same things, but from different angles. Though, that being said, you might want to consider that sometimes we feel the most resistance to things we need the most!
It is true that various emotional issues like low self esteem, etc. can
compromise our auric fields, but again, any of the meditations in
Kundalini Yoga will help with those kinds of issues with which we all
have to contend. Extended versions of the two meditations on Fat Free Yoga are very good for healing on the emotional
level. Also, as an alternative to So Darshan Chakra Kriya, we recommend tan extended version of he Sa-Ta-Na-Ma Meditation on Yoga Quick Fixes
Belly Fat
I was wondering how to get rid of belly fat. My abdominal
muscles are strong, I would just like to get rid of the extra blubber
around my middle. I am 47 years young, so part of it is hormone
changes. Is there certain exercises to work on those hormones or a
supplement I could take. I started doing some extra cardio by doing
some Chi running for 20 minutes a day. I also do your DvD's everyday.
Your help would be greatly appreciated. I eat a pretty healthy diet. I
can cut out sugar but I do like my chocolate even if it is a small
piece every night.
Thanks for writing. Upping your cardio is a great start in
achieving your goal! Moderate cardio, especially in the morning before
breakfast is a great way to stoke your metabolism. A 20 minute brisk walk
followed by your Kundalini Yoga practice is ideal if time allows. If
your extra belly fat is due to hormonal fluctuation, a regular Kundalini
Yoga practice will help smooth things out. Do you have our Fat Free Yoga? We suggest the "Your Life is in Your Own Glands" segment done on a
regular basis. When time allows, we recommend that you do the entire
DVD.
Very often, belly fat is caused by stress and/or lack of sleep. Try to
keep regular hours and don't skimp on the relaxation portion of your
yoga practice. We also recommend increasing meditations such as "Hands
Like Teapot," (also on Fat Free Yoga), to 11 minutes a day.
Sometimes belly fat is due to energy stagnation caused by a body
misalignment. We recommend that you pay special attention to alignment
cues in our DVDs, especially ones like "...be sure the crown of your
head is over your sitting bones...etc.,..." Spend some extra time in
Mountain Pose breathing into your upper back as you release the tailbone
down, making your spine as long as you can and see if your belly
flattens. If it does chances are, its' posture you need to pay attention
to. The Posture Primer on our Yoga for Beginners & Beyond: Stretch, Strengthen,
Be Stress Free, and Solar Power Workout can be very helpful.
One more possibility is that your liver needs detoxing. We recommend our Yoga Cleanse DVD. You are right to
think sugar may not be such a good thing. Too much sugar stresses the
liver. Hormonal fluctuations also tend to make the liver sluggish. When
that happens, belly fat occurs. We recommend our Yoga Cleanse DVD once a
week. You can also try the supplement called silymarin (Milk Thistle
Extract).
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 Cosmic Insurance
According to Yoga, this mantra can give you an 11 second leeway in time and space, so that if are fated to suffer an accident, somehow, some way, you'll stay out of harm's way.
We know that this sounds like magical thinking, but there is a real mechanism at play here.
Ad Guray Namay
Jugad Guray Namay
Sat Guray Namay
Siri Guru Dev Ay Namay
This means: I bow to the Primal Wisdom. I bow to the Wisdom through the
ages. I bow to the True Wisdom. I bow to the Great Unseen Wisdom which
will always prevail. Chant this before you drive, fly on a plane, or before you even walk out the door. Bottom line: can't hurt, might help! True story: Once there was a poor shoemaker in India. He asked Guru Arjun Dev for something he could recite everyday as he worked. The Guru thought for a moment and said, "Recite Jap Ji (a devotional poem)." The cobbler said, "I don't know how to read. I could never memorize something that long." "Well," the Guru said, "Recite Anand Sahib." "Still too long," the shoemaker said. "Okay," said Guru Arjun Dev, "Chant Ad Gury Namay...." So everyday, as he worked on repairing people's sandals, the shoemaker chanted this mantra. Soon word got out that everyone who's sandals had been worked on by the shoemaker, was miraculously healed of all their afflictions. In a very short time, there was a line a mile long leading to the shoemaker's hut. The next time the shoemaker saw Guru Arjun he said, "Will I ever have any peace and quiet again?" Guru Arjun said, in effect, "You asked for it, you got it! God has chosen to work through you to heal people. Be grateful and keep up!" If you are a Yoga Teacher, Healer, Psychotherapist, etc. this is a great mantra to chant to attract opportunities to make a difference in many peoples lives. There is a great version of Ad Guray Namay on the Sound & Spirit CD which is available on www.raviana.com
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We wish you an exhilarating, fun, and joyful April!
 All Best, Ana Brett & Ravi Singh
www.raviana.com / ravianayoga@aol.com
Disclaimer: The advice we give is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise program or nutritional protocol
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