The Mantras of Kundalini Yoga with Maya Fiennes - Balance your Hormones, Accept Love [DVD]

I have been practising Kundalini Yoga for approximately 2 years now and have most of Maya's DVD classes. This one is part of the Mantra Box sets (I have the first boxset and it is wonderful). I bought this one recently and was attracted to the 'balance your hormones' class.

Sat Ta Na Ma
I worked with this class today. It is a lovely gentle class and the beginning (following a Tune in via mantra) is a gorgeous selection of relaxing exercises. These include sitting on your heels and stretching one leg back fully, then leaning over the bent knee with arms by the side - forehead is on the floor and this activates the pituitary gland. I found this immediately relaxed me and the rest of the exercises had a similar effect. A new one to me was massaging the ears to get the blood flow to them, this was surprisingly effective in deepening focus. Following the exercises (which take about half of the class up) is the Mantra, done whilst sitting cross legged or you can sit on a seat. Hands in ghyan mudra (index finger and thumb tips touching and wrists resting on knees). The mantra is chanted using different voices - first out loud, then in a whisper, then in your head, whisper and out load. Whilst chanting Sa Ta Na Ma your thumb touches each finger in turn in time with the Mantra. I found this easy to follow and soon settled into it. I got a little bit of pins and needles in one leg near the end but just adjusted it and was able to carry on. The effect of the Mantra was amazing. I felt calm and focused - peaceful. Following the class (Which ends with a silent meditation and Tune out via Mantra) I felt very balanced and content, this continued throughout the day. I will be working with this class often (on Sunday's) it is beautiful.

Sat Ka Tar
So today I worked with the second disc in the set. This class, like the first disc, began beautifully with the Tune in via mantra. The exercises were new ones again and very enjoyable. There is alot of work with breath of fire in postures that work on the thyroid and of course opening the heart. A new pose for me was sat on left heel with right leg outstretched - hold onto big toe and focus on it whilst holding a deep breath for 8 seconds and applying mulaband (root lock) at the same time. This was extremely relaxing once I was used to it. I really relaxed during the exercises and enjoyed them. The meditation was Sat Ka Tar, I have worked with this exact one with Maya on her Love class from Journey through the chakras - the difference here is the time period (much longer - but you do what you can) and the wonderfully uplifting music. I thoroughly enjoyed the meditation and found it doable for the duration. Following this class I am grounded, content, energised, calm and my heart is definately open (my shoulders relax and are aligned as opposed to tense and rounding forward to protect/guard yourself).

These classes are superb and I will be working with them often. Thank you Maya!
Sat Nam x

I am a big fan of Maya Fiennes.
I have experimented with different types of Yoga but have stuck with her teachings because I have found them to be the most effective and beneficial. I started off with Detox and De-stress which has such an effect on me that I couldn't quite believe how revitalised I felt. I repeated this dvd 3 times a week over one month - it made me feel calmer and grounded but also able to be clear headed.
I continued with the next set - Courage, Creativity and Willpower. Again, I felt differently and experienced sensations within my body and mind. I didn't do any yoga for a couple of weeks and I really felt the void!
I read the reviews about 'Balance your Hormones, Accept Love' and I agree with most of the comments. I have to say that I find the music a contradiction - Sa Ta Na Ma is deeply relaxing if you zone out and focus on the exercises but I find the music to be relaxing at first but then sounds like a disco beat which sends mixed messages! I have turned down the volume to block out the sound and I do find that helps but then I don't know when to start the next exercise - although I should know because I have more or less memorised most of the exercises!
I hope this doesn't deter people from buying this set because the exercises are beneficial and more importantly it is only my opinion!
Peace and love

As I'm beginning to get slowly used to Kundalini yoga I'm beginning to reap the benefits of this exercise. I'm not completely 'true' to Kundalini as I also participate in hatha yoga, but I find the stillness, gentler movement and peacefulness of kundalini yoga is excellent for both my body and my mind.

I can't quite get my head around the mantras, you need to approach these DVD's with a very open mind as chanting and mantra are a big part of Mayas DVD's. I think once I get my head around this I will begin to reap the full relaxation and meditative aspect of this form of yoga.

Watch the DVDs once all the way through, preferably twice. They aren't too difficult to follow but you benefit more from knowing which moves are going to come up and performing the movements with your eyes closed. I'm really enjoying Mayas teaching, her voice is soft and her instruction is clear. Very pleased with my purchases so far and I'm much more relaxed. Onward and upward!

Don't discard the DVD's because it doesn't feel like you're getting a good workout, you are getting a workout but it's subtler. You notice it in your slowly increasing flexibility, the way your head feels clearer and that you feel more relaxed. It's mind and body exercise.