This approximately 100 min. DVD begins with a very brief description of the practice, with the premise that by energizing the chakras you are to be able to do anything. The breath instructional segment takes you through long, deep breathing and breath of fire (worth doing unless you're a pro at both.) You then set an intention with the usual Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo chant, followed by a short silent meditation on Sat Nam. Next come spinal flexion exercises, done at a fast pace with the breath. The first full set for the chakras, which lasts about 40 min., focuses exclusively on the first three (located at the rectum, sex organ, and navel). You proceed through a series of exercises including kundalini versions of crow and tree, more recognizable hatha yoga poses like camel, and kundalini poses I haven't seen on my other Ravi and Ana DVDs, like an archer-like posture and the Sat Kriya. After a brief savasana, you remain on your back for a series of abdominal exercises which primarily involve criss-crossing your legs and leg lifts. This first set ends with a chanted meditation focusing on the lower chakras. The second chakra set is shorter, about 20 min., and takes you through the rest of the chakras (located at the heart, throat, third eye, crown of the head, and above the head). Unlike the previous set, this one is done entirely seated. Few of the moves here are recognizable for someone who usually does “usual” hatha yoga practices. There are several chanted meditations included during this set, and there are two meditations after the brief final savasana. They pretty much all deal with balancing the chakras in some form. As with all Ravi and Ana videos, this ends with prayers and a final Sat Nam.

Kundalini yoga, at least as Ravi and Ana teach it (I don't have an experience with other kundalini instructors or practices), is not about flowing through a series of postures or working on holding asanas from the usual canon of hatha yoga. Instead, you either repeat a short sequence (e.g. squatting in frog and raising up into standing forward bend), usually at a quick pace, or you hold a pose while performing a certain type of breathing (usually long deep breathing or breath of fire). Once you have finished performing an asana, you usually take a quick break (30 sec. to 1 min.) for some silent meditation on Sat Nam. Perhaps because of this, the ending savasana is on the short side.

You don't need a lot of space for this: just enough to lie down with your arms and legs extended. The only equipment you might need other than something to sit on (you don't really need a sticky mat--any soft surface will do) is a blanket or pillow if your back tends to collapse when you're sitting or if your knees would like extra padding in some kneeling postures.

This uses the white set, but since you have your eyes closed or almost closed for a number of exercises, it’s not such a detraction. The music is your typical Ravi and Ana.

Definitely go at your own pace. If you try to keep up with Ana, you may find yourself dizzy and could possibly even injure yourself. Despite the fast pace of some exercises, form and especially breath are very important, so make sure you don’t sacrifice either. I find that my legs tend to fall asleep during some of the long seated sequences, too; it’s imperative to sit with good posture. There isn’t a ton of instruction, so you have to be able to figure out the poses just by watching. I know very little about the chakras and wish there had been even more information about them included in the voiceover or in the accompanying booklet.

I would definitely not recommend this to a newbie to yoga because of the relative lack of form instruction as well as the inclusion of extensive breathwork, and I'm hesitant to recommend it to someone new to kundalini yoga because of the length, although an experienced yogi(ni) with existing strength and a good background in yoga breathwork might be fine. It's a solid 90+ minutes of kundalini yoga, and it's hard to break it up. Even if you do, the first set is 45 minutes or so alone, which can be overwhelming. I know as a relative newcomer to kundalini yoga I found it challenging to complete the whole thing, and I had to take a break during a couple of exercises, especially since my arms got tired. (I regularly practice different styles of hatha yoga, although I seem to be a perpetual beginner / intermediate to low intermediate because of some strength and flexibility issues.) I was thankful I had done some of Ravi and Ana's other videos because a number of exercises were repeated here.

I liked this better the second time around, but I prefer the other videos from this series (For Beginners & Beyond and AM / PM Yoga) since they seem easier to break into shorter chunks. Also, I finish those feeling energized and/or relaxed rather than kind of off. (There’s something about intense work on all of the chakras that leaves me feeling unsettled afterwards. Maybe it’s a sign I need to do more of this type of stuff, or maybe my body is saying, “Hey, this isn’t really for you right now.”)

JTTC's definitely different than your average yoga video and different from Ravi and Ana’s other material. If you're looking for a practice focusing on the chakras, it's probably one of the more accessible ones out there (both in terms of being readily available and not being too esoteric). It presents an interesting contrast to something like Gloria Drayer’s Full Moon Yoga, which has you hold one asana and chant one syllable per chakra.

Instructor Comments:
Ravi instructs via voiceover while Ana performs the moves. She does introduce the video and instruct the breathing segment, and you can hear her during the chants. Ravi comes off as knowledgeable, sincere, and eager to help you transform your life, but I can see how someone could find him too flowery or almost condescending. (Sometimes I’m in the mood for his Ravisms, sometimes a few are too punny or over the top for me.) There is a good deal of "New Agey" talk, but most of that is focused on the chakras. (Unlike in some of Ravi and Ana’s other videos, there are not a lot of claims about the physical benefits, e.g. toning a certain area, preventing wrinkles.)

KathAL79