Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh (2000)

If you, like most Western practitioners, are familiar primarily with the hatha style of yoga, this tape will be a revelation. Kundalini yoga, as instructed here by the Sikh teacher Gurmukh, is very different from hatha. Where the latter moves slowly and deliberately, holding poses so as to achieve maximum depth, concentration, and release, kundalini is built on series of rapid, repeated movements--leg and arm lifts, lateral, forward, and back bends, back rolls, even kicking and punching actions--and has a much more aerobic feel. Indeed, one sequence of deep-knee bends (in the "Energize" section) resembles calisthenics, while the "Strengthen" section features fast punches and jumps not unlike martial arts training, with Gurmukh, as she does throughout the tape, constantly urging you to go faster. By the time you've completed all four sections of this hour-long tape ("Energize" and "Strengthen" are preceded by "Awaken" and followed by "Relax"), you'll have had a good time and a serious workout. It's good to "sweat and laugh" every day, says Gurmukh, and this tape delivers. One caveat: some of these short, quick moves will tend to tighten your muscles, not stretch them. A few hatha-style stretches may be in order when you're done.