2009
UK
Maya Fiennes
55 min
English, German

A Journey through the Chakras: Love and Truth
Yogini and ex-journalist Libby Green is charmed by A Journey through the Chakras - a DVD in Maya Fiennes' new series on Kundalini Yoga.
I'm not in general a fan of yoga DVDs. I find the constant craning to see the screen while the teacher blithely runs through a set of complex asanas irritating; more of a juggling act between my mat and my remote control.
But, a confession. I have been completed charmed and won over by Maya Fiennes and her DVD series on Kundalini yoga, A
Journey through the Chakras.
There are seven DVDs, one for each of the chakras; and the DVDs on Love and Truth, covering the fourth and fifth chakras, now live on my bookcase, above the television, ready for use.
Kundalini
Kundalini yoga is quite different to most modern styles of yoga.
It employs a mix of mantra, pranayama, breathing exercises, bhandas, locks, and kriyas - physical sequences, often repeated over several minutes.
At the beginning of the DVD, Maya talks you through an introduction to Kundalini yoga and its benefits, and the individual chakras. This is particularly useful for beginners, although as you progress in the practice, you may find you want to learn more. Visually, the DVD is simple, clean and beautiful . It features Maya, in white on a white background. No fancy props or distractions. This allows the yoga to take centre stage.
Maya's delivery and demonstration of the practice is clear and well-paced. I didn't feel the need once to reach for the remote to pause her or rewind.
Level
The kriyas and asanas would be within the reach of most beginners. None of them require great flexibility or familiarity with hatha yoga poses. The challenge within the practice is to hold or repeat a pose dynamically, for periods of several minutes.
In these instances, when the mental and physical barriers to continuing to stay in the pose become particularly difficult, Maya has an intuitive feel for the moment when the mind is wobbling, deciding whether to continue in the pose or stop, when thoughts of ‘I can't do this' are taking hold.
At this point she becomes your spiritual mentor. She calmly leads you through this, and this is where her teaching and understanding of the mind-body relationship is evident.
Maya's approach
Maya is a classically trained pianist and performer and has released a number of albums that fuse mantra, classical, ambient and world music. Her skills in musicianship are evident throughout the DVD.
The music doesn't feel so much as an after-thought, or at worst a distraction to yoga, but an orchestrated, integral part of the practice, a narrative that can help move you through the sequences. I particularly enjoyed the way in which the use of music blends beautifully into the mantras.
Maya is a charming teacher and her warmth, her caring approach, and her genuine passion for Kundalini shine through.
I would like to have seen more instruction given to some of the particular techniques used within Kundalini, such as breath of fire, or the root lock mulbandh. These are both important tools to master, integral to the practice.
I also felt that some of the more repetitive sequences within the kriyas could have been accompanied by advice on ensuring the position was maintained safely.
I think with these additions, the DVD would have been perfect. But as it is, Maya manages to achieve the spiritual joy and exhilaration of a Kundalini class, which is no mean feat.
Brief biography of Maya Fiennes
Macedonian born Maya has combined her talents as a successful classical pianist and performer with her upbeat personality to create a unique style of yoga and meditation for modern living, based on Kundalini Yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan who established 3HO Foundation in 1969.
Maya's philosophy of good health and living with inner peace and confidence, has made her one of the most in-demand yoga instructors in London. Her classes are fun, uplifting and above all inspirational.

http://www.yoga-abode.com/teacher-spotlight/maya_fiennes

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