When you are genuinely concerned that Kundalini Yoga is not a type of training but rather a spiritual practice, you may become a little confused when a Kundalini Yoga book titled “Physical Training” appears. Is Kundalini Yoga now being reduced to a physical activity, one wonders?

However, this slightly atypical Kundalini Yoga manual does not intend that at all; one quickly understands that when flipping through its pages. Although the focus is on physical training, the spiritual aspect is fully preserved, and the book illustrates that the physical and the spiritual are closely connected. After all, we are spiritual beings who have come to this world for a physical experience!

Merete Brandt (Shabadtek Kaur)

Upon opening this book, I was happy to find it to be playful, easy to follow and seemingly energizing. The intro is easy to read and gets right to the point. I enjoyed the practices I managed to fit in before writing this review, and my students (from ages 5-65) also found joy in them. A great aspect of this book is it doesn’t require rigidity as many practices ask for. In a time when we need play, fun, adaptability, and to remember to connect to our inner child, a book like this is definitely necessary for any collection. Before writing this review I only had a chance to practice a handful of the sequences, but I looked over the majority of them and they brought a smile to my face. I look forward to incorporating them into my teachings and personal practice as they look fun and invigorating! 

Sher Randhir Singh

I know that physical exercise is important, but I don’t get as much as I should. “Physical Training” makes exercise more accessible to me by combining my spiritual practice with much needed sweat and movement. As suggested, I tried out several of the sets following my daily sadhana and have found that I feel more energetic and balanced throughout the day. This book is filled with tips and tricks to make the practices more accessible and provides a solid background to understand the necessity of challenging our physical body. The exercise sets contained in this book are not the typical Kriyas that we are used to, but compliment them greatly! I will certainly be more balanced and energized going forward thanks to “Physical Training.” 

Saibhung Singh (Jeffrey Trimble)

I like the fact that Physical Training has a different style in presenting the exercises, rather than kriyas, designed to make you sweat (sweating away toxins and trauma from the body?) and improve physical health. This is a good balance to KRI’s other publications and shows more of the breadth of the Kundalini Yoga practice/lifestyle. As someone who has just gone through health issues, I appreciate the language that speaks to how strenuous people might find these and provides at least minimal guidance about doing them safely or ways to start small and build up to more strenuous activities.

Heather Stewart

I am so happy to have found this book which compiles more physical and challenging series and kriyas. As a teacher, over time, I have compiled such sets on my own to have them handy for warm-ups, body spring cleaning sequences, etc. I have many more now, all in one place, with already a few favorites. 

As far as my own practice is concerned, having a job which involves sitting half of the time, I really feel the need to take breaks to move, replenish my energy and do some work-in(g)-out to tackle the day and its unpredictabilities.

I love the more inclusive body type illustrations and just thinking I will soon be able to do the “Sit in the Sun” meditation outdoors makes me smile and is a breezer on a winter day.

Charlotte Marcy

Physical Training offers invaluable exercise sets to those seeking a compelling workout balanced with meditation. This is a great book for those looking for a complete physical workout and is a great compendium to the other publications offered. Athletes and youth can really benefit from these exercises, as they are set up much like high-intensity training (HIIT) and remind me of crossfit. 

It is stated that these exercises were taught in military style outside. This would be great for group exercise classes or physical education classes that are typically taught outside. There are some sets that may be suitable for senior group classes: Bends and Swings for Vitality; Embrace Energy through Movement; Standing Bow Circuit for Graceful Alignment. 

I was captivated by the illustrations and the combinations of meditations in the sets. These sets incorporate the mind, body, and spirit aspects that set them apart from being just a workout. (Though, I would have liked to have more information available about each set.)

Adina Artstein (Tera Jaspreet)