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Specs:
- SKU: UTY1
- 24 hours
- 6 DVDs + 16 page guide
- NTSC
- All Regions
Overview
Universal Yoga is a systematic approach to spiritual evolution based on the key principles of classical yoga, creativity in practice and personal freedom. Andrey Lappa developed the Universal Yoga system after two decades of intensive study and practice with spiritual teachers throughout Asia. His theory lectures offer insightful and comprehensive knowledge and skills for harmonizing spiritual awakening through yoga with everyday life.
We've captured and packaged the entire lecture portion of Andrey's Level 1 Advanced Studies program and made it available on a multi-DVD set. Over 24 hours of edited material guides you through a truly unique workshop experience that presents Andrey's brilliant synthesis of hatha yoga as well as his provocative insights into more esoteric practices. This fascinating series of lectures on yoga philosophy is as much a training on being a yogi as it is a workshop on how to teach yoga.
The lectures are presented exactly as if the viewer were participating in the teacher training. We've preserved as much of the natural feel of the experience as possible, including a great number of real questions from the other students in the class. Andrey makes extensive use of a large presentation easel to list important details, draw diagrams and describe asanas. We've made sure to include close-ups of this information on the DVDs, but also created a 16-page, full-color Reference Guide that offers some of the more intricate diagrams in printed form for ease of use and review.
The Level 1 box set focuses on the universal theory of asanas, vinyasas, pranayamas, bandhas, mudras, etc.—essentially the building blocks of a yoga practice. The box set also includes extensive lectures on kundalini, chakras, the yamas and niyamas, the koshas, and karma.
Details
Lecture topics from this DVD box-set include:
- 1. Distinctive features of Universal Yoga
- 2. The universal scheme of Asanas: static positions of the body
- 3. The universal scheme of Vinyasas: dynamic movements of the body
- 4. Safety techniques in asanas
- 5. The universal scheme of Pranayamas: control of breath
- 6. Connecting Pranayamas and asanas
- 7. The universal methods of energy control: Bandhas, Mudras, and Drishtis
- 8. The function of Chakras and Rasas
- 9. Primary and secondary Pranas
- 10. Activation and control of Kundalini
- 11. The universal meaning of Mantras and sound energy
- 12. Control of attention: Pratyahara, Dharana and Samadhi
- 13. Control and relaxation of the Maya Koshas: shells of human existence
- 14. Kriyas and the cleansing of the Maya Koshas
- 15. Development and appropriate use of Siddhis: spiritual abilities
- 16. Yamas (moral precepts) and Karma
- 17. Niyamas (self-purifying disciplines) and Karma
- 18. Power of the Spirit
Special features:
- • A Demonstration of Rasas - activation of the chakras
- • A Demonstration of Ziong-Shing - Vietnamese dynamic yoga
Buyer's Guide
- Audience: Anyone interested in deeper understanding of yoga theory
- Focus: Systematic understanding of all yoga practices
- Intensity: Lecture only
- Props: None required
- Style: Yoga Theory
Media Reviews
"Top Ten Yoga DVDS of All Time"
-- Yoga Journal, Sept. 2006"Are you ready for 24 hours—yes, hours—of yoga lectures? It's all yoga all the time with Ukrainian teacher Andrey Lappa, president of the Kiev Yoga Federation and founder of Universal Yoga. It's impossible to even scratch the surface of what's covered in these fascinating and perplexing lectures; Lappa has something provocative—and often original—to say about asana, prana and pranayama, mudra, chakras and kundalini, mantras, sense withdrawal (pratyahara) and meditation, internal cleansing exercises (kriyas), yogic powers (siddhis)...
“According to one Internet bio, Lappa was trained as an engineer. It makes sense: Universal Yoga, if nothing else, an impressive edifice, clearly the work of someone trained to think logically and comprehensively. Lappa places a high premium on fortitude and self-reliance and suggests that most of us aren't up to the demands of his system... But if you're an aficionado with a hankering for an intellectual and emotional challenge, you’ll want to tune in.”
-- Yoga Journal"If you’d like to deepen both your understanding and your practice of yoga, you’ll find this four-hour DVD a good start. And if you really want to dive into it, get the six-DVD set of Andrey Lappa’s Universal Theory of Yoga: Lectures on Self-Realization. Even though this longer version is only Level 1 of his teacher training program, it contains 24 hours of material on asanas, vinyasas, pranayamas, mudras, bandhas, chakras, pranas, mantras, kriyas, siddhis and many other aspects of yoga.
Lappa is a highly advanced Ukrainian yogi who has studied with such masters as B.K.S. Iyengar and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, been blessed by the Dalai Lama and visited Buddhist monasteries and temples, Islamic mosques, Hindu ashrams, the caves of mountain yogis and sacred places in India, Nepal, Tibet and the countries of the former Soviet Union. During his travels he had several powerful spiritual experiences that transformed his consciousness and led him to dedicate his life to exploring the practices and teachings of yoga.
The result is his Universal Theory of Yoga, a comprehensive and systematic approach to spiritual evolution that’s based on the principles and practices he says form the foundation of all schools and styles of yoga. Through it, Lappa shares the insights he’s developed during more than two decades of research, study and practice to support what he says is the fundamental goal of yoga: the liberation of consciousness through a balanced application of physical, energetic and psychic practices to achieve self-realization.
A wealth of information
These DVDs, professionally produced by Pranamaya, introduce the serious student of yoga to Lappa’s wonderfully rich body of knowledge, which he first shared in his book, Yoga: Tradition of Unification, Kiev, 2000. The four-hour version consists of two hours of lectures, excerpted from the 24-hour version, and a balanced two-hour asana practice, which you can play with Lappa’s instructions and music, or just with music.
Even in the abridged version, the lectures convey a wealth of information about such topics as the principles of Universal Yoga, control of attention, groups of asanas, principle vinyasas and the psycho-energetic effects of practice. The six-DVD set, which consists solely of lectures, with no demonstrations (except for one of Vietnamese dynamic yoga), covers many more subjects, including Lappa’s distinctive Dance of Shiva, which he says is the root of the martial arts and other Eastern energetic practices.
(To learn more about this complex set of movements, which reminds me a bit of Balinese dance, get Lappa’s Dance of Shiva DVD, also produced by Pranamaya. In it, he explains the theory behind this dynamic practice and takes you move by move through the first three levels of the Dance, which he says is great to incorporate into yoga practice as a way to develop coordination.)
The guided asana practice, videoed in Nepal with the Himalayas in the background, includes postures and vinyasas familiar to most American yogis, as well as others that Lappa developed or introduces from other sources. It’s quite demanding and probably not something a beginner would want to start with. Lappa is amazingly flexible for someone with such a sturdy kapha build, and I suspect that most people would find many of the poses in this vinyasa beyond them. But everyone can do parts of it, and for experienced practitioners or those with innate flexibility, the practice could be a delightful challenge.
Evolving technology
Lappa considers yoga an evolving technology, not something that was perfected centuries ago and can never change. So he has developed asanas and vinyasas that go beyond the canon of the traditional, or “official,” ones to help practitioners free themselves from their habits and limitations. His theories are well thought out, clearly presented, thoroughly explained and generally compelling.
Sometimes they may even be a bit controversial. For example, he disagrees with the standard classification of poses as standing, sitting, forward bends, backbends, twists and inversions. Instead, he thinks poses should be classified as stretching, strengthening, developing coordination, balancing and developing quick reactions. Lappa says traditional yoga does not include practices for enhancing coordination or reaction time, which is why he advocates the Dance of Shiva or martial arts. Also, he says most asanas focus on the legs, not the arms. So he tries to incorporate arm movements from the Dance of Shiva, as well as stretches and exercises for the arms, into his vinyasas.
Lappa’s Universal Theory of Yoga is amazingly thorough and comprehensive. For example, the six-DVD version includes a booklet in which he relates each of the yamas and niyamas to a specific kosha, one of the seven energetic layers that constitute a human being. Lappa also presents a detailed theory of vinyasas, based on the five main body positions: head up, abdomen down, first side up (or other side), abdomen up and head down. And he shows what pranayama practices are safe to combine and which should not be done together.
I found Lappa’s explanations of the koshas and how yoga affects them very informative, and I particularly liked his description of vinyasas as “traps for thoughts.” He says that for many people, especially beginners, controlling thoughts in static poses is very difficult. Vinyasas require so much attention that there’s little time for stray thoughts, so students can focus and gradually learn how to quiet the mind, the ultimate goal of yoga.
A valuable resource
Both DVDs, but especially the longer version, can serve as a resource that serious students can turn to again and again to deepen their understanding of yogic principles and practices. The lectures, which often run at least an hour and sometimes as long as three, are organized into chapters focused on specific topics such as asanas, alignment, vinyasas and energy control. The detailed table of contents in the booklet that comes with the six-DVD set, along with the menus on the DVDs, makes navigating the material easy.
Despite his heavy Eastern European accent, Lappa is an engaging and articulate speaker whose intelligence, knowledge, sincerity and love of yoga shine through the lectures like a warm, friendly light. He’s clearly someone who has gone deep into the heart of yoga and found insight, balance and inspiration. So the wisdom he shares in his Universal Theory of Yoga is definitely worth digging into.
But it’s heady stuff, and unless you’ve taken a workshop with Lappa and are familiar with his approach, or are very serious about studying the more esoteric aspects of yoga, I’d recommend that you start with the four-hour DVD. The full lectures might be bit overwhelming for the average student. However, if you’re looking for a thorough treatment of subjects that are often barely talked about, the longer version may be exactly the kind of comprehensive immersion you’ve been looking for."
-- Tim Noworyta, Yoga Chicago MagazineCustomer Reviews
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A breath of fresh air
Rating 5 / 5 "I have only begun watching the first DVD, but again, I cannot be too quick in my absolute praise of your product. With each subsequent DVD, you raise the bar. The presentation of the material is clear, crisp, and supported through your excellent supplementary booklet. Andrey Lappa's precision, humor, and logical approach to the discussion of Yoga is a breath of fresh air. Earlier this year I made the great mistake of not catching Andrey while he was in San Francisco. It is a mistake I hope to remedy soon. I am grateful to you for introducing me to Andrey's Universal Theory."
— Stuart Rice, YogaFit Master Trainer
Write Your Own Review
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![Yoga: Tradition of Unification [Book]](http://www.pranamaya.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/135x135/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/B/K/BK-UNI_Box01.jpg "Yoga: Tradition of Unification [Book]")
Yoga: Tradition of Unification [Book]
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About Andrey Lappa
Andrey Lappa is one of the most influential yoga masters of the post-Soviet countries. He has studied with teachers both famous and unknown, including BKS Iyengar and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and has practiced meditation in many monasteries and temples throughout the East. After many years of exploration into the most esoteric and challenging practices of yoga, Andrey developed the incomparably powerful and effective Universal Yoga, a comprehensive approach to spiritual evolution. Andrey is president of the Kiev Yoga Federation in the Ukraine.
Currently he conducts teacher training programs around the world and has re-introduced hatha yoga to the monks of his Tibetan Buddhist lineage in Nepal. He is the author of the book Yoga: Tradition of Unification.
You can learn more about Andrey and his teachings at www.universal-yoga.com.
![Yoga: Tradition of Unification [Book]](http://www.pranamaya.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/50x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/B/K/BK-UNI_Box01.jpg)
