By Laura Shakti
Kundalini Yoga is an ancient practice that comes from India. Kundalini Yoga is also a mind- body experience that benefits the practitioner spiritually, mentally and physically. Physical benefits include deeper breath, stimulating the glandular system and internal organs, and strengthening balance and improving flexibility. Mental benefits include the focus and increased awareness of meditation. Spiritual benefits come with the awakening of greater creative potential and awareness.
Yogi Bhajan began teaching this authentic style of yoga here in America in1969. Yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, and is a way to unite the body, mind, and spirit. The purpose of yoga is to return to a wholeness of being that reunites us with our spiritual potential, our physical strength, and a purity of mind. Practicing Kundalini Yoga reduces stress, restores the body, and uplifts the spirit. Kundalini Yoga is called the householder’s yoga because it has very effective kriyas and exercises that rapidly produce results. It is the perfect yoga for busy people who are balancing work and family and home.
Bandhas or Body Locks
These are internal contractions of muscles that focus our concentration, improve muscle strength and move energy through the body.
Asanas or Postures
In addition to practicing poses like bow, tree, cobra, etc, Kundalini Yoga is practiced in sets or "kriyas" which focus on a specific outcome or energy center. Kundalini also uses a warm up set of exercises based on spinal flexibility and energy movement, which is especially wonderful for people who are not "stretchy" or are hesitant to try yoga because they think it’s about twisting like a pretzel!
Meditation
In meditation we quiet the mind and the thinking process and practice the process of Be-ing. We may use a mantra and mudra to meditate, or we may sit quietly and use yogic healing or the practice of awareness. Meditation strengthens the nervous system and attunes us to our energy flow and source. We use a prayer shawl during meditation for both the body and our energy field. During yoga we build heat, and during meditation the body cools off, so we protect the body. A prayer shawl also serves to enhance the flow of energy through the spine keep our mind focused.
Gong Therapy and Deep Relaxation
An essential part of yoga is learning how to relax at the end of our practice. In deep relaxation we open ourselves to the transforming power of our yoga practice. We learn to consciously relax ourselves and let go of the mind’s tensions, thoughts or judgments. In Kundalini Yoga we use the sound vibration of gongs to help us release our tension and holding patterns. We learn to release, and let go into the current of sound that transports us to a deeper awareness.
Sample Kundalini Yoga class
1.Tune-in. Using mantra, we chant ‘Ong namo, guru dev namo" which means "I call upon the universal spirit, I call upon the always present guidance".
2. Pranayama: Breathing techniques.
3. Spinal warm up exercises
4. yoga kriya (a set of exercises for specific purpose)
5. Deep relaxation
6. Meditation
Ending chant "Sat Nam" which means" truth is my identity", or "I dwell in truth"
FAQ about Kundalini Yoga
Is yoga a religion?
Yoga is not a religion. It is a system of exercises for the mind and body that were developed to aid meditation and prayer.
Are the chants religious?
Chanting mantras is a universal practice in many religions, but mantras themselves are not necessarily religious. Sound currents that have a specific affect or relate to a specific state of being. For example, when we chant sat nam, we are stating that truth is our identity. We wish to dwell in our inner truth. For spiritual or religious people we identify our truth with our relationship to our creator, but for others, they many define the truth of their identity other terms. Many mantras refer to the one creator, or to the creator’s light, truth, infinite nature, etc. Chanting a mantra does not make one a practitioner of religion, but rather serves to remind us of our souls and our commitment to honor our spirit and connection to a higher source, however we personally define that source.
What if I’m not a stretchy kind of person?
The aim of yoga is wholeness and union of the mind-body-spirit. The practice of yoga is meeting our limitations, or our edge, in the stretch or pose and bringing awareness to our bodies and minds. Every time we practice yoga we feel different and have different challenges. That’s why it’s called a practice! We practice being present in the moment with our breath, mental focus and physical bodies. It’s not a competition to see who can be the most limber or stretchy, but rather a practice of allowing ourselves to explore space in our bodies and minds.
How is Kundalini yoga different from other forms?
Kundalini Yoga is about uncoiling or awakening our creative potential and allowing the universal spirit to flow. We awaken to energy and spirit by stimulating our glandular system with sets of exercises, mudras, mantras and meditations. Kundalini was perfected and carried in the lineage of people who were not aesthetics or monks, but who lived as married people with professions and families. It is unique in stimulating the glandular system and energetic energy centers, also known as chakras, in an effective manner.
THE KUNDALINI YOGA TOOLBOX
Kundalini yoga uses some very ancient and scientifically proven methods to increase health, awareness and radiance.
Mantra
A mantra is a sound that is used to uplift the mind and calm the body. Mantras can be spoken, whispered or chanted. Chanting uses the science of sound vibration to change our state of consciences. Chanting is used by many cultural and religious traditions, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sufis, Hindus, Sikhs and Native Americans. Sound therapy has been validated by western scientific methods since the 1970s when Dr. Herbert Benson at the Harvard Medical School studied how the body responded to chanting practices from different religious traditions. He termed the healing affects of chanting the "Relaxation Response" and identified its benefits as lowered heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate.
In Kundalini Yoga, we open every class with a mantra to center us and attune us to our inner guidance. We use the mantra "ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO" which means, "I call upon the Universal Spirit, I call or honor the ever-present guidance".
Mudras
Mudras are hand positions that channel energy is specific directions. A prayer mudra at the heart will have a different affect than an open lotus mudra at the heart, for example. Mudras activate certain pressure points on the fingers and gives messages to the mind body energy system.
Pranayama
Breathing techniques in Kundalini Yoga include deep breathing; alternate nostril breathing, segmented breathing, and breath of fire, or rapid belly breath. All these pranayama, or breathing exercises, serve to prepare us for relaxation and meditation, and to clear and cleanse the body/ mind.
Mantra
A mantra is a sound that is used to uplift the mind and calm the body. Mantras can be spoken, whispered or chanted. Chanting uses the science of sound vibration to change our state of consciences. Chanting is used by many cultural and religious traditions, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sufis, Hindus, Sikhs and Native Americans. Sound therapy has been validated by western scientific methods since the 1970s when Dr. Herbert Benson at the Harvard Medical School studied how the body responded to chanting practices from different religious traditions. He termed the healing affects of chanting the "Relaxation Response" and identified its benefits as lowered heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate.
In Kundalini Yoga, we open every class with a mantra to center us and attune us to our inner guidance. We use the mantra "ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO" which means, "I call upon the Universal Spirit, I call or honor the ever-present guidance".
Mudras
Mudras are hand positions that channel energy is specific directions. A prayer mudra at the heart will have a different affect than an open lotus mudra at the heart, for example. Mudras activate certain pressure points on the fingers and gives messages to the mind body energy system.
Pranayama
Breathing techniques in Kundalini Yoga include deep breathing; alternate nostril breathing, segmented breathing, and breath of fire, or rapid belly breath. All these pranayama, or breathing exercises, serve to prepare us for relaxation and meditation, and to clear and cleanse the body/ mind.
Bandhas or Body Locks
These are internal contractions of muscles that focus our concentration, improve muscle strength and move energy through the body.
Asanas or Postures
In addition to practicing poses like bow, tree, cobra, etc, Kundalini Yoga is practiced in sets or "kriyas" which focus on a specific outcome or energy center. Kundalini also uses a warm up set of exercises based on spinal flexibility and energy movement, which is especially wonderful for people who are not "stretchy" or are hesitant to try yoga because they think it’s about twisting like a pretzel!
Meditation
In meditation we quiet the mind and the thinking process and practice the process of Be-ing. We may use a mantra and mudra to meditate, or we may sit quietly and use yogic healing or the practice of awareness. Meditation strengthens the nervous system and attunes us to our energy flow and source. We use a prayer shawl during meditation for both the body and our energy field. During yoga we build heat, and during meditation the body cools off, so we protect the body. A prayer shawl also serves to enhance the flow of energy through the spine keep our mind focused.
Gong Therapy and Deep Relaxation
An essential part of yoga is learning how to relax at the end of our practice. In deep relaxation we open ourselves to the transforming power of our yoga practice. We learn to consciously relax ourselves and let go of the mind’s tensions, thoughts or judgments. In Kundalini Yoga we use the sound vibration of gongs to help us release our tension and holding patterns. We learn to release, and let go into the current of sound that transports us to a deeper awareness.
Sample Kundalini Yoga class
1.Tune-in. Using mantra, we chant ‘Ong namo, guru dev namo" which means "I call upon the universal spirit, I call upon the always present guidance".
2. Pranayama: Breathing techniques.
3. Spinal warm up exercises
4. yoga kriya (a set of exercises for specific purpose)
5. Deep relaxation
6. Meditation
Ending chant "Sat Nam" which means" truth is my identity", or "I dwell in truth"
FAQ about Kundalini Yoga
Is yoga a religion?
Yoga is not a religion. It is a system of exercises for the mind and body that were developed to aid meditation and prayer.
Are the chants religious?
Chanting mantras is a universal practice in many religions, but mantras themselves are not necessarily religious. Sound currents that have a specific affect or relate to a specific state of being. For example, when we chant sat nam, we are stating that truth is our identity. We wish to dwell in our inner truth. For spiritual or religious people we identify our truth with our relationship to our creator, but for others, they many define the truth of their identity other terms. Many mantras refer to the one creator, or to the creator’s light, truth, infinite nature, etc. Chanting a mantra does not make one a practitioner of religion, but rather serves to remind us of our souls and our commitment to honor our spirit and connection to a higher source, however we personally define that source.
What if I’m not a stretchy kind of person?
The aim of yoga is wholeness and union of the mind-body-spirit. The practice of yoga is meeting our limitations, or our edge, in the stretch or pose and bringing awareness to our bodies and minds. Every time we practice yoga we feel different and have different challenges. That’s why it’s called a practice! We practice being present in the moment with our breath, mental focus and physical bodies. It’s not a competition to see who can be the most limber or stretchy, but rather a practice of allowing ourselves to explore space in our bodies and minds.
How is Kundalini yoga different from other forms?
Kundalini Yoga is about uncoiling or awakening our creative potential and allowing the universal spirit to flow. We awaken to energy and spirit by stimulating our glandular system with sets of exercises, mudras, mantras and meditations. Kundalini was perfected and carried in the lineage of people who were not aesthetics or monks, but who lived as married people with professions and families. It is unique in stimulating the glandular system and energetic energy centers, also known as chakras, in an effective manner.
