An Introduction to Kundalini Yoga

“Kundalini Yoga classes are a dynamic blend of postures, pranayam, mantra, music & meditation, which teach you the art of relaxation, self-healing and elevation. Balancing body and mind enables you to experience the clarity and beauty of your soul. No previous experience in Yoga is required for you to achieve results with your very first class.”

Yogi Bhajan

Some say that the science of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation was developed over 50,000 years ago by rishis (divinely inspired poets or sages) in India and Tibet, who systematically tested and perfected the precise movements, postures, sounds, and breathing that activate different parts of the body and brain to produce specific results.

These sacred and secret teachings were brought to the West in 1969, and presented to the public for the first time by Yogi Bhajan. To find out more, click here.  

This was the first time they had ever been taught publicly, and made available to everyone. Previously, these teachings had been maintained as a secret oral tradition for thousands of years, protecting the techniques from abuse while also creating an unnecessary image of mystery.


Yogi Bhajan founded the 3HO Foundation, the Healthy, Happy, Holy organization, a non-profit dedicated to the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of the individual. Today the 3HO Foundation operates throughout the world with 300 centers in 35 countries.

Yogi Bhajan contended that in this time of great transition and transformation (which many are calling the onset of the Aquarian age) every person has an inherent birthright to be healthy and happy, and the means towards the realization of this is within each of us.

Kundalini Yoga recognizes that a strong nervous system and healthy glandular system are pre-requisites to live a healthy and radiant life.

“It's not the life that matters, it's the courage that you bring to it.”
                                                               Yogi Bhajan

The Yoga of Awareness

Kundalini Yoga lets you access and utilize your own creative power for elevation of consciousness and healing. This power lies dormant at the base of the spine and is often pictured as a coiled, sleeping serpent, until it is awakened, either spontaneously or by yogic techniques.  When the Kundalini is awakened it gives a person enhanced intuition, mental clarity, awareness beyond ordinary perception, and powers beyond ordinary ability.
Kundalini Yoga is sometimes called “the Yoga of awareness” because it awakens the unlimited potential that already exists within every human being.

What I like about this system is that it is very effective and works fast to relieve stress and tension, calm the mind, and strengthen the nervous system. There are thousands of yoga sets and meditations, covering every phase of human experience. You can choose what area of your life you want to work on and find a yoga set and/or meditation to boost that part of you. Kundalini Yoga is designed for the active person with responsibilities in school, work, family and the world. It can be practiced by anyone if it is done gradually and according to the instructions.

The pace of change is accelerating

As our society becomes increasingly technological, our world becomes more intimately connected and influenced by its numerous cultures. The pace of change is on the rise and the stress on our body’s nervous system is increasing. The science of Kundalini Yoga allows us to tap into a technology that helps us cope with this escalating change. The inner science of the mind is the tool that will enable us to cope with the pressure of these changes. It is the mind that interprets our outer and inner worlds and it is the mind that we must train to guide us through the flow of change.

“Kundalini Yoga blends the life of the householder with the ascetic sensibility of the exclusive yogi, the discipline of the soldier with the compassion and vision of the Saint. Enlightenment is to have the humility to serve, the majesty to inspire, and courage and consciousness to put one’s body on the line to be Divine.”
                                                         Ravi Singh – KY Teacher, Author

Basic Components of Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga combines movement, stretching, breathing, meditation, the use of sound and rhythm, relaxation and meditation. These are done together, or in sequence to create exact, specific effects. Each class usually entails spine and flexibility warm-ups, a specific sequence for the energy or day at hand, and a relaxation and meditation. There are literally thousands of exercise sets and meditations in this system.

Breathing

In Kundalini Yoga breathing is considered to be an energy delivery system, a conveyance for prana or life force. Each Kundalini Yoga exercise has a specific breath associated with it. Used in conjunction with movement , the most commonly used breaths in this system are Long Deep Breathing, Breath of Fire, Segmented Breathing and Rhythmic Breathing.

Each of these breaths has specific benefits that deepen and accelerate the effects of each exercise. In Kundalini Yoga breathing is also used to work through holding patterns in the musculature as well as blocks in the psyche.

Breath and Movement

Kundalini Yoga often uses movement in conjunction with breathing to create a very powerful dynamic. Most exercises are done for one to three minutes, but can last up to 11 minutes.

Mudras

The word mudra means position or attitude and relates to hand or body poses held during exercises or meditations. These particular configurations are more than symbolic. They create specific circuits in the nervous system, increase blood flow to, and stimulate certain areas of the brain, and activate energy flows.

Mantras

In Kundalini Yoga we want to raise the frequency of our lifeforce, so that the self-healing process can be enhanced. We also seek to clear our minds of deep-seated stress, which reduces our effectiveness and ability to seek and find fulfillment in life. To accomplish these tasks we use what’s called a mantra. Mantras are sounds or groupings of sounds with a pre-determined vibratory effect, which help connect us to our higher self.

Chakras

These are energy centers that correspond to nerve plexi or glands. Each chakra has a specific quality or frequency that relates to aspects of our personality and predilections. Kundalini Yoga works to balance all the chakras, drawing upon their particular energies when needed.  For example, communicating from the naval (power center) and communicating from the heart (center of compassion) create different effects.

The ideal is to match any circumstance with the most appropriate and effective action.