Kundalini yoga is an ancient form of yoga that was once a secret art practiced only by members of royalty and the wealthy. Before the 1960s, kundalini yoga had not been offered to the general public. This method of yoga helps to transfer and release energy from your body, both physically as well as spiritually.
Kundalini Rising
The typical yoga session in the west consists mostly of hatha or vinyasa yoga, which are more generalized forms of the practice than kundalini yoga. Kundalini yoga, while integrating some of the same movements as other types of yoga, focuses primarily on moving untapped energy from the base of your spine into the top of your head. The kundalini is thought of as a dormant serpent at the base of your spine. Once the energy of the kundalini serpent is awakened, the energy flows up through your body to awaken the seven chakras (energy centers of the body) along the way. Once the kundalini serpent reaches the top of the head, it is said that full enlightenment occurs.
Coordinated Movement and Breathing
Because it aims to move dormant energy from the base of your spine to the top of your head for the ultimate experience of enlightenment, kundalini yoga is more demanding and intense than regular yoga asanas (poses). Kundalini yoga uses many of the standard poses, but combines them with highly specific breathing techniques that serve to intensify the benefits of each pose you perform in the practice. Kundalini yoga poses are often held for longer periods of time, which adds to the meditative quality of the practice and enhances the mental peace and clarity practitioners receive from doing it.
Other Benefits of Kundalini Yoga
The specific benefits of yoga that the kundalini practice enhances are the same as those of any other yoga practice. These benefits include enhanced digestion, more flexibility, increased strength and endurance, a better regulated metabolism, healthy skin tone and complexion, an improve ability to concentrate and sharper intuition. Kundalini yoga also helps practitioners to gain more energy in daily life. Kundalini yoga is particularly beneficial for the sexual functioning due to its emphasis on forward bending, intense breathing exercises and hip opening yoga postures. Kundalini yoga is also particularly helpful for those who wish to use yoga as a way to prepare for the practice of meditation.
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