Kundalini yoga was introduced to North America in the 1960s by Yogi Bhajan, who felt that kundalini yoga could heal the physical and emotional damage caused by drug use and would allow his students to experience the God within. The movements, postures and breathing techniques are designed to activate specific areas of the body and mind for specific results. Kundalini yoga is a guided method of merging individual and universal consciousness.
Kundalini Yoga
Practitioners of kundalini yoga use it to connect with their creative power and spiritual energy. Kundalini energy is described as a sleeping serpent that lies coiled at the base of your spine. As you practice kundalini yoga, the serpent awakens and uncoils, releasing the pent-up energy to flow through your body. Once awakened, kundalini energy merges with universal energy and bestows on you increased perception and awareness.
Practicing Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini yoga combines breathing methods, body postures, hand gestures and body tension routines that guide the flow of energy to your chakras. Chanting and meditation are also important parts of this practice. Kriya is a series of poses, postures and chants done in specific sequence. Kriya sequences arouse the energy in a specific area of your body. Poses stimulate glands and organs and increase body awareness. Mudras, or hand positions, guide the energy flow to your brain. Bhandas are muscle contractions and relaxations to channel your life energy through your body. Mantras, or chants, elevate consciousness by rhythm, sound or meaning of the chanted word. Meditation quiets your mind to permit awareness of higher states of consciousness.
Kundalini Yoga Classes
When attending a kundalini yoga class, you take part in six components of practice. Beginning with tuning in, you then spend five to 10 minutes warming up. Kriya, sets or sequences of postures and breathing, follows. Kriya lasts between 30 to 45 minutes. Five to 15 minutes of relaxation come next. Meditation follows the relaxation session, for 11 to 31 minutes. The class closes with a blessing. Kundalini yoga classes last from 60 to 90 minutes.
Benefits of Kundalini Yoga
Studies have been completed to look at the health benefits of practicing kundalini yoga. The June 2001 issue of "Applied Psychosocial Biofeedback" published a study that found practicing kundalini yoga meditation and breathing methods resulted in more alpha waves measured on the EEG. Alpha waves are indicators of a relaxed mental state. The February 2004 issue of the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medication" published a study about the results of kundalini yoga meditation techniques, which were found to be effective for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as many other anxiety disorders.
References
- Kundalini Yoga:Kundalini Yoga (Yogi Bhajan) Comes to the West
- Kundalini Yoga
- Kundalini Yoga: Fundamental Components of Kundalini Yoga
- Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings: About Kundalini Yoga
- "Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback"; The Physiological Correlates of Kundalini Yoga Meditation: A Study of a Yoga Master; P. Arambula, et al.; June 2001
- "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine"; An Introduction to Kundalini Yoga Meditation Techniques That Are Specific for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders; D. Shannahoff-Khalsa; February 2004
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