Kundalini Yoga - what's it all about?

[JimineyJelickers]

I'm just curious because my studio does a kundalini class. Has anybody tried it?

I have! The focus in Kundalini is very much on breath, meditation and chanting. The postures are usually repetitive and fast, often not particularly complex. It talks a lot about chakras and seems to be even more spiritual. Maya Fiennes has some good DVDs, or I saw some on YouTube - I enjoy it every now and again but do miss the more 'traditional' postures after a while. Hope that helps!

So, have you felt the kundalini energy awaken at the base of your spine?

Thanks fassbender I might try it on you tube first then. I don't usually like all the spiritual chat but, from other classes with her, this particular teacher does it in such a way that it doesn't feel pretentious or weirdly religious.

Yes, all the talk about kundalini energy is a bit over my head but I found that the actual practice was very relaxing

So your Kundalini energy did not yet awake? I'm really curious about what that might be.

I read a comment from this guy online who said he had to stop doing kundalini yoga because really weird things kept happening to him. He said his arm started moving of its own accord, he was having unbelievably vivid dreams about demons and flames and once when he burped a little bit of black smoke came out and it tasted charred. That has kind of frightened me!

What exactly was he doing to summon the Devil?

I don't think those are expected results of any kind of yoga practice!

I'd love to breath fire.

:signs up for nearest kundalini class:

Come to think of it, that would be a useful skill. School gates would never be the same again.

He said he had an altar with crystals that he had to throw away, and since he stopped practicing kundalini the symptoms disappeared. I asked him more questions but then both of our comments got deleted from the instagram posts comments section it was on so I couldn't find him again.

I would hate to breathe fire! Though I suppose I could pretend to be a dragon...

Didn't we used to have a dragon emoticon on here? That's been deleted, too. It's a conspiracy

In other news, I have looked for your online friend and found his profile picture. Look familiar?

I love kundalini yoga! I am actually studying to become a teacher. :)

Kundalini yoga does sound very spiritual on the surface, but it isn't a religion or anything. I am religious, so I dig it, but if that's not your bag I can see why it would put you off.

With the kundalini rising, it's not necessarily a physical sensation (though I have felt it a few times), but it's more of a change in your character. I have found, with a daily practice of yoga & meditation, that I am calmer, happier and more patient with daily life. I can cope with annoyances and difficulties that used to overwhelm me.

I've also used kundalini yoga and meditation to help me break my sugar & junk food addiction and lose weight. I've been very happy with the results. :)

I have heard stories about people having strange experiences once starting kundalini yoga, but here's my take on it. The meditations and kriyas are specifically designed to clear out the extra junk in the subconscious quickly. I experienced some crazy dreams and such when I first started, because all the negative emotions I had hidden away in my subconscious were brought to the surface to be cleared out. If you aren't expecting something like that to happen, you will be surprised and concerned, for sure. You might blame the kundalini yoga, but it's actually just a tool to help you to live a higher life, free of the issues that you've been carrying around for (possibly) years.

Kundalini yoga is also a specific science. If you don't follow the kriyas exactly (timing, posture, breathing, etc), you can end up with unwanted side-effects. A woman in my class accidentally skipped a page in her book while practicing at home, and ended up with a headache for the rest of the day. I skipped the last part of a kriya once and ended up with nausea for half an hour. Ugh! But I don't have any of those issues if I follow the instructions properly.

Feel free to ask any further questions. :)

Fascinating What do you do during a Kundalini yoga class that your negative experiences come up to the surface to be cleared?

Sounds amazing.
Will I come out in boils and auges?

Seriously though, what are kriyas? Are they like a series of asanas?
Are they different to sun salutations?

The structure of a class is usually as follows:

Tune in

Pranayam (breathing exercises)

Kriya (physical movements, breath work and sound that work towards a specific outcome, ie, breaking addiction) see: www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/kriya

Meditation/Rest

Tune out

This quote describes Kundalini Yoga nicely:
"All types of yoga will be beneficial, but the yogic scriptures explain that Kundalini Yoga is the fastest way to create enlightenment and transformation. Of the 22+ major types of yoga, each emphasizes some facet of the whole, like the facets of a diamond. Hatha Yoga focuses on bodily form, Laya Yoga emphasizes mantra, etc. Kundalini Yoga is the diamond itself, encompassing all the most effective yogic practices (postures, mantra, breath, meditation, visualization, devotion to God, discipline, etc.). Yogi Bhajan explained, “In yoga this is how it is: twelve years of Hatha Yoga, plus six years of Raja Yoga, plus three years of Mantra Yoga, plus one year of Laya Yoga is equal to the effect of just one complete year of Kundalini Yoga.” " from: www.magdalarising.com/kundalini-yoga/

Personally, I like to use my time as efficiently as possible, and I love that Kundalini Yoga incorporates all aspects of yoga into one.

As far as why it works, it is a combination of movement and sound that have a significant effect on the mind. The Alzeimer's prevention foundation recommends a specific kundalini meditation to help increase memory function: www.alzheimersprevention.org/research/12-minute-memory-exercise

/inundating you with links

That's fascinating, thanks. I still don't understand how Kundalini Yoga is supposed to bring out negative experiences from years away to the surface to be cleansed away, though. I looked into those links and it seems like normal yoga plus some chanting/singing.

A little update in case anybody else is reading this and interested in kundalini

Curiosity got the better of me and I attended the class. I usually have no patience for any of the pseudo religious stuff but the teacher managed to be spiritual without making my inner atheist annoyed.

I actually love the class and have been twice now. There was a real focus on breathing and 'moving meditation' (kind of rocking or twisting while breathing in a certain way). The room was dimly lit, with lots of candles so it was a peaceful atmosphere. I didn't feel my kundalini energy rise (!) But the exercises and meditation did have some weird effects. I could feel my heart beating in my lips and my eyelids, and I really got into The Zone when doing some of the moving meditations. By the end of the class I was as relaxed as it's possible to be. I think the movements and breathing encourage lymphatic system drainage (waving your arms to clean your aura - not so much!) It felt like my insides had had a massage. It's definitely worth a try, but it's not a 'fitness ' type of yoga (cat-cow was the most strenuous posture we did).

I didn't feel any negative emotions come to the surface (and I have lots of things repressed!) it is just a lovely relaxation. I don't know about other classes but each week this class has a different focus. The first week it was the chakras and last week it was the spine.

That sounds... um... different, Jiminey

Relaxation is always good but I don't know about waving arms around to clean your 'aura', though. I find that sort of thing very distracting because my inner sceptic fights back to the surface, shattering the mental quiet I strive for in yoga practice.