What is Kundalini?
I remember my first kundalini yoga class …
It was at the Toronto Yoga Show with renowned teacher, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. Gurmukh studied directly with Yogi Bhajan, the man who brought kundalini yoga to the west.
I had recently completed a beautiful and intense year of hatha yoga teacher training and was interested in all things yoga, as I continued to experience its healing and life changing effects. Kundalini was a style I had yet to try, so I went for it.
In this packed class, I recall my first impression of the teacher at the front, a woman in her sixties dressed like a swan princess, all in white, complete with a flowing white veil and a turban with a big ol’ jewel smack dab in the middle of her forehead.
The next impression was when this strangely divine creature opened her mouth and out came the most stereotypical Californian, hippy, airy voice I’d ever heard. I thought she was acting and then as I listened to what she had to say, I was struck with the simplistic, yet profound wisdom of her teachings. I checked my ego and judgmental analytical mind and proceeded with the kriya (yoga set) that included chanting and repetitive movement combined with lots of breath work.
I recall looking at the guy next to me and giggling as we rapidly squatted up and down, up and down for the next five minutes. I closed my eyes and went with it, to the tune of very loud and crazy mantra music. After a few minutes, with Gurmukh’s encouragement to keep up, the music stopped and we were told to breathe in really deeply, pause with the breath held in, and then exhale into stillness for a few moments. WOW!
photo credit: Nathan White
In those moments of quiet stillness afterwards, the real magic was evident. I saw the most beautiful colours and images in my mind’s eye. I received insights about life and my path, and as the old gunk and mind chatter dissipated, what was left was not only a profound sense of pure peace and connectedness with life, but honest to goodness JOY. I left the class with a renewed sense of happiness and excitement beyond appreciation about this wonderful opportunity we’ve been given to thrive in this life.
One class of kundalini yoga IS that powerful and can set you on a clearer, more direct and joyful path. No joke. Ten years later, as a kundalini yoga teacher, after every single class that I teach, people line up to talk to me about how powerful their experience was and to find out more about this strange, joyful and potent practice. I have brought people to their first class who immediately signed up for a kundalini teacher training. One class!
Kundalini yoga is a technology. Yoga Bhajan brought it as a jewel box full of incredible gems to assist each and every one of us to move through these fast changing times, easily and with grace. He selflessly left his home and dedicated his life to creating teachers of these tools for “householders,” busy people like you and me who have families, careers and many other demands on our time.
Kundalini yoga is a science that gives you an experience of the part of you that is beyond the body. It’s fun, musical, can be easy or hard, and it works fast. Really fast – it will completely change your outlook and path after one class. It will release old pent up emotions and inherited limiting beliefs.
Each class is a specific set of exercises called a kriya, which means ‘a complete action.’ Kriyas combine the use of breath, movement, mudra, and mantra (sacred sound) meditation to bring about a specific healing state, such as clearing anger or attracting prosperity. You will not be the same after practicing kundalini yoga. The practice offers you the opportunity to connect with your soul and to remember the truth of who you are – an infinite and powerful being.
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing more on different aspects of kundalini yoga and yoga in general, such as mudras and mantras. Every Friday at 10:30am on Facebook Live @889yoga, I’ll be sharing fast and effective breathing and meditation techniques, in addition to insights to carry you through your day. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook @jayaleighconnects, for quick tips to keep you calm, focused and energized.
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