Kundalini Yoga is a dynamic form of yoga that awakens awareness. It uses a combination of postures and movements, breathing (pranayama), stretching, chanting (mantra), meditation and deep relaxation. It strengthens the health and well-being of the physical body, helps bring about emotional balance, mental clarity, stress relief, and personal transformation.
The word “Kundalini” means awareness. In yogic tradition, Kundalini is the latent (force) spiritual energy within every person that can be awakened by the practice of yoga to bring about transformation, healing, mastery, and creativity. It’s purpose is to unlock our untapped potential – to expand our consciousness beyond the limitations of the ego.
Benefits of Kundalini Yoga
- Strengthens the nervous system
- Helps balances emotions
- Enlivens sense of awareness
- Increases energy level
- Brings clarity to the mind
- Encourages sense of peace
- Reduces stress
- Increases lung capacity for better breathing
- Strengthens the immune system
- Supports and encourages personal transformation and growth
- Orients consciousness to create happiness and health
Kundalini Yoga was first taught in the West by Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D. in 1969. He recognized that the young people in America, who were experimenting with drugs and alternative lifestyles, needed something tangible to quench their inner thirst. His decision to teach Kundalini Yoga was momentous, because it had never been taught openly before.
Yogi Bhajan contends 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.