Kundalini Yoga; innovative or uncomfortable?

Yoga with a turban? Dressed in white? Eating kitcharee? Singing together? Not for me. When I started yoga and for years afterwards, I mainly felt resistance. Yoga, for me, was movements on a mat, I thought that was fine. You certainly couldn't call it spiritual. But even though it didn't feel that way, it was. And I did it too. Little by little, exercise by exercise, I understood and felt why I would do those extraterrestrial yogic things. I felt what I needed to get the best out of myself, and that also included those crazy things. Wearing a turban is quite a statement, but sitting on a sheepskin, surrounding yourself with people dressed in white with beards and singing along attentively to the mantras can also be a big step. But why would you do it?

Yogi Bhajan said the following about it:

“The beauty of kundalini yoga is that you can achieve complete physical, mental and spiritual balance in one kriya. It works so quickly and effectively because of the completeness, balance and energy."

What you need to know about Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is called the yoga of consciousness, and also the mother of yoga forms. It is a lively and active form of yoga with dynamic exercises and relaxation. Specific breathing techniques such as a slow deep breath, a powerful breath (breath of fire) are often used. It is also called the yoga of consciousness and is seen by many as the most powerful form of yoga. Kundalini yoga works directly on the nervous system and glandular system of the human being, whereby the effect is felt almost immediately; as increased relaxation, vitality and alertness. Kundalini yoga was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan from Northern India at the end of the sixties. Yogi Bhajan has written many kriyas (series of yoga exercises), which are unique and serve their own purpose. Each kriya has an effect on the mind, the body and the spirit. The exercises in a kriya are carefully selected and placed in a certain order, so that you work towards your goal step by step. During a Kundalini yoga class, attention is paid to:

• Asanas (body postures)
• Pranayamas (breathing exercises)
• Mudras (poses for the arms and hands)
• meditations

Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan (Harbhajan Singh Khalsa) was born in 1929 in modern-day Pakistan. He began practicing yoga at a young age and at the age of 16 he was recognized by his master as a Master in Kundalini Yoga. In 1969 Yogi Bhajan moved to the United States, where he came as a calling for the many seekers in the times of Flower Power. Yogi Bhajan decided to teach Kundalini Yoga and attitude to life in the West, because the need of the people was great. He died in 2004.