About Kundalini Yoga
Yogi Bhajan brought Kundalini Yoga to the West in 1969. In India the techniques have been practiced for thousands of years. Due to the challenges and living conditions of our time, which the so-called Aquarian Age brings with it, the ancient techniques have a high relevance.
Kundalini Yoga for our Western life
When you think of a yogi, you inevitably see the image of a venerable saddhu – a person who meditates in solitude in a cave, is fully committed to the spiritual path and leads an ascetic life. Now the practitioners in our latitude feel confronted with the daily challenges of Western life. Most of them do not live in an ashram and under the conditions of a spiritual practice. Nevertheless, people want to give yoga enough space and integrate the experiences gained in it into their lives in a sustainable way, making a lasting difference.
Kundalini Yoga is a form of yoga for everyone, regardless of age, physical fitness or life circumstances. The philosophy does not demand a retreat into the inner world of meditation and enlightenment, but works on the contrary to combine spiritual discipline and everyday life. From the point of view of yoga, the soul comes to earth to have a human experience. Only a normal human life and the engagement with human experiences make this possible.
Drawing on his wealth of wisdom, Yogi Bhajan consciously decided to pass on Kundalini Yoga and meditation, as it is a form of yoga for people who have both feet on the ground. People who have to face the daily challenges of work, career, household and family.
The principle of the Kriyas
Regardless of what we achieve in life, our successes and achievements remain empty and unfulfilling. We can go one step further, achieve a goal we may have long longed for, and then strive for something greater. We are always striving for more, and our sense of happiness and contentment is based on this. We run after something that cannot be achieved in this way. As long as we do not follow the deep longing of our soul to integrate the higher consciousness into our daily life, this emptiness can remain.
Kundalini Yoga is based on precisely prescribed series of exercises (Kriyas), each of which has been compiled and taught for a specific effect by Yogi Bhajan. This allows you to work specifically on those aspects of your being that require the most attention at the time. Regular practice can quickly let you experience the full, beneficial effect, inspiring you to deepen your practice.
More about the effect of a Kundalini Yoga class
Kundalini Yoga is a dynamic, powerful instrument for the expansion of consciousness, a coherent and authentic system of body exercises (Asanas), conscious breathing and breath control (Pranayama) and meditation (Dhyana). It is safe, holistic and simple. In this way Kundalini Yoga can promote physical health, stimulate the highest potential of the mind and touch you at your deepest core. The practice of Kriyas and meditations keeps your body fit and healthy. It can make you emotionally more balanced and stable and trains your mind to be strong, calm and agile in the face of challenges and changes. Blood circulation and the absorption of oxygen balances the glandular system, strengthens the nervous and immune systems and reduces the level of stress-related hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol in the body.
All this leads to increased vitality and joy of life, alertness and greater awareness of your self. More energy is available to you in everyday life. You have the feeling to have your life and yourself better under control. Your susceptibility to stress decreases, your ability to concentrate and your mental flexibility increase. A feeling of inner peace spreads and your self-confidence grows. You feel comfortable with yourself and your life. So a deep feeling of happiness can anchor itself in you.
If you feel inspired to practice with us at the AMAR DAS Kundalini Yoga Centre, find your class and take a look at our schedule. Or learn more about the principle of regular morning practice, the Aquarian Sadhana.
“Kundalini Yoga is the science to unite the finite with Infinity, and it is the art to experience Infinity in the finite.”
Yogi Bhajan