Kundalini yoga has become quite popular in the last few decades. This ancient yoga practice mainly focuses on breath and asanas along with meditation, and chanting. Kundalini Yoga was introduced to the western world in the 70s by Yogi Bhajan (Born Harbhajan Singh Puri on August 26, 1929, in Kot Harkan, India, now in Pakistan. The practices and techniques of Kundalini Yoga were passed down in a very secretive way from master to disciple. Yogi Bhajan started learning Kundalini Yogic teachings at the age of 8 from an enlightened teacher, Sant Hazara Singh and by the age of 16 he had become a master himself).
Kundalini yoga is a combination of breath, movement, and sound. It derives from the Sanskrit word kundal, which translates to “coiled energy.” The fundamental idea is that we all have stored energy at the base of our spine and by practicing Kundalini Yoga we can quiet the mind and unblock the seven chakras so that our Prana or Life energy can flow freely and eventually raising that energy up our seven chakras, to the crown of our head and reach the state of ultimate Blissfulness.
As Yogi Bhajan said “The process of growth through Kundalini Yoga is a natural unfolding of your own nature. The blocks to that growth are your attachments to the familiarity of the past, and your fear of the expanded Self. As you practice Kundalini Yoga you will grow. Like a snake, you will need to shed old skins to be more of who you are.”
Kundalini Yoga awakens the full potential of the nervous and glandular systems and balances the system of chakras and meridians within the body. Regularly doing this practice automatically guides the energies in the body to a specific change of consciousness. Just like any other yoga class, you would be doing downward dogs & all the other poses but what sets Kundalini yoga apart from other types of Yoga is its focus on the breath to harness the energies within ourselves.