Seriously, did you join a cult?
Haha no. Really.
Many a Kundalini Yoga practitioner has dealt with the question. The obsession with the practice develops like any other. Like one for Yoga, CrossFit, Barre, Pilates, Track and Field, Cycling, Golf, etc…
Of course, yes, I acknowledge there is a “seeking”, spiritual element to this yoga but that is so for all yoga and the cult talk is not as prevalent as when this yoga involves the wearing of a turban and the color white. Though this is not a mandatory “rule”, it is a sight often seen in Kundalini circles. Yogis in white, loose clothing wearing turbans. The turban in Kundalini yoga is worn to help the meditator contain their own thoughts, since thoughts are not limited to one’s own skull, and is said to help with focus and concentration.
I first accidentally witnessed Kundalini yoga when I accepted an invitation from a man I knew from a group I used to meet with. I remember thinking, as a long-time Hatha and Ashtanga practitioner that it was weird. Why am I holding my arm out in front of me with my thumb up chanting these little syllables for 4 minutes at a time! I’m dying! My arm! What is the point of this? This is nuts… I thought. I was throwing a mini-tantrum internally. Oh, he was going to hear about this, I said to myself… haha (update: I am no longer this hot-headed haha, due to kundalini practice:) But then the exercise torture ended and we laid down for savasana. I had noticed a gong at the front of the class but I assumed it was some type of decoration, as I had never seen a gong (or sound healing bowls either) as part of a yoga class yet in my life. Once savasana started and my eyes were covered, I began to picture myself flying through space. Floating, safe, powerful, and eternal. I remember tears rolling from the corners of my eyes onto my mat. Something magical had happened. I woke up excited and asked the teacher “what NASA stuff” we had been listening to. He pointed at the gong. I couldn’t believe it. I was like “just this? Just this one thing made all those sounds?” Yes. I had no idea. Since then, I listen to one of my gong recordings to go to bed at night. It is an instant, deep sleep for me. When I facilitate sound baths, I tend to begin with chimes and bowls, “higher” pitched sounds. When the gong enters, there is a feeling of “pulling down” that immediately has people snoring and me adjusting heads.
Having covered what drew me in, the gong, let’s talk now about why I kept going back and eventually obtained my own certificate to teach.
Kundalini yoga is life changing. It is a strong, disciplined, and beautiful practice that addresses all aspects of an individual’s life. It is a yoga practice designed for the modern householder, for the person who works, has a family, has responsibilities to others and/ or society, yet wants to continually grow and discover the path back to their true self. To ones eternal, divine nature.
In Kundalini yoga, the postures or ASANA are carried out in KRIYAs or “complete sets/complete action”
Kriyas are bent on problem solving for the yogi. There are kriyas with names such as “Kriya to become enchantingly beautiful”, “Kriya to eliminate anger”, “Kriya to increase abundance”, “Kriya to combat addiction”, “Kriya to heal a broken heart”, etc…
Each class begins with an invocation to the Golden Chain of prior teachers who began these practices followed by a request for protection from the universe. The teacher is specifically a channel that passes on the teaching exactly as prescribed in the teachings brought by Yogi Bhajan in the 70’s to the US and holds space for students.
There are no levels in Kundalini Yoga and the teacher doesn’t demo as much and provides a lot less verbal/physical feedback. Classes often also have a meditation portion, frequently some form of pranayama and/or chanting, and will usually close with a gong bath savasana. In the Yogi Bhajan Kundalini school, the close out song is Long Time Sun. Celebrating the uniqueness of each soul in the community and each individual journey.
Kundalini Yoga encourages daily practice and meditation, stating that beginning the day with sadhana, or daily practice is a good path toward bliss. Kundalini kriyas and meditations work with specific chakras, or energetic centers, throughout the bodies (Physical/Energetic) to balance out the individual away from disease and discomfort. Kundalini is about challenging the nervous system to, through discipline, repetition, practice, and dedication, hone an individual who can handle any curves life throws with a good, positive, and abundance-minded disposition.
Come check out our Kundalini Yoga offering twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 615 am at Hello Yoga’s Studio in Costa Mesa. Classes are 1 hour and 15 minutes and will always include a kriya, a sound bath, and a meditation.
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5 am Club Kundalini. Wake up at 5, meet up at 630. Kriya, Gong Bath, Meditation,
615 am, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Beginning Tuesday, January 9, 2023
Price per class: $22
10-Pack: $190
5-pack: $100