How Kundalini Yoga Works

Chanting, singing, breathing exercises, and repetitious positions are all part of Kundalini yoga.

Its goal is to awaken your Kundalini energy, also known as shakti. This is a spiritual energy supposed to reside at the base of your spine.

Kundalini yoga is believed to expand your consciousness and help you transcend past your ego by awakening this energy. The practice is sometimes referred to as “yoga of awareness.”

Learn more about Kundalini yoga, its possible advantages, and how it varies from other styles of yoga by continuing reading.

How does kundalini work?

Are you ready to unlock your true potential and uncover your life's purpose? Kundalini Yoga is an ancient technique that can help you alter your life by allowing you to harness strong energy. Kundalini is a Sanskrit word that means “life force.” “Divine energy is said to have been produced at the base of the spine, which is known as the “coiled snake.” Kundalini is a type of energy that we are born with, and it strives to balance it “uncoil the snake” and reintroduce us to our divine essence

Kundalini originated as a study of energy science and spiritual philosophy. Royalty used to sit with Kundalini Masters to learn about the ancient scientific teachings of kundalini and spiritual visions. Kundalini was brought to our western civilization by Yogi Bhajan, who transformed it into the magnificent practice it is today, with ancient knowledge and modern pragmatism, making it accessible to all.

The ultimate life-force energy is Kundalini. It's where our creative energy, spiritual gifts, and divine feminine energies come from. Kundalini Yoga is a technique for expanding awareness and achieving a state of lightness, joy, and limitless love. Kundalini awakens the energy that has been dormant at the base of our spine, bringing it to the crown of our heads and balancing our chakras and energetic bodies.

Kundalini allows for a free flow of energy up through the chakras, resulting in a condition of expanded consciousness—but is it safe?

Can Kundalini Yoga change your life?

Kundalini Yoga instills a deep sense of relaxation in individuals who practice it through the use of deep breathing, meditation, and calming postures. Long-term relaxation provides a number of health benefits, including increasing heart health, lowering stress, and assisting you in sticking to a healthy diet.

How many times a week should you do Kundalini Yoga?

Is it necessary for me to practice Kundalini yoga on a regular basis? The greater the number, the better. It is recommended that you practice Kundalini for at least a few minutes each day. For the fastest development and to maintain good shifts in your consciousness, we recommend attending sessions 3-4 times per week if at all possible.

Can Kundalini awaken naturally?

To be honest, there isn't a single answer to this question. After years of establishing a spiritual practice, practising Kundalini yoga, meditating, and so on, some people experience a Kundalini awakening. But it can also happen on its own, without any prior training.

“The Kundalini rising is an automatic process that happens—and it can happen under any form of spiritual discipline, any style of yoga,” says Krishna Kaur, a Kundalini yoga teacher.

You may eventually become so neutral and balanced “that you know you've reached a place of total awakened-ness” through the practice of enriching your spirituality and inner world, Kaur notes, adding that she does not teach people to raise their Kundalini energy with an awakening as the goal—and does not believe people should attempt it.

Is Kundalini Yoga for Beginners?

While anyone can practice Kundalini yoga (unless they have a pre-existing medical problem), this kind of yoga is especially beneficial for those who want to combine a spiritual practice with a physical workout.

Although Kundalini yoga is a demanding practice, its physical and mental benefits make it an excellent choice for both beginners and seasoned yogis. There's a reason the discipline has exploded in popularity, attracting everyone from yoga aficionados to celebrities.

How does Kundalini change your life?

History and origin: There are numerous ways for people to transform their lives and reach their goals, but when it comes to healthy living, things like healthy food, meditation, and exercise come to mind.

Some people benefit from cardio and weight training, while others benefit from HIIT (High-intensity Interval Training) and LIIT (Low-intensity Interval Training). Kundalini yoga, however, is an outlier in that it benefits not only physically and cognitively, but also spiritually.

The term Kundalini was coined by combining the words kundalini and kunda “Although “kundal” means “coiled energy,” Kundalini is a Sanskrit word that means “coiled serpent.” KY's origins are uncertain, however the oldest date referenced in written masters' teachings is about (1000 B.C to 500 B.C). Kundalini yoga, on the other hand, became popular in Western culture between 1960 and 1980.

Harbajan Singh Khalsa, popularly known as Yogi Bhajan, brought kundalini yoga to the United States in the late 1970s as a master yogi bhajan was offering kundalini yoga teachings in his organization titled healthy, happy, and holy organization (3HO) (Wikimedia foundation, 2020).

Kundalini yoga is a dynamic powerful yoga for experiencing your soul. It is a yoga of awareness that promotes vigor in the human body, equilibrium in the mind, and openness in the soul.

According to Hindu mythology, it is the divine energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine until it is activated through yoga, and chakras channel this energy upward in the path of spiritual perfection.

Kundalini yoga is a spiritual discipline that allows you to connect with your higher self in a unique way. Humans must invest energy in order to receive divine energy “The serpent is uncoiling.”

The practicing human (yogi) feels more integrated with the realities, more aware of conditions, and thus achieves a greater degree of consciousness once the energy starts to rise upward in the spine. The higher a person's level of awareness, the more peace and productivity he or she will enjoy.

What is the purpose of Kundalini meditation?

Chakras: Kundalini energy is stored in the primary region of the human body, the chakras. Each chakra (energy vortex) in the human body is located at seven separate places along the spinal column and is connected to various organs, glands, and body parts. Each chakra has its own name, function, and relationship to the body, and they all play an important part in maintaining human health.

Chakras table.

What are the benefits of kundalini meditation? Kundalini meditation has been around for decades, and an estimated 37 million people practice yoga. Kundalini yoga is the most powerful and undeniable type of science known to mankind, thus you should do it as well.

Yoga's strength comes with benefits that are unrivaled by any other spiritual or physical discipline. It is particularly effective for intense detoxification, as well as for reducing fatigue, strengthening the nervous system, enhancing body strength and physical fitness, combating emotional stress, and improving focus and attention. (n.d., yoga shala)

Benefits of Kundalini Yoga: When a person engages in any kind of calming, soothing exercise, he or she reaps numerous benefits, not only for himself but also for those close to him or her. The benefits of Kundalini meditation are genuine and practical, which is why it is so popular. Kundalini meditation aids in the breaking of harmful habits, the discharge of past emotions, and the reduction of stress. The relaxing, stress-relieving breathing patterns of yoga are well-known. (2016, Miller) It not only relieves stress and tension in the mind and body, but it also aids in the attainment of a Zen frame of mind.

Zen is a short form of the Japanese word Mushin no shin, which means “mindlessness” or “being free of mind attachment.” In this state, a person's mind is free of all thoughts and emotions, allowing them to be receptive to anything. 2020 (Wikimedia Foundation)

Rising intuition/energy is similar to a person's internal GPS. By frequently practicing kundalini meditation, we give our intuition a clear space, a present voice, and when intuition strengthens, it provides guidance, and we may use intuition as a guide system. (n.d.) Wanderlust

Kundalini meditation can also assist people make difficult decisions in their relationships, lives, careers, and other areas of their lives.

Other benefits of Kundalini meditation include deep inner calm, increased compassion, empathy, creativity, the ability to deal with negative emotions/feelings, a sense of bliss, a sense of understanding, and a better spiritual connection with the higher self. (n.d.) Wanderlust

As previously stated, Kundalini yoga has enormous benefits for the inner self, but it also has health benefits, whether it is bhakti-yoga or any other type of yoga, it helps cure migraines.

A recent study found that medicine only helps a small percentage of migraine patients, and that it has side effects that cause 10% of patients to stop taking it. As a result, a study was conducted in which one group was given medicine for one month and the other group was treated with medicine and yoga.

After a month, the mental activity of both groups were assessed, and substantial differences were found. The yoga group experienced fewer low-intensity headaches and consumed fewer medicines, although the frequency of headaches was higher at the start (Bakalar, 2020).

Medical meditation for habituation is a method for overcoming any addiction. Yogi Bhajan taught this meditation technique in the early 1970s, which is said to be particular for treating addiction illnesses. (1988, Khalsa)

Kundalini awakening is a rare occurrence that cannot be experienced by beginners. While some people have experienced awakening, total awakening is uncommon.

The first chakra normally takes 2 to 3 years to awaken, but the Sahasrara chakra is the rarest occurrence, therefore if you want to experience Kundalini awakening, you must be patient, consistent, and practice yoga. (2018, Bhadra)

Symptoms of Kundalini Awakening: At the stage where yoga is practiced to awaken kundalini, one of the ways kundalini can be awakened is through yoga. Kundalini awakening is a state in which a person feels bliss, oneness, light, and beautiful colors, among other things (Grant, 2018).

Meditation, mantra chanting, and pranayama breathing can all help to awaken the symptoms of awakening. 2020 (Wikimedia Foundation)

• Seeing and feeling energy-sending orbs of light when peripheral vision light flashes, twitching sensation after visions of objects and people, tingling sensation from head to toe, and a feeling of warmth in head/feet are the earliest signs of awakening. 2017 (asks)
• The emotional volatility polarity of emotions shifting from euphoria to depression is the second symptom. (2020, Wiest)
• The third symptom is acute identity crises, which is characterized by a person's inability to comprehend the route and truth of life. The ego's influence over a person's consciousness begins to wane at this point. (2015, Asley)
• When a person grows more interested in creative pursuits, the fourth symptom is the drive to create. When a person uses the power of thinking and universe signals to construct their own reality. The mind becomes more in tune with the subconscious in this sign of spiritual awakening, and the mind realizes energy when envisioning objects or circumstances. (2019, staff)
• The fifth symptom, known as the Dark Night of the Soul, is a normal aspect of the awakening process when a person feels unable to connect because the universe is asking us to go deep within ourselves and question reality and the purpose of our being. (Jeffery, undated)
• Tuning in with celestial events is the sixth symptom, which occurs when a person's consciousness shifts and they begin to tune in to earth frequencies and recognize specific life patterns. 2020 (wiest)
• The seventh sign is an improvement in psychic skills, such as stronger senses, clearer eyesight, and more directing intuitions. (2018, Eden)
• The eighth symptom is memories of a prior life, which occur when a person has daydreams, flashbacks, or a glimpse of the past that is real enough to cause confusion with the current life. (Agarwal, 2014) Agarwal, Agarwal, Agarwal, Agar
• When a person feels as though he exists in numerous realities (the present, past, and future are all mixed), the Ninth is flashing into other worlds. This is the period when a person opens up to different timelines of perceived realities. RABYOR (2006, RABYOR, RABYOR, RABYOR, R
• The discovery of direction and soul purpose is the tenth symptom, which occurs when a person has acknowledged and cleaned their history and is ready to clear the body every day and connect with the heart and soul to uncover destiny. (2020, Spiritools)

People experience various symptoms with varying degrees of severity during the awakening process; however, in addition to the above-mentioned symptoms, there are some other common symptoms such as nose bleeding, hair loss, skin eruption, skin crackling, inability to speak, increased metabolism, automatic dancing and running, nauseous feelings, and so on.

The Waking Journey: According to Evelyn Underhill's book Mysticism, published in 1911, the development of spiritual consciousness is the awakening of kundalini. It has been hypothesized that this holy voyage concludes after passing through five stages. Many people are familiar with this joyous yet difficult procedure.

• Awakening is a mystical stage in which you become genuinely cognizant of the presence of the divine and the existence of the higher(god). Whatever triggered the waking, it was a state of astonishment, delight, and inspiration.
• Purgation is the stage in which you will see a discrepancy between yourself and the mystical truth. During this stage, we will try to rid ourselves of all our flaws.
• Illumination is the stage in which we lose the ego that we have linked to ourselves, and our vision of life becomes clearer. We feel better because we've aligned ourselves with the divine.
• Statement of purpose (I can equate this with being in the full flow of kundalini, which is no longer simply a surge of energy but a quantum jump into physical ecstasy, divine love, and higher consciousness.) 2020 (McGuinness)
• The black night of the soul occurs when we lose our heightened sense of transcendence and instead experience a sense of deprivation and abandonment from the divine. The ego's radical and deeper dismantling process begins with the apparent fall from transcendent.
• The sensation of distinction between self and divine fades away in this stage, and the person is now totally in the steady-state of oneness with the divine, thanks to the complete fall of personal ego and surrender of self to the divine. 1911 (Underhill)

Helpful Practices on the Path to Awakening: Awakening is a natural process, however these techniques should be included in your daily routine if you think you've already experienced it or are going through it to attain the most comfortable level of awakening. These techniques will aid and facilitate your waking. The practices covered are as follows:

Be patient and take it slowly. It's a lengthy procedure. As a result, don't rush to maintain a steady pace. (2019, Lechner)

Yoga kundalini is not dangerous, but the kundalini awakening process can be perilous. One of the greatest dangers is having an unqualified trainer or someone who does not know what to do when someone's kundalini awakens. However, if you are not under the supervision of a master, you should not attempt to awaken kundalini if your body is not ready. 2018 (Cabrera)

The holy spirit that is said to sleep at the bottom of the spine in the form of a snake (coiled). If the door of an energy conduit (Sushumna) is not opened, you will pass out if the kundalini energy has been awakened. The kundalini energy will not be held for a second once it has awoken. In the crown chakra, it will make every effort to unite with the Lord.

When energy is blocked, it rushes upward, creating the sensation of electricity circulating throughout the body. Depressions, emotional disorders, tremors, and body shaking are all symptoms of a faulty kundalini awakening. (2018, Lal)

It may take time to clear the garbage of a lifetime, including the previous karma of your ancestors engraved in your energy field, when chakras are blocked inside. Some people have a distressing encounter that leaves them unable to sleep for months. It takes years for people to fix the imbalances.

The endocrine system may be disrupted if channels in the lower energy centers are opened incorrectly. The endocrine system is a collection of glands that produce hormones into the bloodstream to control the body's numerous functions. It's a signaling system that works similarly to the nervous system. The endocrine system is disrupted by an incorrect waking, which can lead to long-term nerve disorders.

Certain notable people have also perished at a young age as a result of a nervous breakdown and related problems induced by a mistaken waking, which has resulted in death in some circumstances. (2019, Mandeel) Gopi Krishna came dangerously close to death while attempting to awaken his kundalini (Akinci, 2019)

Yoga Industry Statistics and Worldwide Yoga Industry Statistics: Around 300 million people practice yoga around the world, according to the International Yoga Federation. (Montigny, undated) However, the highest increase in yoga practitioners occurred in Japan, where the number of practitioners climbed by 413 percent from 295000 in 2005 to 1.22 million in 2010. (2020, Rakicevic)

Statistics about the Yoga Industry in the United States: Yoga is one of the top ten business trends in the United States. As trends shift and individuals place a greater emphasis on health and wellness, the yoga industry continues to grow. According to data from the Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal, approximately 20 million Americans practiced yoga between 2012 and 2016, but this figure has since risen to 37 million and is still rising.

Yoga is gaining popularity among the general public. According to recent figures, 7 out of 10 Americans learned about yoga in 2012. Yoga has been heard of by 9 out of 10 Americans.

• By 2020, yoga will be practiced by around 55 million people in the United States. (2019, independent)
• Both men and women practice yoga, according to Seattle yoga news, however women make up 72 percent of the yoga population. (2016, Seattle Yoga News)
• From 2012 to 2016, the number of men doing yoga surged by 150 percent, according to the Yoga Alliance.

Yoga is useful to people of all ages and is widely practiced. People are incorporating yoga into their daily routines in order to live a healthier, more fulfilling life.

In a countrywide survey conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health in 2017, children aged 4 to 17 were the study's target audience, with 1 in 12 (about 8%) saying they had done yoga in the previous year. (National Institutes of Health, 2019)

• Every year, Americans spend $16 million on yoga training, equipment, and clothing. (2018, The Good Body)
• Lulu-lemon (the largest clothing brand) increased by 18% in value to $929 million. (2018, The Good Body)
• The yoga industry generated $9.09 billion in sales in the United States and is anticipated to grow to $11.6 billion by 2020. (2016, Statista Research Department)
• Every year, 20% of individuals desire to explore newer yoga sessions, such as beer yoga, naked yoga, and so on. (2019, Grate)

Yoga injuries

• Yoga is calming, yet it has the potential to injure people. According to the Telegraph, a research involving 350 yogis found that nearly 21% of people's injuries are aggravated as a result of yoga. 2017 (reporters)
• When compared to other physical activities, yoga has a lower risk of injury. The injury rate for yoga was 0.035 percent, while the golf injury rate was 0.39 percent. 2013 (Smith)
• Yogis over the age of 65 had a 0.00579 percent injury rate, whereas adults aged 18 to 44 have a 0.00119 percent injury rate. 2016 (McGwin & Swain)

KY can be practiced by anybody, including beginners, with the proviso that a beginner should not have any serious medical conditions. However, this yoga is designed for those seeking spiritual practice rather than a physical workout. (2020, Tarlton)

Must-haves for newcomers to kundalini meditation: People who want to try kundalini yoga as a workout should find a peaceful spot to sit with a yoga mat, and many masters (yogi bhajan) recommend wearing a white shirt while doing yoga.

Since white is the prism in a balance of all hues, it has a unique affect on both the conscious and subconscious mind, it is believed that colors have an effect on awareness. (Davis et al., 2018).

Wearing white increases the size of a person's aura and electromagnetic field. When the aura is large, we feel stronger, more grounded, radiant, and balanced. We also face obstacles more easily and peacefully. (2015, Adam)

“We wanted to build a very quick, progressive, spiritual, and technical way of all the colors,” Yogi Bhajan explains, “so we adopted the one color of the seven hues, white.” White may be just one color to you, but it is the whole balance of seven colors to me.”

What Does A Kundalini yoga class look like?

A Kundalini yoga class differs from other yoga classes in that it includes activities that use postures and breaths to bring the mind, body, and soul together. This yoga is practiced through a series of movements known as kriyas. Following movements is a part of kriyas.

• Mantras are a Sanskrit term for the reciting of syllables that produces sound vibrations.

Expect the following in your first kundalini yoga class: When we start something new, we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to look and act flawless. We have a tendency to establish higher expectations for ourselves, and when those expectations are not realized, we become demotivated. However, in the following lines, I will describe what your first session will entail. (2017, Georgieva)

• You'll be chanting a few important kundalini mantras (sound vibrations that change brain chemistry and consciousness) to help you focus and cleanse your thoughts. Kundalini yoga mantras are written in Gurmukhi.
• Om Namo Guru Dev Namo is an Adi mantra that translates “Om Namo Guru Dev Namo.” “I bow to creative knowledge and the inner teacher.”
• The Bija mantra Sat Nam means “I take pride in my actual self.” Sat Nam is a breathing technique that is performed in tandem with breathing patterns.
• Kriyas refer to accomplished actions, and each kriya is created with a specific goal in mind. Each kriya is practiced for a specific number of minutes and several times. Each kriya comprises seven different postures and movements, as well as breath and bandhas at certain points. E.g. Suriya kriyas are a type of Suriya kriya.
• All yoga involves breath awareness and focuses on breathing patterns, but kundalini yoga teaches all of those techniques that have never been taught before. Pranayama (breathing methods) is utilized with and between all kriyas in kundalini yoga to gain the advantages of meditation.
• Kundalini yoga concludes with a meditation after completing a kriya. A kriya is occasionally followed by a meditation that coincides with the kriya, or a kriya is followed by a meditation that coincides with the kriya. If a kriya is done for a neutral mind, however, meditation will be linked to it.
• Mantra, whether vocal or mental, may or may not be included in yoga meditation.

Step by step guide for 10 minutes of a beginner's kundalini yoga class

• Sit in a comfortable position with your legs crossed and your back straight, with your hands crossed over your chest and your fingers pointing up. Focus on keeping your hands and spine straight, with a little pressure on the middle fingers of both hands.
• After your body is relaxed, direct your eyes to the brow point, which is a position between your brows and a little higher up, where your third eye or sixth chakra is located.

Note: You should breathe slowly or quickly according on your lung capacity. Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 1, exhale for 8 counts, and then hold for 4 counts again. This breathing rhythm will make you feel instantaneously calm.

• After you've completed the breathing cycle, bring your navel toward your spine and repeat the breathing cycle.

If you're worried or have a lot of distracting thoughts. This mantra, Sa Ta Na Ma, should be said. Infinity, Ta, Life, Death, and Rebirth are all represented by the letters Sa, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta This mantra will assist you in focusing your thoughts on your ultimate goal, allowing you to connect with your higher self. (2019, Deanda & Schulenberg)

What happens if kundalini is awakened?

People are sometimes unprepared, or the process begins spontaneously without their knowledge. People who endure inner instability, total breakdown, or spiritual distress, resulting in a catastrophic life crisis, are examples of this. Disgraceful fitness and lifestyle behaviors, such as hard workouts, drug usage, abusive or traumatic situations, and so on, cause Kundalini energy to spontaneously emerge.

The immense strength of Kundalini Shakti energy, once awakened, radically transforms a person's life. He or she can go through a lot of social and emotional changes. Some people may even have a terrible prior experience or have personality swings on a regular basis. They would be able to transcend this inner trauma if properly directed by certain well-experienced masters and gurus, but if not, the outcome would be beyond terrible devastation in an otherwise easy-going life.

Who invented Kundalini Yoga?

Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, commonly known as Yogi Bhajan, introduced his own type of kundalini yoga, “Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan,” to the United States in 1968. As a teaching organization, Yogi Bhajan formed the “Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization” (3HO). Yogi Bhajan combined yogic postures and techniques with Tantric theories and Sikh mantras to create a new form of ‘Kundalini' yoga. “When considered alongside the teachings of Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari and Maharaj Virsa Singh, it becomes clear that, at least in its early years, Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini yoga was not a distinct practice, but essentially a combination of yogic mechanics learned from the former After failing to acquire influence over the American Sikhs' followers, Virsa Singh rejected Bhajan's Kundalini yoga and said that yoga was not a part of the Gobind Sadan spiritual path.

Traditional Sikhs quote Bhai Gurdas, whose “Vaaraa,” or “Ballads,” were regarded by Guru Arjan as a key to understanding the principles of the Guru Granth Sahib, as saying that wherever Guru Nanak discussed the futility of yoga, the yogis gave up at least some ritualistic components of their yogic ways. The yogis of “Gorakhmatta,” which means “Wisdom of Gorakhnatha,” a Hatha yoga pioneer, converted to Guru Nanak's way and renamed their ancient center Nanakmatta, which means “Wisdom of Guru Nanak,” and is now known as Gurdwara Sri Nanakmatta Sahib. Some argue that the Guru Granth Sahib refutes yoga, although it glorifies it, characterizing the Guru as a Yogi in phrases like “Guru Ram Das is enthroned as Raj Yoga's king,” and “Everyone I see is unwell.” My actual Guru, the yogi, does not believe in this “..

The three pillars of Patanjali's kriya yoga system – discipline (tapa), spiritual study (svdhyya), and devotion to God (ivarapraidna) (PYS, II:1) – are adhered to in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, but it does not condone extremes of austerity or renunciation. Yogi Bhajan urged his disciples to marry, start enterprises, and participate completely in society. Yogi Bhajan's teachings encourage pupils to educate their minds to experience God rather than worshiping Him. Yogi Bhajan refers to the Sikh way of life as Raja Yoga, or the yoga of being detached while fully engaged in the world.

What are the benefits of Kundalini Yoga?

While both groups improved their memory significantly by the conclusion of the trial, only the Kundalini group improved their executive functioning in the short and long term. This comprises, among other things, reasoning, problem-solving, and cognitive flexibility.

The group who practiced Kundalini yoga experienced fewer symptoms of depression at the end of the trial, in addition to cognitive benefits.

Boosts self-perception

Kundalini yoga may increase body positivity and self-acceptance, according to a small 2017 study. Nine women diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa had these improvements.

The researchers believe that Kundalini yoga can aid in the treatment of eating disorders by increasing self-perception and self-appreciation.

Spiritual enlightenment

As your Kundalini energy wakes, it's thought that you'll become more spiritually connected to yourself and others.

These advantages have not been scientifically verified, but they are backed up by personal experience.