How To Become A Kundalini Yoga Teacher

Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga Level One Aquarian Teacher Training Program is a 220-hour professional certification program in Kundalini Yoga. It contains 180 hours of classroom teaching and 40 hours of independent study: service projects, a 40-day meditation, and White Tantric Yoga. It is an experiential course in the philosophy, practice, and basic skills of a Kundalini Yoga instructor. Graduates of Level One obtain the title of KRI Certified Instructor of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan and meet the 200-hour requirement of the Yoga Alliance RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher).

Before You Continue...

Do you know what is your soul number? Take this quick quiz to find out! Get a personalized numerology report, and discover how you can unlock your fullest spiritual potential. Start the quiz now!

How long does it take to become a Kundalini Yoga teacher?

In the United Kingdom, there are Level 1 Training Schools. In Level One, you will learn the essential principles and practices of Kundalini Yoga and become an Instructor. This is a 220 hour course with 180 hours of classroom teaching in a structured curriculum.

Do you have to be certified to teach Kundalini Yoga?

Do you want to teach Kundalini Yoga (as Yogi Bhajan first taught it) or learn more about this sacred technology? It's a lovely practice that will undoubtedly enrich your life and help you develop mental, physical, and spiritual fitness.

Be aware of who your KRI-licensed trainers are and what association you will be certified with once you graduate when looking for a teacher training. Too many students have been mislead, and many have had to retake their training with reputable teachers after discovering they were not properly qualified or certified.

KRI (Kundalini Research Institute) is now the official international training organization for Yogi Bhajan's teachings, overseeing teacher training programs in 52 countries and graduating over 2000 new Kundalini Yoga instructors each year. The Level One KRI Aquarian Teacher Training Curriculum is a 220 hour program (180 hours in class; 40 hours at home) that includes “The Aquarian Teacher,” a thorough and well-organized course textbook, and “The Master's Touch,” a companion work. Graduates of Level One acquire the title of KRI Certified Instructor of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, are recognized with the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA), and have completed the 200-hour requirement of the Yoga Alliance RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher). IKYTA, not Yoga Alliance, is the principal governing body for Kundalini Yoga teachers.

HTML tutorial

It takes years, if not decades, of practice and study to become a trainer for a Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training Program. Potential trainers must have over 1000 hours of Kundalini Yoga teaching experience, have completed a Level One and 5 Level Two Modules totaling over 500 hours of study, and have spent several years mentoring with existing trainers. Before being classified as associate, professional, or lead trainers by KRI, potential new trainers are evaluated by an international certification committee on their competence and maturity as teachers. It takes an average of eight years of mentoring to be certified as a “lead” trainer.

After a trainer has been approved by KRI, they can list their courses on the following website:

If you asked your trainer the above questions and received correct answers, you have completed your homework and may be confident that you will receive great training. If not, you're signing up for a training that hasn't been approved by the KRI regulatory body or the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association.

How do I become a Kundalini Yoga teacher?

Develop the inner growth and self-discipline required of a great teacher. There are five 62-hour modules in this 300-hour certification program. Graduates of Level Two gain the status of KRI Certified Practitioner of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, and when combined with Level One certification, meet the Yoga Alliance's 500-hour criteria for RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher).

How long does it take to become a yoga instructor?

Some programs offer training classes that may be completed in the quiet of your own home, while others offer training courses that can be completed at a physical location. You can go at your own pace while studying for Yoga teacher certification at home. Working hands-on with Yoga buddies or a local certified instructor, which may be done in conjunction with home education, will also help you.

As previously stated, a 200-hour course takes on average three to five months to finish, yet most professors prefer to be students for life. Successful completion of the 500-hour course level could take anything from six months to a year. It all depends on your level of dedication and how quickly you want to complete the course.

It's more difficult than it appears to become a certified Yoga teacher. The majority of fundamental training programs are made up of segments that cover traditional subject or are geared to meet the requirements of a registry. However, deciding which program is best for you might be challenging. Here are some topics you can anticipate to study about during your Yoga teacher training program.

Where can I study Kundalini?

Each of these courses includes everything you'll need to learn and practice kundalini yoga. Because these classes are online, you will need a laptop or computer as well as access to the internet. They offer some of the world's top yoga teacher training. Each course has a distinct primary focus and skill level, so make sure you pick one that is a good fit for you.

How much does it cost to become a yoga instructor?

The cost of your yoga teacher training program will be determined by all of the following considerations. The exact cost will be determined by the type of training, location, yoga teacher, and yoga school.

HTML tutorial

As a result, an all-inclusive resort with a world-famous yoga teacher will set you back a pretty penny.

And what about that neighborhood yoga studio around the corner from your favorite supermarket? Quite a bit less.

As you can see, the cost of obtaining a yoga certification varies significantly. It might cost anything between $200 and $7,000, depending on the type of training and accommodations you require. A 200-hour yoga teacher training will cost between $1,000 and $3,000, while a more advanced yoga certification course will cost between $1,000 and $7,000. It all depends on the type of training you're searching for and where you'll be receiving it.

The following is a general breakdown of yoga teacher training course costs:

How many levels of Kundalini training are there?

The Parapsychology of Moving Thought Forms in Kundalini Training You will discover the three layers of reality and the mental maneuvering of the subconscious mind during this seven-day session.

Who is the best Kundalini teacher?

A tinge of remorse came into Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa's voice as she concluded teaching a women-only session at her Los Angeles studio one April morning. “I have to leave next Wednesday,” she explained, “for too long and too far.” Classes and workshops in London, England, Antwerp, Belgium, Zurich, Switzerland, Stockholm, Sweden, Reykjavik, Iceland, and Berlin and Munich, Germany are on the schedule. “It may seem romantic,” the experienced Kundalini Yoga instructor admitted, “but I truly want to be at home.” “I believe I performed my job out there.”

Gurmukh (who, like Madonna, one of the numerous celebrities she has taught, is widely known by her first name) is adamant about not leaving LA. It was the last place she wanted to reside for years.

Gurmukh, who was born Mary Mae Gibson in a small town in Illinois, has spent most of her life on the move. After leaving home at the age of 19, the self-described “wanderer of the 1960s” lived in San Francisco, hitchhiked through Mexico, slept on a beach on the Hawaiian island of Maui for two years, and spent a year meditating seven hours a day at a Zen Buddhist temple before being delivered to a Kundalini Yoga ashram in 1970 by a friend. She'd married, divorced, and lost a seven-month-old kid to a congenital heart condition along the road. “I used to write home to my mother and say, ‘I have to rediscover my tribe,'” Gurmukh, 68, recounts. “She didn't understand what I was talking about.” “I've come home,” I murmured as I walked inside the ashram in Arizona.

Yogi Bhajan, an Indian-born Sikh who encouraged legions of American hippies to give up hallucinogens, free love, and carefree ways in exchange for Kundalini Yoga, family life, and a strong work ethic, was there when she met him. He gave her the name Gurmukh, which she claims means “one who assists thousands across the globe ocean,” as well as a directive: help people. “If you're depressed, locate someone who's more depressed,” he instructed. Find someone who is sicker than you if you are unwell. “That's the way out,” Gurmukh says, referring to her late spiritual instructor in talks and classes.

HTML tutorial

Gurmukh ended up in Los Angeles in 1977 as a result of her teaching. The intention was for her to stay for 40 days at his headquarters, conducting seva (service), before returning to the New Mexico ashram where she had made her home. “He gave me something else to do and something else to do after forty days.” Between nibbles of a salad in the airy offices of Golden Bridge, her studio in the center of Hollywood, she says, “I wanted to get out of here for ten years.” The renowned Hollywood sign may be seen from the panoramic windows. “We used to think that all the hippies in LA were fakes when I lived in The Haight and on Maui. They didn't sew their bell-bottoms themselves. They had no intention of changing. We had an adverse reaction to this location.”

But LA had a lot in store for its hesitant newcomer. Gurmukh met Gurushabd Singh, her nearly 30-year-old husband, here. Wahe Guru Kaur, their daughter, was born in 1984 at the age of 43 and now owns the Golden Bridge café, a post-yoga pit stop selling vegan reuben sandwiches, tempeh wraps, and dal, as well as a variety of delectable sweets. What else did she discover in the City of Angels? A plethora of people in need of assistance. “There are so many lost individuals here,” she says. “They've abandoned their families,” says the narrator. For whatever reason, they've broken their ties. They aspire to be actors, actresses, producers, and screenwriters. Because they are the product, they must be concerned with how they appear and market themselves. Golden Bridge is a safe sanctuary where people are not required to look in any specific direction. They just show up and connect with their souls.”

Gurmukh is most recognized for assisting expectant mothers, having taught yoga out of her home before founding her first studio in 1985. They began swarming to her quickly after her daughter was born—at home, and only two and a half hours after giving birth. Madonna, Reese Witherspoon, Rosanna Arquette, and Cindy Crawford, who penned the introduction to Gurmukh's 2003 book Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful, are among his fans. It's jam-packed with brief exercises and meditations for long-term comfort, just like her earlier book, The Eight Human Talents. Gurmukh feels that Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga is infallible. “It's a science,” she says. It's not just a case of “I hope this works.” Science actually works. You will stop smoking if you meditate to stop.”

Gurmukh recently ceased teaching prenatal yoga. For a time, Kundalini Yoga's most recognizable name pondered stepping away from the spotlight entirely. “I felt like there were a lot of books out there, and a lot of people out there.” “Do I really need to go out there?” She reflected on her years of wandering and soul-searching. “I'd go looking for anyone who knew Yogananda.” ‘Did you know him?' I'd inquire, carrying his photograph. ‘How did he come across?' I've recognized that I'm now one of those folks. I'm a descendant of a master who has passed away. I've got to keep the voice alive. It is both a responsibility and a destiny. But how do you accomplish it without hopping on and off planes every minute or so?”

She believes that the solution is to embark on a new adventure, to venture into the strange world of the Internet.

She believes that the solution is to embark on a new adventure, to venture into the strange world of the Internet. “I've sort of fought the world's progressive changes,” she admits. “Modern technology, on the other hand, has the ability to bring us closer together. I just realized I'd be a good fit for that program.”

So catch her while she's on the road. Then look for her in two places she never expected to be: sunny Los Angeles and somewhere on the internet.

Where is Kundalini yoga from?

Harbhajan Singh Puri, a Pakistani-born economics major, boarded a plane with a one-way ticket from Punjab, India to Toronto, Canada in 1968. At the age of 16, Yogi Bhajan, as he would later be known around the world, was declared a master of Kundalini yoga, and he was the first to openly teach Kundalini yoga to the public, revealing a lineage hitherto shrouded in secrecy. Yogi Bhajan founded the 3HO, which stands for “Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization,” a nonprofit dedicated to spreading Kundalini yoga principles, in 1969.

Kundalini is a technique that is a bit outside the box for most Westerners who equate yoga with a flowing physical activity. While physicality is one facet of Kundalini yoga, it also incorporates spiritual elements, such as mantras like “Sat Nam,” which means “truth is my essence,” pranayama, or breath control, meditation, and kriyas, or repeated body motions designed to enhance energy flow. Turbans and white garments are worn by both teachers and students. According to Yogi Bhajan, the color white is cleaning, expands the aura, and protects against negative energy. The crown chakra, the physical body's topmost energy point, is protected and contained by the head covering. Kundalini yoga can be performed by anyone, regardless of age or physical fitness level, due to the range of practices offered in a Kundalini class, particularly those that draw more on the subtle body.

HTML tutorial

Kundalini has an interesting and fascinating history. The technique is derived from Raj Yoga, which has been practiced in India since 500 BC and is recorded in the famous Vedic collection of scriptures known as the Upanishads. Kundalini yoga is distinct from other kinds of yoga in that it is descended from a Sikh tradition, a religion created in 15th century Punjab that promotes love, equality, and service to others and is distinct from Hinduism and Islam. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, studied and practiced yoga, and Yogi Bhajan, a Sikh, combined their teachings. Many of the meditations in the Kundalini practice stem from the Sikh tradition, thanks to the junction of yoga and the Sikh heritage through Guru Nanak. For example, Guru Nanak's enlightenment experience while learning with the yogis inspired him to employ the mantra Sat Nam in Kundalini yoga.