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.
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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.
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.
What religion is Kundalini Yoga?
Kundalini yoga (kualin-yoga) is derived from kundalini, which is defined in Vedantic culture as dormant energy at the base of the spine that is activated (by yoga, blunt force trauma, breath work, or psychological trauma leading to spiritual awakening) and channeled upward through the chakras in the process of spiritual perfection. Kundalini is thought to be a power related with Shakti, the divine feminine. Shaktism and Tantra schools of Hinduism have inspired Kundalini yoga as a yoga school. It gets its name from a concentration on kundalini energy awakening through frequent mantra, tantra, yantra, yoga, or meditation practice.
Who introduced Kundalini Yoga?
Although Kundalini yoga is performed all throughout the world, no one knows where it originated. The concept of Kundalini energy has been around for centuries, and it was first stated about 1,000 B.C. in ancient Vedic scriptures.
Yogi Bhajan, a Pakistani yoga teacher, is mainly associated with Kundalini yoga. In the 1960s, he is credited with bringing the practice to Western countries.
The phrase “The word “kundalini” is derived from the Sanskrit word “kundal,” which means “circle.” It can also apply to a snake that is coiled. Kundalini energy, according to practitioners, is like that coiled snake: it sleeps at the base of your spine, unaroused.
Kundalini yoga is used to activate this energy, allowing it to flow up and down your spine through the chakras.
Kundalini energy is said to help balance these chakras and contribute to spiritual wellness as it increases.
Kundalini yoga is claimed to lead to spiritual enlightenment with constant practice. This is referred to as a “Awakening of the Kundalini.”
When was kundalini discovered?
The actual origin of Kundalini Yoga is uncertain, however it is first mentioned in the Upanishads, an ancient Vedic collection of literature (c. 1,000 B.C. – 500 B.C.). Before the physical practice, Kundalini was a science of energy and spiritual philosophy, according to historical documents. The term “upanishads” literally means “sitting down to receive the master's teachings.” Those were the first Kundalini classes. Masters sat down with students and recited spiritual visions aloud. In ancient Vedic society, this was a common practice (and would be replicated centuries later by a couple guys named Buddha and Jesus). The body science of Kundalini Yoga evolved over time as a physical representation of the Upanishad visions. Kundalini Yoga has never been taught in a public setting. It was regarded as a post-secondary education. Students had to go through several years of initiation before they were ready to learn the Kundalini masters' spirit-body lectures.
Who brought Kundalini Yoga to America?
The late spiritual leader Harbhajan Singh Khalsa's narrative has a mythic quality to it. When he arrived in the United States from his native India in the late 1960s, he was known to his supporters as Yogi Bhajan or Siri Singh Sahib, and he was credited for introducing kundalini yoga and the Sikh religion to the Western world.
Where is Kundalini located in body?
The Kundalini energy is said to be coiled at the base of the spine. The position can be described in a variety of ways, ranging from the rectum to the navel. Kundalini is thought to be housed in three and a half coils in the triangular sacrum bone.
And what is a Mantra?
A “mantra” is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, phrase, or set of syllables thought to have psychological and spiritual qualities by practitioners. Mantra meditation aids in inducing a state of altered consciousness.
And finally, a Kundalini Mantra?
Kundalini Mantras are usually written in Gurmukhi, a sacred Indian language, although they can also be written in English. Even if the meaning of each word is unknown, these mantras carry the vibrations of serenity, prosperity, connection, and many other attributes, and their impact is understood.
A list of Kundalini mantras for everyday use is provided below. It's incredible to chant, sing, or simply listen to them in the background. I've included YouTube links to these mantras so you can listen to them for yourself.
Mantra for compassion and patience
Gobinday, Mukanday – This mantra clears karmic obstacles and mistakes from the past, balances the cerebral hemispheres, purifies the magnetic field, and instills compassion and patience.
Mantra for intuition
Magic Mantra – this mantra dispels all negativity and removes all impediments. It gives you a lot of intuition.
If you liked these mantras, you should listen to my Kundalini playlist on Spotify.
Check out Anna's blog, AnnaB.ie, as well as her Instagram and Facebook accounts for more information.
Is Kundalini Yoga part of Sikhism?
Yoga is clearly condemned as a spiritual method in Sikhi. Bhajan's pseudoreligion and Kundalini practice are yogic in nature, with Sikh Gurbani mantras being used as yogic chants and spells.
Is Kundalini Yoga bad?
Kundalini meditation is frequently used by people who want to experience the energy release known as a Kundalini awakening. Many individuals find this to be a spiritual experience, but if you're not sure what to anticipate, it can be intimidating.
Physical feelings such as warmth or tingling, disorientation, and perhaps momentary discomfort are reported after a Kundalini awakening.
Some argue that if a person isn't entirely prepared for the experience, they may suffer long-term consequences. While meditation can be a transformative experience, there is no evidence that it has long-term negative consequences.
Apart from that, Kundalini meditation entails deep breathing exercises and slower breathing. You may feel dizzy or lightheaded if you aren't used to it.
Take breaks as needed, and drink lots of water before and after your meditation session.
What is God in Kundalini Yoga?
It's a safe bet that Kundalini Yoga would still be unknown in the United States if it hadn't been for Yogi Bhajan. Yogi Bhajan experienced the hippie cultural revolution in California in the late 1960s, many of whose concepts he recognized from his own Sikh culture. He made two observations. #1) Young people in America yearned to experience God, as shown by their yearning for enlarged consciousness. #2) They were going about it all wrong, aided by drugs and half-baked mysticism.
Outside of the holy Indian lineage, Yogi Bhajan recognized it was illegal to teach Kundalini Yoga. On a weekend vacation to Los Angeles in 1968, however, he got a vision of a new spirituality that merged ancient knowledge with modern practicality during a meditation. He was inspired as he awoke from his meditation. “It is everyone”TMs birthright to be well, happy, and holy, and the practice of Kundalini Yoga is the way to claim that birthright,” he would assert as he taught Kundalini to the west. His weekend trip to Los Angeles grew into a year-long stay. He would found the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) Foundation and the Kundalini Research Institute within the next two years. He hadn't even begun yet.
Yogi Bhajan”TMs effect is not limited to yoga. He authored several books, founded Foreign Peace Prayer Day, and collaborated with a number of international governments on programs aimed at promoting peace and mindfulness in the globe. Yogi Bhajan felt that through practicing mindfulness and compassion, we can all help to improve society, and he committed his life to making his vision of practical spirituality a reality. Following his death, a bipartisan resolution recognizing his services to the world was passed by the United States Congress.
“Kundalini Yoga is the science of bringing the finite and infinite worlds together.”
Yogi Bhajan is a devotional song written by Yogi Bhat
Let us trace the history of Kundalini Yoga back to the Upanishads, which were the first historical works to mention it by name. The Upanishads (similar to the Vedic literary writings) are a collection of oral teachings on the spiritual nature of reality written by various unknown writers over the duration of 500 years (between 1,000 and 500 B.C.).
The Upanishads are the foundation of Eastern spirituality, having been passed down from masters to students following deep contemplative insights. The Upanishads are where Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religious traditions get their ideas. Kundalini feels the same way.
The philosophical objective of Kundalini, as the “yoga of awareness,” is to awaken your Higher Self. Each individual is thought to be a Brahman energy center (God-like creative consciousness). We can disengage from the worldly Ego and connect directly with Universal Brahman by applying the scientific procedures developed by Kundalini masters over thousands of years.
The essence of God, according to Kundalini Yoga, is the same essence of ourselves. God is the creative awareness that flows through everything, including ourselves. Because Brahman is already a part of us, we can reach it. To put it another way, we are all expressions of the same collective energy. Kundalini is a technique for releasing our false Ego story of separation and experiencing the genuine nature of our being. Isn't that good for a little stretching?
What is the difference between spiritual awakening and kundalini awakening?
Spiritual awakening (also known as “spiritual ascension”) is usually an emotional and psychological experience. Kundalini awakening, on the other hand, is an energetic surge that can be mild and progressive or rapid and strong.
While kundalini awakening normally occurs after a spiritual awakening, it is not always the case. Kundalini can erupt quickly in response to psychedelic drug experiences, sexual encounters, or even tragic ones, as previously indicated.
Another difference is that kundalini energy is felt extremely physically, whereas spiritual awakening is typically more focused on the mind and emotions. While powerful vibrations and heat may be felt in the body during kundalini rising, there is a soulful element of deep questioning, understanding, and transfiguration during spiritual awakening (some refer to this as spiritual alchemy).
Is it possible to have both spiritual and kundalini awakenings at the same time? Without a doubt. And it's for this reason that both can lead to the Dark Night of the Soul (or the inevitable after-effect of feeling as if you've lost touch with the Divine). In the end, they're just two sides of the same coin.