When you walk into a Kundalini Yoga session, you'll notice a lot of people wearing white scarves and turbans around their heads. Many religious and spiritual traditions, including Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism, wear head coverings as a sign of faith. Kundalini Yoga, which has its roots in Sikh Dharma, borrows some of the faith's customs, such as mantra chanting, early morning sadhana (practice), not shaving one's body hair, and wearing turbans, to name a few. Although head coverings are not required in Kundalini Yoga, here are some reasons why you might want to consider wearing one.
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Covering the head focuses the energy at the third eye.
Yogi Bhajan, the founder of Kundalini Yoga in the West, stressed the necessity of wearing a head covering during practice to focus and contain your energy as well as clarify your thoughts, resulting in a meditative focus at your third eye, or Ajna Chakra.
A snugly-tied turban creates a natural cranial adjustment.
A neatly tied turban, according to Kundalini technology, stabilizes the many small bones in the skull that affect our neurological system and electromagnetic field. A light pressure on the cranium, according to proponents, induces a sense of serenity and wellness.
A turban can symbolize your devotion to your practice.
Covering your head and sitting in front of an altar or sacred area, for example, might help establish the tone for a deeper practice by indicating a shift from the physical to the spiritual realm. When I sit in front of my altar, which is decorated with photos of gurus and departed loved ones, light incense, anoint my wrists with essential oils, and cover my head, I find that I am preparing my body and mind to relax and embrace my practice with joy and reverence.
Why wear white?
According to Yogi Bhajan, your aura extends nine feet around your body, but the color white extends it by an additional foot, offering more protection from bad energy and allowing you to send your positive energy outward to inspire others and attract prosperity into your life.
Do you have to wear white for Kundalini?
Certainly not! While some students wear white, the majority of students dress in the same way they would in any other type of yoga class: leggings and a vest or t-shirt of any color, or any other comfortable clothes that allows for freedom of movement. White is worn by certain Kundalini yoga teachers and students to expand the auric brilliance a strong aura gives a strong projection and screens any negative influences. Wearing white is also an exercise in awareness, as keeping white clothes clean necessitates extra awareness and care.
Long-Sleeved Peasant Tops or Tunics
Yogi Bhajan advised his disciples to dress modestly, gracefully, comfortably, and with flexibility of movement in mind. To glide in and out of positions without exposing their midsections, many Kundalini yogis today wear kurtastraditional Indian-style blousesor long peasant-style tops. The Parvati Peasant Top from Spirit Voyage is an excellent example of a simple yet sophisticated Kundalini Yoga blouse.
Turbans
Kundalini Yoga is known for its head coverings. During yoga and meditation, Yogi Bhajan taught his students that tying hair on top of the head and covering it allowed them to harness the inflow of energy, eliminate thoughts from the mind, and focus. Long Time Sun Apparel's Modern Cotton Turban is a less difficult-to-tie alternative to a traditional turban.
Flowy Pants
Kundalini yogis cover themselves in white from head to toe. That means wearing comfortable white pants is essential, especially when sitting in meditation for up to 62 minutes at a time! The 3 Tier Flow Pants from the Om Collection are form-fitting but modest, with three layers that prevent see-through.
Elegant White Tops
Yogi Bhajan was born in traditional India, a matriarchal society in which women were revered as goddesses and mothers were regarded as their children's first teachers. Throughout his teachings, he maintained this sacrosanct image of women. The White Bat Top from Aryasense is elegant yet relaxing, with plenty of freedom for a complete range of arm movements.
Harem Pants
Harem pants are a Kundalini yogi's best friend since they are flexible, comfy, and modest. They allow your legs to easily transition from full Lotus to backbend to Plow. Many Kundalini yoga movements need you to hold your legs up in the air, and harem pants' fitting ankles prevent them from sliding down. White Harem Pants from Spirit Voyage Yogi are a good option.
Why do gurus wear white?
Wearing full white clothing, according to Yogi Bhajan, increases our auric brilliance by at least one foot. That is a positive development. Negative influences are automatically filtered by a strong aura, which gives us a strong and solid identity and projection.
Wearing white is also an exercise in awareness, as keeping white clothes clean necessitates extra awareness and care. Here's a sample of Yogiji's thoughts on wearing white:
“We wear white because every particle of stuff or material has a foot and a half aura, which is a straightforward scientific fact.” A three-and-a-half-foot halo surrounds each animal. Every person possesses a nine-foot aura. And if we wear cotton and white, this color treatment adds an extra foot of aura to our aura.
“So, I have faith in my kids, but if they act like animals, they will still have a margin, an edge.” And that is the crux of the matter. You must dress in natural fibers and white clothing. It's called auric color therapy, and it's pure color therapy.”
“We chose this color to represent our heritage and to aid our growth. We ask that you wear white so that you can mirror what is going on outside while also going within yourselfthat is what white clothing can accomplish for you.
“When you're dressed entirely in white, your entire face reflects, making it harder to become intimate.” Wearing white forces the other person to deal with you on a higher level, since he or she must concentrate in order to progress.
“Wearing white from head to toe is the most difficult thing on the world, but it is also the most effective cure.” Live in a white room if you truly want to put yourself to the test. It will wow you with what it can do to you in a week. You'll be a different person from one Sunday to the next without accomplishing anything.
“Some folks believe we're planning a vacation. We're not planning to take anyone for a ride. We dress in yellow. We're dressed in blue. We're familiar with these hues and how they react. We are not a formal group. Put on a yellow house turban first, then a white house turban in your own living room. You'll notice a change. Don't bother asking me. Colors elicit an uncontrollable flow of inspiration, creativity, and expansion in your subconscious mind. Colors have an impact on our perception of reality.
“We wanted to create a system for all the colors that was quick, progressive, spiritual, and technological, therefore we chose white as one of the seven colors.” White may be just one color to you, but it is the whole balance of seven colors to me.”
What is the benefit of wearing white?
Your auric brightness expands by at least one foot when you wear white apparel. A strong aura bestows brilliance, good health, a strong feeling of self, and a commanding presence. The aura serves as a protection against dense energies as well as an attraction, drawing beneficial things to you.
Why do yogis wear loose clothes?
Wearing Loose Clothes Can Help You Feel Less Stressed Yoga incorporates breathing exercises and meditation in general. They're necessary for gaining more control over your mind and body. While you go to a yoga class when you're anxious, wearing tight clothes can only make things worse.
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.
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 do Indian yogis wear?
Yoga, according to scholars, dates back over two millennia to ancient India. According to Malika Baruah, co-founder of Proyog, an apparel brand that manufactures modern yoga clothes inspired by the traditional garment, yoga practitioners in India typically used a loose piece of clothing called a dhoti in more recent centuries (since photography has been around). Men bared their chests, while ladies wore a bandeau top or even a sari to hide their chests.
“For a breath-centered practice, materials that are tight fitting and compress the body are not appropriate.”
Yoga practitioners wore everything from tights and leotards to looser jeans and T-shirts as the practice spread across the United States.
Is namdhari a Sikh?
Namdhari, also known as Kuka, is an austere sect of Sikhism, an Indian religion. Balak Singh (17971862) started the Namdhari movement, which did not believe in any religious rituals other than repeating God's name (or nam, for which reason members of the sect are called Namdharis).
What is Sikhism based on?
Along with Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, Sikhism is classified as an Indian religion.
The teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors form the foundation of Sikhism.
The congruence of spiritual development and ordinary moral action is emphasized in Sikh ethics. “Truth is the ultimate virtue, but true living is far higher,” said Guru Nanak, the organization's founder.
