3 minute read
Curious About Kundalini?
Yogi Bhajan
By Kasia Kord
We are living in a time where the pressure of the modern age is taking a substantial toll on our health and well-being. We are at the forefront of an emerging age, one where if we choose, we can combine the wisdom of ancient teaching with this modern era.
So many of us are seeking beyond the paradigms that have been placed before us and as a result, we are seeing a surge of interest in ancient practices such as yoga, mindfulness, meditation, breathwork and new age spirituality in general. Intuitively, many of us can feel that there is another way to navigate our human experience.
Kundalini Yoga - known as the Yoga of Awareness - was brought to the West from India in the late 1960s by Yogi Bhajan. It is a powerful practice geared specifically toward building our resilience, vitality, joy and energy to support us through the pressure of the modern technological era. Kundalini Yoga is a practical technology of self where you are taught to direct your life force in a very tangible and accessible way. You learn to harness the superpower which is you.
Societally, so much emphasis and value have been placed on external sources to validate and construct our lives. One of Kundalini Yoga's fundamental principles is about strengthening and connecting us to our inner compass or intuition. Learning to trust your built-in guidance system is one of the keys to accessing the peace, direction, clarity and focus needed to guide you through your life. The tools of this practice are simple, and you already have them: body, mind, soul, breath and consciousness.
Kundalini Yoga seeks to optimize and strengthen your connection to all of these things so that you can take control and responsibility for your own life and live your destiny. How do we utilize these tools? With intentional breathwork, guided movement/postures (kriyas), mudra (specific hand positions.) mantra, sound vibration, community and a commitment to a daily practice known as Sadhana.
Kundalini Yoga will strengthen and tone your nervous system so that you are able to remain calm and responsive to any situation that may show up in your life. It boosts energy levels so that you enjoy greater physical, mental and emotional well-being. It balances your glandular system, increases your lung capacity, clears your mind and connects you to your creativity. After all, your life is your creation.
No spirituality or previous experience with yoga is necessary to join a Kundalini class. One of the beauties of this practice is that all are welcome. This is not a levelled system of yoga; beginners and long-time students share class space together. The Kundalini class is purposely intended to be a space where we are all held, supported, and encouraged to be our best selves and do our best from where we are at. The mission is to uplift ourselves and each other. Kundalini Yoga works and its effects can be felt right away.
Kundalini reminds us we have everything we need and teaches us how to use the tools we have been given to live our life to the fullest. If you are Kundalini curious, I invite you to act on that curiosity and try this transformational practice.
Kasia Kord is a Registered Massage Therapist, a graduate of Religious Studies from the University of Waterloo in Eastern Spirituality and Roman Catholic Mysticism and a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Teacher. With over 25 years exploring, learning and teaching in the areas of bodywork, yoga, self-care, meditation and spirituality, she brings a wealth of wisdom and accessible information to her teachings. Kasia teaches ongoing classes in Kundalini Yoga and meditation, events and workshops in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and beyond. Visit her at kasiayoga.com and on Instagram @kundaliniwithkasia.
