Spiritual Growth
Kundalini Yoga: A Universal Path to Spiritual Awakening
By Ravi Singh
Nov 21, 2003, 02:31

Kundalini Yoga is the art and science of spirit rising.  Kundalini, according to the ancient yogis, is the energy of the Universe in us. A scientist might call it the basic bio-energy of our being, a psychologist, the motivating force within us, an anthropologist, the universal archetype in the growth of the psyche. The poet Dylan Thomas in effect called it, “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower.” 

However you care to define it, Kundalini empowers us to be humanly human and divinely inspired, and to shine, prosper, and excel in all things. Thus, through whatever means, and under whatever label, Kundalini is the common denominator for all forms of self-healing, inspiration, and transformation. 

Traditionally all yoga systems were considered to be a preparation for the inner evolution and outer transformation for which this energy of our higher potential, Kundalini, is invariably a catalyst.  The process this work engenders is slow and graceful but in the context of life as we know it, in which true change is very rare, it works amazingly quickly.

            I first encountered Kundalini Yoga as a college student in Chicago in the 70’s.  I’d always had a pre-disposition to the esoteric and all things Eastern.  Many of the courses I took reflected this interest.  One was a psychology course which examined the various spiritual modalities many young Americans were beginning to explore.  One session featured a Zen poet who wrote haikus which lauded the virtues of softball.  Another session featured a talk by a woman from the Philippines who, while a prisoner of the Japanese in WWII had purportedly been in communion with extra-terrestrial entities. 

Then a bearded man wearing all white clothes and a turban came to give us a mini Kundalini Yoga class.  I immediately felt that when this person talked about philosophical themes he was drawing upon an ongoing experience rather than abstract theories.  And although he had a refined, calm presence, I felt that he was more present, more in focus than most of the spiritual practitioners I’d met. 

In retrospect I’d call it core strength, nerve strength, and radiance.  What endeared me to Kundalini Yoga was that it offered an immediate experience and the changes it triggered in my life were tangible.  I came to understand how when one’s energy moves one’s life can move.  We are the product of our practices for better or for worse. After almost thirty years I still believe that Kundalini Yoga can help me engender or sustain the qualities I most want to emulate.

            Kundalini Yoga is part of the Tantric tradition.  Tantra means the dance of polarities.  In Kundalini Yoga we combine dynamic activity and deep rest.  Through this practice yoga becomes our life and our life becomes our yoga.  In history as we know it, tantric practices were a sort of alternative to the more doctrinaire ritualistic approaches. For instance, some tantric yogis meditated in graveyards sitting on a skull to remind themselves of the impermanence of all things and to overcome their fears. 

For a high-caste Brahmin Priest, even going near a graveyard was considered to be an egregious act of self-pollution.  Tantric practices shatter convention to help one break the shackles of illusion.  Kundalini Yoga is essentially about what works.  It starts with the premise that each of us has a Destiny to be healthy, happy, and fulfilled.

            In a typical class we normally start with some kind of breathing exercise, and then we do some spinal warm-ups and some stretching.  Then we do a specific sequence called a Kriya.  A Kriya is more than just a random group of exercises based on a part of the body or poses and counterposes. It’s a group of exercises which work in concert with one another to create a synergistic, multidimensional, exponential effect. 

Each sequence is like a poem which has a literal meaning, a symbolic meaning, and a music and rhythm all its own.  One Kriya might focus on mastering one’s moods, or working through creative blocks, or developing will-power.  You can conceivably come to class for a year and never do the exact same class twice although by the end of every class you will feel energized and relaxed, focused and expansive, all at the same time. After doing a set, we relax on our backs for a few minutes.  Then we end class with some form of meditation.

Kundalini Yoga is very user-friendly.  Essentially, if you can breathe you can do it.  We give ways to modify every exercise so everyone can always participate.

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