What Is Kundalini Yoga?

When someone asks what kind of yoga I teach and I say Kundalini, I usually get one of two reactions. Some people light up because they've heard it's powerful. Others look a little nervous, because they've heard it's intense, or strange, or that everyone has to wear white. (There's no dress code on our deck, by the way.)

Both reactions make sense. Kundalini has a reputation, and most of what people know about it comes secondhand. So I'd like to explain it the way I explain it to my new students, simply and without the mystique.

Kundalini Yoga in One Sentence

Kundalini Yoga is a practice that uses movement, breath, sound and meditation to awaken the energy stored at the base of the spine and draw it upward through the chakras, so you are more aware, feel clearer, calmer and more like yourself.

That's the short version. Now let me tell you what it means.

What the Word Kundalini Means

Kundalini comes from the Sanskrit word for coiled. The yogis describe it as an energy resting at the base of the spine, coiled like a serpent. Every one of us has it, and most people go their whole lives without ever stirring it.

When that energy starts to rise, it moves through the seven chakras, the energy centers along the spine. Each one governs a different part of your life, from your sense of safety and belonging at the root to your intuition and higher awareness at the crown. As the energy moves through them, they open and clear so they can hold more light. My students usually describe this in very plain words. More energy. Less anxiety. A clearer head. Feeling at home in their body again.

Where Kundalini Yoga Comes From

These teachings are very old. For centuries they were passed privately from teacher to student and almost never shared in public. The ancient Vedas refer to the Kundalini Upanishads in the Vendanta. In 1969 Yogi Bhajan brought Kundalini Yoga to the West and began teaching it openly, because he felt that people living fast, stressful modern lives needed it more than anyone. He was preparing students for the Aquarian Age.

He called it the yoga of awareness. He also called it a technology, and for beginners I think that's the most helpful word. You don't have to join a religion or believe anything in particular. You do the practice, and the practice does its work.

How It Differs From Other Styles of Yoga

Most of the yoga you'll find in Southern California (Vinyasa, Hatha, power yoga, hot yoga) focuses mainly on the physical body. Strength, flexibility, alignment. There's a lot of value in that, and I'd never talk anyone out of it. All yoga raises the kundalini energy. It's just that Kundalini Yoga does it faster and in a systematic way.

Kundalini works on the nervous system and the glandular system. Those are the systems that decide how you handle stress, how well you sleep, how steady your moods are and how much energy you have to get through the day. So you might not leave a Kundalini class sore. You'll probably leave it feeling energized, focused and relaxed- and that feeling is what keeps people coming back.

What Happens in a Class

Every class at CommuniTea follows a similar shape. We tune in with a short mantra, warm up the spine, and then move into a kriya. After the kriya comes deep relaxation, usually with the gong or crystal bowls, and we close with a meditation. Along the way you'll use a handful of tools:

●        Kriya. A set sequence of postures, breath and sound designed for one specific result, such as strengthening the nervous system or balancing the glands. There are thousands of them.

●        Pranayama. Breathwork, including long deep breathing and Breath of Fire. This is usually where beginners feel the first shift.

●        Mantra. Chanting sacred sound. The yogis teach that there are 84 meridian points on the roof of the mouth, and the tongue stimulates them as you chant.

●        Mudra. Hand positions that direct energy in the body.

●        Bandhas. Body locks, gentle contractions that help move energy up the spine.

●        Meditation. Where everything settles in and becomes yours.

What Regular Practice Does

Over months of practice, here's what I see most often in my students. They sleep better. They react less. They bounce back from hard days faster, they trust their intuition more, and the people around them usually notice the changes.

In Kundalini we talk about the Radiant Body, the field of light that surrounds you. When it's strong, people can feel it the moment you walk into a room. Building that field on purpose is the deeper work we call Lightbody Activation, and I wrote about it in more detail in What Is Lightbody Activation? A Kundalini Teacher Explains.

Is Kundalini Yoga Safe for Beginners?

Yes. Every kriya can be adapted and you always go at your own pace. Certain breathing techniques, like Breath of Fire, are practiced gently or skipped during pregnancy and with some health conditions, and I'll always give you an alternative. If anything is going on with your health, just let me know before class.

Flexibility isn't required and neither is experience. Our students range from their twenties to their seventies, and plenty of them had never taken a yoga class of any kind before they found us.

"Keep up and you'll be kept up."

Yogi Bhajan

Where to Try Kundalini Yoga Near San Diego

We practice every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:30am Pacific on our private outdoor yoga deck in Vista, California, and every class streams live online. Members also get the recordings. A single class is $33 in person or $15 online, and memberships start at $25 a month for online.

If you've been curious about Kundalini for a while, the best way to understand it is to come and breathe with us once. You'll know pretty quickly whether it's for you.

Questions I Hear From New Students

What is Kundalini yoga in simple terms?

Kundalini yoga is a practice that combines movement, breathwork, mantra, hand positions and meditation to awaken the energy at the base of the spine and move it up through the chakras. It works mainly on the nervous and glandular systems, so people usually leave feeling energized, clearer and calmer, not just stretched.

How is Kundalini yoga different from Vinyasa or Hatha?

Vinyasa and Hatha focus mostly on the physical body. Kundalini yoga also focuses on physical, but also brings in subtle body other energy bodies. Kundalini yoga uses specific sequences called kriyas that combine posture, breath and sound to work on the nervous system, the glands and your energy bodies. Classes also include mantra, deep relaxation and meditation.

Is Kundalini yoga safe for beginners?

Yes. Every kriya can be modified and you move at your own pace. Some breathing techniques are practiced more gently during pregnancy or with certain health conditions, and a qualified teacher will offer alternatives.

Where can I take Kundalini yoga near San Diego?

CommuniTea Yoga in Vista, CA holds Kundalini yoga classes every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:30am Pacific on a private outdoor deck, and every class also streams live online. Drop-in classes are $33 in person and $15 online.

Try a Class

Wednesdays and Sundays at 9:30am Pacific. In person in Vista, CA ($33) or live online ($15). Memberships from $25 a month.

Schedule: communiteayoga.com/live-yoga · Memberships: communiteayoga.com/memberships-1

With Love and Many Blessings,

Tina, Ardas Taran

CommuniTea Yoga & Meditation · Vista, CA · communiteayoga.com