Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga is a holistic form of yoga combining physical movements and postures, breathing exercises and sound in the form of mantras. It is a dynamic yoga designed to open your energies. At the end of each class, a meditation is performed that takes advantage of the effects of the previous exercise. The class is easy to follow even if you have no previous experience with yoga - despite the exercises being done with your eyes closed. While there will be a lot of movement during the hour, nothing is meant to be forced, and each participant will do each exercise at the right pace and style suited for oneself. This is the essence of kundalini yoga - learning to listen to your own body and mind. This is why it is also called yoga of consciousness.
The better you learn to listen to yourself, and the more aware you become of yourself, the stronger and more stable connection you will find between body and mind. As consciousness expands, mind control becomes easier and emotional life stabilizes. You no longer feel the need to drift from one impulse to another or throw yourself into the next crisis when you find your own center and learn to stick with it. On a more casual basis, everyday things are no longer distressing.
The process of a kundalini yoga class
Kundalini Yoga lasts 90 minutes. In addition to the physical movement series (kriya), each kundalini yoga exercise includes mantras, meditation and relaxation. The exercises also include various breathing exercises (pranayam), finger and hand movements, and the use of eye positions to deepen the exercise.
Bring your own yoga mat and a bottle of water to the lesson. Blankets and pillows can be found in the hall.
There is no separate dressing room in the hall, so I recommend dressing casually. You should prefer comfortable clothes made of natural materials that are lose.
After the class, it is recommended to drink plenty of water.
A regular kundalini yoga class proceeds as follows:
- The lesson begins with the initial tuning, that is, the chanting of the early mantras.
- After that, we do warm-up exercises that prepare us for the upcoming exercise. Warming up often involves some form of breathing exercise.
- After warming up, we do the actual set of exercises, i.e. kriya. There are hundreds of different Kriyas, so every hour Kriya is different.
- After a series of exercises, it is time for the final relaxation. Final relaxation is the time when the benefits of a set of exercises become ingrained in us. At the same time, the body gets time to recover and heal.
- At the end of the exercise, we do meditation.
- Lastly we sing the final song and mantra
