| Kundalini Yoga - Mother of all Yogas |
What makes Kundalini Yoga so
special?
The
question I get asked the most is how does Kundalini Yoga differ
from other more familar Yogas in the UK?
My Yoga practice is based in Bristol, but I reach out to the
South West, Wales and beyond. In Bristol, as in much of the UK people
are more familiar with Iyengar Yoga primarily, also Ashtanga Yoga,
Hatha Yoga, and increasingly Bikram Yoga, to name but a few.
With all this choice it can be a little
overwhelming. Yes, it's true there are many different types of Yoga,
like there are many branches on a tree for in ancient 'Vedic' times
Yoga got split, and branched off into many different Yogas. This may be
likened to many sectors in modern society today which take pride
in specialising more and more. The disadvantage of this is obviously
the loss of integration, and with a loss of integration there is a risk
of loss of understanding how all the aspects of Yoga fit together. A
loss of integration leads to a loss in integrity.
Lets briefly discuss some of the other forms of Yoga which are more
prevalent in Bristol, Wales & South West and the UK:
Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga may be seen to be a very basic form of Yoga which is very
focused on the physical aspect of sustaining and perfecting poses
(Asana). BKS Iyengar who is still very much alive recognised that the
Western body is very stiff compared to our Eastern cousins so he
introduced the use of props such as bricks, blocks, belts, chairs etc
to pull the stiff western body back into shape. This is certainly
useful, so we may see that Iyengar Yoga has its place, but it really is
very basic, and very limited in its scope and hence can only serve to
take you so far with your Yoga practice. It will take a long time to
get anywhere even within the provided scope because so many of the
powerful tools in Yoga are not commonly taught in Iyengar Yoga at least
not until much more advanced classes which could take years and years.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga again is a good solid basis for
starting out with Yoga, it concentrates on the core poses within
Yoga, but again in much the same way of Iyengar, Hatha Yoga is
very focused on the physical aspect of Yoga, and the poses (asana).
Kundalini Yoga has all the poses of Hatha Yoga included in its
practice, but there are hundreds more which you will never find in
Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, certainly not in Bikram, or any other for
that matter.
Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga is popular for those who like dynamism. Yes Ashtanga Yoga
is good because it embraces the importance of flowing from one asana to
the next. Movement is key in Yoga. Note Yoga is NOT soley about
stretching, yes opening up space in the body is a part of Yoga but it
is only one aspect. Again, however, Ashtanga is even more limited than
Iyengar Yoga and Hatha Yoga in terms of the variety and depth of the
practice.
Bikram Yoga
It is worth briefly mentioning Bikram Yoga and Hot Yoga simply because
of its fast rise in popularity due to the fact that all Bikram teachers
are given extensive training in the art of marketing, this is really
why Bikram Yoga is so popular. In actual fact this is not really Yoga
in the true sense of the word. It is just a handful of poses in a hot
room. However, Bikram Yoga is good in that the 42 degree heat does open
the pores of the body and help the body to sweat which releases toxins
from the body. In Kundalini Yoga we encourage you to sweat every day to
stay healty. You may wish to start with Bikram to gain flexibiliity,
but there is no need, why have an extra step when you can go straight
to the top!
Kundalini Yoga
It may be considered, however, that Kundalini Yoga, which was kept
secret for a long long time, does hold most of the keys to Yoga on the
whole. It is seen as the most integrated of all Yogas from which all
other Yogas have sprung from, which is why it is known as the 'mother
of all Yogas'. We may liken it to the roots and trunk of the tree
of yoga, continuing with our analogy.
Asana in Kundalini
Yoga
Kundalni Yoga has all the poses of Hatha Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Astanga
Yoga, Bikram Yoga and all other styles of Yoga and a whole lot more of
extremely effective poses which you will not find in any other
practice. This is because they were not openly taught until Yoga Bhajan
broke away from the tradition of secrecy to open up the keys to
happiness which he believed everyone had the right to know. Happiness
should not be limited to the priviledged and the initiated, it should
be open to all. Unfortunately no other yogas have held onto this
ancient knowledge. This fact is well known in India, in the United
States and in much of Europe where it is the most popular and
recognised form of Yoga. Unfortunately the UK is lagging behind in
waking up to this fact, and still finding its way with the more basic
forms of Yoga, but things are changing. You can be a part of that
change!
Pranayama in
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini also uses extensive breathwork (Pranayama) breath is a real
key in Yoga. To breathe with intent can and will cause huge changes in
your body and mind in waking up to freedom. This is what Yoga is really
about, finding a real sense of freedom from the internalised
limitations imposed on us, felt as negative thinking that goes round
and round, negative emotions which are not understood, and tension in
the body.
Mantra in Kundalini
Yoga
Kundalini uses extensive Mantra (Sound vibration) - Sometimes strange
at first, you will soon get to love the effects of chanting mantras,
these words of power have a way of effecting the body and mind much
like with positive affirmations and self hypnosis, but because these
ancient words are carefully chosen from the oldest languages in the
world such as Sanskrit, and have been chanted as such for millenia,
they hold incredible transformational power.
Bandha in Kundalini
Yoga
Kundalini teaches all the locks (Bandha) from the begnning, used to
seal and release energy in the body. These are very effective tools to
move past blocks of stagnany energy in the body, be they physical,
emotional, mental, or most commonly a combination of all three.
Kundalini - the
nerve of your soul
More than any of these things is the direct approach of Kundalini Yoga
of strenghtening and awakening your spine and your central nervous
system to awaken the Kundalini energy, known as the nerve of your soul.
This is the real reason why we do Yoga, and this is what no other Yoga
will make clear to you, but it is where all Yoga eventally lead to. Why
wait!. Within you in a vast (unlimited) and largely untapped reserve of
energy (at the base of your spine) that is waiting to be rediscovered
by you. When released it will give you the energy and creativity
to do everything you have ever dreamed of and more. You simply will not
believe how differently, how positive, how proactive and creative you
start to be in your life once your life force returns (Kundalini) from
the day Kundalini Yoga takes root in your weekly practice.
Because of all this Kundalini Yoga is very effective, and you will
achieve real results very fast! It is the most powerful form of Yoga.
No experience is
necessary, but you do have to be open to change as you will
transform, and some people find change scary, but you will change for
the better. Also you can never, ever lose who you really are,
change will only make you more connected with who you really are, and
more of who you really are. Change can be unsettling, but it is
inevitable, it is the one thing we can be sure of in this life.
So wherever you are, in Bristol, Wales & South West, elewhere in
the UK, or anywhere in the world, to accept Kundalini Yoga into your
life is to choose the way of the heart. For Kundalini Yoga is a heart
centred practice. To choose Kundalini Yoga, is to choose Truth. Not a
conceptual truth, but the Truth that you are undivided, you are pure,
you are whole, you are eternally happy in your centre. As the world
flies by, you are always right here, home, at peace, perfectly at ease.
Sat Nam (Truth is my identity)
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