What is Kundalini Yoga?
Kundalini Yoga is the yoga of awareness. It combines asanas (postures), bandhas (body locks), mudras (hand positions), pranayam (breathing) and mantra (sound) for a complete and transformational experience.
What can I expect?
Classes last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes for adults, and 1 hour for children.
Each class begins with tuning in to the Adi Mantra:
| Ong namo, guru dev namo | “I call upon the infinite creative conciousness; I call upon the divine teacher within that brings us from darkness to light.” |
Tuning in helps us center ourselves and become present to our practice. In our busy lives, it is difficult to always get the space we need to become mindful and present to ourselves and the world around us.
After tuning in, we will practice pranayam, or breathing techniques to help us relax, become energized, or boost our immune systems. Then we’ll do some warm-up exercises to get the body moving.
In Kundalini Yoga, we practice kriyas, or sets of exercises and meditations, designed to produce a specific effect. There are thousands of kriyas, each working in different areas of the body, different energy pathways, etc.
After the main kriya, there is a short relaxation to integrate the work and help distribute the energy throughout the body.
Typically we then have a meditation, which can be silent or may use mantra to help with focus and concentration.
After the meditation is deep relaxation in which we allow the body to surrender and completely relax.
We end each class with the Long Time Sun Shine song:
May the long time sun shine upon us
All love surround us
And the pure light within us
Guide our way on
| Sat Nam | “Truth is my identity” |
What should I wear?
Wear comfortable, loose clothing that you can move and breathe in.
What should I bring?
Bring yourself! If you have a mat, blanket and/or sheepskin rug, you can also bring those. A limited number of mats and blankets are available for those who need them.
Should I eat or drink?
Yoga is best done on an empty stomach. If you need to eat, choose a light snack, and plan on eating and drinking plenty of water after your practice.
