The Science Behind Kundalini Yoga
GMI Reporter, Guest
You’ve probably heard about the health benefits of yoga, but did you know there is an ancient practice called the “mother of all yogas” that can reverse symptoms of anxiety and stress in as little as three minutes?
It has been estimated that as many as 2 billion people worldwide practice some form of yoga. Some are drawn to the gentle mode of exercise that yoga provides, seeking a more mindful way to work up a sweat. Others are drawn to yoga as part of a process of awakening, finding deep affirmation of the mind-body-spirit connection through their practice. A person may be introduced to a particular style of yoga through a friend, or through what’s available at their local yoga studio, and may never give any thought to the fact that yoga exists in many forms, with each style possessing significant differences in form and function.
Kundalini Yoga is thought by many to be the mother of all yogas. The oldest known reference was in the Yoga-kundalini Upanishad, or “secret doctrine of Kundalini yoga,” believed to have been written between 1,400 and 1,000BC. This ancient Vedic text describes several forms of yoga, such as Hatha and Tantra, and is considered the foundational text on Kundalini yoga practice.1
Kundalini yoga utilizes a combination of technologies:
- Conscious breathing
- Physical postures
- Sound vibrations
- Meditation and mantra
The combined effects are akin to tuning one’s body to a higher frequency, thus creating a heightened state of consciousness and well-being.
Referred to by practitioners as “the yoga of awareness,” the chief aim of Kundalini yoga, according to the Kundalini Research Institute, is to “..awaken the full potential of human awareness in each individual.” Yogi Bhajan, the man who brought Kundalini yoga to the West, describes the practice as both a science and an art: “It is the science to unite the finite with infinity, and it’s the art to experience infinity in the finite.”2