Kundalini Yoga is the Yoga of Awareness. It is a systematic way of moving the body using breathwork, mantra, and meditation to strengthen the nervous system. As the nervous system strengthens, we become more ready to receive new information, more adaptable to change, and more willing and able to commit to a spiritual practice.

The body is a temple. A temple for cultivating Kundalini energy. When the body is ready and relaxed, an awakening can occur, steadily and surely. This comes from regular daily practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation.

YogaVision specializes in Kundalini Yoga and Kundalini Meditation, practices that opens your heart and build mental and emotional wellbeing. Our classes offer movement to prepare the body and mind for meditation, while awakening energy in the body. Each class combines pranayama (breathing exercises); a series of movements; relaxation; and a specific meditation to increase consciousness and gain a deeper inner understanding of who you really are.

Kundalini is a generic term. It refers to the energy of consciousness. Consciousness is when your head, heart and spirit are aligned in how you manage your life. Kundalini is a spiritual path of self-realization, of living your path and understanding the events that happen to you and around you. A rising Kundalini or Kundalini awakening is about awareness. Awareness is being able to see yourself in a neutral, bird's eye perspective rather than in the heat of the moment or from a place of shame, guilt, fear or judgement.

In ancient depictions, Kundalini energy moves through the chakras (Sanskrit for wheels) and travels along the spinal cord to help shift thoughts, ideas, and perceptions. Kundalini Yoga is a lifelong practice to raise this energy. It's not a one-time experience as many articles would lead you to believe. Learning how to connect with your spiritual self, observing and changing your behavior, and gaining insights into the human condition requires time and practice. It also requires a community of fellow seekers, who support and nurture your growth. We offer all this and more at YogaVision.

As we at YogaVision have said before, it is not a spontaneous event; one must consciously cultivate and harness the nervous system to approach life in this manner.

Meditation is an important part of the class experience and the approach to Kundalini Yoga taught at YogaVision. There are literally hundreds of Kundalini Meditations, each offering a solution to a worldly or spiritual challenge or particular goal. The meditations vary in length and they may employ breathwork, the use of mantra and/or silence at the conclusion. Each meditation is a powerful practice unto itself. When combined with Kundalini Yoga poses, the impact is heightened. It is also important to first understand what is kundalini?

Yes! Firstly, the teacher does not demonstrate the practice. Her job is to watch everyone and to make sure their movements are done safely. So when you practice Kundalini Yoga with YogaVision, you will have the instructor’s full attention and you will be encouraged to move in the best way that you can, under the given instructions.

Secondly, all of the movements, breathwork and meditations are timed, so there is a clear beginning, middle, and end. The idea is to allow the body to adapt to the movements with enough time for the benefits to be experienced and absorbed. The student’s goal is to do what they can, while respecting one's own physical limitations.

Thirdly, Kundalini Yoga does not include headstands, shoulder stands or other forms of complex inversions. These postures can be intimidating for beginners and potentially dangerous. By not including inversions or other risky postures in our classes, YogaVision ensures the comfort and safety of our participants, while also making the practice widely accessible for all skill levels. However, there is still a fair amount of physical challenge involved in the postures we teach. The challenge takes on different forms such as holding specific postures for longer periods of time and/or being in unique postures.

Kundalini Yoga is a dynamic practice. Movements are done at a steady pace for set periods of time. Movement allows the body to get stronger and to relax. Think of the body as a complex machine - it needs to move or it will break down. Kundalini Yoga will challenge you to move differently. When we move differently - we set off new neural pathways in the brain. This makes us flexible physically and resilient in our approach to life’s challenges. Mantra is used to open and close each class. Chanting raises our vibration and creates a connection between the practitioners - whether they are in the same room or not. Breathwork is the element that ties all of these pieces together. We take over 20,000 breaths per day. Most of those are done by our bodies automatically. When we slow down and take conscious breaths - we send a signal to the brain to calm down. We reassure ourselves that the present moment is safe. And that is the ultimate goal of a Kundalini Yoga practice - to come to present awareness and to be with what is happening in that moment rather than the past or the future. Remember that you can also practice kundalini yoga at home.