Faq - Kundalini Yoga as Taught By Yogi Bhajan

What Do I Need to Know Before I Come to a Class?

• Bring your yoga mat and block if you have one. Otherwise we have some spares.
• Best not have a full stomach. Leave 2 hours or more after a big meal. A light snack before is OK
• Wear clothes that allow a full range of movement
• For women during your period you should avoid inverted poses and exercises that stress the lower part of your body.
• Consult your doctor if you aren't in general good health.

Let the teacher know if you:-

• Have a back or other problem that affects movement
• Have been diagnosed as psychotic
• Have any other medical condition that makes exercise dangerous.

Who Was Yogi Bhajan?

Yogi Bhajan started teaching Kundalini Yoga in the west in the 1960's. Kundalini is a cool sounding word and gets used in many contexts often associated with rather bizarre things. We are clear that this is the yoga that Yogi Bhajan taught and nothing else.

Is Yoga like the Alexander Technique (AT) or Other Western Somatic Systems?

To me yes. The difference between yoga and AT is that yoga aims to stimulate your systems in such a way that they sort themselves out and you don't have to know how or why it works although a lot of it becomes obvious as you change. AT intervenes in a different way - at a level closer to our normal conciousness and movement patterns so there is more personal observation and directed thinking going on. Whichever system you use you will hopefully get the same deep seated improvements. I believe Kundalini Yoga gets you there faster than just about any other system, especially in the early days. People in the Alexander Technique world often regard their method as totally different from yoga but I think it is just a different technique to achieve the same internal benefits.

Do You Do Meditation in Kundalini Yoga?

Maybe a better term is 'Deep Relaxation'. This lets our mind/body 'unwind' the effects of accumulated stress responses. I think our ancestors could sit gazing at a fire, the sea, a river or nice view and this 'self-repair' processing would happen by itself. In our fast paced high stress world Kundalini Yoga gives these processes a mighty 'kick start'.

Is Yoga Spiritual?

This is a big subject. For me somatic techniques start with undoing the effects of stress. Just doing this a significant amount is very good for us physically and mentally. The most powerful somatic techniques tend to be the ancient ones we learn from the East. These can be used to go beyond just de-stressing and can give us the so called 'mystic' experiences. These are very interesting and give a deep understanding of how we operate internally. Many claim they sense their connection to god or a 'universal consciousness' of the universe. Very few people go this far with these things so a lot of writing about yoga is about experiences that the average yoga student maybe isn't so interested in. There are two aspects of our experience that are beyond the realm of explanations using logic and words. These are art and spirituality. No-one doubts we have a subconscious 'mind' that we can't control and don't really understand much about. Beyond that there are many different beliefs and belief systems - many contradict each other. For this reason I try to teach yoga without a belief system - except the belief that if it works so well for me it can work well for other people!

On the Internet I see warnings. Is Kundalini a dangerous energy?

This Kundalini Yoga is safe. I give a 'health warning' because people with frailties and medical problems need to take care as you would in a normal exercise class. We don't do head-stands in Kundalini yoga which is the main thing that could hurt a persons spine if they have an existing problem. Many people these days have excess tension around the neck. Kundalini Yoga can be vigorous but you are only using your own muscles and the force of gravity. It is a big old world and maybe there are strange things that happen to a small number of people but if you seek the paranormal you won't find it in a Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan class. Having said that yoga causes changes deep in our systems - changes that make us function better. Our science doesn't yet understand the complex interactions between our systems that we use in yoga so people can make up any explanation they want about what is going on at these deep levels.