Yoga is a difficult practice to describe to people because of how old it is.
With its origins coming from somewhere around 2700 B.C, it has grown and morphed into a series of different forms and styles. Because of this, it can be difficult to describe in detail.
If you’re new to yoga, you might find yourself confused between all the different types.
One of the most well-known forms of yoga is the Kundalini variant, and it comes with a whole host of misconceptions and confusion around it.
What exactly is Kundalini Yoga? Is it a good style to pick for a beginner? Can it be dangerous?
If you’re wondering about these questions, don’t panic! There are easy definitions for each type of yoga!
In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at Kundalini yoga.
We’ll take you through its origins, and how it’s practised, and ultimately answer whether or not it’s dangerous or not.
Let’s get right into it!
Different Types Of Yoga
Before we get into Kundalini Yoga, let’s first take a look at why yoga has so many different forms.
Yoga, in essence, is a practice that combines elements of physical strength and mental composure to benefit a practitioner’s health in one way or another.
We believe that yoga started in ancient India, though its exact origins are unknown.
Yoga is practised alongside a series of different religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
All of these religions use it as a way of getting closer to understanding concepts of god, reality, and the universe.
The most common and basic style of yoga is Hatha. This is generally used as a term to describe the most common forms of yoga that you’re likely to find in the world.
Hatha focuses on static, sustained poses which allow you to focus, relax and step outside of your problems.
However, Hatha Yoga isn’t the only kind, and over the years, many different forms of the practice have developed.
Some of these include Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, and Aerial Yoga.
Another kind is called Kundalini Yoga, which we will explore in more detail below.
What Is Kundalini Yoga?
Kundalini yoga is a type of yoga that uses singing, breathing exercises, repetitive poses, and chanting to benefit a person’s mind and body.
It stems from a belief that you have Kundalini energy within you (otherwise known as shakti) which is believed to be located at the very base of your spine.
Kundalini is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Kundal’ which roughly translates to ‘circle’ or ‘circular.’
It has been used to describe a sleeping snake – which links to the idea that Kundalini Energy sits as a coiled snake at the very base of your spine.
Awakening this Kundalini energy is a gateway to opening your mental awareness. By awareness, we mean both spiritually and physically.
One of the main goals of Kundalini Yoga (and many other forms) is to challenge and conquer your ego – the part of your mind that thinks only of itself and stops you from thinking of the world around you and the emotions of others.
Like many other ancient forms of Yoga, we don’t know the exact origin of Kundalini Yoga, only that the key concepts it takes from are likely from ancient Vedic texts.
In the years since, it was popularized in many parts of the modern world by Yogi Bhajan. Yogi here just means ‘teacher of Yogi.’
We can first see the teachings of Kundalini Yoga being practised in the west around the 1960s.
Kundalini Yoga is also heavily linked to the concept of Chakras.
Chakras can be described as energy points throughout your body, including root chakra, sacral chakra, heart chakra, third eye chakra, crown chakra, and solar plexus chakra.
For the sake of brevity, we won’t go over everything to do with chakras in this article. Still, one of the important things to remember is that Kundalini Yoga is all about interacting with these chakras.
Is Kundalini Yoga Dangerous?
The main way that Kundalini Yoga differs from something like Hatha, is that it is much more tied to spiritual beliefs.
Many atheists or people without any kind of spiritual belief are able to practice yoga and reap the benefits, but Kundalini Yoga requires some additional beliefs about things happening within the body.
Physically, Kundalini Yoga isn’t too much different from other forms of yoga.
It is much less focused on static physical poses that are difficult and way more about spiritual awakening through posture, chants, and repetition.
So if you’re asking the question – is Kundalini Yoga dangerous? The answer is, in most scenarios going to be no.
If you’re interested in the spiritual aspects of yoga then it might be the perfect form for you to practice.
It looks inwards even more than something like Hatha Yoga and has a deep connection to meditation practices.
Kundalini has a series of different benefits, including anxiety and stress relief, spiritual harmony, posture, and improvements to cognitive function,
Final Thoughts
So there you have it! Despite its long name, Kundalini isn’t any more dangerous than any other form of Yoga.
It is a practice that leans heavily towards the spiritual aspects of yoga, including the flow of energy and awakening of different chakras.
If you’re new to yoga, it might not be the best form to start with, but there’s never any harm in trying if you’re interested.
We hope that this article has given you some insight into the realm of Kundalini Yoga and that you now feel a lot more confident about its general mechanics and whether or not it’s right for you!
Any kind of Yoga will be a great benefit to your life, so we wish you the best of luck with whatever you choose to try!
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The positive effect yoga had on me was indescribable. Every aspect of my life improved, from social to mental, physical to emotional.
I want my website to help more people get into the world of yoga and teach them how to be present for themselves - even if that’s just for a few minutes a day.
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