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Integral Sveta
KUNDALINI YOGA
About Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® is considered the most comprehensive of yoga traditions, combining meditation, mantra, physical exercises and breathing techniques; it is a Raj Yoga, encompassing the eight limbs of yoga into a singular practice of excellence and ecstasy. "Kundalini" literally means "the curl of the lock of hair of the beloved." This poetic metaphor alludes to the flow of energy and consciousness that exists within each of us, and enables us to merge with – or "yoke" – the universal Self. Fusing individual and universal consciousness creates a divine union, called "yoga." The Upanishads, dating back to the fifth century B.C., describe the Kundalini, although the oral tradition reaches back even further into history. For thousands of years, this sacred science and technology was veiled in secrecy, passed along verbally from master to chosen disciple.
How do you describe Kundalini Yoga?
Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® is also known as the Yoga of Awareness and Prosperity; its focus is on self-awareness and delivering an experience of your highest consciousness. The technology of Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® is a science of the mind and body, to elevate the spirit, which has no boundaries, no discrimination. Therefore it is for everyone, universal and nondenominational.
In the ancient tradition that is yoga, Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® is a householder path; that is, it has always been practiced by those with families and jobs as opposed to a renunciate's path of celibacy and removal from society, which was the usual path of a yogi.
What is the focus of Kundalini Yoga? What is the primary objective of the practice?
The primary objective is to awaken the full potential of human awareness in each individual; that is, recognize our awareness, refine that awareness, and expand that awareness to our unlimited Self. Clear any inner duality, create the power to deeply listen, cultivate inner stillness, and prosper and deliver excellence in all that we do.
The focus of Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® is on one's personal experience and awareness through the practice of kriya and naad. We awaken the Kundalini in order to be able to call upon the full potential of the nervous and glandular systems and to balance the subtle system of chakras and meridians within the body. "Kriya" is an orchestrated pattern of movements, sound, pranayam, mudras, concentration and meditation that automatically guide the energies of the body and the mind to a specific result or change of consciousness.
Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® does not rely on any one of these techniques per se, although we use many. Instead, it is the unique and tested syntax, within the structure of each kriya as shared by Yogi Bhajan, which provides steady, predictable progress and which leverages these basic functions of the body and the mind to create rapid, sustainable, personal growth and healing. In this tradition, meditation is not considered separate from asana or yoga; it is integral to the practice. The exercises in the kriya bring the body and mind to a state where deep meditation is easily achieved.
Our fundamental objective is to awaken the power of the individual to excel—to experience their Infinity and fulfill their personal destiny.
Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® is probably the most formalized style of yoga currently taught throughout the world. In any class, anywhere in the world, you can expect it to include six major components: 1) tuning-in with the Adi Mantra (“Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo”), 2) pranayam or warm-up, 3) kriya, 4) relaxation, 5) meditation and 6) close with the blessing song: "May the Long Time Sun Shine Upon You, All love surround you, And the pure light within you Guide your way on" and mantra “Sat Nam”.
Kriyas are complete sets of exercises that are performed in the sequences given by the Master, Yogi Bhajan. They can be simple short sequences or they may involve vigorous, even strenuous exercises, and strong breath techniques such as Breath of Fire, which challenge and strengthen the nervous and endocrine systems and test the will of the practitioner beyond the limitations of their ego.
The typical class is 90 minutes: 10 minute warm-up, 45 minute kriya, 10-15 minute layout, 11-31 minutes of meditation.
Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® typically includes pranayam and meditation. Pranayam practices range from One Minute Breath, Breath of Fire, alternate nostril breathing, Dog Breath, Sitali Pranayam, and suspended breath techniques, to name a few. Meditations often involve movement or mantra, and generally have an eye focus (drishti) in addition to mudra (hand position) and asana (body posture). Many Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® kriyas and meditations include mantra and chanting. One of the first signs of the awakening of the kundalini is a new awareness of the power of our words. You begin to meditate on and develop inner sounds using mantra and naad. Kundalini Yoga was often mistaken for Mantra Yoga because of its frequent integration of sound in its kriyas and meditations. The use of mantra throughout the practice of Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® is very effective in attaining two particular goals of the practice—expansion of the Self and elevation of the spirit. Mantra also supports those new to meditation, who find silence and absolutely stillness very challenging. In this way it is a 'beginner's practice' and can be used by anyone to attain clarity, balance and equanimity. In addition, there are many meditations that are silent, practiced in a profoundly transformative stillness called shuniya.
About Prosperity
“The best way to explain prosperity is to say it is like when a rosebud flowers and opens up, and it shares its fragrance. That’s the moment, which lasts a few days, when a rose flower is prosperous. When a man or woman is prosperous, it is the fragrance of security, grace, depth, character, and truthfulness that a person can share. Like a candle emits light, a human emits prosperity.” Yogi Bhajan, Success and the Spirit: An Aquarian Path to Prosperity.
In the practice of Kundalini Yoga, we recognize that we are part of creation. Creation operates on the principle of flowering. The sun gives. The earth gives. The rain gives. Then, the plants flower. The food is grown. Fruits ripen. From that cycle, consciousness evolves in so many forms on the earth.
True prosperity does not come from accumulating as many earthly possessions as possible. True prosperity happens when our own being comes into a state of flowering. Each of us has something unique to share. When we walk the path of our soul’s calling, known as destiny, that is prosperity.
Being prosperous creates contentment, ease in giving, and a trust in the Universal flow. It does not seek to protect itself from challenges, but rather, it embraces challenge as an opportunity for growth.
Over the years, Yogi Bhajan gave many different kriyas and meditations to activate the human capacity to expand, and to develop prosperity consciousness. Expansion and prosperity are completely connected with the destiny of the soul. Everything we need to complete our soul’s purpose is pre-arranged and waiting for us to receive it.
"If you feel just one thing in your life—that life is nothing but the gift of God—you are divine and the most courageous person. Try it! Try it as a thought. The moment you feel that life is a gift, you’ll become prosperous." Yogi Bhajan
About Svetlana Doroganich:
- Training Director/Founder/Owner, Integral Sveta, Inc
- Certified Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan® Instructor through The Kundalini Research Institute licenses international training program;
- Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Through Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN)
- Art-Yoga and Dolphin Yoga Creator and Primal Teacher;
- Certified Holotropic Breathwork™ Practitioner through Grof Transpersonal Training international program;
- Transpersonal Psychotherapist of European Register (EUROTAS);
- Birth Doula;
- Yoga and Holotropic Breathwork teaching and facilitation experience since 2000.
Welcome to Kundalini Yoga Classes in Boulder Creek! Classes by appointment only.