What is kundalini yoga and which are its elements

WHAT IS KUNDALINI YOGA AND WHICH ARE ITS ELEMENTS

 

We often hear talking about Kundalini yoga but what is it and which are its most important elements?

Kundal in Sanskrit means “the curl of the hair of the loved person” and represents the unwinding of the awareness of one’s own spiritual nature, while – uni is the feminine connotation of this activatable, incanalabile energy and through practice of this spiritual, powerful and transformative discipline.  Infact kundalini yoga refers to an active and strong awakening practice.

The actual proper practice proper is however made up from various techniques: Breathing, mantra, mudra, asana and Bandha, each interconnected to obtain its constructive action.
BREATHING
Breathing is fundamental in kundalini yoga. The breath contains the prana, i.e. the vital energy that determines the flow of energy, the physical and psychological well being of the person. The science of yoga breathing is called pranayama, i.e. “leading the vital energy”and breathing, if performed correctly, restores the balance, infuses energy and makes beneficial changes at both physical and psychological levels.

THE MANTRA or the sound, word or phrase to repeat.
“The sound that transforms the consciousness through its repetition”: the mantra can consist in a single syllable word or phrase, repeated usually in Sanskrit but also in your own language.

In kundalini it is thought that at the moment in which a mantra is pronounced, the male polarity of the tongue connects with the female polarity of the mouth in a determined point, thus providing an energy circuit which therefore causes a specific effect in our brain.

ASANA/POSES
The maintenance of a pose which stimulates the body’s systems so that they can harmonize, heal or maintain the state of health. There are 84 poses that form the core of the practice of Kundalini yoga.

BANDHA/BODY LOCKS
Bandh OR BANDHA means “body lock”, is formed when a certain combination of muscles is contracted. We identify three: Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha they help to direct the flow of the prana and to concentrate the effects of the exercises of Kundalini Yoga.

If the bandha are not correctly activated and if one or more of the chakras are blocked then also the path of kundalini is locked.

THE MUDRAS OR HAND POSITIONS
The mudras are hand gestures used to highlight and balance some aspects of energy in the circuit that connects the thin physical and mental bodies.

Each finger has its correspondence:

Thumb: Earth, Ego, happiness
Index: Water, Jupiter, Knowledge
Middle: Fire, Saturn, Patience

Annular: Air, sun, Energy
Little finger: Ether, Mercury, intuition

If you want to deepen about mudras click HERE.

 

 

If you are a beginner with yoga or you are a student who wants to deepen, or are afflicted by daily ailments

Download the free ebook THE BENEFITS OF YOGA by Dr. Antonia Califano.