Benefits of Kundalini Yoga

8 Benefits of Kundalini Yoga that you never knew- Shama Kaur
Founder & Director Yalla Yoga Center- Kundalini Yoga Teacher

I often say to students that you cannot stay the same when you practice
Kundalini Yoga. The very nature of what we do is to awaken the energy of
consciousness. The practice brings to our awareness our self-limited beliefs and
habit patterns that we inherited from the past. It invites us to process painful
memories that are stored in our sub conscious and to release them. It awakens
our ability to become intuitive and sensitive, to understand a person or a
situation even if no words are said, to know the consequences of actions and
before they happen.

I love athletics and many types of rigorous yoga like Vinyasa and Ashtanga. I see
these practices as adventurous and challenging. With consistency I see
improvements in my speed and performance. It gives me a sense of
accomplishment when I can perform handstands and head stands. Even a little
pride.

My Kundalini practice is a place of transformation. The kriyas and meditations
are pretty structured practice, but rather than focusing on physical alignment,
the kriyas are a specific set of exercises that generate energy, organize that
energy and deliver you to a specific energetic state — particularly one of greater
awareness. Also within the practice are built-in moments of stillness where we
sit quietly and awaken to our Self. The breathwork within the kriyas is so
powerful that it starts to strip away the layers that veil our consciousness, and in
the sweet moments between poses we can sense the fullness of who we are.
I noticed over the years many subtle benefits to practicing Kundalini yoga such
as:

1. Nervous System: Kundalini Yoga strengthens your nervous system. So
   when you’re in down dog or plank pose for 3 whole minutes and your
   entire body is shaking, have no fear! Your nervous system is toning. And
   the stronger your nerves are, the more you will be able to act in a cool,
   calm and collected matter in the face of any situation, be it a car accident,
   big presentation or family drama.
2. Will Power: Kundalini Yoga awakens your inner will power right at the
   core of your solar plexus (3 rd chakra) at the navel point. What that means
   is that you build a strong heat in this region, which helps in digesting not
   only food but also past memories and self-doubt. We become much more
   able to process and digest events that happen and take necessary action
   immediately to eradicate things, people or situations that are causing us
   more harm than good.
3. Brain Power: Kundalini yoga clears the fogginess of the mind. When the
   mind becomes clouded with several thoughts it feels a little like a cob web
   of thoughts have formed and are difficult to untangle and with a few
   minutes of rapid breath of fire or one minute breath, the mind becomes crystal clear, we feel more alert, focused, concentrated, with a better memory and the capacity to make sound decisions.

4. Creativity: Breathing alternate nostrils brings into balance left and right
   hemispheres of the brain. We usually act, analyze and do much more
   frequently than we feel, visualize and imagine. And that’s because right
   side of the brain is usually under stimulated. Kundalini yoga awakens our
   inner creativity by releasing our worries about the little things and
   opening us up to infinite possibilities that life has to offer.
5. All Embracing: Kundalini yoga opens the heart center (4 th chakra) and
   poses like Tree pose provide us with security in the root Chakra. So we
   feel like strong steady trees planted firmly to the earth and when our
   needs are not met, we don’t feel like it’s the end of the world. We remain
   open and trusting that the higher power (God) will provide us with what
   we need when the time is right. So the world doesn’t collapse when we
   don’t get that job, fail that exam or suffer from a break up or family death.
   Whatever it is we gain an attitude of acceptance. Understanding that it’s
   all-OK. It’s ALL-good. We are open to whatever life has to offer.
6. Compassionate Communication: In Kundalini yoga poses like shoulder
   stand open the throat center (5 th chakra). Add this to an open heart and
   we become forgiving, compassionate and non judgmental and our lips can
   bless, give gratitude and kindness to all those around us. Thus don’t be
   surprised when you start addressing your boss, cousins or neighbor by
   dear, dearest, sweetheart, my love and so on. More so, when there is
   something bothering you, you will find the best way to express yourself to
   bring you to say the absolute truth with all gentleness and tenderness.
7. Awakened Intuition. We spend so much time stuck in our minds,
   analyzing the pros and cons of each decision when in reality; the answer
   is always within us. We always have a gut feeling about something but we
   tend to ignore it. Yoga gives us the ability to pause and listen to the
   message behind that gut feeling. It enables us to quiet down the mind to
   the point that our thoughts become still and we can feel what our heart
   yearns for, something this will be good for us.
8. Wise Choices: All forms of yoga make us more conscious human beings.
   So don’t be surprised if you start acting like a Wise Guy, refraining from
   behaviors that cause harm to you and the environment like smoking,
   drinking, drugs, meat & dairy products and wastage of water, electricity.
   Instead, you will choose to consume fresh vegetables & fruits, whole
   foods, to protect animals and the environment, to serve others through
   charitable giving and to take up activities like singing, dancing and art
   that will remove you from the company of people & surroundings that no
   longer bring the best out of you.
   Kundalini Yoga is not to be taken lightly. It is like an express train that shakes
   and wakes you up. Some kriyas will leave you feeling high and totally blissed out.

Other kriyas will really provoke and confront you. What’s important is to stay
present and accept pleasure and pain as part of the same journey to health and
balance. Our ego naturally leans towards pleasure and comfort. It takes
concerted effort and discipline to begin to release the ego’s grip on our
consciousness. This effort is the work required to begin to access the truth of
who we are, to create a strong connection to our Soul and therefore our Soul’s
work on this planet. It is where we start to make great strides toward living as an
enlightened being.
I sincerely encourage you to have an experience of Kundalini Yoga for yourself.
It will add depth to your existing practice and to your life. We offer a number of
Kundalini Yoga classes at YallaYoga. Try out a class and if you find a set that
resonates with you, stick to it for 40 days so you can reap the full benefits of
the kriya.

By Sandra Shama Kaur
Founder & Director Yalla Yoga Center
Kundalini Yoga Teacher

We are so lucky to have Shama teaching at Flying Yogis Bondi Junction Studio. Click to book her classes or workshops here: