How Kundalini Yoga Changed My Life

2022 was going to be my year. I think a lot of people shared that same sentiment. I mean, after these last few years of confusion and turmoil, how could we not? We were desperate for hope, to be hopeful. Unfortunately, it is only March and we have already experienced another variant of COVID, terrible inflation, and an ongoing cruel war. Yet, I remain hopeful; without hope, what is there? I'll admit, I almost lost hope. I began a daily Kundalini practice right at my lowest, though, and it has been my savior.

Towards the end of January, I was let go from my job. It was a job I was passionate about and imagined myself being there for a while. I saw my boss as a friend and mentor. Although, I was heartbroken, I was not surprised. As a small business, money was tight, and my position had been on the line previously, so by that point I was almost relieved. I no longer had to wonder whether I would have a job every week.

I learned quite a bit from this job, however, and grew exponentially. The most important takeaway is my love for yoga. I worked in a café that also had a yoga studio, and I received free classes. So all around me were the teachings of yoga. Thus, I began to embody yoga. This led me to begin yoga teacher training back in December. My training is for vinyasa and hatha yoga mostly, which are probably the two most widely known types. I enjoy them immensely, but I didn't feel in my heart yoga was my true calling until I began practicing Kundalini.

In Sanskrit, kundalini means "coiled". Kundalini is considered the awakening of divine energy which lies dormant at the base of our spine. This is why it is represented by a serpent wrapped around our spine, because the energy spirals its way up. This divine energy is sometimes referred to as Shakti or prana. Everyone has kundalini, it just needs to be accessed. This is done by practicing Kundalini yoga, which consists of mantras, specific hand gestures called mudras, breathing techniques, and kriyas which are the physical movements.

After only one session, I was hooked; I was energized and calm at the same time and bursting with new ideas: I finally found something I truly loved. It is a breathtaking experience if you allow it to be. I feel most people tend to feel silly chanting or are turned off by the spiritual aspect of kundalini, but if you move past what your ego is saying, it is life changing. Kundalini is sometimes referred to as "yoga of the mind", because it can change the way you think and behave. There are certain meditations to rid you of bad habits, heighten your intuition, help to communicate better, and so much more.

I found Kundalini yoga when I needed it most. Not only did I lose my job in January, but just a few days later my step-dad had to have open heart surgery. He was in and out of the hospital four times, totalling 25 days in all, due to incompetence of the hospital. This placed a huge strain on my entire family. I was able to keep it together for the most part and stay hopeful throughout by continuing my daily kundalini practice. If everyone practiced, I believe the world would be a happier, healthier place.

If you enjoyed this and would like to know more about the practice of Kundalini yoga, let me know! Sat nam! (This is an important phrase in kundalini, which means “I am truth”)