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Kundalini Yoga* Technology of Consciousness
As
taught by Yogi Bhajan
® All rights reserved. Kundalini
Yoga in Historical Context
Some say that Kundalini Yoga is called the "Mother of All Yoga"
because it is the original system present-day systems owe their ancestry.
According to the Yogic paradigm, mankind has devolved from a time
of Great Enlightenment (The Golden Age) when Kundalini Yoga was openly
taught and practiced, to present history called Kali
Yug (The Dark Age) when technologies such as Kundalini Yoga are
no longer widely understood or practiced.
Throughout the cathartic upheavals of the past 4,000 years, Teachers
of Truth have consistently appeared in times of greatest need and
shared the technology of Spirit unqualifiedly.
The Universal Knowledge shared by these exalted Teachers has been
called Sanatan Dharma (the Eternal Way). One great Saint who has been
seen in the context of this tradition was Guru Nanak (b.1469) who,
although having become acquainted with many ascetic practices, felt
Yoga should enhance one's life in the human community and that the
relationship between an individual and the Infinite is a birthright
that needs no intermediary.
It was in the tradition and spirit of sharing shown by Guru Nanak
and through Guru Ram Das (fourth
in the lineage of ten Gurus and "King of the Yogis"), that
Yogi Bhajan came to the United States in 1969 to teach Kundalini
Yoga. Kundalini Yoga is an important tool as humanity gains momentum
and begins to come full circle in its evolution towards collective
Higher Consciousness.
Kundalini
Yoga combines breathing, movement, meditation, stretching, relaxation,
the science of sequence, and rhythm and sound, to work on every aspect
of your body, mind, and being. No previous experience in yoga or related
disciplines is required for you to begin to achieve undeniable benefits
almost immediately.
Kundalini Yoga is not your typical pantheon of pretty poses. The discipline
is an active one, with emphasis on results. Accordingly, it consists
of a body/mind/spirit plan for the 21st century and beyond.
Consider making this technology an intrinsic part of your life. In
a very short time, it will be hard to imagine how you ever got along
without it!
As you practice Kundalini Yoga over time, certain physiological prerequisites
are met for total health and to facilitate your transformation. These
include a balanced glandular system, strong nervous system, expanded
lung capacity, and the eradication of emotional blocks that manifest
as holding patterns in the musculature.
The process we promulgate is graceful and gradual. We're not looking
for inner fireworks or "miracles". To those of us who've
practiced and prospered though this work, the greatest miracle of
all, in retrospect, was being given the opportunity to walk a path
with heart such as this.
When you take this system to heart, your life becomes consecrated
to the process of expansion and growth. You will literally come to
feel you've awakened from a bad dream and that a beautiful day is
beckoning. Your most powerful aspect, once dormant as a desiccated
seed, will blossom in the light of air of awareness, your creative
potential will be realized, and you will live in the effulgence of
an experience no words can encompass.
There are many kinds of yoga, each of which is suited to a temperament
and level of development. All of these systems have much to offer
and will probably serve to enhance your experience of Kundalini Yoga. Find
Yoga Classes In Your Area.
For our purposes, let's just equate the word yoga with balance. Balance
is intrinsic to everything. Kundalini Yoga will help you maintain
your balance in life and compensate for all the stressful influences,
which constantly threaten to upset your equilibrium.
"The side effects of practicing Kundalini Yoga and Meditation
can be increased sensitivity - heightened awareness. It's not like
Kundalini Yoga 'creates problems' - it sheds light on 'problems' that have
been there all along - just buried deep within the psyche." Hari Bhajan Singh
"The
effects of practicing Kundalini Yoga or White
Tantric are legion and many.
I have seen and heard many folks weeping in the Tantric lines. I have
heard them
laughing hysterically (me, for one). I have seen transformations within
24 hours of
doing White Tantric or Kundalini Yoga. Many symptoms can occur no
matter what
when we participate on a powerful spiritual path. If your symptoms
seem to be of an
extreme nature talk with your teacher. Talk with your doctor or counselor.
Talk to a
partner, spouse or fellow traveler on the path. Symptoms are just
that, evidence of
some underlying event in your life that must be dealt with. Keep the Nam flowing
on your tongue and your iPod. Chanting and breathing deeply are excellent first aid
for any threatening events. Sadhana is best of all! Bless you." 3HO
Legacy Teacher
My Sense of White Tantric Yoga
The Deep and Powerful Alchemy of
White Tantric Yoga® By Tommy Rosen
Tommy Rosen
Back in 2003, my girlfriend, Kia, and I decided to go to Maui to celebrate my 36th birthday. We had been together for 3 years, long enough to know we had something special. We had spoken about the possibility of getting married someday, but I was quite happy to continue on as things were. The convention of marriage, as I had witnessed from my parents and most of the adults I had known, was fraught with difficulty and challenge. It was painful and in some cases, ruinous. When occasionally I would meet two people who seemed to be doing well together, I relegated them to a special group of Human Beings who were blessed, but whose lives I could not understand.
Our week in Hawaii was magical and blissful, unusually so for me. I could not remember a time where I had felt so free of concern. On one of the last days of the trip, I was overcome by a profound sense of love for Kia and I suddenly asked her if she would marry me. Our wedding took place only two weeks later in Yosemite Valley. At the beginning of the ceremony, Kia walked radiant and smiling through a beautiful meadow toward a life with me. My heart cracked open. For that day and many days thereafter, I knew no fear, no worry and no concern.
Then, sometime later, when life returned to normal and things were not feeling quite so clear and carefree, I remembered the old adage, “Any fool can have a successful wedding.” Kia and I had taken a big leap of faith and would certainly support each other, but I didn’t yet know how to have a successful marriage. We were going to need help to make it work.
Two years later, I am facing Kia seated on the floor of a structure known as “The Tantric Shelter” on a piece of land known as Ram Das Puri in New Mexico. I am dressed in white clothing and my head is wrapped in a white turban that is so poorly conceived by me that the word “turban” really does not apply. I am appallingly tired from the past several days of early morning Sadhana. I am in a straight line of men, also seated and dressed similarly, who are facing a line of women. Looking across “the tape,” I see the smiling face of my wife, Kia. Our knees are almost touching. Our eyes are about 3 feet apart. This is our first day of White Tantric Yoga®.
The promise of White Tantric Yoga® is compelling! It would have to be. It is my understanding that, simply put, through this extremely powerful and difficult practice you cleanse your subconscious at the deepest level of all insecurity and childhood trauma. Who doesn’t need a little bit of that?
Staring into your partner’s eyes for hours on end as you perform difficult Kriyas is an intense experience. Whatever comes up for either of you becomes a part of the experience for both of you. Many times throughout the day, I would nod off during a set. I was trying so hard to stay awake, but after a certain point I just couldn’t help it. My eyes would roll back for a few seconds and when I came around, Kia would be glaring at me with frustration. With her eyes she kept telling me to “pull it together,” but the harder I tried the worse it got.
Finally, we came to this particular Kriya where we placed our palms against our partner’s palms and alternately pushed one hand forward and one hand back. I was now getting frustrated with Kia because I thought she was pushing too hard. Of course, she was frustrated with me because I was not pushing the way she wanted me to push. So there we were one minute into a 62 minute Kriya and I am thinking, “This could be the longest hour of my life.” And it was! We were yelling at each other using only our eyes and facial expressions. It must have been quite a sight.
When the Kriya was over, Kia and I noticed that we were not the only couple for whom this exercise had been challenging. In fact, several couples were very riled up.
What had happened? Issues such as power, control, compassion, patience, and tolerance all came up in this Kriya. You might say it was made to bring up those issues. Some were affected by it, others less so. I had never seen Kia demonstrate intolerance or a lack of compassion toward me. And Kia had never heard me call her a “stubborn goat” before, either. I remember looking at the enormous photo of Yogi Bhajan on the stage and feeling like he was laughing at me.
Kia and I came through our first day of Tantric feeling like two embattled pugilists. We apologized to each other and committed to do better. The next day, Kia was much warmer, more understanding. I was more patient and more present. One Kriya, in particular, had us interlocking fingers with our partner with our arms up at a 45-degree angle toward each other. I felt that to make it all the way through without lowering our arms would be impossible, but was determined to give it a try. I would support Kia’s arms and she would support mine. As the 62 minutes passed, a plethora of internal voices rose up and demanded that I lower my arms, but I would not. Kia was right there with me! When the Kriya was finished, we had completed something that had previously seemed impossible. The power of achieving something that you think you cannot do is transformative. That very experience lies at the heart of White Tantric Yoga® for me.
Many people have asked me what effect White Tantric Yoga® has had on my life. I explain it like this…
Have you ever been in a place where there was some kind of background “white noise,” such as from an air conditioner or fan, which was suddenly turned off? You might have spent days or months or years living in that noise, but you barely even noticed it. Now that it is gone, however, the relief you experience is just huge. It feels as if you have taken your first deep breath in a very long time. A terrible annoyance has been removed. You remark, “My God, I’m glad that stopped! How could I possibly have endured living with that horrible noise for all that time?”
The garbage of my subconscious, which used to drive so many thoughts and decisions, was removed so that I could have better thoughts and make better decisions. My marriage with Kia has gotten better every year because my relationship with my highest self has been able to develop. White Tantric Yoga® has made that possible.
*Consultation
with a health care professional should occur before applying adjustments
or treatments to the body, consuming medications or nutritional supplements
and before dieting, fasting or exercising. None of these activities
are herein presented as substitutes for competent medical treatment.
*Consultation
with a health care professional should occur before applying adjustments
or treatments to the body, consuming medications or nutritional supplements
and before dieting, fasting or exercising. None of these activities
are herein presented as substitutes for competent medical treatment.