Spiritual Kundalini Yoga

All types of yoga have spiritual Kundalini to thank for many of their core concepts, techniques, and practices. In 1935, Sri Swami Sivananda wrote a detailed description of historical Kundalini practices in a treatise called Kundalini Yoga. This document would go on to influence many modern thinkers on the proper approaches to spiritual yoga, and indeed many other types.

All yoga styles are essentially designed to raise a force called Kundalini energy, a concept with foundations in the Yoga Sutra, dated around the 2nd century BCE. So much of the discipline inherent in all types of yoga is derived from the same basic goal -- increasing Kundalini energy and freeing the body of harmful influences, toxins, and other chemicals.

True practitioners of spiritual Kundalini yoga do not just perform yogic poses for exercise, but alter their entire lifestyles around the core principles found in the tenets of spiritual Kundalini yoga. Hence, spiritual Kundalini strongly emphasizes the growth and development of both the body and the mind.

Types of Movements

Practitioners of spiritual Kundalini yoga are heavily focused on Kundalini energy, which is thought to be critical to all bodily functions and controlled through the use of Bhandas, otherwise known as yogic locks. Three primary locks exist within spiritual Kundalini, including an additional lock which is actually a combination of all three. These locks include the Jalandhara Bhanda, Uddiyana Bhanda, and Mulabhanda.

Kundalini yoga is often practiced without a shirt on or with a small top for women in order to closely observe abdominal and chest muscles during each movement. Kundalini practitioners also frequently practice in the morning and on an empty stomach to achieve a more readily recognizable pose.

Mental and Physical Requirements

A proper practice of spiritual Kundalini yoga requires a blend of breathing exercises, chanting, and poses. Before attempting Kundalini yoga for spiritual benefits, you should have some experience with other types of yoga to derive the maximum benefits. This also means that you should be in reasonable physical condition (height/weight proportionate) and comfortable with minimal clothing in a group setting.

Mentally, you must be open to the spiritual concepts involved in Kundalini yoga. Without an open mind, concepts such as Kundalini energy can be difficult to grasp. You should have little difficulty concentrating for several minutes at a time.

Equipment Requirements

• Yoga Mat
• Comfortable Clothes
• Large Mirror

Mental and Physical Benefits

Mental

• Increased Social Adjustment
• Improved Learning Efficiency
• Decreased Hostility
• Decreased Anxiety and Depression
• Increased Mood

Physical

• Improved Grip Strength
• Improved Hand-Eye Coordination
• Galvanic Skin Response Increases
• Normalized Endocrine Function
• Improved Posture

Aerobic Effect

There is limited aerobic effect involved in spiritual Kundalini as this type of yoga is not normally as active as aerobic focused types like Bikram or Ashtanga. Instead, focus on breathing and flexibility provides other benefits to your body. While Kundalini is not thought to provide a noticeable cardiovascular exercise benefit, the locks associated with Kundalini are thought to massage and improve health in heart muscles.

Spiritual Kundalini focuses on proper spinal alignment to achieve a release of energy to the mind. The practice uses a variety of mental exercises to initiate this. best online slots canada

These include guided relaxation, visualizations, and spoken chants. Kundalini yoga can be thought of as one of the more cerebral types of yoga. Through these methods, different poses target different areas of the body.

Through spiritual Kundalini yoga, one is able to release a great deal of energy and hormones. This benefits students of this type of yoga in a variety of ways.

For example, it delivers a sense of peace and happiness and helps relieve stress. It can also produce creative and analytical powers that one didn't possess, or know that they possessed. It's the mental and emotional benefits that most draw people to follow this particular type of yoga.