The Gifts of Kundalini Yoga
By Harkamal Kaur
Before I started practicing Kundalini Yoga, I often became lost in the game of my mind. My mind would create stories that played over and over, and I didn't realize I was responsible for putting my body under so much stress that it sometimes made me sick. Almost 30 years later, I can say that Kundalini Yoga gave me something I didn't know I needed: a different relationship with my own thoughts.
Kundalini yoga is a sophisticated technology. It doesn't matter if it's your first class or if you've been practicing for years—you will feel different by the end. The combination of specific postures, pranayama, mantras, and meditation takes us on a unique journey. This is the yoga that keeps on giving.
The Gift of Awareness
Also known as the Yoga of Awareness, Kundalini gives us the ability to relate to our mind differently. I discovered that the practice was strengthening my nervous system, and because of this, my way of responding to stressful events changed—allowing me to be in the present moment. If I felt tired, I did 3 minutes of breath of fire, which purified my blood and gave me energy and clarity. If I started to feel unusually fatigued, I practiced kriyas to balance my glandular system, ending with a meditation to clean out my mind. This gift of awareness gave me the ability to choose how to respond to my thoughts and feelings. It made me feel more in control, understanding that life was happening for me, not to me. The mind can become your servant rather than your master.
The Gift of Grace and Vitality
Kundalini Yoga boosts both physical and mental vitality. The practice helps reduce stress and emotional tension, improves stamina, and enhances mental clarity. Repetitive movements followed by moments of stillness can retrain the nervous system. Holding the arms at a certain angle with a specific pranayama for an extended period can be very challenging, but I learned that perseverance was key—not only to shifting my mental perception but also to strengthening my physical body. It is through perseverance during practice that we prepare ourselves to navigate challenging moments in our lives with grace. I can testify to that.
The Gift of Elevated Consciousness
In Kundalini Yoga, mantras connect us with our highest level of consciousness. These arrangements of words and sounds carry a specific vibratory frequency that can change brain chemistry and mind patterns. Since Kundalini Yoga became a part of my life, mantra and sound have become part of my daily life. I play mantras while I clean my apartment, when I cook, when I work, when I make art, when I read. If I feel down, I listen to a mantra that uplifts my spirit; if I need energy, I play bhangra music and dance until I feel completely lifted. Elevating our consciousness through mantra is one of Kundalini Yoga's most unique gifts.
The Gift of Union
Yoga means union—the union between our physical reality and God Consciousness. The practice of Kundalini Yoga removes our blocks and resistances, raises our energy to higher frequencies, and opens our awareness to expanded realities. When you live in union with a higher power, you are able to see the Divine in everyone. We are souls having a human experience, and Kundalini Yoga gives us the gift of allowing the soul to shine through this physical body.
As we enter the season of giving, I often reflect on the gift I gave myself almost 30 years ago when I first stepped onto the mat. It has repaid me many times over. If you're looking for something to give yourself this December, consider this practice. It might be the gift that keeps on giving.