Kundalini Yoga ♀️

[Seed]

Hello,

So yes, I have been increasingly drawn to Kundalini yoga and attempted a free video session online this afternoon.

I obviously struggled with it, but also, found it very captivating and releasing!!! 

The after effects have been lovely (feeling calm, but energised, very present)  and I feel very passonate to start practising. 

However, there are no local teachers near me, so I would need to continue trying to guide myself, which may be a bad idea?

After futher research, i have read that is is very dangerous to suddenly start Kundalini yoga as it can be too direct.

I already have a very senstive system, so I have to be careful with energy work, However, I can't help being drawn to it... I am not looking for an awakening or anything. Just a way to express and balance my energy field and to create more consisent vitality in myself. I often have surges of energy and then go flat. 

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.... :-) 

Edited August 13, 2020 by Seed

[--George--]

@Seed you can also tap the bones for energy. Carefull it's quite a lot of energy.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by --George--

[CultivateLove]

I feel you. I started getting into it myself around 6 months ago, I started gradually but then got a little impatient and just dove in for about two weeks, doing all sorts of breathing, stretching, chanting, meditative and visualization exercises, which led to many insights, awakenings and heavy energy-releases, but eventually the energy was just too much to handle, to maintain it I would have to change my life so drastically, which is possible but, of course, potentially dangerous. 

So I ended up choosing stop there and go back to a more gradual approach.  

Edited August 13, 2020 by CultivateLove

[Seed]

Thanks @CultivateLove and how’s the gradual approach holding up ?

so you went all in with no prior experience of energy work / yoga ?

do you work with a teacher or just online ? 

xx

[CultivateLove]

1 hour ago, Seed said:

Thanks @CultivateLove and how’s the gradual approach holding up ?

It's going great! I started again very slowly, but then have gradually been adding more as I've felt more ready to do so. It's a balancing act, the ego still has its not-so-high-consciousness desires, and I can't just ignore those without causing an ego-backlash, and at the same time I'm becoming increasingly more aware that the "new way" of doing things (more like going back to the source) gives way more joy, laughter, fulfillment, energy, connection, understanding etc etc

1 hour ago, Seed said:

so you went all in with no prior experience of energy work / yoga ?

My whole life has been a lesson in energy work / yoga  Health is pretty high on my core values, even though I've slipped and hurt myself a few times.

1 hour ago, Seed said:

do you work with a teacher or just online ? 

I read books, watch videos, I've gone to a few yoga classes (It shut down soon after I started due to Corona), and I experiment on my own. I've always been quite an independent person so I feel pretty comfortable not having official guidance. 

[iTommy]

Some warn that the most commonly/popular practiced Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan isn't ideal because it is an incomplete yogic system which, besides experiencing "deeper states/energetic stuff", can backfire and cause harm to the practitioner. This isn't to say that Kundalini Yoga as taught by Bhajan isn't useful or beneficial, yet it's said to have its pitfalls & blindspots. When doing energy-work, proper integration & grounding is highly recommended & being mindful of not rigidly forcing & overstimulating the energetic/bodily-system.

Apparently, the original practice of Kundalini Yoga is summed up in this picture:

 

[Pacific Sage]

3 hours ago, Seed said:

 

After futher research, i have read that is is very dangerous to suddenly start Kundalini yoga as it can be too direct.

 

It indeed can be dangerous. When Kundalini is activated, your subconscious is powered with more energy and in turn powering up your shadow self too. 

It would only be logical to practice non duality with meditation, presence, being or any other grounding activity to calm any  surge in energy. Basically any exercise to get you back to the present moment and away from mental chatter (*sub conscious). 

Books, Power of now or The New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle are amazing to practice grounding activities.

Once grounding is comfortable, Kundalini yoga should be relativity safe.

Edited August 13, 2020 by Pacific Sage

[Pacific Sage]

2 minutes ago, Pacific Sage said:

It indeed can be dangerous. When Kundalini is activated, your subconscious is powered with more energy and in turn powering up your shadow self too. 

It would only be logical to practice non duality with meditation, presence, being or any other grounding activity to calm any  surge in energy. Basically any exercise to get you back to the present moment and away from mental chatter (*sub conscious). 

Books, Power of now or The New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle are amazing to practice grounding activity.

Once grounding is comfortable, Kundalini yoga should be relativity safe.

And it's definitely not easy to face one's shadow ??????????????

[CultivateLove]

Maybe it pretty much boils down to how much of your shadow you're willing or capable to face at once 

[--George--]

3 minutes ago, CultivateLove said:

Maybe it pretty much boils down to how much of your shadow you're willing or capable to face at once 

Kriya is the most firely. Since I already have lots of focus and energy towards my head I wanted a whole body approach. You can try a fire and water approach, Healing Tao Mantak Chia. This one has a loop, energy goes up AND down. Or even more gentle the system of taoist Bruce Frantzis.

[bejapuskas]

I haven't done kundalini yoga, at least not intentionally, but other kinds of energy work, I would say don't underestimate what the nature can teach you and how strong your intuition is  

[Pacific Sage]

10 hours ago, CultivateLove said:

Maybe it pretty much boils down to how much of your shadow you're willing or capable to face at once 

Practising equanimity with Gross and Subtle vibrations by developing body awareness helps me get comfortable with my shadow relatively easily. Maybe that's just me and what's working for me. Three cheers for Vipassana and Kriya yoga.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Pacific Sage

[Seed]

Thanks everyone...

This is what puts me off!!

https://isha.sadhguru.org/yoga/yoga-articles-yoga/kundalini-yoga-beneficial-or-dangerous/

He also mentions in this article that all forms of yoga are dangerous apart from this Upa Yoga...?!

https://isha.sadhguru.org/global/en/wisdom/article/beginners-guide-to-learning-yoga

Obviously, I am keen to get going. And feel drawn to the kundalini, but knowing my tendancies and the year I have had, I am probably not grounded enough for such an extreme release of energy, if that is what it does.. Although I have always felt I have something trapped inside of me for a long time which is why I get run down and repressed.

[bejapuskas]

@Seed  Maybe you can look into more gentle energetic practices, like hatha yoga or chi gong. It still opens you up, but probably it's not enough to blow your head off. Maybe try that?

[--George--]

6 minutes ago, bejapuskas said:

@Seed  Maybe you can look into more gentle energetic practices, like hatha yoga or chi gong. It still opens you up, but probably it's not enough to blow your head off. Maybe try that?

Yes it will blow your head off! Qigong for example healing tao wil open up your body. Utilize many sorts of energy (for example heating bones, heaven,earth energy, 3rd eye, alchemy , sexual energy!!). I would choose for something with an energetic component or you will be really missing something.

Or just choose the fun route, (also part of healing tao) , become multiorgasmic:

 

[Girzo]

@Seed Just start practicing and see what happens. It's very possible that you won't get any undesirable side effects.

And if it happened for you to get some side effects, we are real seekers here, you will figure out how to deal with them. They can happen with any practice anyway.

The advice to be careful that Sadhguru gives is for normies, not someone who genuinely wants Enlightenment.

[bejapuskas]

@--George--  I meant the kind of practices that the elderly are doing, I don't think it's dangerous, since the teachers are ok with showing it to ordinary people, but if you are sensitive enough, it can be powerful. Probably if you went deeper into it, it could blow your head off  Or is your experience different?

[Seed]

Hi @Girzo I don't want enlightment, particuarly - I  am not there yet - I just want to feel better and more grounded and confident in my own skin. I often have periods of anxiety and self doubt and  flat energy. I've also just had a very turbulent year (emotionally), so looking for alternative ways to make positive life changes, grow and express myself. My self esteem has taken a battering recently so looking to improve that too, I am aware there is no point running untilI can walk... 

[Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj]

Proceed at yout own risk. https://www.lovebliss.eu/how-to-meditate.html 

[--George--]

@bejapuskas  Qigong is not only done by elderly but also by martial arts people who do tai-chi , bagua or hsing-i the martial energy arts. But you can do qigong purely for spiritual purposes.

@Seed  If you want grounded and embodied then I think the qigong from the system Healing Tao mantak chia is more grounded than kriya. If you want quickly to the spectacular stuff go for the all energy towards the head approach that kriya. For me kriya wouldn't make me more balanced at all. The centerpoint of energy with healing tao is the stomach area. Much lower, more grounded. In my country there are practice groups. Sometimes they are not there then videos from mantak or michael winn could do it.

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by --George--