Kundalini yoga: Encyclopedia - Kundalini yoga

Kundalini yoga

Kundalini yoga is a meditative discipline, comprising a set of simple techniques that uses the mind, senses and body to create a communication between "mind" and "body". Kundalini yoga focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the body's potential for maturation, giving special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system in the understanding of yogic awakening (Sovatsky, 1998).

Kundalini yoga - Kundalini yoga practice

The practice of kundalini yoga consists of a number bodily postures, expressive movements and utterances, characterological cultivations, breathing patterns, and degrees of concentration (Sovatsky, 1998). None of these postures and movements should, according to scholars of Yoga (Sovatsky, 1998), be considered mere stretching exercises or gymnastic excersises.

Shannahoff-Khalsa (2004) describes several Kundalini Yoga techniques in his Kundalini Yoga Protocol. Most techniques includes the following features: cross-legged positions, the positioning of the spine (usually straight), different methods to control the breath, the use of mantras, closed eyes, and mental focus (often on the sound of the breath). The author emphasises that the techniques are not meant to be a substitute for medical care and advice (for more information on circumstances where meditation is contra-indicated, see next section).

Kundalini yoga - Underlying philosophy

Sovatsky (1998) describes 'kundalini yoga' as an energetically guided yoga. This means that the discipline is informed by the Hindu understanding of pranotthana, or "intensified life-energy". Pranotthana is sometimes thought to lead to spontaneous psycho-motor manifestations which, according to Yogic hemerneutics, might be interpreted as signs of psycho-spiritual growth and bodily maturation.

The word, 'kundalini', literally means "the curl of the lock of hair of the beloved." It is a metaphor, a poetic way of describing the flow of energy and consciousness which already is said to exist within each person. The practices are said to enable the person to merge with or "yoke" with the universal Self. This merging of individual consciousness with the universal consciousness is said to create a "divine union" called "yoga."

The practice of kundalini yoga is universal and non-denominational. It is a yoga designed for householders, for people who have to cope with the daily challenges and stresses of holding jobs, raising families, and managing businesses. It does not require that the person leaves his home, become an ascetic, or sit in a cave.

However, according to many teachers of meditation, and the school of Transpersonal psychology, it is not considered wise to engage in contemplative practices, such as kundalini yoga, without the guidance of a credible teacher, or without thorough foreknowledge of the chosen spiritual path. Many spiritual teachers and psychologists consider any intense contemplative or spiritual practice without the support of a cultural context, or without the support of thorough psychological and physical preparation, to be unfortunate, or even dangerous. Both Bogart (1991) and Lukoff, Lu & Turner (1998) has noted the growing occurrence of meditation-related problems in western contemplative life. Bogart (1991) also discusses situations where meditation might be contra-indicated or inadvisable due to special psychological dynamics.

Kundalini yoga - Medical research on kundalini yoga

Recently there has been a growing interest within the medical community to study the physiological, as well as the psychological, effects of meditation, and some of these studies have applied the discipline of kundalini yoga to their clinical settings (Cromie, 2002; Lazar, et. al, 2000):

• Arambula et. al (2001) has studied the physiological correlates of a highly practiced kundalini yogi.
• Peng et.al (1999) has studied the heart-rate oscillations, associated with slow breathing during the practice of kundalini yoga meditation.
• Venkatesh et.al (1997) has studied twelve kundalini (chakra) meditators, using the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory. They found that the practice of meditation "appears to produce structural as well as intensity changes in phenomenological experiences of consciousness" (Venkatesh et.al, 1997, PubMed Abstract).
• Narayan et.al (1990) studied the degree of relaxation of muscle under the effects of kundalini yoga with the help of an EMG integrator.
• Shannahoff-Khalsa (2004) developed the kundalini yoga protocol for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. This protocol was later adapted to clinical trials.

See also

• Yoga
• Kundalini

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Kundalini yoga", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki