Kundalini yoga: Encyclopedia II - Kundalini yoga - Kundalini yoga practice

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).

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