A question from a reader:

Hello!

Since a couple of years I have been practicing kundalini yoga: I started practicing with a lots of joy when we moved to Vancouver four years ago. Currently I live in Germany, where I’ve had a complete different kundalini yoga experience. I am very interested in the roots of this kind of yoga, but although I’ve read a lot about it, I have not been able to find anything that resembles this kind of fast paced yoga with lots of repetitive movements as taught by yogi Bhajan. Although there are a lot of interesting writings on rising the kundalini (for example from Swami Sivananda etc), exercises as taught by yogi Bhajan are nowhere to be found.

I would like to learn more about kundalini yoga, but to be honest, the big emphasis that lays on the character of yogi Bhajan makes me hesitate to really commit to my practices in a way I would like to. In Vancouver the yoga students did not (have to) dress in white or wear a turban, something that seems more of a religious matter to me , and I would like to separate that from my yoga practice. Of course I am not saying that he might not have been a great teacher and guru to many, it’s just not my thing. It made me wonder more and more who this person actually was, and what tradition did he come from, etc. Research on his personality made my doubts only grow.

I am hoping to find a teacher that teaches this great kind of active yoga, and but within a different setting from what I tried to describe above. I’ve tried asthanga, hatha and luna yoga, but these types of yoga never brought me what I experienced during my kundalini classes. Do you know any teachers that teach kundalini, but don’t come from the yogi Bhajan tradition? Or have you heard of any literature about this yoga tradition?

I am not very sure if I could explain myself well, so please let me know if I haven’t been clear!

Thank you so much for your time and effort.

I am looking forward to your reply.

Warm regards,

M.

Dear M,

Well your request is very simple. You are looking for the kundalini yoga style (fast repetitive movement) without the cult and worshiping aspect of this style. I do think it will be a difficult thing to find a kundalini style yoga-teacher that won’t relate to yogi Bhajan as it is usually comes as one package (but you never know). So unfortunately I can not help you with this matter.

What is important for me, as a teacher, is to make sure that the kundalini aspect is clear to you, as from your letter, I am not certain that it is.

Kundalini is a philosophy and a practice that is embedded in the foundation of all yoga practices that rise from the tantric path. Although the Kundalini organization chose this name for their style, it does not mean that they are the only ones that deal with kundalini. So, if what you are looking for is the fast paced style, you must keep searching until you find (or don’t find) the suitable kundalini teacher for you. But if your interest is in the kundalini practice you may want to remain open to other teachings as long as they carry the true spirit of yoga and not the modern trendy yoga. Each asana (yoga posture) is designed to calm the restless mind and nervous system for the purpose of conducting a state of inner and outside stillness, where meditation can take place. It is in this stillness that we start to separate ourselves from our mind and body by becoming the ultimate observer. In the tradition of yoga, you enter the asana and then remain still in it, watching your breath and expanding your consciousness.

Namaste
shakti

If you’d like to comment on this or discuss it, please visit the forum topic dedicated to this.

NOTE: The following response was received from “M” after my posting above.

Dear shakti,

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my email! I am really grateful and your reply was very helpful.

Trying to find out where the exercises from Yogi Bhajan stem from, I read about the general concept of rising the kundalini also. The more I read, the more things made me wonder: did this Sikh yoga tradition called ‘kundalini yoga’ really exist before Yogi B? Did this fast repetitive yoga style really exist, or did he just blend some poses and breathing techniques together and called it ‘kundalini yoga’?Who was this person actually?

The fast repetitive movements and poses ‘as taught by yogi Bhajan’ (which seemed to be so beneficial to me) that I learned, I have not yet found in other works about kundalini yoga.When I look at the exercises in Swami Sivananda’s book for example, they more resemble the hatha style asanas and pranayamas in order to rise the kundalini. I am not particularly interested in trying to rise my kundalini. So what I am looking are the roots of this yoga style, where you actually don’t hold a pose but repeat certain simple movements while controlling the breath. Or perhaps there any other similar styles that I could try? Because, for me personally, it is in the movement where I can find my stillness ;-).

All in all, your answer already helped me one big step forward: I have been looking for a Kundalini teacher (not trained by H3O) for two years now, without any success, and I think your answer made me that perhaps it’s time for me to move on and try other styles of yoga again!

Warm regards,
M

i am very interested in yoga. In fact, I am representing yoga in a contest i am entering. In looking through your website, there was a lot of unique clothing in the pictures.. I was hoping that you would be able to provide any advice to me as to where i could buy clothing like that shown on your site. I don’t feel that lululemon and other clothing companies really show the cultural and historical components of yoga, which is what i am hoping to represent in this contest.

I greatly appreciate any help you could provide,
Thank you so much for your time,
S

Please see below shakti’s response in red

The traditional attire of the yogis is their state of consciousness.

Namaste
shakti mhi

Hello Shakti!.. i’m pleased that you recovered in such a good way!.

I’ve been doing sadhana since i finished the TT, and everyday i enjoy more the benefits of the pranayama practise. I’ve experienced many things when doing pranayama, sometimes when i hold the breath i feel like i’m going to faint but at the same time i like the feeling!, and right after that is like a deep silence comes, which i enjoyed even more!.. is that feeling ‘normal’?..

Please see below shakti’s response in red

Dear Fernando

If you like the way it feels and you enjoy the deep silence, it can only be good for you, as long as you do not faint. Fainting in Pranayama is an indication of crossing your limit, doing so, can happen only when you practice with a force. If we force the practice it means we let the mind take over the practice as only the mind forces. Pranayama must be done effortlessly otherwise instead of creating and expanding the energy, you consume it.

Namaste
shakti

Dear Shakti,

I did your TTC in Thailand in 2006 and enjoyed it more than words can say. I now want to do more teacher training but cannot come to Canada for 1-2 months to do your level 2 because of work. There is a very good Satyananda yoga centre near where I live and I have applied to do a two year teacher training course with them starting late this year. I have no doubt about the authenticity of the course or the teachers, they are wonderful and teach from the heart. However, my only reservation is that I don’t love the Satyananda style as much as I love the prana yoga style. But many of the most important elements are there for me. I don’t like the fact that the classes don’t flow.
Having said that, I think this may be the best quality teacher training in Ireland. Should I go ahead and do it, trying to ignore the aspect of flow and bring my own style to it afterwards? I’m confused. What do you think?

Peace and Love,
Karen

Please see below shakti’s response in red

Hi Karen
It is nice to hear from you.

Level 1 deals mainly with the asanas and methods, and tools to teach them. Level 2 is supposed to expand the teacher’s knowledge on other aspects of yoga. If the course deals mainly in teaching the asanas, it is not necessary for you to do it as it will be redundant, especially if you are not fond of their style. But if the asanas are a small component of the course and your intuition tells you that the teaching is deep, valuable and clean of new age nonsense, go for it.

I hope this is helpful to you.

Namaste
shakti

Dear shakti,
I have just moved to a smaller town and the teaching opportunities here are MINIMAL. There is a yoga studio in town but their classes now are not that full as it is. During these few years while I am here (I’ve moved to go back to university) should I be concerned that I won’t be teaching as often as I was before? My instincts tell me that it will pass and that it will all unfold as it is supposed to… and I’m ok with that. I just thought that I would turn to my teacher for some guidance in case there is something I am not thinking of.

I hope this finds you well. I love the new hair cut!

With love,
Joanne

shakti’s response is below in red.

Dear Joanne,
Do not waste your time by assuming what is coming or by being concerned as a result of comparing your future that is not in existence yet, or with what occurred in the past that is not in existence any more.
Assumptions and concerns are what freezes us from being creative and authentic, as you already set the tone in your mind for how things should unfold in reality.

Do what ever needs to be done.

Teaching one class is like teaching the whole word.

Be creative and come from the right intention, quality and love, versus quantity.

You said you are going to university. University is already a great opportunity for teaching. You have endless students that need yoga. You may need to educate them about the power of yoga. Do it step by step. Maybe you can offer in one of the many university events an open class introducing yoga. Maybe you can write in the university news letter about yoga. Offer classes to the staff members. Place posters on the boards. Enhance the yoga benefits for students: increasing concentration, relaxing the nervous system, helps to sleep better etc. Create one evening where people can come and meditate together. Become the yoga expert for your university. The sky is the limit.

Start teaching one class and the rest will roll on its own.

Love shakti

The 10 Commandments of Finding the Right Yoga Teacher Training

1 ) Find a Spiritual Teacher

Avoid taking training from teachers that emphasize their teaching on the physical aspects of yoga only. It is important to have a teacher who can give you a full understanding of the spiritual (as opposed to religious) aspect of yoga. The teacher should not be a scholar who knows his/her information from reading books and taking workshops. The teacher’s teaching must arise from direct experience. Such a teacher will be able to deal with all of the spiritual concerns that the student may have with no hesitation.

2 ) Make Sure to Experience Direct Transmission

Do not settle for teacher training run by novice teachers who show the teachings of their master from a DVD. Do not settle for the said “master” to only occasionally appear in the course. Every student in the course needs to have direct contact and experience with the spiritual teacher, as the transmission of the knowledge and wisdom often happens on the energy level.

3 ) Bigger is Not Better

Often you see teacher training with 60 to 200 students in a course.

In an intense 200h course, as a result of the intense practice, students often go through physical, mental, emotional and spiritual crisis and may face multiple challenges. As a result of being in a large impersonal course, the student and their needs get lost in the crowd.

4 ) Avoid Religions, Cults and Worship

Avoid trainings with even a hint of worshipping the spiritual teacher. Yoga practice is a process to transform the novice to become a free master and not to become a sheep, following without knowing.

5 ) Practical Teaching

Make sure there is plenty of actual hands-on teaching experience for you during the course so you don’t end up with theoretical knowledge but are unprepared to actually teach. Knowing the asanas (yoga postures) inside and out won’t make you know how to teach them. Yoga teacher training is not a yoga boot camp of doing the asanas all day. You need to learn communication, the psychology of the mind, body language, how to correct by using hands-on techniques, and how to give mental and energetic support to your students in the future.

6 ) Yoga is Not Gymnastics

Remember that 90% of your students out there are beginners! Most of the people in the West are dealing with physical limitations and health conditions. Avoid vigorous acrobatic styles of yoga. Choose a style of yoga that can walk beginners safely into the practice. Otherwise you will join the endless number of yoga instructors who make the students feel (after their first class) that they are not flexible enough to practice yoga.

7 ) Restrictive Yoga Facilities

Avoid styles that constrict you and your students to a specific teaching facility environment (hot rooms or facilities with too many yoga gadgets). The essence of yoga practice is to be able to conduct it in any place and any time. Your students should be able to take the teaching you convey and practice on their own anywhere without dependency on a facility.

8 ) New-Age Yoga

Be careful of flakiness and new-age nonsense.

Knowledge of energy and the chakras is powerful, but there is much more to the yoga practice than just the chakras.

9 ) Connection With the Teacher After Course is Done

Make sure that the teacher will be available to you to answer questions after the course has ended and to guide you in your first steps of your teaching if needed. You should be able to find spiritual support from your teacher outside the course as your practice must continue after your certification.

10 ) The Power of Transformation

Let your heart, not only your mind and wallet, be involved in the search for the right teacher and teaching. Avoid being influenced by trends and burgeons. The teacher is the vehicle for the teaching that may resonate in you forever.

True teachers will expand your capacity to receive wisdom that arises from beyond your programmed mind.

Namaste,
shakti mhi

Dear shakti & Daniel,

Keiki and I will be moving back to Hong Kong at the end of April, and we would like to say thank you to you both, for all that you’ve taught and shared with us during our teacher trainings.

In the last few months, we have enjoyed teaching yoga here in Vancouver, loved it, and know that and we will continue our journey both as a teacher and as a student, after moving to Hong Kong.

We are deeply indebted to you both, our inspirational teachers, and look forward to attending your classes and workshops again in the nearest future.

Please continue sharing this wonderful knowledge and continue inspiring others like you have did for us.

Wishing you (and all Prana staff) our Best Wishes,

Ann & Keiki
April 2008

 The following is a question from a student regarding her responsibility to speak out to let another teacher know their teachings may not be safe. Below is shakti’s response in red.

Questions from student:

Hello there to all…

I am a pranayoga teacher and have just moved away from where I was teaching to go back to university. I went to a school funded yoga class last night where the teacher took his yoga class “from a book” (not critisizing… but well…), and I find myself in PAIN this morning. Now, I released myself over and over again into child pose because he took us from back bend to back bend… over and over… with no release. This young man is going to seriously injure someone. Do I say something out of responsibility to those who when in down dog were doing one-handed dog so that the other could massage their backs, or do I just sit back and let him learn the hard way?

Help! What would you do?

Joanne

shakti’s response:

Now the moment is gone. But next time simply tune into your manipura (navel) chakra without letting the mind interfere and you will know exactly what action to take or not. On the spiritual path there is never one recipe to all moments as each moment is unique to all the different elements that formed it.

In one moment you may say nothing

In a different moment you may act

And at another time you may place your shoe on your head and make a soundless sound.

It is only in the moment that we know

Love shakti

This is shakti’s response to a question from a student regarding shoulder stand. shakti’s response is in italics and bold below.

There is no one way to live life, to become realized or to teach shoulder stand. The more we rely on gadgets in life and in yoga, the more we limit our practice.

Question from student:

The class of May 2006 have all been corresponding together as a group and one of the subjects we have been discussing is shoulder stand. Many of us have been finding students are taught to put the blanket only under the shoulders and argue that this puts less pressure on their necks.

You can modify the pressure on the neck by simply moving the pelvis away from the head and lowering the legs towards 45 degree until it feels comfortable. I guess an Anusara course Janice went to taught it like this and explained that putting the blanket under the neck made it to flat not keeping the natural curve in the neck.

shakti’s response:

The asanas evolved around the natural skeletal structure. The neck curve hasn’t changed in the last million years. Can you imagine the ancient yogi wandering naked and living in a cave always holding a towel in his hand in case he had to do salamba sarvangasana (shoulder stand)?

I have been confused on the issue as have many of the other students from class.

Not that the blanket is the source for all of your confusion; it’s the mind’s need to have a black and white answer, to posses the ultimate and only truth about the subject.

Fortunately, neither I nor anyone in existence is holding the absolute answer for yes or no blanket under the neck or what is the aim of life. That’s what makes life such a lovely dance. Next time you are confused about how to teach an asana get on the floor, play with the options and make sense of it to yourself. And even then do not hold on it as the absolute principle as you never know what the next moment will bring. Learn as much as you feel you need but always keep your hands empty as the absolute way of doing things is unfolded in each moment. If you would like to live life authentically you will need to start knowing for yourself.

Yoga Teaching Question: Is my Student Too Deep?

When my student is in half twist she is able to go very far and is very flexible so her leg is pressed up really hard against her tummy. This allows her to get the most benefit opening up her external hip rotator and the stretch in the arm as she reaches for her ankle, however, she finds it hard to breathe deeply. (Same thing happens when she binds) As I watched her more intensely my instinct told me that she is fine and should stay doing what she is doing - if she were to release the leg she would not have the same physical benefit to the posture… so she just has to reserve the DEEP breathing for postures where her abdomen is not
be pressed against… but I am not SURE.

Response from shakti:

Here is the answer to your question:

- she is too deep!!!!
- do not compromise the breath for the posture.
- she should be finding a variation of half twist which allows her to breathe with ease.
- even if she is holding her ankle or knee or keeping arm bent.
- BREATHING IS THE FIRST PRIORITY!!!!!!

- even though she is so flexible, she may have no breath due to a lack of internal space.
- her inner space may be cluttered with emotional tension, physical tension, physical toxins, or mental toxins.

- the best way to release internal tension is to breathe deeply.
- bring more focus into her breath work while settling into an easier variation of half twist (or other asanas, if this is her common problem)

- physical flexibility shouldn’t be a priority at this point.

it may be blockages in either the 3rd or 4th chakras; encourage her deep belly breaths as priority in her practice.

- through the release with deep breathing she will begin to develop more inner space and find more freedom physically.

Prana Yoga College

www.pranayogacollege.com