A Healing (N)ourney Into the Mysteries of Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini is a Sanskrit term meaning “coiled,” and it refers to a specific type of meditation that’s believed to have the ability to fully awaken your potential for awareness. And Kundalini Yoga helps to awaken that energy in the practitioner.

Recently LATV’s Humberto Guida and Nour Milla took a (n)ourney – any spiritual adventure involving Nour that gets her out of her comfort zone – to one of the foremost spaces for Kundalini Yoga in the country, Ra Ma Institute, a place where Humberto regularly practices. He wrote a column about how Ra Ma’s co-founder Guru Jagat (1979-2021) inspired him to seek a more spiritual path through kundalini yoga.

When you walk into the studio at Ra Ma, the energy is palpable. It is a serene space with hardwood floors, white columns and Hindu rugs draped on the walls displaying rich illustrations of deities from various Vedic scripture. A huge gong sits atop a small stage elevated a few feet above the floor where the Kundalini teachers lead class from. The place feels dense, directional, like a cosmic portal.

Where hatha/vinyasa yoga is all about a flow of postures that focus on the physical exercises (asana), Kundalini focuses more on the spiritual practice of yoga. Kundalini’s aim is to help you connect deeper with your consciousness through a set of practices (or kriyas), like meditation, mantras, breathing exercises, and a set of rapid movements.

The exercises are meant to elevate the ‘kundalini energy’ in your body thought to be trapped, or coiled, in the lower spine (and lower chakras) up through your ‘third eye’ (and upper chakras). Kundalini yoga is informed by Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist yogic teachings. But esoteric Judeo-Christian-Sufi Islamic ideas are often brought up in talks and teachings as well, particularly at Ra Ma Institute. People and ideas of all world religions are represented in Kundalini. Now, you do not have to be a spiritual person to get something out of the meditations and exercises, but make no mistake about it, this is an inherently spiritual practice.

In the video included here, Nour sits with Ra Ma’s CEO Shabadpreet and teacher Mandev, to better understand Kundalini practices and run through a few of the exercises. 

Enjoy the video and for more info on Ra Ma, click on the link below:

https://ramayogainstitute.com/