What do Kate Hudson, Russell Brand, Alicia Keys and Mirander Kerr have in common? They swear by Kundalini yoga — an ancient yoga regimen to maintain vitality, health and well-being.
Comedian, actor, radio host, writer and activist Russell Brand has been guiding Kundalini meditation sessions for both beginners and pros. “Happy #selfcaresunday. Kundalini yoga has helped me so much in my life and is a great stress relief tool,” posted supermodel, Mirander Kerr on her Instagram recently. Actor and Hollywood heartthrob Charlie Hunnam too practices this form of yoga.
Kundalini yoga is a complex science that deals with energy systems known as chakras within the body. “Although many people are interested in the subject, very few are actually trained in this science,” says Grandmaster Akshar, an internationally acclaimed Yoga Master, philanthropist, spiritual guru, lifestyle coach and author.
Kundalini Yoga can be immensely helpful in soothing and relaxing the body, mind and soul.
It is one of the more effective prophylactic tools for strengthening the spine and keeping back and neck pain at bay. Enthusiasts claim it can cleanse and detoxify the body, neutralise stress, rewire neural pathways to reduce the effects of past traumas, and give you a lasting, natural high.
“Kundalini yoga is a newly-coined term for a combination of a few practices in a set sequence to give you the desired result,” says yoga expert Vasundhara Talware, who has been an ardent Yogini since she was 13.
According to her, the Kundalini is, “The dormant serpentine power lying at the base of your spine in three-and-a-half coils. Just like 7 is an auspicious number, so is 3.5, which is half of 7. And that’s why we have 3.5 shakti peeths (powerful energy centres across India), 3.5 Muhurtas etc..”
The kundalini is awakened after certain asanas, pranayama and meditation practices. “It can be a combination of all these or any of these. Either way, the intensity, the purity with which it is done and the discipline of daily abhyasa (practice) matters,” says Vasundhara. According to her, this dormant serpentine feminine power can be awakened with mantras and tantras as well.
“I had the good fortune to deep dive into Tantra yoga when I was around 15 years old and the entire focus was turned inwards, centered on awakening the kundalini by way of chants, meditating on the Sahasrara, cleansing each chakra using a combination of meditation and chanting of mantras and raising it to pierce through each chakra to unite with the Brahman,” Vasundhara shares. “You experience a beautiful calm, serene, tranquil, wholesome self. You experience increased clarity, great vigour, higher energy, divine glow, clairvoyance and fantastic health all through your life if you can keep that Kundalini up! But it's not easy.”
Living the life of a yogi to create this balance inside you is important. “No matter how much you may chant or meditate or practice asanas or pranayama, if your chakras aren’t aligned, Kundalini yoga will give short-lived benefits. It’s like cleaning up, but going back to creating a mess — because the way we live our lives are not aligned with our higher selves,” Vasundhara explains.
Grandmaster Akshar says Kundalini yoga deals with the study of topics related to metaphysics. “This includes subjects such as parallel universes, alternate realities, neuroplasticity, time dilation, telepathy, clairvoyance and more.”
Multiple benefits
l Kundalini yoga has positive effects on the body, mind and spirit.
l This is a mystical science and therefore it offers the practitioner many supernatural, even superhuman powers. These capabilities include telekinesis and mind-reading.
l Kundalini yoga is influenced by nature. “Dedicated disciples of this practice learn how to connect with the energies of nature and to use this power for positive channelling and growth,” says Grandmaster Akshar, Yoga master and spiritual guru.
