Kundalini meditation (part 1)

What Is Kundalini Meditation?

      Whether we realize it or not, most of us do a lot of things without really thinking and often react to our environment rather than being intentional about our thoughts and behaviors. For example, we might drive to work, wash dishes, tuck the kids in, or eat a meal without really being aware of what is happening—or what we want to happen.

If you want to live your life with greater awareness and intention, one way to enter this state of heightened attention is to practice meditation. A specific form of meditation that may be particularly helpful is Kundalini, which focuses on primal energy. Kundalini meditation is a way of channeling your energy and releasing yourself from stress and living on "auto-pilot."

Kundalini meditation

History

The exact origins of Kundalini meditation are not known, although its traditions date back to approximately 1,000 BCE to 500 BCE. In Sanskrit, kundalini means "coiled snake" and references the ancient belief that each person carries "divine" energy at the base of the spine. This mediation tradition seeks to awaken, release, and harness this energy.

Kundalini mediation was popularized in the West by Yogi Bhajan, who developed and introduced his own form of Kundalini yoga in the United States in the late 1960s.1 Since then, the practice has become a popular way to develop greater body awareness, mindfulness, and stress relief, among other benefits.

Purpose of Kundalini Meditation

Kundalini meditation is part of Kundalini yoga and is meant to move energy through the body. It is based on the concept that energy at the base of the spine (also known as the root chakra) needs to be released through the seven chakras of the body and then out through the crown chakra above the head.

This process of releasing energy from the body has the purpose of creating a system of communication between your mind and body to relieve mental, physical, and spiritual issues. This system of bringing awareness to your body by connecting with your breath is intended to facilitate being present, establishing a new rhythm, and communicating with a higher version of yourself.

Kundalini meditation is not a set of beliefs or religion. Instead, it's a system for evoking energy inside yourself and developing mind-body awareness.

The practice should be thought of as a technique, as opposed to a belief system, that helps people clear away the clutter of the world and access the inner self. Additionally, rather than providing instant relief, enlightenment, or "uncoiling," proponents say that perseverance and consistent practice is needed to achieve optimal benefits.

Just like taking a shower each day cleanses your physical body, yogis view Kundalini meditation as a way to cleanse your mind. It's a method to rejuvenate after a stressful day, manage stress in the moment, and/or counteract tiredness. It also aims to help balance your energy (or chakras) and calm your mind so that you're acting with purpose rather than just reacting to your thoughts and environment.

 What Is Mindfulness Meditation?

Possible Benefits

The benefits of learning to practice Kundalini meditation can be summarized as bringing more awareness and intention to your daily life. Specifically, this can be seen in several different ways, including:

Aiding concentration and preventing random thoughts from throwing you off balance

Breaking your automatic daily routines and bringing you into a state of mindfulness

Bringing balance to mind, body, and soul

Building up your creative energy to tackle projects in your life

Creating awareness of the body

Enhancing your brain patterns and emotional balance2

Helping reduce anxiety3

Helping release stress and find a sense of peace2

Improving cognitive functioning4

Improving sleep and sleep-related issues

Teaching the proper way to breathe (into your diaphragm) and expanding lung capacity

 Simple Meditations to Relieve Stress

How the Practice Works

Below are the steps you should follow to begin a very basic Kundalini meditation practice. Remember that it's better to start small. Pick a manageable meditation commitment that you think you can follow through on every day.

Avoid trying to do too much too quickly, which could feel overwhelming and derail your efforts. Even five minutes each day of Kundalini meditation is likely to help you, so don't underestimate the value of even this most basic practice