Kundalini for Babes · Lesson 1 of 8 · 8 min
What kundalini yoga actually is
Welcome, babe
Okay, hi. Welcome to Kundalini for Babes ✨
Before we do anything, let's get the big picture. Kundalini yoga is a style of yoga that comes from the tantric and hatha yoga traditions of India. The name comes from kundalini, Sanskrit for "coiled one": an energy said to rest at the base of your spine, like a sleeping serpent.
The practice is designed to wake that energy up, gently, so it can rise through your chakras to the crown of your head. That's the poetry. The practical version is: you breathe, you move your spine, you chant a little, you meditate, and you feel really, really good afterwards.
How it's different from other yoga
| Most yoga classes | Kundalini yoga |
|---|---|
| Flowing between poses | Holding one movement for 1 to 3 minutes |
| Lots of balance and flexibility | Hardly any, most of it is seated |
| Breath supports the poses | Breath is the main event |
| Usually silent | Mantra and chanting are part of it |
| Ends with rest | Ends with rest and meditation |
The building blocks
You'll meet these in every lesson:
- Kriya: a set sequence of posture, breath and sound. "Kriya" means action.
- Pranayama: breathing practices.
- Mantra: sacred sounds and words, chanted out loud, whispered or silent.
- Mudra: hand positions.
- Bandha: gentle "locks", like drawing your navel in, that hold energy in place.
- Meditation: usually 3, 11 or 31 minutes. Yes, there are favourite numbers.
How this course works
Eight lessons. Do one a day, or one a week, it's your pace. Each lesson teaches one piece. By lesson eight, you put them all together into your own daily practice.
Every timer is built into the page, and every practice can go on your Glow Meter. You don't need to remember anything.
Try it now: spinal flex
The classic kundalini warm-up. It wakes up your spine, which is basically kundalini's highway.
- Sit cross-legged and hold your shins, or sit on a chair and hold your knees.
- Inhale and arch your chest forward, shoulders back.
- Exhale and round your back, letting your chest sink.
- Keep your head level. It rides along on top.
- Find a smooth, steady rhythm with your breath.
Spinal flex
3 minutes, with a soft chime at the end.
Today’s practice
Three minutes of spinal flex
Hold your shins or knees. Inhale and arch forward, exhale and round back, head level, for three minutes.