Kundalini Yoga

The goal of Kundalini Yoga is to help reach new levels of awareness of self, strengthen your capacity to deal with life's challenges, and to experience deeper joy in life. Students can learn how to meditate, activate your chakras and feel an aliveness and peace that lie deep within the self.

“Kundalini yoga classes are a dynamic blend of postures, pranayam, mantra, music and meditation, which teach the art of relaxation, self-healing and elevation. Balancing body and mind enables you to experience the clarity and beauty of your soul. No previous experience in yoga is required for you to achieve results with your very first class. Men of great knowledge actually found out about the chakras – their workings, their petals, their sounds, their infinity, their co-relationship, their powers. They found that the life of a human is totally based on these chakras. This total science gave birth to Kundalini Yoga.” - Yogi Bhajan, The Aquarian Teacher

Kundalini is considered the most comprehensive of yogas, combining meditation, prayer, physical practices and breathing exercises. “Kundalini” literally means “the curl of the lock of hair of the beloved.” This poetic metaphor alludes to the flow of energy and consciousness that exists within each of us, and enables us to merge with – or “yoke” – the universal Self. Fusing individual and universal consciousness creates a divine union, called “yoga.” The Upanishads, Hindu’s sacred scriptures that date back to the fifth century B.C., describe Kundalini, although the oral tradition reaches back even further into history. For thousands of years, this sacred science and technology was veiled in secrecy, passed along verbally from master to chosen disciple. Click here for Class Format.

Angles and triangles are what make Kundalini Yoga so effective.  The use of angles in Kundalini Yoga postures, in combination with pranayama, mantras and mudras, is one of the main reasons that Kundalini Yoga works as quickly as it does. The angles put pressure on the glands to secrete. When a posture is released and the body is still, the glandular secretions that have been stimulated have an opportunity to circulate freely. The result is a balanced glandular system that has a definitive effect on emotional stability through the chemistry of one’s body.
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Yogi Bhajan broke a long-held tradition of silence. A master of Kundalini by the age of 16 – itself a rare feat – he gave his first lecture at a Los Angeles high school gym on January 5, 1969. Then a 39-year-old recent émigré from India, he had left behind a lucrative governmental career with the vision of bringing Yoga to the West. The authority to be the Mahan Tantric (Master of White Tantric Yoga) was bestowed on him in 1971, when the then Mahan Tantric, Lama Lilan Po of Tibet passed from his body.

White Tantric Yoga, as with most sacred Eastern wisdom, was a tradition passed on from teacher to student in a mystical and selective way. As a pioneer of this age, Yogi Bhajan decided to open the experience of White Tantric Yoga to anyone who wanted to commit to the discipline. Join a one day class in Herndon, Va. on October 25, 2008. Call 703.346.4489 or email swkhalsa@hotmail.com

“Take meditation to heart as a path to Infinity, which must be experienced in practical activity each day.”    - Yogi Bhajan

FAQS About Kundalini Yoga

Q.What pace should I start out with as a beginning student in Kundalini Yoga?
A.As a beginning student, participate at a pace that suits your flexibility and endurance

Q.What should I wear to a Kundalini Yoga class?
A.You should wear loose, comfortable clothing, preferably made of cotton or other natural, breathable fiber. It is best to remove your socks to help stimulate the approximately 72,000 nerve endings in your feet.
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Q.How long should I wait after I have eaten to practice Kundalini Yoga?
A.It is good to wait two to three hours after eating before you practice yoga and meditation. This will help you gain the maximum benefits, plus it is easier to exercise on an empty stomach. If you must eat, eat something light.

Q. What does it mean to “tune in”?
A. Each Kundalini Yoga class begins with “tuning in” with the mantra Ong Nam Guru Dev Namo. This sets and calms the mind to be open to guidance, and calls on the Masters of Kundalini Yoga through the ages for protection and guidance during the yoga practice. This is called the Golden Chain.
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Q. What is “The Golden Chain”?
A. The Golden Chain is an energy that links students and teachers.
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Q. What does Prana mean?
A. Prana means life force, or breath.
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Q. Why does a Kundalini Yoga class always end with a closing song?
A. Every Kundalini Yoga class finishes with the song "Long Time Sun." This song of blessing helps to ground you, integrate the benefits of the yoga and prepare you to resume the activities of everyday life.

Q. What is a mudra?
A. Mudra is a hand position.

Q. Why do we use mudras in Kundalini Yoga?
A. The ancient yogis mapped out the areas of the hand and identified the parts of the body or brain associated with each area. Each area of the hand also represents different emotions or behaviors. Curling, crossing, stretching or touching the fingers or finger tips in specific configurations is a yogic technique for communicating with the body and mind.

Q. What does Asana mean?
A. Asana means yoga posture.

Q. What are mantras?
A. Mantras are sounds or words that control the mind. Man means mind and Tra is the wave or movement of the mind.

Q. Why do we recite mantras in Kundalini Yoga?
A. When you recite a mantra you have impact through it’s meaning, through its pattern of energy, through its time, and through the meridian points it pressurizes in the mouth. When recited correctly, a mantra will activate areas of the nervous system and brain and allow you to shift your state and the perceptual vision or energetic ability associated with it.

Q. What makes Kundalini Yoga so effective?
A. Kundalini Yoga is known as the yoga of angles and triangles. The use of angles in Kundalini Yoga postures, in combination with pranayama, mantras and mudras, is one of the main reasons that Kundalini Yoga works as quickly as it does. The angles put pressure on the glands to secrete. When a posture is released and the body is still, the glandular secretions that have been stimulated have an opportunity to circulate freely. The result is a balanced glandular system that has a definitive effect on your emotional stability through the chemistry of your body.

Q. What does the 3HO Logo stand for?
A. Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization.

Q. Who are the people in White?
A. In these pages, you may have noticed photographs of people who are dressed in white clothing and wearing turbans. Some of these people are Sikhs, many of whom were initially responsible for spreading the 3HO teachings internationally.

Q. Do you have to wear a turban or be a Sikh to practice or teach the 3HO lifestyle?
A. You do not have to be a Sikh or wear a turban to practice or teach the 3HO lifestyle. There are thousands of people that are actively engaged in spreading the 3HO teachings who do not follow the Sikh religion. Nor do all Sikhs utilize the teachings of 3HO in their personal lives.