Starting place for a Kundalini Yoga Practice

I was showing a coworker of mine this great new website I have and he got back to me on it and said:

“Hey man, I am interested in Kundalini Yoga. Can we chat about it sometime?”

I was soo excited that my website had already made an impact inspiring another to try Kundalini. I chatted with him and followed up with the following bits of info.

Getting Started with Kundalini Yoga

1. Set a time for yoga, torns pop up all the time, I tend to suggest waking a little earlier to start your day off on the right foot
2. Buy a Yoga DVD for some expert guidance, I suggest A Journey through the Chakras, okay Ravi Singh, suggested this one to me on the phone one day, but its a great suggestion
3. Find a Kundalini Yoga instructor near you, here is a great Kundalini Yoga Directory
4. Purchase a Yoga book, I suggest the Kundalini Yoga Experience, its got great background info on the chakra system, Numerology, the tools of Kundalini Yoga and Kriyas that focus on specific chakras for balancing
5. Set your intention to integrate Kundalini Yoga into your busy schedule
6. Get Started and keep it up!

There are plenty of other things to do, but this is a great starting point.

I am fortunate enough to have carved out an entire room dedicated to spiritual practice. But you can make due with just some floor space, a yoga mat and some motivating music.

Comments on getting started are most welcome

Hersh

What does a thorn in one’s yoga practice mean to you?

To me it represents a symbol of the things that get in the way of staying true to our practice. Often times a little thing called life can so easily get in the way of keeping up with our practice. I’ve been guilty of it before, something comes up and you simply can’t do your morning Kriyas.

You go on vacation and decide to hold off on practice, you have a deadline on a proposal to make and decide to stay up all night, thus exhausting yourself the following morning.

So many things can get in the way of impeeding our yoga practice. This is a natural occurance, what is important is how you deal with those things and how you keep on top of your yoga.

I began my teacher training program late last year. I have not been able to complete my training because I had a thorn in my hand for the past 8 months, okay kind of crazy I know but I didn’t realize I had a thorn in my hand till recently.

Now this thron, which was about an inch in size did keep me from continuing with my teacher training program, but it did not hinder my practice. I continued to practice yoga almost daily at home. Now that this thorn has been removed from my hand I am ready to continue to follow my path to teach and inspire others.

Kundalini Yoga is a yoga that fits into ones busy lifestyle and allows you to excel in your daily life. Practice is not a thing to be sacrificed. Practice is sacred, and must be endured if it is to help transform your life.

The thorn in my yoga practice, (teacher practice really) has been removed.

What can you do to remove the thorn from your yoga practice???

 

Certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor

 

Lisa Lawrence is a nationally certified Kundalini Yoga instructor who began her practice in 1975 with Ravi Singh Khalsa.

Spiritual Name- Guru Anand Kaur - Teacher of the Wisdom of Bliss, came from Master Yogi Bhajan.

Lisa started teaching with Sant Kaur at UW Sports & Fitness Center and then took over the yoga program for meriter hospital.  She moved on through the Mound Street Collective and helped to start the yoga program for the UW min-courses.

Through her work with Yogi Bhajan, Ravi Singh and Gurmukh Lisa has been able to certify over a dozen teachers through her local Teacher Training Program, including Courtney Oftedahl.  (Hershel is currently in the process of finishing the program)

Lisa brings more than 30 years of yoga experience.  We are fortunate to have Lisa’s guidance available to help to deepen our yoga practice.

 

Kundalini Yoga Instructor

Courtney Lane Oftedahl has thrown her hat in the ring to be a Co-Operator of the Kundalini Yoga Blog. Wahooo!

Spiritual teacher Courtney Lane Oftedahl was certified in Kundalini Yoga by Instructor Lisa Lawrence of The Kundalini Research Institute. She has attended various workshops by nationally known Yoga Master Ravi Singh Khalsa of N.Y.C. Courtney has also worked extensively with individuals who have developmental disabilities.

The main focus of her instruction is working with asana (postures and exercises), pranayama (breathing techniques), and the practice of meditation. These are the tools of Yoga, tools to pick up and use to change ourselves for the better, to drop self defeating patterns and to live to our deepest and highest idea of who we are.

Background of Krishan Singh

I began my yoga practice back in 2004. At that time in my life something was missing, something more than the usual speed of life. I had such a hole in my life that it manifested as a phisical ailment and I was forced to go into the hospital for testing on my stomach. Nothing was medically wrong with me. What was wrong was my connection to that greater source of purpose and understanding. For some time I had been thinking,”Hershel, there is no way you can see yourself lifting weights through your 80′s, maybe you should try Yoga”

Then while visiting with my friends Jason and Sarah I was fortunate enough for Sarah to provide a Reiki healing session on me. It turns out I had a blockage of energy in my 5th chakra, my center of communication. Throught the reiki session a miraculous event occured. When Sarah located the stuck energy, she concentrated really hard…

All of the sudden an emense wave of energy, kundalini, shot up from the base of my spine and out through my throat center. It was an experience I shall never forget. I thought to myself,

“Perhaps I should learn more about these things called Chrkras”

In my studies I actually found a Yoga that focused on the Chakras, Kundalini Yoga. It was divine free will at its greatest. Since then I practice kundaliniy yoga nearly every day.

My first instructor was Courtney Ofetdahl. In time I began to realize that I could help fulfill my soul purpose by helping others to find their path through Yoga. And so I worked with Courtenay’s instructor, Lisa Lawrence on training for instruction. I am still in training with one of the finest Kundalini Yoga instructors. Lisa received her yoga instruction through Ravi Singh.

I am fortunate to have come to Yoga and to be surrounded with such brilliant lights upon the planet. As I continue my studies in Yoga and in the Charkras, those seven supplemental centers of energy I hope to share my experiences so that they may gain the benefits that Kundalini Yoga has provided me.

I am a Level II Reiki Practicioner, and recieved my attunement via Ester Turner. Ester Turner has also been my teacher in, Light Body Meditation course work. By integrating reiki and my meditations into my yoga practice I have been able to become more in tune with my own chakra system. This has allowed for a deeper understanding of self, which in turns allows for a deeper understanding of the Whole.
Sat Nam.