A discussion around Kundalini Yoga, and Yoga Nidra

Kundalini Yoga, should it be practised in an Ashram?

Swamiji asks what is meant by Kundalini Yoga, as in his opinion, every kind of Yoga, even the most basic asana, is ultimately about awakening primal energy, which is Kundalini Yoga. Awakening  this  energy allows us to see beyond our conditioning, beyond our limited perspective.

More traditionally, Kundalini Yoga relates to Kriya Yoga and the Chakras. Swamiji explains that when he teaches the subject he may spend a while teaching about the Chakras, before moving into the practice of Kriya Yoga.

Every kind of Yoga, even
the most basic asana, is
ultimately about awakening
primal energy, which is
Kundalini Yoga

We could say that work on the Chakras can help to unravel ‘Knots’. These blocks are an inevitable part of growing up and being influenced by opinions and prejudices, first and most importantly, by our parents. Primal emotions such as fear can be locked in as muscle and fascia patterns, and deep emotional and memory patterns, also can be locked in the energetic body. Who knows the exact path by which such blockages become embedded, but undoubtedly, Yoga is a way to start unravelling them, although at first it can stir things up as it uncovers blockages;  issues come to the surface either to be recognised and dissipate as a result of being recognised, or to be dealt with. Not only that, blockages tie up energy, so their resolution frees up that energy to use in more positive ways.

Swamiji’s conclusion about learning Kundalini Yoga in an ashram is that it is a good idea, as the ashram does provide a safe environment to start working with that energy in the more traditional definition of Kundalini Yoga.

Teaching Yoga Nidra

Then a question about the teaching of Yoga Nidra. Clearly, the person wishing to teach must have experience of the technique first, whatever it is. Yoga Nidra is a profoundly relaxing practice but because of this, there is also the possibility that subconscious issues may come up to the surface. So this ties in with the previous question about working with energy. The teacher has to be sensitive to the class and especially during visualisation they need to be open to intuition. Swamiji gives an example of a Yoga Nidra that he gave one time in India where one of the visualisations caused a strong reaction in a person, bringing a significant memory to the surface. So we must be in a position to help with such a reaction should it happen.

We use Visualisation
because images are
at a deeper mind
level than thoughts.

If we are a Yoga  Teacher, then we probably need to do a training course before teaching Yoga Nidra. Done correctly and with confidence, Yoga Nidra is a very powerful therapeutic tool as well as potentially bringing profound relaxation. We use Visualisation because images are at a deeper mind level than thoughts. Think of some of the profound images you may have had in dreams for example. And take this further, is it possible that dream images may come from what Jung  called the ‘collective unconscious’. And to take this even further, within that collective unconscious we may find ‘Primordial images’, also called ‘Archetypal’ images. Nidra means ‘sleep’ and as has been explained, the same applies to the world of images in Yoga Nidra, as in sleep.

So there’s  a lot more to Yoga Nidra than just relaxation; actually it can be considered to be a meditation practice.  And because it can be profound, if it’s going to be a Yoga Nidra with Visualisation and you know someone there is in a period of crisis, it is best that they sit rather than lie, so the body doesn’t allow them to go so deep.

The ‘State of the World’

The final question asks Swami Nishchalananda how he feels about the ‘state of the World’ in respect of the disasters that seem to be happening worldwide.  He talks of a paradoxical nature; deeply feeling suffering of others, as many of us do, but having a deep trust also. Recorded history of life on this planet is actually a grain of sand on the beach which is eternity. Therein the paradox, the importance to us of our personality and the world around us, yet it’s insignificance in the vast reaches of Time. This opens up the whole topic of Thinking, and the function of the Mind. For sure the mind allows us to function in a material world, but by definition it cannot comprehend the world beyond, or outside of, the mind. In the practice of Yoga we can have a state of non-thinking, temporarily of course, but during that state there is an understanding related to simply being; a deeper level of Reality.

Buddha said, the World is Suffering, ‘Dukha’, but as human beings this recognition can also engender Compassion.