Kundalini Yoga/Hatha Yoga

[Guest guest]

I wonder if any of our members could clarify the relationship between

Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga?

 

Obviously, Kundalini Yoga is the yoga most closely associatied with

Shakti Sadhana. It is that intensive, meditative discipline aimed at

opening the subtle body's energy centers (chakras) and allowing the

energy (shakti) of Devi move upward to unite with Shiva in the

highest chakra (sahasraara). Suffice it to say that the philosophy of

Kundalini Yoga is highly esoteric and complex, a botomless source of

fascination, study and meditation.

 

Most studies I've seen mention the importance of Hatha Yoga --

physical asanas, postures -- in aiding the meditative aspects of the

discipline. But, aside from some recommendations that the sadhak

employ pranayama techniques (i.e., control of life force through self-

manipulation of the breath), I've seen little in the way of specific

recommendations as to which specific hatha yoga asanas are most

conducive to the practice of Kundalini Yoga.

 

So my question is: Are there any specific asanas that are

particularly recommended for Kundalini Yoga? Or is nearly any hatha

yoga practice sufficient to aid this discipline? Any and all input

would be appreciated.

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe

[Guest guest]

Kundalini Yoga and SriVidya upaasana are one and the

same. It is a meditative dicipline and the easiest

path I have seen in SriVidya upaasana. Sri Vidya is

Kundalini.

It is a long and arduous journy.

Asanas help to make you physically fit to withstand

the changes that come with the rising of Kundalini.

I have NOT had that experience.

 

Menon

--- devi_bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote:

> I wonder if any of our members could clarify the

> relationship between

> Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga?

>

> Obviously, Kundalini Yoga is the yoga most closely

> associatied with

> Shakti Sadhana. It is that intensive, meditative

> discipline aimed at

> opening the subtle body's energy centers (chakras)

> and allowing the

> energy (shakti) of Devi move upward to unite with

> Shiva in the

> highest chakra (sahasraara). Suffice it to say that

> the philosophy of

> Kundalini Yoga is highly esoteric and complex, a

> botomless source of

> fascination, study and meditation.

>

> Most studies I've seen mention the importance of

> Hatha Yoga --

> physical asanas, postures -- in aiding the

> meditative aspects of the

> discipline. But, aside from some recommendations

> that the sadhak

> employ pranayama techniques (i.e., control of life

> force through self-

> manipulation of the breath), I've seen little in the

> way of specific

> recommendations as to which specific hatha yoga

> asanas are most

> conducive to the practice of Kundalini Yoga.

>

> So my question is: Are there any specific asanas

> that are

> particularly recommended for Kundalini Yoga? Or is

> nearly any hatha

> yoga practice sufficient to aid this discipline?

> Any and all input

> would be appreciated.

>

> Aum Maatangyai Namahe

>

>

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear AS:

If we go by shaastra if you look at the Bhalashruti of

Lalitasahasranaama it is said that vashinyaadi vaag

devatas who are the rishis of Lalitaa sahasranama will

be angry if it is recited by a non shrividya upasaka.

That is the tradition I grew up in.

Then I came across Sri Vidyaarnava tantra and Sri

Vidya Rathnakara. Even though I disagree with the

vaidik interpolations in Sri Vidya Ratnaakara,

One portion I remember vividly. I am quoting from

memory. So if there are mistakes the wise may forgive

me

 

shri vishnu sharmmanaha shishyaha pragalbhaachaarya

pandithaha

thachishyena mayaa prokthe grandhe asmin

pooirnathaamgathe

Aavirasee jagadhaattree mahaamaayaamamaagrataha

OIthi Provaacha “Bho vatsa vruneeshwa varameepsitam”

Thadokthwaanaham maatharmmathkrutham grandhamuthamam

Drushtwaa gurukramam mantraan gurutwena vibhaavyamaam

Deekshaam vinaaapi bhaktyaa tu ye japati saadhakaha

Theeshaamati tharaam sidhirbhavathwiti mamepsitam

Suprasannaa thadaa devi thathadhaiva bhavatwiti

 

In another place it is said that

Gurukramamavijnaaya poojayet paraam shivaam

Saa poojaa nishbhalajneyaa Bhasmanyarppitha havyavat

 

I personally accept the first view. So if youi get all

the details from a proper book and have understood the

correct import (that is where the catch is!! The books

assume you know certain things and do not speak of

them) then the mantra can be recited. Sri Vidya

upaasana has some pitfalls that only a Guru can guide

you though. Though not essential, it is better to have

a guru.

Similerly IMHO reciting lalita sahasranama without

knowing the full import also confers GREAT results.

Immagine reciting it knowing the full meaning. Anybody

who takes up reciting Lalitasahasranama as an upasana

should also read “Lalitopaakhyaana” then will have

full knowledge of the meanings (not the technical

meanings in the Bhashyas) and it will be a meditation

in itself that will put HER in front of you in the

physical form before your eyes of flesh. I say this

from personal experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

--- adi_shakthi16 <adi_shakthi16 wrote: -

dear sankara, this is absolutely true... in fact, one

of my closest friends, harshananda , also a sree vidya

upasaka, told me that by reciting the sri lalita

sahasaranama daily with sincerity and devotion, the

'kundalini' will be automatically awakened... in fact,

today is friday... as a tamilian my mom as well as my

mother- in-law advised me to chant the 1000 names of

sree lalita as it confers lot of 'phalashruti' (fruits

of recitation) on the devotee... in fact, the kaula

margis worship sree lalita as

OM KURUKULLAYAI NAMAHA salutations to Her who is the

Deity kurukulla.

Om kulesvaryai namaha salutations to Her who is the

ruler of the Kula (susumna)

Om kula-kundalayayai namaha salutations to HER who is

the Deity in the kulakunda (the muladhara) also, you

are absolutely right- the chanting of sree lalita's

name is equivalent to sree vidya upasana. salutations

to Her whose mantra (sree vidya) is always fruitful.

om vidyayaii namaha salutations to Her who is vidya,

the knowledge that gives spiritual enlightenment. om

atma-vidyayaii namaha salutations to HER who is

atma-vidya, the doctrine of the self. om mahavidyayaii

namaha salutations to Her who is maha-vidya , the

great doctrine (also a deity) om srividyayaii namaha

salutations to HER who is SREE-VIDYA ( the fifteen

lettered mantra of the devi) furthermore, om

kundalinyaii namaha salutations to HER who resaides in

the muladhara as the ***kundalini*** so, thanks

sankara--- for bringing this to our attention- yes

!!!! sri-vidya upasana itself leads to kundalini

awakening? i have a question for you? pleasse, advise

me... while one can chant the 1000 names of sree

lalita tripura mahasundari, i am told one cannot chant

the panchakshari and shodashi mantra without

initiation and also cannot perform the 'sree yantra'

puja without the guidance of a guru? love --

 

In , sankara menon <kochu1tz

wrote:

 

Kundalini Yoga and SriVidya upaasana are one and the

same. It is a meditative dicipline and the easiest

path I have seen in SriVidya upaasana. Sri Vidya is

Kundalini. It is a long and arduous journy. Asanas

help to make you physically fit to withstand the

changes that come with the rising of Kundalini. I have

NOT had that experience. Menon ---

 

devi_bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote:

 

I wonder if any of our members could clarify the

relationship between Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga?

Obviously, Kundalini Yoga is the yoga most closely

associatied with Shakti Sadhana. It is that intensive,

meditative discipline aimed at opening the subtle

body's energy centers (chakras) and allowing the

energy (shakti) of Devi move upward to unite with

Shiva in the highest chakra (sahasraara). Suffice it

to say that the philosophy of Kundalini Yoga is highly

esoteric and complex, a botomless source of

fascination, study and meditation. Most studies I've

seen mention the importance of Hatha Yoga -- physical

asanas, postures -- in aiding the meditative aspects

of the discipline. But, aside from some

recommendations that the sadhak employ pranayama

techniques (i.e., control of life force through self-

manipulation of the breath), I've seen little in the

way of specific recommendations as to which specific

hatha yoga asanas are most conducive to the practice

of Kundalini Yoga. So my question is: Are there any

specific asanas that are particularly recommended for

Kundalini Yoga? Or is nearly any hatha yoga practice

sufficient to aid this discipline? Any and all input

would be appreciated. Aum Maatangyai Namahe

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Ya i agree. Even though Devi herself initiated me into

saraswati mantra, sill I am not really upto it (I

feel) though people who hear me in court say that was

Devi's blessings that we heard!! *smile*

 

Menon

 

PS. Now that we are friends I think I should ask you

to call me Kochu which is the name my friends call me

*smile*

=================================================

--- adi_shakthi16 <adi_shakthi16 wrote:

> thanks sankra! yes! there is some beauty and

divinity in chanting sree laita sahasaranama- as a

lover nof poetry, i always loved reading saundarya

lahari and reciting vishnu and lalta sahasaranama--

when you start chanting this on a regular basis, they

start ggrowing on you! that is what attracted me to

adi shankra,the master poet! the king of alliteration,

similies and metaphors-- he was really gifted - looked

like the goddess saraswati herself was speaking

through his lyrics- his kanakadhara stotram,annapurna

ashtakam,, govindashtakam and baja govindam transports

you into another world- a world of joy and ecstasy-

such beautiful lyrics with magical quality! won't you

agree?

 

i always chant sree lalita sahasaranama with m.s.

subbalakshmi's cd...

i feel so good this morning because of that!!!!

love

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

OM db

 

Hatha Yoga is the generic term for any combination of

pranayama and asana. So, a Kundalini Yoga practice is also a

Hatha Yoga practice. The ultimate purpose of a Hatha Yoga

practice is to make the aspirant a fit vehicle for being presented

to God. Practically, this means to make the body and mind fit

vehicles for meditation and to create the conditions for Kundalini

to form and move up to the Sahasrara Chakra. So, every Hatha

Yoga practice is also a Kundalini Yoga practice. Incidentally, the

term 'Hatha Yoga' is a synonym for 'Kundalini'.

 

Sometimes, a particular approach to Hatha Yoga is given a

particular name. The approach of Swami Vishnu-devananda to

Hatha Yoga was called Sivananda Yoga in honour of his Guru,

Swami Sivananda. Sri Pattabi Jois gave the name Ashtanga

Yoga to his approach to Hatha Yoga. Yogi Bhajan gave the name

Kundalini Yoga to his approach to Hatha Yoga. The apparent

differences between these and other forms of Hatha Yoga are

there to accommodate aspirants of different natures and karma.

 

In the Hatha Yoga and meditation classes that I teach I

specifically recommend that people not take Kundalini Yoga for 2

reasons.

 

First, to practice Hatha Yoga with the view of raising Kundalini is

apt to be an ego-based reason and therefore misleading and

dangerous. One should practice Hatha Yoga with the view of

making themself fit to come into God's presence. This approach

tends to make one less egoless, more devotional and therefore

less likely to experience difficulties if and when Kundalini does

arise.

 

Second, I have never met a Kundalini Yoga teacher who has

actually experienced Kundalini rising.This lack of experience

means that those teachers cannot be of help to those students

who may experience Kundalini rising. This lack of support is

dangerous in the extreme. In Ottawa, I am part of a small

informal group who counsel those who have difficulty with

Kundalini, so I know first hand how dangerous, even lethal,

Kundalini can be to the unprepared mind and body.

 

Finally, to answer your question. While there are specific forms

of pranayama, and specific asanas, mudras and bandhas that

one can practice to encourage Kundalini to form, no responsible

person is going to talk about those openly on the internet. It is

not that they are secret, but that they should be undertaken under

the personal direction of a qualified teacher. Some of them are

incorporated in most Hatha Yoga sequences but are preceeded

and followed by purification pranayamas/asanas to clear nadis

and balance chakras.

 

You are correct that nearly any hatha yoga practice is sufficient to

aid the formation of Kundalini (with the exception of those Hatha

Yoga practices that are geared toward physical/mental therapy).

But, hopefully, Kundalini will arise only after the conscious and

subconscious minds have been pacified and turned to God, after

the physical body has been destressed and returned to an

optimal condition, after the pranamaya kosha, the subtle energy

system, has also been destressed and internally balanced, and

after the practitioner has developed patience, inner focus,

equinimity, and grace.

 

 

OM Aim Saraswatyai Namah

 

Omprem

 

 

, "devi_bhakta" <devi_bhakta>

wrote:

> I wonder if any of our members could clarify the relationship

between

> Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga?

>

> Obviously, Kundalini Yoga is the yoga most closely associatied

with

> Shakti Sadhana. It is that intensive, meditative discipline aimed

at

> opening the subtle body's energy centers (chakras) and

allowing the

> energy (shakti) of Devi move upward to unite with Shiva in the

> highest chakra (sahasraara). Suffice it to say that the

philosophy of

> Kundalini Yoga is highly esoteric and complex, a botomless

source of

> fascination, study and meditation.

>

> Most studies I've seen mention the importance of Hatha Yoga

--

> physical asanas, postures -- in aiding the meditative aspects

of the

> discipline. But, aside from some recommendations that the

sadhak

> employ pranayama techniques (i.e., control of life force through

self-

> manipulation of the breath), I've seen little in the way of specific

> recommendations as to which specific hatha yoga asanas are

most

> conducive to the practice of Kundalini Yoga.

>

> So my question is: Are there any specific asanas that are

> particularly recommended for Kundalini Yoga? Or is nearly any

hatha

> yoga practice sufficient to aid this discipline? Any and all input

> would be appreciated.

>

> Aum Maatangyai Namahe

[Guest guest]

OM Adi Shakthi

 

 

You mention that "The entire tantrik sadhana is actually is aimed

at awakening the 'kundalini' shakti" but also add that "mantra

japa of the name of the divine mother, other purificatory rites and

rituals and yantra worship" are also part of a tantric approach.

 

This no different from the Raja Yoga of Patanjali. The eight Raja

Yoga angas, two of which are asana and pranayama (in other

words, Hatha Yoga) are also geared to purification and to the

raising of Kundalini. So, one cannot say that Raja Yoga is

superior to Hatha Yoga because Hatha Yoga is part of Raja

Yoga. The Raja Yogi practices many of the aspects of the other

six angas while practicing asana and pranayama. To not

practise the other six angas is to merely practice a form of

physical and mental therapy although the resulting increase in

prana will likely inflate the ego and lead one further into despair

and estrangement.

 

Every authentic spiritual discipline, whether of the East or the

West, seeks to purify the aspirant so that Kundalini can arise. Of

course, they don't always refer to Kundalini rising as such but

that is what must happen for one to have a direct experience of

God.

 

It does not matter whether one is 50 or 15, it is unlikely that

anyone would be able to do all the asanas at first. You focus on

what you can do and forget what you cannot. With practice, all

things are possible.

 

It is not necessarily true that what goes up must come down.

That formula assumes one remains locked in the phenomenal

world. The person who is truly Self-Realised takes Kundalini up

to the Sahasrara Chakra and keeps it there. As karma is burned

away and there is no longer any need to remain in the body on

the earthly plane, so the Jivanmukti will enter the Turiya state and

leave his/her body in a few days.

 

If one is not able to hold Kundalini in the higher Chakras, one

still has the experience of those higher Chakras deep in their

subconscious. This impression will inform all future decisions.

As those decisions become more Sattvic, more infused with

Viveka and Vairagya, the seeker is more and more able to take

Kundalini higher and higher and for longer and longer periods of

time.

 

That is what happens when the Guru gives Shaktipat to his/her

disciples. Naturally, the disciples are unable to retain their

Kundalini at the higher Chakras after the Guru has released

his/her influence on their prana. The Kundalini falls, the disciple

will be alternately disappointed but also elated and energized

because of that brief Kundalini experience. They will have

renewed faith in God and Guru and they will redouble their

Sadhana.

 

Om namah Sivaya

 

Omprem

 

, "adi_shakthi16"

<adi_shakthi16> wrote:

> -

>

> dear ompremji, it is such a delight to open up the group page

and

> find your two well-written posts on 'maya and 'kundalini yoga.' -

is

> not 'kundalini yoga' one of the ways to conquer this elusive

> (illusive) golden deer called 'maya' and strangely our divine

mother

> is called 'kundalini' shakti and she is also called 'maya' !

>

> ""There is no bond equal in strength to Maya, and no power

> greater to

> destroy that bond than Yoga."

>

> so, one of the ways to conquer 'maya' is to practice yoga!!!

>

> The entire tantrik sadhana is actually is aimed at awakening

> the 'kundalini' shakti so SHE can unite with HER lord SHIVA in

the

> sahasara chakra - and tantriks try to accomplish this through a

> discipline of mantra japa of the name of the divine mother,

other

> purificatory rites and rituals and yantra worship. in tantra

> kundalini yoga is synonymous with LAYA yoga... (LAYA HERE

DOES NOT

> HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MUSIC!)

>

> hatha yoga of course demands more discipline- practice of

rigorous

> yoga asanas , following a strict sattwic diet, and as you have

> mentioned following the eight limbs of patanjali yoga-

>

> BUT HERE IS MY BIG QUESTION FOR YOU?

>

> now raja yoga recommends scriptural study (swadyaya) of

vedas,

> upanishads, bhagwat gita, puranas etc along with some

practice of

> hatha yoga (the physical discipline of asanas, mudras ,

pranayama

> etc) - the goal is always 'chitta-vritti-nirodha' (taming the mind

> and withdraw from sense objects) and go towards the higher

ideal of

> spiritual perfection? so, is raja yoga not superior to hatha

yoga? i

> do agree with you 100% that a healthy body is needed to

practice yoga

> and meditation but for spiritual seekers who are 50+ (no young

> chickens!) and who cannot practice all the various asanas, is

there

> not a way out? is this not more appealing and more

intellectually

> pleasing? after all by definition, raja yoga is the king of yogas...

>

>

> also, on another note one always talks about ascent of

kundalini ? we

> know what goes up must also come down! so what about the

descent of

> kundalini? in which case, what is the point in attaining that

'state

> of union' with god if one cannot stay in that state of bliss

> permanently? please, forgive me ompremji -just some

thoughtS that are

> coming to my mind randomly!!! i know you can handle all these

> questions and many more...

>

>

> on another note, ompremji, that was so nice of you to mention

about

> the dangers of *unguifded* kundalini meditation - i have heard

cases

> of spiritual aspirants bursting their cranial nerves during a

sudden

> awakening of 'kundalini'!

>

> In any case, the goal of all yoga should be to be attain a state

of

> sat-chit-ananda (truth-bliss-consciousness) -once we realize

that

> state of oneness , nothing else matters!!!

>

> hari om tat sat!!!