Thinking about kundalini yoga

[blis]

I've been thinking I'd like to start doing kundalini yoga.

Does anyone here practice it? Is it the sort of thing I could learn from a book or would I need a teacher? I've got no prevoius yoga experience but have been meditating and doing energy work for a while now. Kundalini yoga is like a combination of the two right?

If learning from a book is do-able any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks, 'blis.

[CFTraveler]

I practice it.
I do recommend a teacher, (I was given a tape by a teacher, who left after teaching me a couple of classes.) and so far so good.
ATM I have no supervision but nothing has happened, it's pretty straightforward.

[grzazek]

If its the kundalini you want to raise can I suggest LSD!? 

[blis]

If its the kundalini you want to raise can I suggest LSD!? 

Yikes! It's taken years for my mind to recover from LSD. I wouldnt recommend it to anyone. I'm not in any great rush to raise my kundalini.

I wouldnt be able to see a teacher often as they only let me out of prison one week each month and I've got very little money for classes. I might do the same as you CFT and take a few lessons and then go it alone with a book or something.

Thanks.

[Xanth]

I don't know too much about this form of Yoga, but I do know that learning from a book isn't the best idea.
If you have the basic forms down, then it's not so bad.  But, you miss out on having an educated hand with you to assist in working out problems as they occur.

My first aikido sensei had a saying, he disagreed with the saying "Practice makes perfect"... he found it to be not exact enough.
He preferred to say, "PERFECT practice makes perfect".  And it's hard to practice perfectly by a book. 

[CFTraveler]

I think all senseis say that.     My two former senseis said that all the time.
I didn't use a book, I use a DVD my former teacher gave me.

[Xanth]

I think all senseis say that.     My two former senseis said that all the time.
I didn't use a book, I use a DVD my former teacher gave me.

Damn, I just thought he was smart.
Oh well!    LoL

[Stookie]

I've found the main problem with using books and videos alone, is that if you think you're doing it correctly and don't question it, you can develop incorrect habits, positions, forms, etc., and you don't have anyone to correct you before it starts to become ingrained. I've heard with martial arts that there are instructors who have to spend too much time breaking bad patterns in students who spent a lot of time previously with videos.

But if that's your only way, what else are ya gonna do?

[Xanth]

I've found the main problem with using books and videos alone, is that if you think you're doing it correctly and don't question it, you can develop incorrect habits, positions, forms, etc., and you don't have anyone to correct you before it starts to become ingrained. I've heard with martial arts that there are instructors who have to spend too much time breaking bad patterns in students who spent a lot of time previously with videos.

But if that's your only way, what else are ya gonna do?

I can actually provide a real life example of this that happened during my training just the other night.

Sensei walks around while we're training with partners, and as usual, he'll walk past me, stare at my technique for a bit... *I* think I'm strong doing whatever it is I'm doing, but he will always find something that needs adjusting because it's just out.  Then afterwords, my technique is a 100x's better.  LoL

There's ALWAYS something that needs adjusting.  >_<

[blis]

All good points.

I actually started reading a book earlier and tried an exercise where you do alternate nostril breathing while pulling energy up to your brow chakra through the nostril you're breathing through. It made me feel a bit wierd.

I think I should probably take your advice and speak to a teacher before I do anything else. Without guidance I dont know if what I'm doing and the effects I get are what is intended or something else.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[omcasey]

blis,

In traditional (hatha) yoga- as in the hatha yoga pradipika- the sat kriyas (six cleansing practices) are practiced first- before the poses, breathing, etc..  As a yoga teacher myself, who teaches through the breath, I would recommend before you begin the breathing you begin jala neti.  Just like you would wash your teeth and your body, in jala neti water is taken in to clean the nasal passages.  It is poured through one nostril and out the other.  You can find a neti pot in most health food stores.

Here is a very simple video~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8sDIbRAXlg


You could begin this on your own now, while waiting to find your teacher for the rest .

[CFTraveler]

I've been using my neti pot a lot lately- I had no idea I was doing yoga!

[omcasey]

Traditional practice none the less!

[blis]

Weird coincidence, I just tried that this morning for the first time(sort of) and now I'm reading this.

I've got a bad cold and had recently read about the technique in a book on therapeutic yoga I got from the library.

So when I was in the shower this morning I tried tilting my head round so the water could go up my nose. Needless to say it wasnt a pleasant experience lol. I'll need to try making one of these neti pots. I reckon a plastic bottle and small plastic tube like a pen should do the trick.

Thanks for the advice.

[Pauli2]

It could be good to read just a little about the kundalini dangers:

http://kundalini-support.com/awakenings.html
http://www.kundalini-gateway.org/warn.html
http://www.kundalinicare.com/aboutkundalini3.html

google is your friend

[CFTraveler]

Weird coincidence, I just tried that this morning for the first time(sort of) and now I'm reading this.

I've got a bad cold and had recently read about the technique in a book on therapeutic yoga I got from the library.

So when I was in the shower this morning I tried tilting my head round so the water could go up my nose. Needless to say it wasnt a pleasant experience lol. I'll need to try making one of these neti pots. I reckon a plastic bottle and small plastic tube like a pen should do the trick.

Thanks for the advice.

It will be more pleasant and less shocking to the system if you put a little salt in the water.  The bottle may be enough without the tube- if you lean just right i'tll go up the right way.  I have used a teapot or a 'creamer' container before I had a bona fide netipot.