I like to think I’m immune to celebrity endorsement. But then, a few years ago, I heard about a yoga teacher who counts Cindy Crawford, David Duchovny, Courtney Love and Annette Bening among her clientele. And she was coming to Vancouver. Quick as a paparazzo snapping a shot, I signed up.

Gurmukh Kaur Kahlsa teaches one of my favorite styles of yoga: Kundalini, a fast-paced, dynamic style of yoga that strengthens the nervous system (and, if my aching muscles were any indication after my first session—your entire body). Classes with my Kundalini teacher had not only helped me get in shape, they’d enabled me to tap into an inner strength I never knew I had.

About Kundalini

Kundalini is a fun, dynamic, fast-paced form of yoga, designed to balance and energize your body. The bliss-boosting benefits include weight control; stress, anxiety and insomnia relief; lymphatic cleansing; and developing will power. Each class includes a mind-calming mantra, warm-up, posture set, deep relaxation and meditation. Definitely not your average, pose-and-hold style, Kundalini even satisfies the “yoga is boring” set.

Top Five Take-Away Tips

1. The mind creates the body. Habitual, body-protecting thoughts formed when we’re young can create weaknesses, illnesses, and injuries when we get older. Case(s) in point: “You have blood sugar issues, so you will feel shaky if you do these exercises without stopping to eat.” “You have a bad back, so after you lift this table, it will hurt.” “You have anxiety, so after this busy week, you will feel very anxious.”
2. Don’t let your mind tell you you can’t. “Oh yeah?! Just watch me.” In a Kundalini class or workshop we challenge ourselves to drop out of our head and into our heart. We don’t move into any pain, but we do move beyond our limitations. We breathe deep, think strong, and believe our teacher when she says “You can do it. Just a little bit more”—even after 100 squats. Our mind’s “You can’t” becomes “I just did.”
3. Dancing. You know that feeling when you go to a concert and everyone there, including you, vocalizes the same words, same thoughts, and same emotions, at the same time? And you all shake your booty with abandon? That’s yoga, baby. In Kundalini, we sometimes dance it up, to bhangra music, to Sanskrit music, and, sometimes, to Love Inc.’s “You’re a Superstar.” We close our eyes and suddenly, we’re dropping self-conscious, self-limiting thoughts, and maybe, just maybe even smiling right into the eyes of the people around us.
4. Mantras matter. It’s nothing new to read that repeated sounds, words, or phrases can help us tap into that inner source of spirituality. But how often do we address those other mantras, the ones we tell ourselves? “I’m stressed,” “I don’t have enough money,” “I’m too fat,” I’m too shy,” “I can’t do it,” Imagine what might happen if you change your negative mantra, to one that lifts you up, the possibilities are endless.
5. You’re stronger than you think you are. In the right atmosphere, we can tap into that strength we all have, deep inside, that’s always there. Once we do it, we can do it again and again, any time life throws us a curve ball. Never give up.

Where to Find Kundalini

Vancouver: Private Sessions at Joy Yoga, Semperviva Yoga, and Exhale Studio.

Toronto: Bliss Yoga Studio; Liberty Movement Studio.

New York: Golden Bridge; Kundalini Yoga East.

Los Angeles: Golden Bridge; Yoga West.

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Kundalini Yoga With Gurmukh

Photo courtesy of Lindsey Lewis.