pose

Kundalini Yoga

helps you withstand

changes of time
Shiv Charan Singh is an unassuming and
authentic teacher as well as an outstanding
spiritual counsellor who has worked globally
with groups and individuals for over 30 years.
He is the founding director of the International
Kriya School, which trains students and
teachers in Kundalini Yoga, Spiritual
Consultancy and Applied Numerology all over
the world. He was recently in Dubai to conduct
UAEs first ever Kundalini Yoga Teacher
Training and gave an exclusive interview to
YogaLifes Kish and Jaya Goyal Kumar

hiv charan Singh is the founding director of the Karam

Kriya School and Kriya centre for Kundalini Yoga in
North London. Scottish by birth, he is an outstanding and
authentic spiritual teacher. Karam Kriya means action in
spiritual awareness. Shiv charan is deeply committed to guiding
students in their spiritual growth so they can bring spiritual
awareness into their everyday lives and develop their full potential
as human beings. He is a skilled counsellor, author of several
books on human communication, the mystery of numbers
and poetry. He runs training programmes throughout europe,
russia and the Lebanon. Over the last ten years he has run the
vibrant and cosmopolitan Karam Kriya School, which offers
a number of courses including an accredited teacher
training in Kundalini Yoga, a form of yoga specifically
practiced to develop spiritual awareness.

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Why do you think thats not the case now?

Several things have changed one is just that Yogi Bhajan
took a risk, and he even indicated how his life was in
danger because of that. People threatened him; people
said that he wouldnt be alive after one year of teaching
Kundalini Yoga to the public. He would describe to us also
how at the change of the age from Piscean to Aquarian
people would experience a lot of problems, and he
foresaw how Kundalini Yoga would benefit everyone.
To experience the full benefits of Hatha Yoga usually
takes a long time, and most of us only have limited time to
practice, given our daily lifestyles. He knew Kundalini Yoga
works quickly and effectively as it stimulates the mind,
body and spirit simultaneously.

What are the differences between Kundalini Yoga

and other traditional forms of yoga?
Kundalini Yoga is a comprehensive form of yoga and
its not different, rather it embraces and includes
asanas, pranayamas, lifestyle and diet. The purpose
of all yoga anyway is to raise the Kundalini, so it
embraces all of that. You could even say Kundalini
Yoga is the real traditional yoga because it was there
prior to a lot of the current branches of yoga.
This was an esoteric, hidden practice until Yogi
Bhajan brought it to the world. Could you explain
why it was a secret practice?
As I understand, there are several reasons why
Kundalini Yoga was not so commonly known. Its a
powerful practice with powerful consequences and
benefits. As in many religious traditions, anything
which is empowering the people, seems to be
unwanted by the priestly classes. So thats definitely
one reason why it got pushed into the hills. The
other reason could be that its easy to follow a
powerful practice but lose the integrity of purpose
as to why youre doing it.

When we have an emotional or mental

issue, problem, argument or discussion
it enters into the physical realm and
gets embedded at the cellular level. By
working on the physical level, you are
clearing the history of emotional and
mental stories of your past
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The basic flowing movements in Kundalini Yoga are

known as kriyas. What are the real benefits of kriyas?
The word kriya means total and complete action. This
can be practiced as an exercise, which needs to be done
whole-heartedly; otherwise its not a kriya.
Also, any sequence that has a particular purpose and
every stage within that sequence serves to complete the
purpose, works on all levels.
At the physical level, it works primarily on the
nervous and glandular systems. These are very
sophisticated parts of the human anatomy, and are
affected by pollutants in the atmosphere and the
stresses of modern living.
So working on harmonising, balancing and
strengthening these systems is a big part of Kundalini
Yoga. It also works on the levels of meridiens, chakras,
nadis and on what we call in Kundalini Yoga, the 10
spiritual bodies.
Additionally, the Kriyas also work on releasing all kinds
of emotional stress?
Yes, some more than others, as they work on many
levels. When we have an emotional or mental issue,
problem, argument or discussion within ourselves or
with somebody, it enters into the physical realm and gets
embedded at the cellular level. By working on the physical
level, you are clearing the history of emotional and mental
stories of your past. So definitely it is poking, provoking
and confronting to elevate.

pose

Its the understood sequence that Kundalini Yoga

achieves and it brings a lot to the surface, which means
that when sometimes people start practicing, its not
always comfortable because there are things that you
have not faced in your life. These issues come into
your consciousness and you need a certain amount of
perseverance to keep up and go through that process to
be released to the other side.
What impact does Kundalini have on the chakras and
also what exactly is Kundalini Awakening?
The word Kundalini means coil of hair, and that has a
double meaning. One is simply that one of the methods
people found for raising Kundalini was to actually keep
their hair on top of the head in a coiled form. As thats
linked to the crown chakra, the highest chakra, you are
creating a kind of a magnetic pull up the spine. So the coil
of hair is almost symbolic also for the dormant energy
at the base of the spine, which is referred to as the first
chakra and the coiled serpent.
You are capable of so much more than you are
achieving today and theres this latent capacity in you
waiting to be stimulated and harnessed into your life.
So when we talk about direction, were talking about
bringing it up the central channel of your spine. If your
spine is strong, you feel strong and can fully face life.

If your spine is weak, again, its like a metaphor for not

feeling that you can withstand what life demands of you.
So traditionally we understand that there are three
major nadis Ida (left), Pingala (right) and the central
Shushumana Nadi. The practice of Kundalini Yoga is set
to collect your Prana and Apana (charging and eliminating forces in you), bring them to the navel area, bring it
down then to the base of the spine, which is where the
first chakra is. Then move it up through the chakras,
clearing, opening, balancing and harmonising them. The
objective is not only to raise the Kundalini through the
chakras, but also to open them up so they are receptive
to an energy charge that can then occur.
So the end is not to just to raise the Kundalini. In a way
thats just the beginning. By opening you become receptive
to receiving through your pranic body, from your subtle
body into your aura, a flow of wisdom from your higher
self, a flow of energy and a flow of light, and, you could
say it awakens in us the higher emotions of compassion,
forgiveness and kindness.
Why is there so much emphasis on mantras?
There are many reasons, in religious terms, you would
say. In the beginning the word was divine, which connects
you with your divine nature. So word, vibration and sound
current is the way to do that.

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When the Kundalini has awakened the brain becomes

fully charged/activated and turns into a superconductor.
Your attention will be like a laser beam, cognitive functions
are enhanced and become more efficient
Sound is yoga in itself. Its a quality, a vibration,
a cause and effect. It has impact upon us, so thats
another part of it.
Besides this technology of sound, there is also the
devotional element of sound. By that I dont mean
religious, but just a sense of heart and surrender. And
that means everything we do in the practice, because
it is very powerful and awakens a greater potentiality
in you. It is done with an attitude of gratitude and
is always heart orientated with compassion. The
mantras are practiced both for their energetic and
vibrational effect, and also as an awakening of the
heart consciousness.
The traditional forms of meditation tend to be
silent and very calm. How do they fit in with the
Kundalini meditations, which are very active?
Kundalini Yoga as were teaching has a wide variety
of meditations. Each meditation has a particular
application. Its working on certain hemispheres of
the brain and its working on glandular stimulation to
balance certain glands and hormones. Its working on
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems,
so its almost a medical approach in terms of its
vastness and application.

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There are practices within meditation, which are

simply to reach a state of intuitive presence and
awareness. We recognise silence as very important,
but almost as an outcome of vibration to work with
a vibration to then reach deeper levels.
We dont overemphasise silence because for
a lot of people its not true silence. They are
sitting there quietly, but their mind is busy.
The meaning of mantra is to vibrate the
mind and make it an instrument. So its
a much more rapid way of actually
controlling the mind, harnessing its
force and making it serve your higher
consciousness, instead of being
controlled by it.
You dont have to sit in silence and
battle with the mind. We dont even
consider it enough of an end game
to just observe the thoughts of the
mind. Let them come and go. We are
saying heres the charge, heres the
energy. The mind needs direction, it needs
training, and mantra is a very powerful way
to cut to the mind and train it, so that it can be
at your beck and call, and serve you.

pose

Does Kundalini Yoga follow the spiritual aspects as

elaborated in Patanjalis 8 limbs of yoga?
Yes, when I say Kundalini Yoga is comprehensive, it
definitely implies the integration of the Ashtanga
of Patanjali. The accelerated nature of it again
reflects the change of the age. As we are living in
the age of acceleration, our practices also have to
be compatible to that. We need a practice that has
a bigger effect in a shorter amount of time and
Kundalini Yoga certainly does that.
Is there any advise or guidance you would like to
share with our readers?
I would say, to recognise that the times we live in is
generating an increased sensitivity on multiple levels,
along with increased isolation or alienation. For us,
the practice of Kundalini Yoga is not just about the
practice; it is also about building community. Practice
of Kundalini Yoga builds in you stamina and inner
strength, so that you are not so affected and reactive
to the environment whether its physical or social.
With so many rapid changes, we need a stronger
sense of our nucleus Who am I beyond all the
changes? Our identity shifts rapidly nowadays. We
need to establish a core identity in us and certainly
Kundalini Yoga is serving to do that to withstand
the changes of the time.
Whats your view on karma? Is it a matter of
freewill or destiny?
In reality, we have very limited freewill. In
terms of the way we live, very little of
what we do is a true free choice.
Its governed and influenced
by so many forces that we
cannot even measure them
all. We have latent freewill
and we are pretending
to be choosers. We
are lying to ourselves
I chose this, I chose
that but we dont
know really what made
us back those choices.
So in pretending, we are
cultivating the aspect in
us, that can actually be
the real free chooser. We
are cultivating that. We are
bringing it into being.
Currently, if you say we choose,

it is pretty much a lie. Its an illusion that the ego

likes to live on, but that doesnt mean theres no
freewill at all.
We are not looking at it as an either-or. Only, we
dont understand the proportion of things. So we can
become a chooser, but youve got a lot to go through
first, which includes dissolving a lot of illusions of
the ego (like when you think you are in control when
actually you are not).
Thats in a lot of ways what karma is.
Destiny is not about where you arrive but what
you become. You are always in the journey of
becoming, and what are you becoming? Thats
destiny. To the extent you can have consciousness,
you can have choice. If I dont know something is the
case, what choice can I make?
So within Kundalini Yoga, we put a lot of emphasis
on consciousness because only if you are aware, you
can begin to bring some influence into the situation
whether to your life or sharing something with
others. The consciousness is a pre-requisite to that.
Consciousness is different from soul, it is always
conscious of something. If your
consciousness gets fascinated, then youre
absorbed into hypnosis, and one way of
coming out of that is by mantra.
Consciousness then just remains free around
the mantra, until ultimately, consciousness
will become conscious of consciousness
itself, and thats self-realisation or liberation.
At this stage there is no karmic force obliging
you to come back.

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