A Brief Introduction to Kundalini Yoga Meditation

*The excerpt below is taken from David Shannahoff-Khalsa’s book “Sacred Therapies.” More of Shannahoff-Khalsa’s books and resources are here.

The meditation techniques and other yogic practices in this book are commonly referred to as “Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.” This descriptor helps to differentiate these techniques and this system of teachings from other schools and systems of yoga and meditation, whether they are currently taught in India or in the West, including any other system that might be called Kundalini yoga. Yogi Bhajan openly taught these techniques to the public during his life in the West from 1969 to 2004. Prior to his efforts, these techniques had been kept secret for approximately the last three millennia, and during this time they were taught only by a master to select disciples. These masters were few in number, but they remained as guardians of these once secret and sacred ancient techniques. The reason for the secrecy during the last 3,000 years resulted initially from a nomadic invasion in India that forced the teachings underground. The invaders knew that these powerful techniques would make it much more difficult to control and exploit the masses if they were empowered by their practice. Consequently, the invaders forbade the practice of these techniques (Shannahoff-Khalsa, 2012). During this long era of secrecy, others were left mostly with only remnants of the original integrated parent science of yoga and meditation, what we refer to here as “Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.” Before this suppression, this highly integrated, evolved, and comprehensive science was practiced openly by both the dedicated yogis and the common householder. Thanks to Yogi Bhajan’s efforts, it is now again possible to bring these teachings to humanity at large. He recognized that extraordinary societal need along with the newly emerged spiritual hunger to become awakened and to better understand the nature of the human psyche and consciousness itself. Why these techniques did not reemerge in society once India again became a sovereign country remains a matter of speculation.