Kundalini classes in Tenerife
Breath, mantra and movement to awaken energy.
Kundalini yoga combines breathing techniques, repetitive movements, held postures, chanting and meditation into set sequences called kriyas. It looks and feels quite different from most yoga classes, with more breath and sound and fewer classic poses.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What Kundalini does for you
You get an intense, unusual kind of practice: rapid breathing that leaves your hands tingling, arm holds that test your patience, and chanting you feel humming in your chest. Many people leave feeling buzzing and clear, or deeply relaxed, sometimes both. Because most of it happens seated or lying down, you do not need to be flexible or strong to join in. It suits you if you want your practice to feel like an experience rather than a stretch.
It suits you if
- you want something different from posture-based yoga
- you are drawn to breathwork, mantra and meditation
- you are not especially flexible
- you want to leave feeling energized
Read the full guide to KundaliniWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Classes typically run 60 to 90 minutes and follow a set shape: an opening chant, warm-ups, a kriya (a fixed sequence of breath, movement and postures), a relaxation, often to a gong, and a meditation with mantra, sometimes 11 minutes or longer. Expect repetitive movements held for one to three minutes at a time, fast breathing such as breath of fire, eyes closed much of the time, and chanting in Gurmukhi, the script used for Punjabi. Facilitators often wear white and sometimes a head covering; you do not have to. You may get warm, but the sweat is usually modest.
Your first time
- Wear loose, comfortable clothes and bring a shawl or blanket for relaxation and meditation.
- Come on a light stomach, especially for the breathing exercises.
- Tell the facilitator it is your first time and mention any medical conditions or pregnancy.
- Bring water and a cushion if you have one; much of the class is spent sitting cross-legged.
Good to know
- Some kriyas use fast, forceful breathing such as breath of fire; if you are pregnant or have epilepsy, a heart condition or high blood pressure, check with your doctor first and tell the facilitator.
- Expect chanting in Gurmukhi and spiritual language; you can listen rather than join in.
- Arm holds and repetitive movements can be tough; it is fine to rest and rejoin.
Where it comes from
Kundalini is a much older idea than the class. In Indian tantric and hatha yoga texts, kundalini is described as a coiled energy at the base of the spine that practice can awaken and draw upward through the body's energy centers (chakras).
The style taught in studios today comes from Harbhajan Singh Puri, known as Yogi Bhajan, who arrived in Los Angeles from India in 1968 and founded the organization 3HO in 1969. He taught kriyas, mantra and meditation to a young countercultural crowd, combining yogic techniques with Sikh-derived chanting and dress.
Yogi Bhajan presented the practice as an ancient tradition kept secret until he taught it openly. Historians, including Philip Deslippe, who once taught the style himself, argue that it was largely his own synthesis of techniques learned from other Indian figures and from Sikh practice.
Yogi Bhajan died in 2004. In 2020 an independent investigation commissioned by organizations he founded found it more likely than not that he had sexually abused followers, and the community has since been divided over his legacy, with many facilitators now teaching the techniques while openly distancing themselves from him. In Berlin, kundalini has an active community, often overlapping with gong relaxation and evening meditation.
Words you will hear
- Kriya
- A set sequence of breath, movement and posture practiced in a fixed order.
- Breath of fire
- Rapid, rhythmic breathing through the nose, driven by pumping the belly.
- Sat Nam
- A mantra often translated as "truth is my identity", used in chanting and as a greeting.
- Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo
- The opening chant, often translated as "I bow to the subtle divine wisdom within".
- Mudra
- A hand position held during breathing or meditation.