| Pranayama
Techniques
taught during the Nottingham yoga classes  are
the same as found in Swami Ramdev's book 'Pranayam Its
Philosophy & Practice.' The book explains techniques
of pranayama like Bhastrika, Bahya, Kapalbhati, Anulom - Vilom,
Udgeeth, Bhramri and Ujjayee, and also explains about the
chakras, and the kundalini, and Kundalini Awakening
Kundalini
Awakening The
Kundalini energy has also been known by western mysticism
as “The Mystical Marriage.” Firstly let’s
say what kundalini is not. It is not a flavour of an ice-cream,
or fragrance of a perfume. It is not a new age fad; it is
not something that is received from an attunement like Reiki.
Basically kundalini is a highly sort after state of supra
or super consciousness, also known by certain traditions
as Samadhi, Cosmic consciousness, Christ and Buddhic consciousness,
and some say that it is a path to self-realization and enlightenment.
While in this transcended state of consciousness certain Siddhi
powers may develop. Siddhi powers are highly advanced levels
of psychic abilities, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and clairsentience,
seeing, hearing and feeling. When the kundalini becomes fully
active, some would say that we become the living gods that
we are, or that we are in direct communication with God, or
seeing or being in the presence of Divinity. Possibly one
of the most renowned texts about these Siddhi’s are
yet again the Yoga Sutra’s of Patanjali. These writings
basically cover Raja Yoga, however, there are many forms of
yoga and also other different paths that can be taken to awaken
and to activate the kundalini, and ironically there is little
or no mention of kundalini in the Yoga Sutra’s of Patanjali.
However all forms of yoga, Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Bhakti yoga,
Karma yoga, Jnana yoga, Vendanta, meditation and pray will
all eventually lead to the awakening of kundalini. |
Sanskrit
words, Prana, meaning life force, or vital energy, particularly,
the breath, and "ayama", to suspend or restrain.
It is often translated as control of the life force - prana.
Every philosophy has its own word for prana. From China the
word used is "Ch'i" meaning "present in all
matter". The Greeks called this all-present life force
“Pneuma”. Franz Anton Mesmer called it “Animal
Magnetism”, and later recognized it as a “universal
energy”. When used as a technical term in yoga, it is
often translated more specifically as "breath control".