Kundalini Yoga Guide: 6 Kundalini Poses for Beginners

Kundalini yoga is a spiritual practice and an ancient technology that uses sequences of physical postures, chanting, and special breathing techniques called Kriyas to help the spiritual energy in the base of the spine rise and create an energetic alignment. This focus on rising energy is one way to distinguish Kundalini from Hatha and Vinyasa yoga—popular yoga forms that primarily focus on physical postures and breathwork.

A typical Kundalini yoga class begins with a warm-up or a tuning-in, followed by breathing exercises, Sanskrit chanting, and physical Asanas (poses) that get the energy flowing up and through the chakras. The practice of Kundalini can help increase life force (prana) and vitality and create space for a possible spiritual or Kundalini awakening.

Kundalini yogic philosophy is found in the Upanishads, a sacred collection of ancient Vedic texts dating back 2,500 years. The practice was introduced to the West in 1968 by Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, commonly known as Yogi Bhajan, a practitioner born in the Punjab region of India who mastered many Kriyas by the age of 16 before migrating to Canada from New Delhi in the late 1960s.

Yogi Bhajan soon began teaching Kundalini yoga at local YMCAs, then co-founded a yoga practice, eventually creating an organization where aspiring teachers can receive training and certification through workshops and in-class learning. Kundalini continues to be one of the leading yoga practices in the West.

A common way to tune in and begin a Kundalini practice is by chanting the Sanskrit phrase, "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo," which means, “I bow to the creative wisdom, I bow to the divine teacher within.” As soon as you have tuned in, here are some basic postures to get you started:

1. 1. Sat Kriya: This pose is a basic, fundamental Kundalini yoga exercise that you should aim to practice every day for at least three minutes. First, get into rock pose by sitting on your heels with your knees together. Stretch your arms above your head, keeping the elbows straight. Interlace all of your fingers except your index fingers, which should stay straight. Close your eyes and gaze up and in towards your inner third eye at the brow point. Inhale to begin, pushing your belly out. Chant “Sat" as you exhale and pull your belly button toward your spine. Chant “Nam” as you inhale, expanding the belly again. Keep chanting “Sat” on the exhale and “Nam” on the inhale. To end, inhale deeply and squeeze the navel back. Exhale and keep squeezing. Repeat once more, then inhale and relax. Rest in Savasana (corpse pose) for at least twice the time that you practiced the Kriya. Learn more common yoga terms in our complete guide.
2. 2. Pull neck lock: Sit in easy pose (sitting down on the floor or a chair with your legs crossed), then tuck the chin in and puff the chest out. Feel this stretch across the chest. Eyes stare beyond the thumb. Hold the posture for at least 3 minutes, then switch sides.
3. 3. Ego Eradicator: This practice brings the brain to a state of alertness. Sit in easy pose or rock pose. Raise the arms to a 60-degree angle. Keep the shoulders back and down without bending the elbow. Reach the thumbs up as if you are plugging them into the sky. Fold the fingers onto the mounds at the base of the fingers, and stretch the palms wide, pulling the knuckles back. Keep your eyes closed and mentally focus above the head. Do breath of fire (quick, forceful inhales and exhales) for up to three minutes, keeping the arms up in the Mudra (hand gesture) described above. To end, touch the thumb tips together above the head, open the fingers, and bring the arms down on an exhale.
4. 4. Jalandhara Bandha: Locks are practiced during most meditations and Pranayama exercises. A Bandha is a body lock that can increase your awareness and ability to focus and improve spinal posture. Sit comfortably in easy pose with a straight spine. Lift your chest and sternum upward. Stretch the back of your neck gently straight by pulling the chin down toward the back of the neck. Keep your head level and centered, and try not to tilt it to either side. Keep all of the muscles of your face, neck, and throat relaxed.
5. 5. Archer pose: This pose, also known as hero's pose, builds strength and stamina in the legs. Bring the right foot forward so that the feet are two to three feet apart. The right toes should face ahead, and the left foot comes to a 45-degree angle, with the heel back and the toes forward. The left leg stays straight and strong as the right knee bends until the thigh is almost parallel to the ground (do not let the knee go beyond the toes), and tuck the tailbone. Curl the fingers of both hands onto the palms, and pull your thumbs back. As if pulling back a bow and arrow, lift the right arm, extended forward parallel to the ground, over the right knee. The left arm, bent at the elbow, pulls back until the fist is at the left shoulder.
6. 6. Shoulder rolls: Simply rolling our shoulders back can eliminate fatigue and stress, open our lung capacity, energize our internal organs, and promote better sleep quality. Sit with the spine straight in easy pose or on a chair. Inhale as you roll your shoulders forward and up. As you exhale, roll the shoulders back and down. Breathe deeply through the nose as you continue to roll your shoulders in backward circles. Sync your breath by inhaling forward and up and exhaling back and down. Consciously release and relax anything you want to let go of off the back of your shoulders with each exhale.

In Kundalini yoga, or the yoga of awareness, the practice typically ends with the Sanskrit words, Sat Nam, which means "I am truth."

Proper form and technique are essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of a yoga practice. If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before practicing yoga. Yoga poses may be modified based on your individual needs.

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