19 July 2014 - QA 4

I am very interested in yoga. I have started training on the Kundalini Yoga. Can you talk about the importance of yoga and about Kundalini yoga?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I would recommend you not to go into Kundalini yoga and all these things. It is anyway coming up naturally. You have done the Sudarshan Kriya, Shakti Kriya, and Advance Meditation Course, and it is moving very smoothly, and very nicely.
I have seen many people forcibly moving the Kundalini and they lose balance in life. They lose their sleep and they get into big problems. I have seen many people who have literally gone crazy because there are some types of yoga which are not suitable for today’s age.

In ancient days, they had lot of time. 12 years they would stay and slowly they would do these practices. They had nothing much to do. But today, they give you Kundalini Yoga and make the energy rush into you and you go nuts. I don’t want you to do that type of thing.

Many people do a little bit of this practice, a little bit of that practice, and sometimes a one year syllabus they make you do in one month.
See, if too much electricity goes, what happens? The fuse blows. That sort of thing happens, or you get stomach problems, or some other problems. So it is very important to grow gradually and steadily. That is why your body is getting prepared.

Practice Sri Sri Yoga, and read some knowledge. We have such a composite program in our Yoga, it is so complete. There is Gyan Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Hollow and Empty Meditation. If you are having good meditation, then it means that the Kundalini is already awakened. But when these people make you do all this forcefully and make the Kundalini rise, then it leads to complications. Then there are no beneficial results is what I have seen.