Introduction To Guided Meditation & Kundalini Yoga Class Syllabus – Course #101
Online Meditation and Kundalini Yoga Class
Introduction to Guided Meditation and Kundalini Yoga Class – Course #101
Welcome everybody to the Free Online Introduction to Guided Meditation and Kundalini Yoga Class. All the material for this class is available via the links on this post and you can start anytime you wish. The course covers 2 weeks, but you are of course welcome to continue on. In this post I will provide the class objectives, class details, course syllabus and participation guidelines. Please read through everything carefully so you will be able to get maximum benefit from the class. I am glad you all have taken advantage of this opportunity to deepen your spiritual practice and I hope you will make full use of it. There is, without a doubt, no material equivalent to the rewards that this path bestows.
To register please just leave a comment on this post that you are going to start the course or just send me an email at anmol@anmolmehta.com so I know what kind of participation there is.
You can read the original post here (Free Online Guided Meditation and Kundalini Yoga Class) for when the class was first introduced. Please note that the class is now ongoing and you can start anytime. I and other experienced practitioners will field all questions and issues on this feedback post in the comments section below.
PLEASE ALSO READ THE FAQ below. It addresses many of the common questions about the online classes:
FAQ For Free Online Guided Meditation & Kundalini Yoga Classes
Class Objectives:
- Pranayama Breathing exercises to build your energy and awareness.
- Kundalini Yoga Kriyas for an overall workout and building your core abdominal strength.
- Guided Meditation Techniques to promote peace, joy and insight.
Class Details:
Class Structure:
Each class/session will consist of 3 sections: Breathing exercises (pranayama), Kundalini Yoga Kriyas (sets) and Guided Meditation Practice. There are a wide range of students participating, from beginners to experienced yoga practitioners, so the exercises are designed to allow you to pace yourself. The total time will be 45 minutes / day. Most important, walk the middle path with regard to each session. DO NOT OVERDO OR OVER STRAIN and at the same time don’t have it be excessively easy either.
Required Reading:
Introduction to Kundalini Yoga
10 Important Guidelines to Kundalini Yoga Practice
Legal Disclaimer
Course Syllabus:
The following describes the 3 sections comprising the 45 minute daily yoga and meditation session for week 1 and week 2. The approximate total times for each section and set are also given. Take more rest if you need to, or if you feel comfortable do the poses and exercises a little longer within the alloted time. Each breathing exercise, Kundalini Yoga Kriya and Guided Meditation technique below is a link to the article with all the details you need.
Week 1: Each day of the first week do the following…
Breathing Exercises Section (Pranayama): Total time 5 Minutes
- Sodarshan Chakra Kriya Beginners Version: 3 minute
- Rest: 1 minute
- Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise: 1 minute
- Rest: 1 minute
Kundalini Yoga Section: Total time 20 minutes
- Spinal Warm-up Kundalini Yoga Exercises: 10 minutes
- Morning Wake-up Kundalini Yoga Exercises: 10 minutes
Guided Meditation Section: Total time 20 minutes
- Zen Meditation Technique: 20 minutes
Week 2: Each day of the second week do the following…
Breathing Exercises Section (Pranayama): Total time 5 Minutes
- Sodarshan Chakra Kriya Beginners Version: 3 minute (if you feel ready you can try the Intermediate or Advanced versions but only for 3 minutes).
- Rest: 1 minute
- Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise: 1 minute (if you feel ready do Breath of Fire for 2 minutes and then without rest move onto the Kundalini Yoga Section).
- Rest: 1 minute
Kundalini Yoga Section: Total time 20 minutes
- Spinal Warm-up Kundalini Yoga Exercises: 10 minutes
- Core Abdominal Power Yoga Exercises: 10 minutes
Guided Meditation Section: Total time 20 minutes
- Sound Awareness Guided Meditation Technique: 20 minutes
Participation Guidelines
Following are the guidelines which I suggest we follow…
- Please post all comments, questions and feedback of a public nature in the comments section of this post. This way all will benefit from the discussion. Feel free to ask questions or discuss issues, as that is one of the main reasons for this particular class format. Of course, you are free to email me as well if you would like the discussion to not be public.
- If you like, you can indicate with a comment that you have completed your daily session. Could be as short as “did it”, or of course could be questions, issues or more detailed feedback. The hardest part with a daily yoga and meditation practice is establishing consistency and regularity and I think having to acknowledge that you completed your daily sadhana (spiritual work) will help in facilitating that. In addition, your comments could inspire others as well.
- I will post all information regarding the class in the comments section below as well, so please check periodically for updates.
- Before starting your daily yoga and meditation session, take a moment and tune in to your higher self for guidance and protection. At the end of every session, visualize yourself and the world as you would like it to be.
- Do the best you can and modify the class as you require. It is more important to do something, than be overwhelmed or not do anything at all.
- I wish you all a wonderful learning and transforming experience.
Miguelina, Your 10 month old just wanted to do yoga as well :-). It is fine to practice the other exercises on their own as well, Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama has some restrictions and prerequisites for the advanced version which are detailed in that article.
The leg extension is not quite the same as in class :-) but is very similar, so doing it instead is not a big issue (I substituted it in class as well to keep it easier). The correct one for the Morning Wake-up set requires both legs to be out straight and then Lifting one leg off the ground and holding it as far up as possible with both hands, while keeping it and your back straight. Will show it to you this Sunday as well.
Keep Up everyone the best you can – that is our motto for this class.
Today didn’t go quite as smoothly :) My 10 month old son woke up right after the stomach grind and decided he wanted to get an early start to the day as well. I still managed to do the exercises while he played near me– which was fine, even when he thought it was funny to play with mommy’s face during the corpse pose. For obvious reasons, I was unable to do the Zen Meditation :)
Like Joanna, I have the pain in my neck during tuck pose… is it ok to do the stomach grind, tuck pose, and golden nugget pranayama separately from the other exercises in order to get the benefits for the digestive meridians or should they only be done in conjunction with all of the other exercises? And just to make sure. the single leg extensions are the hamstring and calf stretch we’ve done in class, right? (I hope so)
Joanna, Yoga Tuck Pose itself will help cleanse your digestive meridians. In addition, Yoga Stomach Grind from the Spinal Warm-up series will be helping. One factor though that you may wish to look at is your diet. See if it has room for improvement.
Lets monitor the progress and later you can try some of the other kundalini yoga exercises that are also very good for the digestive system, such as Golden Nugget Yoga Pranayama given here…
https://anmolmehta.com/2007/04/05/3-most-powerful-yoga-pranayamas-and-kriyas-part-2/
Joanna, Modify yoga stretch pose in the following order to relieve the strain on your lower back.
1. Bring more of your arm under your back (rock slightly from side to side tucking your arms further under you, so its not just your hands underneath your buttocks).
2. Bend your legs at your knees to reduce the intensity of the pose.
3. Do one leg at a time.
4. Do one leg bent at the knee at a time.
Let me know how it goes and we will take it from there…
did the day 2 exercises. I’m having problems with the Stretch pose – my lower back hurts (even with hands under buttocks) when I do it. any hints/ideas? also in the Tuck pose my neck hurts – you wrote that digestive meridian may need work – but how?
did the day 2 exercises. I’m having problems with the Stretch pose – my lower back hurts (even with hands under buttocks) when I do it. any hints/ideas? also in the Tuck pose my neck hurts – you wrote that stomach meridians may need work – but how?
Well done to all who have begun (those who have posted here, emailed me or prefer to practice covertly :-). Those who are in the process of getting started, it is important to not judge yourselves, instead use your energy to hone your intent. As previous masters’ have pointed out, generally 22 players are in the field playing, while 80 thousand are just watching, yelling themselves hoarse. Its your turn at quaterback, we are waiting for you to join us.
If the entire session is too much do what you can, this is the best way to get started. This popular article below may give you the inspiration you need to begin….
https://anmolmehta.com/2007/01/29/the-golden-rule-to-stop-excuses-and-start-meditation-now/
Have just completed day 2. Did the modification for bridge posture and didn’t have any cramp. Sat up on a couple of pillows, and it was much better. My right leg (tucked in front) did go to sleep for the last five minutes, so will keep working on that. Found the meditation much easier to sink into this time, and didn’t wander off as much. Have a tendency to count above 10 (11… 12… 13…) if I let my mind wander off!
Feel great now, and off to teach my first yoga class for the day.
Much joy,
Kara-Leah
did it, but unfortunately I overslept and didn’t have time to do all the exercises. hope to do better tomorrow. take care everyone and Anmol – thanks!
It was a great morning. This was a wonderful way to start the day— thanks, Anmol; I had been planning to start waking up before the kids to start a daily practice but had been putting it off… for some reason this class, knowing others are in it with me, made me feel accountable. I didn’t time anything and basically just went w/ what felt right– and it took roughly 45-50 minutes. My only problem was with the meditation– I only lasted 10 minutes b/c I started to feel very sleepy. I will continue to get to bed earlier and hopefully won’t run into that problem again. Hope everything went well for everyone.
Everyone,
For anyone having difficulty with Yoga Bridge Pose, please use the modification above. I always offer it in class as well (and it is used by many of the students). I will update the original “Morning Wake-up Series” document as well indicating it. Thanks.
Kara-Leah,
Back out of the pose. The only time one might go through a cramp in this program is during the meditation session if one feels strong enough. Please try the following modification to Bridge Pose to see if it will help alleviate the issue.
Modification to Yoga Bridge Pose:
1. Lie on your back and have the feet in the same position as bridge pose (hip distance apart), but for your hands do the following.
2. Interlace your fingers and bring both arms underneath you keeping them straight.
3. Tuck your shoulders in slightly underneath you as well.
4. Now reach up with your hips and push down on the floor with your arms.
5. Begin Breath of Fire.
Let me know how it works out.
Kara-Leah,
Correct for the meditation legs issue, raising the hips higher than the knees will be very helpful (along with making sure your clothing is not bunching up behind the knees cutting off circulation). For details on this for those who may not be as familiar with sukh asana (cross-legged sitting posture) variations you can reference the following 3 articles…
(sukh asan section, you can also see the section on using a chair or meditating on your back, if sitting is not an option for you due to a physical condition).
https://anmolmehta.com/2007/01/22/sm-meditation-program-basic-meditations-chapter-7/
(Item #11-a,b,c,d On helpful hints for making Sukh Asana easier for longer meditation) https://anmolmehta.com/2007/01/26/sm-meditation-program-practical-hints-tips-chapter-18/
(Item #8-2 Tools for Kundalini Yoga Practice Section)
https://anmolmehta.com/2007/02/22/10-guidelines-for-kundalini-yoga-practice/
This is a very important aspect of the course – getting the sitting portion correct and as comfortable as possible for the meditation. So I will be happy to summarize or expand on the key points if the above references are not sufficient or clear.
(yoga bridge pose addressed in next comment).
Miguelina,
The links should all be fixed now, thanks for catching that.
Initially, although its hard to keep an eye on a watch while doing some of the postures, I suggest keeping an easily viewable clock, preferably with seconds, to help you get an idea about the length of time you are doing an exercise for. You can also use the seconds display on a stereo if you are doing your sets to music (watch out for song breaks that’s all). Also, no music during the meditation part of the session (here an alarm device would help).
A final note, the governing factor, though, in determining the length of the exercise should be the “middle path” rule – not too easy and not too hard and not the amount of time. The time will help you in determining your progress mostly.
A final final note :-) time generally remains a key part of the pranayama exercises though, even in the long term.
Never mind about the link… the one for Week 2 (spinal warm up) didn’t work but the one for Week 1 does… thanks.
Hi Anmol–
I’m so grateful for this wonderful opportunity. I just tried the link to the spinal warm-ups and (although I think I pretty much remember the warm-up from class), the link doesn’t work for me. Also, do you suggest we actually time ourselves for everything w/ a watch or just kind of “intuitively” time ourselves. Thanks again!
Just completed Day 1. Found the instructions easy to follow. Really enjoyed the Breath of Fire, and the spinal twist felt amazing (haven’t done it that way before.)
Both legs went completely to sleep in the meditation, I think I need to sit my hips up on some support.
In yoga bridge pose, after a minute or so in the posture, my right thigh cramped up. I often get the same cramp in postures that engage the back muscles – bow posture, bridge, locust. My spine is fused at L4/5, and my right leg used to get sciatic, although rarely does anymore. It’s also a bit weaker on that side. How should I respond to the cramp? Breath into it and continue? Back off? Come out? Change the emphasize of the posture?
Thanks!
Hi Kara-Leah, Congratulations on your new teaching assignment, your students will soon realize their good fortune in having their life cross your path. Am happy to have put this course together for everyone and I hope it will uplift and inspire those who have joined.
Hi Anmol,
I’m excited – I just read through the recommended reading, and the programme for week 1 and I like the idea of having structured practice and meditation. I generally do whatever I feel guided to do each day… which can be great as it often gives me exactly what I need, but doesn’t build consistancy or discipline.
It’s wonderful timing too, as tomorrow I start teaching at my first yoga studio (previously teaching at a gym or in various rented rooms).
Thank you for putting this course together, and inspiring me to take it up.
Anmol, this is good.
I am travelling out of the country in a few days but I am going to make sure that I continue to do this course even there.
Thank you once again for taking the time to make this program available to us.