Yoga is a vast and varied practice, practiced by many people in the West as a form of physical fitness and mental centering. As a complete system of self-development, Shadow Yoga also has deep roots as a spiritual practice, harnessing one's life force, and cultivating layers of self-awareness. Similarly, Kundalini Yoga is a type of yoga developed to include both physical and spiritual or emotional aspects, which has been further adapted to fit a modern format and promote stress relief. Here we’ll provide an overview of what Kundalini Yoga is, what to expect in a Kundalini Yoga class, and also outline the key similarities and differences between Kundalini Yoga and Shadow Yoga to help you parse the wide variety of yoga classes that are out there.

If you are looking for an overview of many different types of yoga, learn more in our guide to understanding different types of yoga.

What Is Kundalini Yoga?

Kundalini Yoga is a spiritual and physical practice that aims to awaken and channel the latent energy (kundalini) through specific techniques such as breath work, postures, chanting and meditation. Like many other types of yoga, its origin dates back to ancient yogic traditions in India. Similar to Shadow Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga (aka Vinyasa Flow), Kundalini Yoga has deep ties to Hatha Yoga. It also shares ties with Tantric Yoga practices. In the late 1960s, Kundalini Yoga was brought into the modern, western context by Yogi Bhajan.

Philosophy

The defining characteristics of Kundalini yoga include the core aim of awakening one’s consciousness and achieving spiritual enlightenment, which occurs as a result of activating one’s kundalini energy through practice, thus clearing blockages, balancing energies, and creating an environment of spiritual growth and self-realization. 

Kundalini combines breath work, dynamic postures, chanting, and meditation to achieve harmony between the body, mind, and spirit. Kundalini Yoga practitioners are encouraged to cultivate inner strength and mental clarity by integrating spiritual experiences into daily life.

Kundalini Yoga emphasizes letting go of limiting beliefs and emotional blockages, which in turn frees practitioners to experience a more expansive and authentic sense of self. Yogi Bhajan also emphasized self-discipline (sadhana) and service to others, along with personal values such as compassion, integrity, and kindness. 

History Of Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga incorporates elements from both Hatha Yoga and Tantra to awaken one’s inner energy. In traditional Kundalini practices, this process required discipline, purification, and years of study under a qualified yoga teacher. When Yogi Bhajan brought Kundalini Yoga to the West, he presented it as a powerful tool for personal transformation that was accessible to everyone. He shared the practice in a structured, organized format, adapting it for modern lifestyles and emphasizing its practical benefits such as stress reduction, vitality, and inner peace. Yoga Bhajan taught many students and trained teachers over several decades, and he died in 2004. Years later, in 2020, several students and Kundalini Yoga community members alleged sexual misconduct, abuse of power, and exploitation by Yogi Bhajan, leading many teachers and practitioners to distance themselves from his legacy.

Defining Characteristics Of Kundalini Yoga

• Chanting: Most Kundalini classes begin and end with chanting of a mantra to align and connect the practitioner, both within themselves and to the universal life force. Chanting is also used during physical sequences.
• Inner Awareness: Using kriyas (quick, repetitive movements), specific sequences, breath work, postures, mantras, and meditation, practitioners energize and cultivate inner awareness.
• Spiritual Connection: While many modern yoga practices focus on physicality, in Kundalini Yoga, physical movement is secondary to cultivating spiritual awareness.

Typical Kundalini Yoga Class Format

A typical Kundalini Yoga class includes:

• Tuning in with Mantra: Classes begin with chanting a mantra, often “Om Namo Guru Dev Namo,” to align with divine guidance and connect with the inner teacher.
• Kriyas: These are specific sequences of postures, breath, and sound designed to achieve specific effects, such as energy clearing, emotional healing, or physical vitality.
• Pranayama and Meditation: Breath work is used to harness energy, calm the mind, and elevate consciousness. Meditation is often paired with chanting and hand gestures (mudras) to deepen focus and expand awareness.
• Closing: Classes end with a closing song or mantra, sealing in the practice and bringing the energy of the session to a calm and grounded conclusion.

In sum, Kundalini Yoga is both a physical and spiritual discipline rooted in ancient yogic teachings and tailored for modern life. It emphasizes awakening dormant energy, balancing mind and spirit, and creating a conscious, service-oriented life. Through specific, structured practices, Kundalini Yoga aims to elevate one’s consciousness and foster a deep connection to self and others.

Common Poses

Poses in Kundalini Yoga may look like other styles of yoga, but there is typically an energetic or emotional component associated with any movement or action. Sukhasana, easy pose, for example, refers to a simple cross-legged seated position that can be used for meditation, breathwork, chanting or stretching the hips. 

• Cobra pose
• Shoulder stand 
• Bow pose 
• Child’s pose
• Camel pose 

These poses are but a few among many postures used in a Kundalini Yoga class, each with its own energetic, physical and emotional benefits.

Key Differences and Similarities Between Shadow Yoga and Kundalini Yoga

Purpose and Intensity

Kundalini Yoga is typically less strength-based than a Shadow Yoga class, and there is greater use of mantras, chanting, and meditation to unlock energy and align physically and spiritually. 

Shadow Yoga, on the other hand, aims to build physical strength, mobility, and awareness of energetic health through rigorous introductory sequences. Because of this active structure, many people find Shadow Yoga uniquely physically demanding compared to a Kundalini Yoga class. 

Class Format

In both Shadow Yoga classes and Kundalini Yoga classes, there is a preparatory period at the beginning of the class. 

In a Kundalini class, this preparatory period involves chanting a mantra to align with the practice and awaken energy, while in a Shadow Yoga class, this introduction period usually begins with a short lesson, a centering stance or seat and a series of dynamic warm-ups. 

Following the warm-ups, both types of yoga classes include specific sequences (termed kriyas in Kundalini Yoga) which include various poses, mantras and/or meditation. In Shadow Yoga, students are introduced to complex poses only after they have established a solid foundation and understanding of basic principles. Shadow Yoga is often taught to different levels, so that nobody is in over their heads. In a Kundalini Yoga class, classes are mixed level and beginners may perform modified versions of the poses and postures. 

Teacher-Student Relationship

The teacher-student relationship is important in both Kundalini Yoga and Shadow Yoga. Kundalini Yoga stresses the importance of finding a teacher who knows the tradition and can provide guidance, which is also important in Shadow Yoga. However, because of the small number of Shadow Yoga teachers worldwide, the student must seek out a qualified teacher even to get started.

Cultivating a strong and trusting teacher-student relationship is common in Shadow Yoga, whereas there are many more teachers (at least in the United States) who have been exposed to Kundalini Yoga and teach classes that are Kundalini-influenced or Kundalini-inspired.

As a result, it is not uncommon for Shadow Yoga students to study with one teacher over many years, unlike the more common yoga studio format where students may be in classes with different teachers from day to day. The single teacher facilitates the important student-teacher relationship in Shadow Yoga, and provides a cohesive curriculum, consistency and more personalized guidance, as teachers get to know their students on a deeper level.

Conclusion

Both Kundalini Yoga and Shadow Yoga have their roots in Hatha Yoga, which naturally results in similarities that show up in the classroom. Both traditions incorporate postures, breath work and meditative practices to cultivate energy and internal awareness. The way this is accomplished, and the essential student-teacher relationship in Shadow Yoga, are two important areas where the practices diverge. The best way to understand the differences, of course, is to experience a class for yourself.

If you are looking to cultivate a yoga practice that fosters self-awareness, either Shadow Yoga or Kundalini Yoga could meet your needs. However, if you are looking for a more personalized approach to your practice, with a dedicated teacher, Shadow Yoga may be a better choice.

If you are new to Shadow Yoga and interested in attending a class, please see our information on Shadow Yoga for beginners and view our class schedule to attend a class at our Shadow Yoga studio in Bend.