Kundalini Yoga at Urban Ashram
I’ll be honest and say I had no idea what I was getting into when I signed up for my first Kundalini Yoga class at Urban Ashram. When I was browsing my ClassPass for new fitness experiences, I found reviews for this class saying it was a meditative type of yoga and that a lot of people went out feeling very refreshed after.
After having an intense Bikram Yoga experience, I was curious to see what other kinds of yoga were out there. At first I thought it was similar to the Yin Yoga class I did in Singapore, mostly because of the cool temperature and supposed relaxedness one was said to experience with it. But let me tell you, I was wrong.
I went to the Urban Ashram BGC branch at the 9th Floor of the Menarco Tower to try it out. Like most fitness studios for first timers, I filled out a waiver form before starting the class.
What is Kundalini Yoga?
According to Gaia.com, Kundalini Yoga is a blend of Bhakti Yoga (the yogic practice of devotion and chanting), Raja Yoga (the practice of mediation/mental and physical control) and Shakti Yoga, (for the expression of power and energy). The way our instructor,, described it was tapping into the spiritual energy or life force at the base of one’s spine through the six chakras that bring energy (or prana) to the rest of your body.
The practice of Kundalini Yoga works primarily with energy – engaging, maintaining and protecting it through the use of pranayama (breathing) and bandhas. A combination of chants, movements and breathing techniques are done to supposedly control the flow of Kundalini energy found at the base of your spine.
What do you need for Kundalini Yoga?
Thankfully, unlike other yoga studios nowadays, Urban Ashram’s class packages are inclusive of using all equipment necessary for their classes. They supplied a mat, a memory foam pillow and a blanket for my use. My first thought was that I was getting ready for a nap (I was half right).
In my signature head to toe black ensemble, I also wasn’t aware that traditionally people would be encouraged to wear white to Kundalini yoga, with the belief that colours have an effect on your disposition. Thankfully, no one in the class was very particular about it.
I did my first Kundalini Yoga class on Friday night and I have to tell you, I had a lot of baggage from the week I was anxious to unpack. There was only three other people in my class and surprisingly, no one other than me and the instructor were Filipino. It’s a pity though because with the cool temperature, moon light shining down from the window and the meditative environment, I felt relaxed already.
What do you do in Kundalini Yoga?
Before the class even began, our instructor asked me to come with an open mind. He explained how we have to begin the class with the truth and surrendering to it, where essentially we chant “the truth is my identity“. I personally spend a lot of time thinking about whether my thoughts are reality or they’re simply reactions to what I’m pre-conditioned to feel rather than what is actually happening. To be told to accept that my truth, regardless of its tangibleness or perceived reality, is part of my identity was a thought I had to make peace before I could really dive into the full experience of the class.
After settling down into our matts and breathing, the instructor asked us to sit down on our knees, put our palms together at the center of our chest and chant with eyes closed the words “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo”. I was grateful for his soundtrack on his phone because I probably wouldn’t have been able to memorize the words for the first time without it.
The second part consisted of another meditation: Sa Ta Na Ma, the five primal sounds of the universe. Sa (infinity), Ta (life), Na (death), Ma (rebirth) with sort of rhythmic hand movements designed to balance your internal energy. From here it was a series of poses, lying down and standing up. It was all slow, not too strenuous but deliberate movements.
For the most part, except for me trying to catch the words they were chanting, it was a relaxing experience. So much so that I had almost fallen asleep after a particular portion where you are lying down under the blanket. Hopefully, my classmates were too focused on their own thing and didn’t notice.
What were my thoughts during the class?
Not gonna lie, I really thought it was a bit of a weird experience at first. But if I learned anything from my time during improv, there are moments that we need to shut down our inner critic to get the most out of life. I chose to be there that night so like our instructor had mentioned earlier, I had to take everything with an open heart to get the fullness of what a first time class can offer.
I had to turn my apprehensions into curiosity, what did I really have to lose by just trusting in this process that so many yogis before me had surrendered to even just for an hour? There was something strangely relaxing about it as if it brings you into a trance-like experience. It made me curious why I was so apprehensive about certain things and made me feel strangely “more awake”.
Many people who do Kundalini Yoga regularly talk about a sort of Kundalini Awakening, or a period wherein all the pent up energy from the removal of energy blocks put you through an emotional rollercoaster of opening old wounds and making peace with them before you can move forward as a more well-adjusted person whose outer life reflects their inner one.
Arguably, not everyone is going to think and feel the same way. It wasn’t as particularly life-changing experience for me, but it was an interesting introspective one. I would somehow compare it to a Catholic silent retreat wherein we are continuously honing moments of silence and reflection, wherein for a few moments, the whole world suddenly feels beautiful and at peace.
Will I do it again?
Surprisingly, I think I will. While there’s a never-ending list of ways to exercise your physical body from spinning to boxing to rock climbing, Kundalini Yoga feels closer to a wellness activity that falls more under the category of meditation, reflection and mindfulness training. I personally think it’s closer to a massage than a workout as one really does feel more energized afterwards in a reflective kind of way.
Urban Ashram
Founded in 2011, Urban Ashram is one of Metro Manila’s longest running and premium yoga studios in Pasig and BGC.
They offer a wide array of different yoga practices that cover even kids yoga and pre-natal yoga! One of their best first timers offers is a Php 1,500 New To Yoga pass for 15 days straight (Php 100/day) for those who want to jumpstart their yoga experience. You can check their pricing plans here.
They also host several events like bringing in international yogis, workshops and teacher trainings for those who want to take their yoga practice to the next level. Their classes and time slots vary and you may check their weekly schedule here. Most Kundalini yoga classes are done in the evening from 5:30pm onwards.
You can book a class through ClassPass or go directly to their studios for more information!
