I started practicing yoga 4 years ago as a way to heal as I watched my Mother battle with cancer. And after she passed away, I had changed in so many ways, that I had no choice but to bring an end to a 3 year long relationship with the one person who I thought was my ‘soul mate’, resign from my post at the AUC and start my very own YallaYoga Center in Heliopolis.
Here is how yoga helped me along the way:
1 Nervous System: Kundalini Yoga strengthens your nervous system. So when you’re in down dog or plank pose for 3 whole minutes and your entire body is shaking, have no fear! Your nervous system is toning. And the stronger your nerves are, the more you will be able to act in a cool, calm and collected matter in the face of any situation, be it a car accident, big presentation or family drama.
2 Will Power: Kundalini Yoga awakens your inner will power right at the core of your solar plexus (3rd chakra) at the navel point. What that means is that you build a strong heat in this region, which helps in digesting not only food but also past memories and self-doubt. We become much more able to process and digest events that happen and take necessary action immediately to eradicate things, people or situations that are causing us more harm than good.
3 Brain Power: Kundalini yoga clears the fogginess of the mind. When the mind becomes clouded with several thoughts it feels a little like a cob web of thoughts have formed and are difficult to untangle and with a few minutes of rapid breath of fire or one minute breath, the mind becomes crystal clear, we feel more alert, focused, concentrated, with a better memory and the capacity to make sound decisions.
4 Creativity: Breathing alternate nostrils brings into balance left and right hemispheres of the brain. We usually act, analyze and do much more frequently than we feel, visualize and imagine. And that’s because right side of the brain is usually under stimulated. Kundalini yoga awakens our inner creativity by releasing our worries about the little things and opening us up to infinite possibilities that life has to offer.
5 All Embracing: Kundalini yoga opens the heart center (4th chakra) and poses like Tree pose provide us with security in the root Chakra. So we feel like strong steady trees planted firmly to the earth and when our needs are not met, we don’t feel like it’s the end of the world. We remain open and trusting that the higher power (God) will provide us with what we need when the time is right. So the world doesn’t collapse when we don’t get that job, fail that exam or suffer from a break up or family death. Whatever it is we gain an attitude of acceptance. Understanding that it’s all-OK. It’s ALL-good. We are open to whatever life has to offer.
6 Compassionate Communication: In Kundalini yoga poses like shoulder stand open the throat center (5th chakra). Add this to an open heart and we become forgiving, compassionate and non judgmental and our lips can bless, give gratitude and kindness to all those around us. Thus don’t be surprised when you start addressing your boss, cousins or neighbor by dear, dearest, sweetheart, my love and so on. More so, when there is something bothering you, you will find the best way to express yourself to bring you to say the absolute truth with all gentleness and tenderness.
7 Awakened Intuition. We spend so much time stuck in our minds, analyzing the pros and cons of each decision when in reality; the answer is always within us. We always have a gut feeling about something but we tend to ignore it. Yoga gives us the ability to pause and listen to the message behind that gut feeling. It enables us to quiet down the mind to the point that our thoughts become still and we can feel what our heart yearns for, something this will be good for us.
8 Wise Choices: All forms of yoga make us more conscious human beings. So don’t be surprised if you start acting like a Wise Guy, refraining from behaviors that cause harm to you and the environment like smoking, drinking, drugs, meat & dairy products and wastage of water, electricity. Instead, you will choose to consume fresh vegetables & fruits, whole foods, to protect animals and the environment, to serve others through charitable giving and to take up activities like singing, dancing and art that will remove you from the company of people & surroundings that no longer bring the best out of you.
Yalla Yoga
Kundalini Yoga Teacher
Sandra Shama Kaur is an Egyptian Yogini & Entrepreneur practicing and teaching Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. She is the Founder & Director of Yalla Yoga Center located at 15 El-Maahed El-Eshteraki st. opposite Mary Land, Heliopolis
