The soft hum of a gong fills the quiet room, echoing like a heartbeat. Candles flicker beside a white sheepskin mat, and sunlight streams gently through gauzy curtains. Sitting cross-legged at the center of this serene space is Maya, a devoted Kundalini Yoga teacher with a gentle smile and radiant energy. Today, she invites her students to experience something both ancient and transformative — an 11-minute spinal flexibility series designed to awaken energy, improve posture, and help the body “flow and glow” from the inside out.
The Essence of Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga is often called “the yoga of awareness.” It focuses on awakening the dormant spiritual energy — the Kundalini — believed to rest at the base of the spine. Through movement, breathwork, and meditation, this energy is guided upward through the body’s energy centers, or chakras, creating balance, vitality, and clarity.
“The spine,” Maya explains softly, “is the pathway of your life force. When it is strong and flexible, your energy flows freely. When it is stiff, your energy is blocked. This practice is about clearing that path — so your body, mind, and spirit can shine.”
Setting the Intention
Before movement begins, Maya invites her students to tune in with the traditional Adi Mantra:
Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo — meaning “I bow to the Divine Teacher within.”
Her voice resonates with calm power, and the chant sets a sacred tone. The room feels grounded, focused, and ready.
“Close your eyes,” she says, “and sit tall. Take a deep breath in through the nose… and exhale through the mouth. Feel your spine lengthen, your heart lift, your energy awaken.”
The Flow Begins: Awakening the Spine
The 11-minute series begins gently but builds with rhythmic movement and breath. Each exercise in this sequence is designed to mobilize every section of the spine — cervical, thoracic, and lumbar — allowing energy to rise effortlessly through the body.
1. Spinal Flex (1 minute)
Maya places her hands on her shins and begins to flex the spine forward and back. On the inhale, she arches the back, lifting the chest and opening the heart. On the exhale, she rounds the spine, tucking the chin gently toward the chest.
“Inhale — heart open. Exhale — navel in.”
Her movements are smooth, fluid, like ocean waves. With each breath, the energy builds, the body warms, and the nervous system begins to awaken. “Let your breath lead the movement,” she reminds. “You are creating space for light to move through your spine.”
2. Spinal Twist (1 minute)
Next, Maya brings her hands to her shoulders, elbows parallel to the ground. With a deep inhale, she twists to the left; with an exhale, she twists to the right.
The movement is rhythmic and energizing, the breath powerful and steady. “Twisting releases stagnation,” she explains. “It massages the organs and purifies the energy channels.”
As she moves, a sense of vitality fills the room — the sound of synchronized breathing creating a subtle rhythm of unity among her students.
3. Shoulder Shrugs (1 minute)
“Now, inhale your shoulders up to your ears… and exhale, drop them down.”
The motion seems simple, but in Kundalini Yoga, every action carries awareness. Maya encourages her students to imagine tension melting away from the neck and shoulders with each exhale.
“This clears the upper spine and balances the throat chakra,” she says. “It helps you speak truth with ease and confidence.”
4. Neck Rolls (1 minute)
She slows the pace. “Bring your chin to your chest. Now roll your neck slowly in a circle.”
The soft motion releases stiffness in the cervical spine. The breath remains deep and mindful. After a few rotations, she reverses direction, allowing both sides of the neck to open.
“Move gently,” Maya says. “Your spine is sacred. Treat it with love.”
5. Cat-Cow on the Mat (2 minutes)
Transitioning onto all fours, Maya demonstrates Cat-Cow, a classic Kundalini spinal flow. On the inhale, she arches her back, lifting the tailbone and heart; on the exhale, she rounds the spine, pressing the floor away.
Her movements flow in perfect time with her breath, slow and controlled. “This posture is medicine for the back,” she says. “It rejuvenates the spinal fluid — the nectar of your nervous system.”
As the students continue, the room fills with the sound of breath — deep, cleansing, rhythmic. Each motion seems to unlock new energy, and subtle warmth spreads across their bodies.
6. Sufi Grinds (2 minutes)
Sitting cross-legged again, Maya places her hands on her knees and begins to circle her torso. The movement resembles a slow dance, circular and sensual. She inhales as she circles forward, exhales as she moves back, letting her spine move freely in all directions.
“This movement massages your digestive organs and awakens the sacral energy,” she explains. “Flow like water. Be fluid. Be free.”
After a minute, she changes direction, balancing both sides of the spine. Her students follow, swaying gently to the music — grounded yet light.
7. Shoulder Blade Squeeze (1 minute)
“Now interlace your fingers behind your back,” Maya says. “Lift your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades together.”
She inhales deeply, expanding the chest, then exhales, releasing. This movement strengthens the upper back and expands the heart center.
“Let your heart shine forward,” she encourages. “Feel the glow spreading through you.”
The Glow Phase: Integration and Breath
With the spine fully awakened, Maya transitions into the final part of the practice — breathwork and meditation, allowing the new energy to circulate and settle.
8. Ego Eradicator (1 minute)
She raises her arms to a 60-degree angle, fingers curled loosely, thumbs pointing upward. “Close your eyes,” she says. “Begin Breath of Fire — short, quick breaths through the nose.”
The sound of powerful breathing fills the space. Energy rises like a current up the spine. “This breath burns away fatigue, doubt, and heaviness,” Maya explains. “You are awakening your radiant energy — your inner glow.”
After one minute, she inhales deeply, bringing her thumbs to touch above her head, suspending the breath. Then she exhales, releasing the arms gently down. The room feels charged with light and serenity.
9. Seated Forward Fold (1 minute)
Finally, she extends her legs and folds forward, letting the spine drape naturally. The stretch is gentle yet profound, releasing any remaining tension.
“Inhale length, exhale surrender,” she whispers. “You’ve opened the spine — now rest in the stillness you’ve created.”
Meditation: The Still Glow
Maya guides the class into a seated meditation, hands in Gyan Mudra — thumb and index finger touching lightly. The breath slows, and a quiet peace settles over the room.
“The spine is your inner tree,” she says softly. “When it is flexible, your life flows with grace. When it is aligned, your energy glows.”
She invites everyone to visualize golden light spiraling up the spine, from the base to the crown, filling the body with radiance and calm. The music fades to silence, and the only sound left is the gentle rhythm of breathing — peaceful, alive, free.
Closing the Practice
To end, Maya leads a final chant of Sat Nam — meaning “Truth is my identity.” Together, the class repeats it three times:
Sat Nam… Sat Nam… Sat Nam…
Each vibration carries gratitude, awareness, and renewal. The energy feels pure — a quiet harmony between body, mind, and spirit.
Maya smiles as she opens her eyes. “In just eleven minutes,” she says softly, “you’ve reset your energy, nourished your spine, and expanded your light. Remember — flexibility isn’t just about the body. It’s about how gently we move through life.”
The Afterglow
As the class disperses, a tranquil joy lingers in the air. Faces glow with peaceful energy, eyes shine brighter, and shoulders hang lighter. The 11-minute series has done more than stretch muscles — it has balanced the nervous system, deepened awareness, and reignited inner vitality.
This is the magic of Kundalini Yoga: Flow and Glow.
The practice reminds us that the spine is more than bone and tissue — it’s the central channel of life, a bridge between the physical and spiritual. When energy flows freely through it, we experience not just flexibility, but radiance — the natural “glow” that comes from harmony within.
Maya rolls up her mat, her heart full. She bows her head slightly and whispers the words she always ends her practice with:
“Keep your spine supple, your heart open, and your energy flowing. When your inner light glows, the whole world feels brighter.”
