Kundalini Yoga for Difficult Times: By Nathan Scolaro

Unless it brings you comfort knowing that we’re all in the weeds together (and I totally get that if it does), I’m sure you don’t want to read too much of me harping on about how these are unsettling and destabilising times.

But I want to speak to it briefly, because I’m feeling it show up in my body in different ways, and I’m realising how valuable certain practices can be for lifting me out of the muck, even if just momentarily.

I’ve had a bit of week it. From the macro: looking at politics in the U.S., the diabolical world decisions being made, and the increasing grip of big tech on our lives, and just thinking, What on earth?, to the micro: coming up against my own financial limitations and desires for home ownership, and feeling depleted by it all.

I’m sure you could insert your own “macro or micro upheaval here”—and if not, how good (no sarcasm intended—I’m genuinely heartened to know there are peaceful hearts at this time).

But what’s been a new discovery for me is how these tensions are showing up in my body and messing up my factory settings.

Stress on the Body and Mind: Recognising the Signs

I’ve noticed food is taking longer to digest. It’s harder to focus on one thing for more than a few minutes. I have shoulder pain from holding them up high, perhaps as a defence mechanism against unseeable forces.

I’m doing my internal detective work and trying to correct the bad habits creeping in (the slouching in the chair to meet a deep desire for comfort, for example, at the peril of my lower back), but the best work I seem to be able to do right now is unconscious and somatic.

Kundalini Yoga: A Path to Relief and Clarity

I’ve practiced Kundalini yoga for more than ten years now—and in the phases that I’m doing it quite frequently, like now, I find myself in awe at the subtle ways it shifts unpleasantly-stored energy, clarifies the mind and opens the heart to what is true.

Sometimes, like I mentioned, these feelings of uplift are momentary, but can still be a good reminder of what my original factory settings should feel like. Other times, they linger, and help me to make better decisions, like not tune out in the middle of a task and mindlessly flick through the news.

Small, Positive Choices Add Up

There is a ripple effect from making a better decision, even if it seems small. Suddenly, I’m making other “better” decisions, like taking walks in nature, mindfully breathing in the morning, noticing what lights me up, and saying things that feel real.

Why Kundalini Yoga Works

How exactly practices like Kundalini yoga work, I don’t fully understand. But as I start to feel the tensions easing in my body, the nervous system settling and digestion flowing, I’m reminded that this is a practice I can trust and keep coming back to when things get out of balance.

I’m also reminded what a privilege it is to engage with practices that come from a different time and land, and that clearly hold some universal wisdom for dealing with all the moments life hands us.

Explore our Kundalini yoga classes and start your own path to clarity.

Welcome Nathan Scolaro: The Newest Kundalini Yoga Teacher on Our Timetable

We are excited to welcome Nathan to our Kundalini House team! With over 10 years of personal practice in Kundalini yoga, Nathan brings both deep experience and a heartfelt passion for the transformative power of the practice. After completing his teacher training in 2019, Nathan has been dedicated to sharing the healing, energising, and illuminating benefits of Kundalini yoga with others. Nathan will be teaching two regular weekly classes at Kundalini House: 6:30-7.30am on Mondays and 4:00-5.00pm on Fridays. His classes are designed to help you move your body, turn your attention inward and cultivate healing and loving energy.