10 Things a Kundalini Yoga Teacher Should Know

If you are a Kundalini Teacher, congrat-ulations! By sharing these priceless practices you are by default a deliverer of destinies. In helping people get off of the wheel of karma and onto the wheel of Dharma you are contributing mightily to the easing of human suffering. If you are a Kundalini Yoga practitioner, it’s illuminating to learn what a seasoned Kundalini Teacher should be able to do because A) That may be you someday. And, B) You can keep them on their toes!

It’s not our intention to be dictatorial. This is our challenge to you and to ourselves. And don’t worry, this won’t be a list of feats of yogic prowess such as being able to do 20 minutes of Rocking Bow Pose or an 11 min. Shoulder Stand with Breath of Fire. Although it would be great if a Teacher can do 1-3 min. of Stretch Pose and 26 quick Frogs not to mention the Minute Breath (Inhale 20 seconds. Hold 20 seconds. Exhale 20 seconds) and a committed pre-dawn practice. But, let us remember, grit always needs to be tempered with grace, and a life in yoga is not a race

1. Ultimately, Kundalini Yoga is a Sat Nam delivery system. A Teacher should be able to explain Sat Nam in a way that will galvanize the soul of the receiver. From the very first time a person says or thinks Sat Nam, the process of vanquishing a fate and manifesting a destiny begins.
2. A Teacher should be able to present at least five full-length kriyas that they know by heart inside and out so that they are always prepared to teach even if they forgot their notes. But it’s not about memorizing kriyas. A Teacher should understand the ancient patterns that inform the kriyas. Knowing your craft so as to transcend your craft is itself a kriya.
3. A Teacher should be able to teach as the kind of Teacher they are. Some Teachers have the gift of gab and can say just the right things to ignite our stay-the-course spirit. Another type doesn’t need to say much but their humility and depth are their own eloquence. Whatever one’s style, Teachers are avowed service providers. A true Teacher’s body of work is more focused on service than self-promotion.
4. A Teacher should be able to provide alignment tips and modifications to ensure a safe and welcoming practice for all.
5. A Teacher (and practitioner) should be able to explain the meanings of the major mantras in Kundalini Yoga. Do you know the Gobinday, Mukunday…mantra by heart? Do you know what it means? Do you know where it came from? Same with the Mul Mantra (Ek Ong Kar, Sat Nam, Karta Purkh…)
6. A Teacher should be able to explain the history of Kundalini Yoga (without referencing YB).
7. A Teacher should be able to live in a way that is congruent with the life of a Teacher. Discipline, devotion, and remembrance are the prime pillars for Dharmic living.
8. A Teacher should be an ongoing practitioner of pratyahara, the ability to transform dark habits and self-unfulfilling tendencies into their positive polarities.
9. A Kundalini Yoga Teacher should be incentivized to get their sacred reps in and should have completed 40 consecutive days of a Kundalini Yoga Meditation (ideally pre-dawn) for 62 min. or more per sitting.
10. A Teacher should be able to explain (and exude!) in an accessible way, what it means to “raise Kundalini.”

Of course, this list goes on and on. This is not about the letter of the law but the Spirit of the awe. What we’ve listed here are not rules per see, but a dedicated labor of love.