Embrace the teachings of Kundalini Yoga and Depth Psychology to illuminate the deep desires of your authentic Self for the New Year
“Spiritual awareness must be brought into our daily life if we are to become receptive to the radiance of that Consciousness that is pulsing with divine vibrations.” — Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Kundalini Rising
As the calendar turns a new leaf, many of us engage in the time-honored tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions—goals aimed at better health, increased wealth, or breaking free from habits that no longer serve us. Commonly, these pledges are a reflection of our ego self—our conscious identity that navigates the social world, often dictating a quest for safety and security. (Erich Neumann, a German psychologist who studied under C. G. Jung coined the term “ego-Self axis.”) Yet, rooted in the wisdom of Jungian psychology, lies the concept of the ego-Self axis—a focal point where the ego surrenders authority and aligns with the deeper, true Self. This year, we propose an inversion of traditional resolutions, urging a dialogue with our innermost Self. What if, instead of crafting goals from the ego’s perspective, we sought to understand and fulfill the yearnings of our soul or psyche, which may indeed challenge the ego’s narrative?
As many individuals reach the midpoint of their lives, they often find themselves having attained the significant milestones they once aspired to—career success, financial stability, and personal achievements. Yet, despite these accomplishments, a prevailing sense of discontent and a dull ache of depression frequently emerge. This is a juncture where the ego has seemingly fulfilled its agenda, ensuring safety and security, but beneath that, there’s an undercurrent of soul sickness—a profound realization that the deep longings of the soul have been sidelined, leaving an essential part of oneself unaddressed and yearning for attention.
“. . . the experience of the Self is always a defeat for the ego.” C. G. Jung, CW 14 ¶778
Individuation is an enduring journey marked by the dance between polarities within our psyche: the seen and unseen, the conscious awareness and the depths of the unconscious, as well as the outward persona and the inner shadow. This process is not merely a psychological undertaking but a holistic journey toward realizing our full potential. It’s about becoming the truest version of ourselves, embracing the totality of our existence—our thoughts, emotions, philosophies, and spiritual insights.
It’s a lifelong quest toward completeness, where we strive to bring to light the hidden aspects of ourselves. With each revelation of the unconscious mind, we take a step closer to a sense of wholeness, even as we accept that the journey itself is infinite, ever-unfolding before us. The ego gradually learns to co-pilot, allowing the true Self to steer our life’s direction.
Thus, “Recovering Our Stories” is an invitation to embark on a profound voyage of individuation. It’s a call to journey within and retrieve the narratives scribed by our authentic Self, not the stories penned by the ego. As we venture into this New Year, let us reorient our resolutions to become echoes of our inner voice, guiding us toward our true potential and the full expression of who we are meant to be.
Journey of Individuation
In our upcoming series “Recovering Our Stories,” we delve deeper into this authentic journey. We seek the stories not crafted by our ego but those that emanate from our authentic Self. These are the narratives that hold the power to heal, to transform, and to lead us to our true calling. Join us as we embark on this inward adventure, turning New Year’s resolutions inside out and tuning into the aspirations and dreams that truly reflect the essence of who we are.
Join us this January for a transformative journey through Kundalini Yoga intertwined with the profound insights of Depth Psychology. Our series, “Recovering Our Story,” invites you to explore the depths of your psyche and the heights of your spirit.
We encourage all participants to engage with the pivotal works of Jungian Analyst James Hollis, Ph.D., either by reading What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life or by listening to his enlightening conversation with Tami Simmons of Sounds True: “What Is Wanting to Find Expression Through You?”. Each session will be an opportunity to ponder profound questions posed by Hollis during our class and community integration time post-yoga class:
- What does my soul or psyche want from me?
- What desires to be expressed through me uniquely?
- What is life currently presenting to me as my task?
Aligning with our soul’s purpose brings vitality and meaning, while ignoring it may lead to symptoms like depression, disease, or other forms of malaise.
How Can Kundalini Yoga Illuminate These Pathways?
In this pivotal shift, Kundalini yoga emerges as a bridge, reconnecting us to the whispers of the soul and psyche that may have been drowned out in life’s earlier pursuits, guiding us gently back to the essence of our being.
Kundalini yoga stands as a profound technology for self-discovery, offering a path to deeper self-realization. This ancient practice is more than a series of physical postures; it is a gateway to accessing the intuitive wisdom of the heart and the somatic intelligence of the body, connecting us to the cosmic consciousness that pervades all things. As we engage with Kundalini yoga, we begin to unlock the vast chambers of our unconscious mind, integrating its hidden treasures into our daily existence. The journey of individuation becomes a holistic experience, where the heart, body, and mind converge in harmony. It’s a process that transcends mere intellect, engaging us in a rhythm that resonates with the pulse of life itself. Each posture, breath, and mantra is a step toward balancing the internal dichotomies, leading us to a life that is in true alignment with our unique essence and purpose.
Kundalini Yoga is our gateway to remembering and acknowledging our true essence. For a deeper understanding of Kundalini, consider it as a dormant yet potent energy residing within, often visualized as a coiled serpent at the spine’s base. It embodies our untapped potential and, when awakened through the practices of mantra, mudra, asana, and pranayama, it ascends through the body’s energy centers, catalyzing spiritual enlightenment and expanding our life’s potential. Learn more about Kundalini Yoga’s impact on your true nature here.
In parallel with our practice, we draw inspiration from the profound work of Jungian analyst Dr. James Hollis, whose explorations into the depths of the psyche offer a rich tapestry of understanding to accompany us on this journey. His insights serve as a compass, guiding us through the intricate landscape of the soul—illuminating paths that our innermost selves yearn to tread.
As we close the chapter on conventional resolutions and open the pages to a more meaningful script, let this series be your gateway to transformation. We extend our heartfelt invitation to join us in “Recovering Our Stories,” where the narrative of your life is not written by the ego’s pen, but by the soul’s vibrant desires. Together, let’s welcome a New Year with intentions that resonate with the core of our being—intentions that bring forth the stories of our authentic Self, rich with awareness, imbued with purpose, and radiant with joy.
Step into this transformative space, where resolutions are not merely made but are discovered and nurtured, blossoming into the full expression of who you are destined to be.
We invite you to this profound series to discover and embrace the stories that are waiting to find expression through you. Together, let’s step into a world of greater awareness, purpose, and joy.
Weekly Series Highlights:
Week One: What Matters Most?
We commence our series by delving into our intuition to discover what truly matters to us and what yearns to unfold through us. Kundalini yoga will be our tool to somatically unlock these narratives, initiating a series-long journey of self-discovery.
Resources for Week One:
Week Two: What’s Blocking You?
The second week addresses the internal blocks that stifle our desires and mute the gentle voice of the psyche, including:
- Ego’s quest for comfort
- Fear of abandonment
- Unworthiness
- Deep-seated familial and cultural messages
Kundalini awakening can dissolve these blocks, leading to bliss, enhanced intuition, and a profound sense of connection and flow.
Resources for Week Two:
Week Three: Reviving Passions
Our third week encourages self-inquiry to determine whether our choices diminish or expand us. We explore motivations for change and revive passions through practices that promote self-reliance and creativity.
Resources for Week Three:
Week Four: What Wants to Manifest Through You?
Our Kundalini Yoga practice harnesses specific techniques to blend prana and apana—life force and eliminative energies—at the spine’s root, channeling this unified energy upward toward the pineal gland, a process that fosters a state of blissful union. The week’s kriya is designed to dissolve tension that blocks energy flow, thereby enhancing the circulation of ojas, the vital essence, to elevate awareness and promote a dynamic state of well-being.
Resources for Week Four
In the teachings of yoga, Ojas (a non-physical dimension of energy, Sadhguru) is considered the ultimate refinement of nutrition within the body, akin to the cerebrospinal fluid. It is believed that the transformation of food into this vital essence is a highly efficient process: from numerous morsels of food emerges a single drop of blood, and from an abundance of blood, a solitary drop of ojas is formed. Our bodies contain only a minuscule, yet invaluable amount of ojas at any time.
The kriya practice focuses on guiding a single drop of ojas upward through the central channel of the spinal cord, known as the Sushumna, culminating near the pineal gland. This movement is said to ignite the pineal gland’s luminosity, which creates a synergy between the pituitary and pineal glands, thereby unlocking your full potential.