Cancer Patients Find Peace in Kundalini Yoga

Despite being diagnosed recently with breast cancer, Maria Martinez feels remarkably peaceful. She attributes this to a strong spiritual faith fueled by prayer, meditation and practices such as Hatha Yoga, which involves breathing techniques and poses. Martinez recently added a new ingredient to her self-care repertoire when she discovered a similar kind of yoga, called Kundalini Yoga. During a class at M. D. Andersons Place of wellness, Martinez, 47, and her daughter Sandra, 22, were led through Kundalini Yoga poses, movements, breathing techniques and chanting. The session ended with several minutes of relaxation on their backs, covered with blankets. This morning I had fears and insecurities and now after class I feel very calm and relaxed, Martinez says. Its like being in another state. Kundalini Yoga can be of great benefit to cancer patients, says Kundalini Yoga master and healer Guru Dev Singh, Ph.D., who visited M. D. Anderson this summer. If nothing else, if it makes you relaxed and happy, your capacity to deal with your sickness will help your treatment, he says. Yogas spiritual flow targets specific ailments Kundalini refers to a spiritual potential within every person that can be awakened. The dormant energy is compared to a serpent at the base of the spine. In fact, Kundalini means 'coiled one in Sanskrit. The beauty of Kundalini Yoga is that it is simple and focused, Guru Dev says. Sessions focus on meditation and yoga sets (a series of yoga exercises) specific to particular ailments. The class that Martinez attended, for example, involved a set for the lymphatic system. Other sets may address states of mind including anxiety, fear and awareness. Kundalini Yoga is very precise, Gura Dev says. It isnt yoga for monks. Its yoga for householders people who are busy and dont have a lot of time. What we do is stimulate the flow of energy through the chakras (the bodys energy centers) to create a specific state, and we do it by sound, position and rhythm. For more information about Kundalini Yoga, visit the website of 3HO (Healthy Happy Holy Organization), the organization founded by Yogi Bhajan, the yoga master who brought Kundalini Yoga from India to the United States in 1969.