What do you know about Kundalini Yoga? Kundalini is a word that references a primal and potential energy located at the base of the spine, "coiled like a serpent." Through a combination of movement and breathwork, this latent energy awakens and courses through the physical body to generate incredible awareness and powerful energy. Every tradition of yoga has the potential to activate kundalini but differ in the method, context for the experience, and how quickly it can happen. Kundalini Yoga, also known as the Yoga of Awareness, provides an effective and efficient practice of stimulating kundalini in the body quickly via movement (asana), mantra, and breathwork (pranayam) that strengthens and conditions the nervous, muscular, and glandular systems of the body. Postures and practices of Kundalini Yoga differ from many other traditions of yoga known and practiced more widely, such as Hatha, Vinyasa, Astanga. These differences include but are not limited to class format, posture names, mantra, sequencing, attire, cues, and introduction of bandhas, drishti, and mudra. The nature of the practice, as well as these differences, make available classes that can accommodate a wide range of students (from never-before-done- yoga, to yoga-experienced-but-never-practiced-kundalini, to intermediate and advanced Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Practitioners. 

Kundalini Yoga and Meditation in San Luis Obispo County has been small and overlooked niche of the growing Central Coast Yoga community. In 2013, Coco Herda, IKTYA 200 began teaching Kundalini Yoga and Meditation as taught by Yogi Bhajan at SLO County Sheriff's Honor Farm and for private clients. In 2014, she also began teaching publicly at mBody in San Luis Obispo, free classes in Meadow Park in San Luis Obispo, LightShare in Santa Margarita. Prior to her teaching publicly, the only other classes and teachers that had been available and teaching intermittently were Fran Dukehart and  Samantha Huston (offered classes at Wilwand Tea House). Jody Baker and Tawny Sterios, both San Luis County Residents and certified Kundalini Instructors had ceased to teach Kundalini Yoga. 

Since 2018, Coco Herda has continued to teach regularly at the Honor Farm, for private client's, for contract clients, for professional clients, and publicly at Milkweed and Alchemy Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Mark Davis, a resident of SLO has earned his teacher certification and teaches each week at Branch Mill Organics in Arroyo Grande. Jody Baker has returned to teaching more regularly and holds class at Lightshare at Dharma Yoga in Paso Robles, and Yoga Village in Arroyo Grande has Kundalini offerings as well.