Kundalini yoga students relax after class.
Fifteen women — and one man — sit on yoga mats, shaking
their arms vigorously in the air. The sweet smell of incense wafts
through the darkened room. Tribal beats and dance music echo in the
background.
“You can experience high levels of euphoria,” says Hannah Phillips,
owner of Give Yoga Memphis Studio in East Memphis and teacher of
Kundalini yoga, about the practice of Kundalini. “It’s a high.”
In Kundalini, practitioners move quickly and aerobically through a
range of postures rather than the slow and meditative stretching and
posing that characterizes other yoga classes.
Give Yoga Memphis has taught Kundalini for six months and is the
only studio in Memphis that offers the 90-minute classes. Phillips
practiced and taught other styles of yoga for decades before becoming
Kundalini-certified.
During a session, the class practices “the breath of fire,” a rapid
inhale and exhale.
“Through chants and breathing, you’re able to clear and detox the
systems of your body,” Phillips said. “Physically you become stronger
and more flexible. On a deeper level, you become more aware through
meditation. Kundalini helps you tap into great potential.”
When yoga enthusiast Linda Wesson broke her arm, she didn’t skip a
single Kundalini class. In fact, she credits her yoga practice with
helping her arm heal without a cast.
“Yoga is a way of life,” Wesson said. “It brings about better
health.”
Not only does Give Yoga Memphis help clients improve well-being, its
name also reflects the payment policy: Even in financially hard times,
give what you can.
“Anyone who can’t afford yoga can come and pay as they want,”
Phillips said. “The economy shouldn’t discourage their growth with
yoga.”
