Heather McLeod comes by her high esteem for kundalini yoga quite honestly.
After all, she says, it changed her life for the better.
Kundalini is a blend of mantra chanting, sometimes physically demanding exercises (or "kriyas") and meditation, designed to allow practitioners to affect significant changes in their bodies and lives.
McLeod was first introduced to kundalini about a decade ago and was immediately moved by the experience, but it wasn't until years later that she decided to make a personal commitment to the practice.
"As a stay at home mom, you can sometimes lose sight of who you are as a person. This happened to me, and through Kundalini yoga I was able to regain my sense of self," she says. "If people commit to Kundalini they can rid themselves of all kinds of neuroses and pain and physical conditions. It's very powerful."
When McLeod learned that the yoga studio she attended was suddenly closing, she realized there was no other
Kundalini yoga studio on the North Shore. She decided to open a studio of her own; Bound Lotus at 161 East First Street in North Vancouver - a bright, spacious and inviting yoga and meditation centre where service is the focus.
The instruction of kundalini, she explains, is a very self-effacing, humble calling. It's all about serving others, and serving the teachings first introduced to North America by kundalini paterfamilias Yogi Bhajan in the 1960s.
"A lot of the work we do is about moving away from the ego and getting to a place of love and compassion and having a neutral mind. We're here to provide a welcoming space, we're here to deliver the teachings, and that's what makes us different."
McLeod says there are many misconceptions about kundalini, but she describes it as a "technology" that produces substantial, tangible results and helps people better monitor, maintain and, when necessary, restore their own health.
"We waste so much of our energy trying to repress old emotions, which only leads to disease and all sorts of problems. This is a practice that allows you to release those negative stories and live a lighter, healthier, happier life."
Kundalini, says McLeod, is existentially tailor made for those who feel they are hopelessly adrift in the constant swarm and snarl of the Information Age; people searching for a deeper connection to - and deeper meaning in - the world around them.
"When you have your mind, body and soul more connected, within you, your life is more connected," she says. "And throughout history, all of the most intelligent and holy men and philosophers have all said the same thing: if you want to make a change in the world, start by making a change in yourself."
Besides kundalini, Bound Lotus also offers classes in hatha, yin and restorative yoga, as well as men's-only sessions. The studio also offers unique, 40-day meditation programs seven times a year, which help participants reduce daily stress and anxiety. The program helps create real and lasting change in their lives through just 20-minute daily sessions. The current 40-day session, which began Feb. 26 and runs until April 6, focuses on meditation for the 8th body, or Pranic Body, which is responsible for circulating prana, or life force energy.
"I have students tell me how it's dramatically changed their lives, improved their marriage and reduced their stress levels. Nobody has a program like this, we're very unique in that regard," says McLeod.
161 East 1st Street, North Vancouver 604.971.5230 www.boundlotus.ca
