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Unlocking Inner Peace Through Kundalini Practices Episode Transcript

00:00 - Marcy (Guest)

Kundalini just kind of like reawakens you and like through the work also like you tap into more of your creativity and you let yourself speak in that way as well, which is pretty, um, it's just amazing.

00:18 - Nachi (Host)

Welcome to another episode of I'm Not Yelling I'm Dominican podcast hosted by Nachi and Damaris. Episode of I'm Not Yellin' I'm Dominican podcast hosted by Nachi and Damaris.

00:30

Hey everybody, it's your girl, nachi, and.

00:32

I'm here with Damaris, your lovable matrix rebel that is so fitting. Damaris is gonna help us release the unveil.

00:43 - Damaris (Host)

And Marci will be here to do this, the Kundalini way yes, exactly that's what we're going to get into.

00:49 - Nachi (Host)

That that is what we're going to get into. But, yes, just want to let everyone know that along with Damaris and I, we have Marcy Campo um. She's the creator and host of Comadreando Podcast, and I love that name because it's really telling. It's just like oh, that's my sis, I need to go listen to her because we're going to chat it up.

01:15 - Damaris (Host)

But say that name three times really fast Nachi, yeah, no Get all tongue-tied.

01:22 - Marcy (Guest)

So that was one of the Yono Sabo people that are in the podcast world. They um made a comment to somebody that I know that I thought it was gonna get back to me. They were like oh yeah, she's limiting her audience for her name. I'm like people are gonna say regardless, like if they speak spanish or not so yeah, yeah, yeah figure it out.

01:39 - Damaris (Host)

It's not a big deal, like no one's being tested on it I know nobody, Nobody's going to be like say it with the right accent, please Look it's for who it's for.

01:56 - Nachi (Host)

So, like Damaris and I, we always say that our tribe will find us, and we definitely found. You know it's true, yes, yes. So I, you know. We like to give our guests a chance to share a little bit about themselves, so why don't you let our listeners know who you are and what you do?

02:14 - Marcy (Guest)

uh, so, like the lady said, I am a podcast host but besides that, one of the other hats there where I'm also a special education teacher and mom to an autistic young man and I in the podcast space I'm offering my resources to help other moms and create community and basically destigmatize special needs in black and brown communities, because I still find that a lot of parents are have issues with accepting their children and also creating more inclusive spaces where our kids can feel like they can be themselves so that is part of the work that I'm doing right now, but yeah, I've been a special education teacher for about 10 years and I've been an awesome mom for about 15 years.

03:03 - Damaris (Host)

Okay, so that's right, catch yourself on that.

03:08 - Marcy (Guest)

Yeah. So I've been doing this a pretty long time and I want to help other parents manage it right, because I feel like it's a very isolating experience and it doesn't have to be that way, because, speaking about breaking out of the matrix, we are not made to be in isolation or to work individualistically that's right.

03:29 - Nachi (Host)

Yeah, yeah, no, no, and that's and I like what you said about just kind of removing the stigma to dealing with special needs, and I also think about, like, the other stigmas that we deal with, and that's just the challenge that we as a, as a community, always struggle with. And I know for me this is going into the topic that we we want to talk about is Kundalini yoga, and Kundalini yoga, for for me, has been a tool in my healing journey and so and I know that it's been a tool for you as well and so I wanted to bring that to our listeners so that they know that there's something else out there that they can kind of put in their toolbox for their own healing. Because, yeah, we, we deal with a lot of kind of breaking away from the different types of stigma that eventually causes emotional feelings that we don't know how to process, and when we put individuals in that position, it's like how do you break away? You start thinking that that's normal, like that's how you should be living day to day, when in reality, no, it's not how you should feel and how you should live daily.

04:50

So I did want to start off by asking, or at least sharing what this. What is Kundalini yoga? Cause I know that you've taken the, the teacher's training um for for Kundalini yoga. So what is that that? Because I know it's not like it's not half the yoga, and I know that's a lot of what people think about when they think of yoga is yeah, it's the half of yoga, because that's what you know, you typically hear, but it's not that.

05:16

Uh, it's definitely more powerful, but I'm gonna let you share marcy.

05:20 - Marcy (Guest)

What so? K? Kundalini Yoga is? Well, yoga in general is just yoga comes from the word yoke, so basically, you're yoking, you're bringing things together. So Kundalini Yoga is a yoga that is, specifically, it builds physical strength and stamina and enhances your cognitive function and your emotional balance. It works on your fitness and spiritual connection. So, basically, what is more, your cognitive function and your emotional balance, um, it works on your fitness and a spiritual connection. So, basically, what is more, I feel like the most important part of kundalini yoga is that it it balances everything like your spiritual, your mental and also your physical well-being as well. So, um, it's basically called a technology of human consciousness.

06:04

So when you're when you practice Kundalini yoga. With time you're able to get all those things aligned and together, which is fun not fun, but like very healing for so many people.

06:18 - Damaris (Host)

She's like as you go through the trauma of healing.

06:20

Yes, it is lots of fun, I mean. But you get to the fun stage in life. I mean in the sense that when you start aligning your chakras and all that good stuff and just that internal kind of intuitiveness that we all have, and I feel like this is something that taps into that potential right, that's just like that. We don't. We're so conditioned by society just to function and be a cog in that wheel, versus like what about? Like really thinking about yourself internally and what it is that you need and and how do you kind of do that work inside right To help manifest your external?

07:05 - Nachi (Host)

I would say, the first time, and it's true, it does become fun afterwards. But it's the whole going through, you know, I would say going through that fire so that you can and and again. It's just like you have to be ready for that. You have to be ready to kind of let go and peel the layers that that has become who you are now, right, and how you navigate and and and deal with the trauma that you know, the traumas that you've dealt with throughout your, your life, um. But I found it really interesting because I was reading up on um, you know, the history of Kundalini, and on Yoga International, their website, they had, they shared this article and they, they shared the meaning. Like they broke down the word Kundalini and I was just like, oh, that makes so much sense. So I'm going to kind of read it out for you, like how they put it.

08:02

So kunda in kundalini means coiled, and then ini can be translated as power, which leads to the definition of, you know, for a kundalini as the dormant energy coiled at the base of the spine. So then they had me thinking about, oh, that's your root chakra. And then it's just like, well, what are the? You know what's associated with our root chakra and when you think about it as the whole, feeling safe and feeling secure and, you know, feeling grounded and all those things, when those things are blocked, you start feeling other symptoms that you know that that show that your root chakra is is blocked, and that that would include depression, anxiety, disconnection and isolation. All of that Right and so, and there was one thing that they they put up on their hoarding material things I like laughed out because we suffer from that as a people, yes, as a Dominican, I was like.

09:15 - Damaris (Host)

Oh, ethnic group.

09:15 - Nachi (Host)

Oh, we suffer from that Not wanting to let go. And again it's just the whole security thing Like, oh, I'm going to need this.

09:23 - Damaris (Host)

We might need it, we might need it we might need to give it to someone else and that can use it, so we're not going to throw it out because someone else can use it. We don't use it, but that means we got to keep it. And it's piling, you know, it's getting piling up yeah. So through the work.

09:41 - Marcy (Guest)

There's different kriyas that you practice, and a kriya is like a set of exercises and it's usually paired with meditations, and through those practices usually they last 40 days, which is called a sadhana, and through those practices you work on clearing certain energies in your body. And there are specific yoga sets for working through your sacral chakra and working through, you know, feeling secure and and and like moving through that trauma. It's not pretty, I'm gonna tell you right now. When I first started practicing, it wasn't like sunshines and rainbows and wearing the white and like you know, all these nice things you know and singing and meditation?

10:23

no it wasn't all of that. It was ugly and it was like boogers and crying and just like remembering things that you purposely take out of your mind, you know, through trauma, like via trauma, so like re-remembering those things and then working through it, not just putting it to the side and putting it on a shelf, but actually working through it, because that's what you've done already, right, and that's why it's been dormant.

10:48 - Damaris (Host)

But now you've kind of unleashed it with kundalini, in a sense of, yeah, having to, in order to heal from something, you have to be willing to go through it and letting that go, but you can't just bury it right yeah, yeah, well it's been like a coping mechanism for a lot of us.

11:06 - Nachi (Host)

Right, it's just like you bear it and you move on. You know, let's not, let's not dwell on it, just move on and what's what's next? You know, because dwelling on it isn't going to help. Right, because that's the mentality that that we deal with, but at the same time we deal with certain things in life that just ends up triggering that trauma because we never dealt with it. And then, right, and then we react.

11:32

Our reaction to those triggers aren't the most healthy yeah I know, because my reactions weren't always so kind especially with her ex-husband yeah no, it's true, it's just like you.

11:52 - Marcy (Guest)

It my reaction, because it's just like something would be triggered and I'm like, oh, here we go with this bs, yeah right you actually do the work like recognizing that it's a trigger because, like usually, you're just kind of like in it and you're like this is the way, I am right, but then you don't know it's a trigger because of something from your past, right yeah, yeah, and I and you had mentioned, you know, once you start, you start, you start crying and the boogers are coming out.

12:20 - Nachi (Host)

It just reminded me. So the first time I got introduced to kalini yoga was through the Brujas of Brooklyn and I did a sadhana. The first sadhana I did with them was conquering the anger within. Oh Lord, I remember times where I was just like I don't know where it would come from, but I would just start boohooing because I would be in my living room, you know, because we used to do it like early in the morning. That's typically. Typically we would practice this around 530 in the morning and so so it was really quiet.

13:00

The kids are in their, you know, bedroom sleeping, and I'm just like boohooing while I'm going through this. But it's just, it's hard for me to explain, but it's just like it does bring up. You start thinking about all the things that is going on with your life and how you know and all the things and how it even turned out to be in that fashion, and you just start like unpacking all of that and so it's just like the whole process, because it doesn't, it's just not for me, or at least these sadhanas, and I appreciate the container that the Brujas had put together, because it allows for you to one do the practice but then come together as a community to kind of bring up what has you know like talk about what has, yeah, what, what are some of the things that were brought up?

13:54

and and kind of talk through that and just kind of hearing other women dealing with similar things or dealing with just how they're coping with you know those triggers and it's, you know it, it makes you feel like, okay, I can do this, I can unpack this, I can uh, mutate it and, you know, come out better at the end. But um it, you know, just to your point, marcy, it's just like, yes, it brings up all these emotions On that point, marcy, can you describe what it is to do a Kriya?

14:30 - Damaris (Host)

I think it's for some Nachi and I know I did it once. I did a Sat Naam once and I was like, okay, this is great, but 5.30 in the morning I can't do this again and I know we could do it any other time. But it was to me it was definitely like I would describe it somewhat as a series of breath work and even and also just some physical movements that are, you know, accompanied with that breath work. But you describe how sometimes you know, you start crying. So it'd be interesting to describe for our listeners, like what does that look like to do a Kriya?

15:02 - Marcy (Guest)

Okay, so, really. So you have to open the open the circle right. You have to protect the space and make it sacred. So you start with um, it's like the one call, it's called satnam. So you say satnam, and then you go ahead and and there's a. There's like a. Is it like a prayer? It's something that you recite to cleanse the space and protect you, and then you start right. Usually it involves like physical movement, so it could be anything like what is this? Like having both thumbs up in the air?

15:39 - Nachi (Host)

like you're playing in the sky, and then you're doing breath or you're moving around.

15:45 - Marcy (Guest)

My teacher, sirii rishi, and also the bruja, studied with her. Um, she usually does like very physical at the beginning, the first three minutes and then you get into the kriya itself, but it's just to move the stagnant energy throughout your body. Um, usually the kriya consists of like three different exercises, so it can be something like let's start with like easy, something easy like cat cow breath of fire, the one with the thumbs in the air is ego eradicator, and then you go into the exercises for that Kriya. So, for example, for the final test, I had to do a put together like a, a Kriya for people, right, and I decided to work on inner anger Cause I feel like, because I'm a people pleaser, I don't let myself get angry.

16:37

Like people do really rude things or are mean and and I'm just like no, it's okay. Cause I'm always like, so understanding Right. But then I noticed that there's other things that people do, that I'm just like no, it's okay, because I'm always like so understanding right, but then I noticed that there's other things that

16:52

people do that I'm just like rah right and I lash out at the wrong moment, not at the person that I'm actually angry at. So, whatever, I put together this inner anger kriya and they're all actually detailed. So Yogi Bhajan, the person that brought the Kundalini Yoga to Americaica he has a detailed teacher manual where he has all these sets of different exercises that you can practice. So it all works together for a reason. So usually they don't advise you like picking and choosing what you do.

17:15

You usually follow like you look up in the textbook like what is a kriya to help me with? Whatever, what it, whatever it is, and it's already there. All, all of them are there. So there's kriyas for addiction, to work on clearing your sacral chakra, to work on your heart chakra, like all these things are there. So you practice it and then at the end usually you end with breath work and a meditation. The meditation can be a singing meditation or it can be just um reciting certain sounds after a while, and then you just kind of like after a while you you are doing it like basically on autopilot and you zone out and then at the end you close um the the korea itself.

17:59 - Damaris (Host)

But which is a kind of form of meditation, right, right, like. I think just that when you're focused on a specific thing, that is a form of meditation, you know whether it's 40 days or 90, depending on what it calls for um, but it's, it's doing that, that practice on a daily basis.

18:36 - Nachi (Host)

There's something about that that just is soothing in a way, um, because you, because you're you're doing something for yourself, right, and it's helping you kind of process. Whatever challenge you're you're dealing with. Um, like I said, you know, I love doing the sadhanas because it just it brings us all together. But at the same time I feel I get excited, right, because you know, when we start this sadhana, like okay, I'm all gone, ho, start doing this, I'm going to do it by day 10, I'm like I don't know, I don't know if I could make it to day 11 there and I'll be honest, there there's been sadness that I did not complete.

19:31 - Marcy (Guest)

Yeah.

19:33 - Nachi (Host)

And and and. The whole thing about that, too, is that when you started and you don't, if you don't continue, if it's not continuous, you don't con. If you don't continue, if it's not continuous, you have to start all over with day one, and that is so.

19:50

If you mess up on day 30, then add 30 plus 40, that's 70 yes, let me tell you, I've been there, where I was at day 30 and something, whatever happened, and I realized by midnight, I didn't do it. That is like, and you have into what, midnight to do it?

20:10 - Damaris (Host)

before the next day for it to count, like you know so if you start it before midnight, if you, start at 11 50 as long as you do it before 12 you're fine like, even if you end like right into the next day, whatever, okay you're fine.

20:27 - Marcy (Guest)

However, like where, where you run, the risk is like waiting, not starting at all, you know and and things happen. We're not perfect you know, but the one thing that is, it's very intentional, like the way that things happen are meant to happen for a reason yes, you're getting the medicine that you need, and whether you decide to continue or not, like you know, that's a personal choice.

20:52

But some sadness are really hard. I remember the first one that I did virtually with the ladies. Um, I forgot what the name of the sadness was, but I know it was like we were doing like arms oh yes, that's the one that.

21:04 - Nachi (Host)

I did with you I remember we were doing some arm circling thing, I was like this is arm stretching it's intense, it's yeah, my shoulders were cut that summer.

21:15 - Marcy (Guest)

But let me tell you, in the middle of it I was like I'm not gonna make it.

21:19 - Nachi (Host)

I'm not gonna make it but it's like it's those difficult ones. That makes it even harder to start all over again. But yeah, to your point, it's just like it's the whole intention, and I think that's what's important is that you have an intention to get on the mat and do this practice right, and that says something or does something to you and you know, and it does feel kind of funny if you try to. You know, play the. Oh well, yes, I missed yesterday and that was day 38. I'm going to do 39 tomorrow and no, it doesn't. No, it doesn't work that way and you don't and you miss out. I feel like you miss out if you do something like that. So, which is why there's been a couple that I did not complete, but I could not restart. I was just like, okay, I'm just not ready for this right now. I will start it another time.

22:18 - Marcy (Guest)

You know, it's important. When a lot of resistance comes up to certain careers, you have to sit with it and analyze why. Why are you facing all this resistance and kind of it's? It's also medicine, because you're like you're really, you're really reflecting and not from like a superficial perspective. It's more deep, yeah, so yeah and yeah that was. That was one of the biggest things.

22:40 - Damaris (Host)

Yeah, go ahead I was gonna say that it's it's probably your body's way of telling you you're not quite ready for this particular change or transformation. So, and, and because of that, you should focus on why you're not ready, right, and then, yeah, work on that, doing something else, and I think that's uh, I think that's great that that that kundalini kind of brings that out again to the surface of, like it's forcing you to think, okay, well, why did this break down for me at this point during the sadhana? And I only did one with Nachi and she, she introduced me to it and it was one with the brujas and it was great and I finished it. We both finished that one, right, nachi?

23:21 - Nachi (Host)

yeah, we did this is great.

23:24 - Damaris (Host)

But I am the type of person if they say, oh, the best time to do it is from 5 to 6.30, you could do it any time of the day, but that's the ideal time then I feel like that's the time I need to be doing it. So the few times that I did wake up to do it with the community, I was like I feel sick. Three hours later I was like I feel sick because I've been up so early. My body is rejecting this, so I would do it in the afternoon. But it was great. When we finished, like I felt good about I forgot if it was.

23:56

It wasn't about anger, nachi, but I can't. It was healing something. I can't remember quite what it was, but it was. I felt good afterwards and I was like I'll do it again. I've not done it again, but I do want to do it again. But I want to hear from you, marci, and you, nachi, because you've done quite a few saddens and obviously you've done the training, marci, about the healing that you like. What did you see change in your life from practicing Kundalini? Oh my.

24:25 - Marcy (Guest)

God, a saint kundalini, oh my god, um, so I feel like my spiritual journey really started. It started before, but, like officially 2017, I feel like I had like a breakdown. I was doing like, so I had not attended the because, okay, so in 2017, the brujas had had a three-part series of, like, healing the inner child. So first you worked on your mother wound, then you worked on your father wound and then you, you worked on the relationship you have, um, with your inner child. Right before I participated in that, like when I was started like doing yoga and doing all these things was like there was like this full moon ceremony that was being hosted by fearless leon at the time, um, and I went and they had this person like reading everybody's aura and we were practicing yoga at the same time. It was also with this girl, um, soupy glow, and at that thing, the person that was reading everybody's aura was like she, she's going to have a breakthrough.

25:27 - Nachi (Host)

And she pointed at me and I was like You're like not break down, break through, don't get it twisted. Yeah, no, sis, I had a breakdown that came with a breakdown.

25:39 - Marcy (Guest)

Girl, I had never cried this hard in front of people in my entire life. I was crying like nonstop. You know when you were a little kid that you would get in trouble and you would cry and you'd be like, yes, yes, yes, I was like I couldn't stop myself and I was like, ooh yes, I was like what is happening?

26:00

And I got home my eyes were swollen. I was like what is going on? Anyway, fast forward to the three-part series with the brujas. That was like over the course of three months and I just felt like I don't recognize that Marcy, that I was then if that makes any sense, because I've worked through so much um my relationship with money.

26:25

I worked with my relationship with my mom. People talk about father wound right. They're like, oh my God, because of the dad. No, it's the mom. Your relationship with your mom influences everything in your life. Your relationship with authority, your relationship with money, the men you pick.

26:48 - Damaris (Host)

Now, marci, are you an only child, or are you oldest, or where are you in your?

26:52 - Marcy (Guest)

life. I have the oldest, I'm the oldest.

26:54 - Damaris (Host)

Oh, that's why you're not. No, no, no, no, Because that mother wound like. She and I have very different relationships with our mother. Is that fair to say, Nachi? Yes, it is.

27:05

And like when we've talked about how we viewed marriage and early in our life, like what we wanted when we were younger, I had always in my mind I'm like, look, I want to get married and I want my husband's kids. I don't want kids outside of that right. I felt like when I meet the right dude, I'll just marry him and then I'll have his children. But that's where I'm at with it. I'm in no particular rush. I'm not like, oh, I'm dying to get married. I just want a family similar to the way we grew up. She and I grew up. Nachi had a very different experience. That came from the views of our mother that that mommy didn't really apply to me, but because Nachi was the oldest and that was her firstborn, nachi had a different experience. So and it sounds very you know, I feel like you have a mother wound, nachi, that I just don't. I'm like, nah, I didn't have to do that.

28:04 - Nachi (Host)

I felt that on a solo level, no, no, it was. It was on a solo level, no, no, it was a lot. Yeah, girl, girl, it was a lot of. My mother would interject herself in and I know it was meaningful, but she would interject herself in relationships. If she would see me with someone for like two years. You're not planning to get married. What's going on here? You know you need to, like, let him know that this is. You know he needs to uh, propose to you and you know she would do stuff like that, yeah, and it would get to a place like, well, yeah, well, maybe I should get married. Uh, what's up with you, like, why aren't you asking me to marry?

28:44 - Damaris (Host)

you versus like. What are the reasons behind getting married other than your mom?

28:47

right do I really right? Do I really want to get married? Meanwhile, my mother never. I mean granted, I don't think I was ever in not, she was more of a serial monogamous. I was not, I was just more like I'll date, but I was like, really just like, and so I don't think I was with anyone long enough for mommy to be like. When you getting married, my my parents were like oh my god, who's going to take care of you as you get older, because you're never?

29:09 - Nachi (Host)

going to get married.

29:11 - Marcy (Guest)

Oh my gosh, I'm like it'll be fine.

29:15 - Damaris (Host)

But again, I didn't have that level of pressure. I never had that kind of conversation with mommy. Mommy never interjected in my relationships.

29:25 - Nachi (Host)

But, in a lot of things. Marcy mentioned that I was like yeah that was like sounds like not cheap.

29:37 - Damaris (Host)

I know we we digress a little bit, but that all like so.

29:41 - Marcy (Guest)

No, I love to hear that it shows up in your life in so many different ways and and even my relationship with authority, like I feel like because I had a mom that was so persnickety about so many things. Like when I encounter a person that is a micromanager, I'm like I'm going to rebel Like fuck what you said, I'm going to do whatever, or like I'm like.

30:07 - Damaris (Host)

I can't work with this person anymore. I or like, I'm like. I can't work with this person anymore.

30:09 - Marcy (Guest)

Yeah, I'm like I can't work with this person anymore. I'm gonna go to another school. That was literally me. I was like nope.

30:18 - Nachi (Host)

I was like this is too much reminding me of, like my mom, I'm gonna right that's interesting thinking about it the other day, because when you're going through it, you don't really notice it right away. Right, it's something that comes eventually. And then when you look back, you start to see huh, I was very different back then and similar to you, marci. The person I am today is not the same person I was, you know, back in, I think, 21, 20.

30:55 - Damaris (Host)

You sure about that?

30:58 - Nachi (Host)

No, I'm very sure you are different, you're different. I am positive. You're so much better and I will use the whole the way I approach things.

31:11 - Damaris (Host)

The way.

31:11 - Nachi (Host)

I approach things I used to get very triggered about a lot of things, very much so. And I would get hype immediately. And so, because the maths would always be like, okay, calm down, bitch, calm down.

31:24 - Damaris (Host)

Why are you so triggered right now? And so I triggered her on purpose too, so that she could get over her trigger, so she could recognize no, but that's, that's not.

31:32 - Nachi (Host)

That was no, that was, that's my form of therapy, that is, that is not therapy. No, it's not therapeutic. You're welcome, fyi, okay, you're welcome. No, I am not thanking you. You will one day. I won't, oh my God.

31:55

But yeah, but I think about how I deal with certain people in my life now where it's just like, you know, that doesn't even concern me anymore, like I'm not worried about that, I got other things. That's more important. I, you know, my focus is myself, my children, you know, and caring for my mother. It's just like I don't have time for the nonsense, like I'm making moves and that's it, right, and you know, and I can see, you know, when I mentioned earlier how, when there's certain energy that's stagnant, it brings, passed away, and then, you know, my mother was diagnosed with dementia and you know, just dealing with being a single mom, it was just like a lot going on all at once and it was happening so fast that I couldn't even process it enough, right. And so going through the whole Kundalini, you know, doing the Kundalini yoga and the different sadhanas, really helped me kind of process all of those feelings, because it helped me kind of pull away those layers and and start self accepting, my, you know, like accepting myself and dealing with self-acceptance in the whole process, like you're enough, right. You know we like to say this, like yes, I am enough, I am enough, I don't have to be X, y and Z or I don't have to be in this certain position to be better. You know, to be my better self, the way I am right now is enough. And it's just like kind of sitting with those feelings. And there's something about sitting with those feelings being still. Yes, it's powerful because you go through it, you feel it and then, once you feel it, you know how to manage it and process those feelings so that you can move on to the next thing.

34:07

And I'll say this I find that just looking at other people who have been doing or practicing kundalini yoga and they talked about their challenges and where they are now you can see the transformation of these people. And you can see the transformation of these people, you know. You see people who would leave their job to go follow their passion, because this is where their heart. You know social, social needs and, yeah, and social causes, that this ignites an energy within you. I find, you know, it makes you. It just makes you a totally. It makes it not even a totally different person, but it it transforms you to who you actually are Right as I say.

35:07 - Damaris (Host)

it makes you more authentic, almost right.

35:09 - Marcy (Guest)

Like who you're supposed?

35:10 - Damaris (Host)

to actually be. It taps into that and I know I've read where and you've mentioned it even when Marcy, you and the three of us met on our pre-call was that Kundalini is considered a technology. And I found that, I find I find that so fascinating because I'm like, well, what does that actually mean? I mean, I looked into it, but I'd love for you to share about what it means when they say Kundalini is a technology.

35:37 - Marcy (Guest)

So the reason why they call it a technology is that you use so many different things to be able to tap into yourself. So, basically, it's transformational, right, it helps you release blocks in the reservoirs of untapped yourself. So, basically, it's transformational, right, it helps you release blocks in the reservoirs of untapped energy. So you know that kundalini energy in the base of your spine. People don't usually tap into that energy, right, and it helps you unblock your chakras. It helps to balance your glandular system as well, um, and revitalize your nervous system, right? We?

36:09

we talk about the subtle because there's we don't only have, like the seven chakras, there's more right and there's also like you also can work on your aura and um, making it more powerful and to help you protect yourself from like negative energy as well. And the breathing practices and hydrotherapy. It's a technology because everything works together to just kind of like help you elevate Right and once you type into that Kundalini energy, it really it just like travels up to the base of your spine and it's supposed to open up your third eye when you're when you're purposely working through it. And it was funny because I get all these um tick tocks about like uh, what is like conspiracy theories and things like that Right but there was one.

37:03

there was one that was like relating like the age of Jesus, with like Kundalini energy and all these other things, and it was just it was a lot to like explain, but it just works.

37:15

So the visual of Kundalini energy is literally it's sitting dormant at the base of your spine and through the work with, through Kundalini yoga, you're able to elevate it Right. And the reason why we perform the lock. So, like you do neck lock right, you have to have your neck perfectly parallel to the floor and then you're also applying Mula Bandha, which is like the locks, to your sexual organs and your anus, and you know all of that and you're squeezing those as you're breathing, so that helps to move the energy up um more steadily. But yeah, it is definitely a technology, because it's not one thing or the other, it's all these things working together to help you just awaken to who you really are. And I love that you said that, nachi, because a lot of people were programmed to just work on autopilot, and I feel that Kundalini kind of helps you step out of that and tap into yourself, your really true self, and see your highest self for who you're supposed to be, or who you actually are. But you forgot yeah, yeah, definitely.

38:25 - Damaris (Host)

I love it, right, I'm all into being authentic and however you manage that. And I love that Kundalini also involves a lot of breath work, because Nachi and I we had an episode, our first season, solely on the benefits of breath work and why folks should do it. Because the act of breathing itself is intended to release toxins. So when you do like these very specific breathing techniques, it really does tap into areas of your body where you've held onto certain traumas or certain energies that you've not released and you're now like burdened with that, right, and so this is a form of release in that way. And I'm also curious about the religion aspect.

39:16

I feel like some people are going to listen to this and I'm like, what is this chanting and all this stuff, right, like. But I don't view this as a religion. I view this as, like, this is a form of, you know, is a meditative practice, also one that includes, you know, breath work things that you naturally should be doing and tapping into your body to move and shift energy around. But have you come across people when trying to explain Kundalini, the how, especially being Dominican, right, like. It's like if you're not Catholic, then you probably like Pentecostal or something. I'm just saying, but when you don't understand something, it's quick to be like what is this?

39:59 - Marcy (Guest)

Esa es el demonio, but um, I I haven't encountered that specifically, but genuine curiosity from people, um, you know what it is? Uh, a lot like I'm not, and don't come for me christian people, please. There's certain certain um branches of christianity that believe that yoga is not of god, or right of light right. They believe that yoga is bad whatever, so they have christian yoga, whatever whatever brings you closer to god is cool with me right.

40:34

However, it's really just tapping into yourself. So, like with me, I question anything that is telling me exactly what to do and how to think, and come on now. Yes, marcy, yes agreed so I'm just like what is the reason? Right, but, um, yeah, no, there I feel like, okay, so satnam just means the what is it? Um, I'm gonna look it up because I'm not gonna misquote it, but basically it means, like my truth, right, right okay so sat na means my truth, and that's what you're saying.

41:05

And then satana ma. Those are sounds that help unblock your um chakras right so sa is here down here.

41:13

Ta is the other chakra. Na goes here. Ma right so right. So you're doing all this chanting, but it literally so. The language that most of the meditations are written in is Guru Muki, and you know what's interesting about Kundalini Yoga? It was started by the Sikh gurus. So even though it was started by Sikh people, it didn't integrate some things of Sikhism into it. But it's not a religion per se, so it's really more of a spiritual practice and it actually helps you get closer to God, so it doesn't have you pray to a certain deity or anything like that Whatever you embody or you represent, that's what you're going to bring to the table.

42:00

So it doesn't precisely.

42:01 - Damaris (Host)

You increase that connection, right, yeah, it increases that connection.

42:04 - Marcy (Guest)

It's not telling you to go like join an ashram and like become Hindu or you know whatever the case may be.

42:11 - Nachi (Host)

Yeah, and I've seen people of Islam and Christianity practice kundalini, people of Islam and Christianity practice Kundalini. So yeah, like Marcy said, I think it just helps you connect more with God and not to a specific deity. That's not what that is. It's more of a connection with that spirit, with God.

42:35 - Marcy (Guest)

Oh, I was going to say that Sat Naam means I am truth, or truth is my essence. So basically, you're just like like speaking your truth right and another thing I wanted to like touch base on is that I feel that, through the practice of kundalini, I've unblocked my throat chakra, so I don't. I just like say what I have to say, and also like being a mom of a child with autism. They're like the kings and queens of like IGGAF, like they don't give a crap about what you have to say.

43:04

So through the practice of Kundalini and having a child with autism, I become very, very free with myself because I feel like as a kid I was not encouraged to speak up. It was very much in the school of a child to be seen and not heard. So through the practice of Kundalini, I have been able to rely on my own voice and be able to speak my truth without fear.

43:28 - Damaris (Host)

Yeah, and that's a big shift for us, coming from our community and our background. Is that feeling empowered to speak, where, especially when it comes to familial bonds or matters within the family or close friends, it's just that idea of like no you, you're supposed to just take what your parents say or what your elders say, and no no, no, no, no. If this doesn't align with me, I have to let you know, respectfully yeah, but don't right don't try me, you know what I mean and the thing is important.

44:08

I feel like we were raised because our father was like that. He was really out of pocket, like he had no problem telling people where he stood and and where you stand with. And so growing up I didn't really like. When I became an adult I was like I got it. Now, poppy got it. Yes, standing my truth all the time. Ten toes down, even if it doesn't match with what everyone else is doing. They're just conditioned. They're bots, you're not.

44:37 - Nachi (Host)

But you know, what's funny is that everyone who has crossed this path say the same thing. They would always say your father did exactly what he wanted to do.

44:47 - Damaris (Host)

And that's like the highest compliment, Because I'm like yes.

44:51 - Nachi (Host)

That's what he's supposed to do. He lived his life the way he wanted to live his life. And I'm like you know what. You're absolutely right, he sure did. I'm like you know what.

44:59 - Marcy (Guest)

You're absolutely right, it sure did.

45:06

And as people of color and, like you know, descendants of people that were enslaved, we're taught not to use our voice and we're supposed to be quiet and like meek and like follow all these things and Kundalini just kind of like reawakens you and like through the work also like you tap into more of your creativity and you let yourself speak in that way as well, which is pretty. It's just amazing, like the things that have come about, like Nachi was saying before, through all the sadness, like people leaving their jobs and like deciding to like leave a relationship, and it's not about leaving and like just quitting things.

45:38

It's just kind of like you awaken to what doesn't align with you and if something, it doesn't matter how big it is, if it doesn't align, it doesn't align yeah, it no longer serves you yeah, what is that? There's a um, uh. Is it a meme that says like, if it doesn't, if it doesn't uh if it doesn't fit, uh, if it doesn't fit, you must let it go yeah. Yeah. And like you know, the ponytail relationship, the job, just let it go Right.

46:07 - Nachi (Host)

Let the weave go.

46:10 - Damaris (Host)

Let it all go.

46:12 - Nachi (Host)

I know that's right, but it's letting go of that fear right Cause that's that's what it boils down to. It's just that we're we're afraid to move on, we're afraid of something new, we're afraid of something not working out, like, yes, we want that, but oh, I don't know how that's going to turn out.

46:29

so it's just like dealing with with those fears and trying to figure out yeah, and it is, yes, it is scary it is scary to change, especially if you've been doing something for so long, yet to try to change and do something different it's like Like what do you mean? Yeah, yeah. No, you're crazy.

46:49 - Damaris (Host)

But you know-.

46:49 - Nachi (Host)

This is what I know, right, this is what I know. You know what's?

46:52 - Damaris (Host)

funny is that they always say the one constant is change, and that is the truth. As much as you can try to fight it, it doesn't matter. Things will change. You may not change. Everything else will change around you, so it'll force you to change. So what are you going to do? What are some tips that you could share with our listeners about how to integrate this into their life, and even simple, baby step ways, so that people could get a taste and then hopefully, really dive deep?

47:27 - Marcy (Guest)

So there's different ways that you can integrate Kundalini into your everyday life. One thing that I did learn from my teacher is that so there's this meditation that we listen to in the morning before you. So her sadness I feel okay. So I feel the brujas of brooklyn have this beautiful container and they practice a certain way, and then other people practice a different way yeah, my teacher's like very um exact like exact and strict.

47:56

So she listens to this meditation, that usually it can take 33 minutes, 11 minutes or like 16 minutes, something like that. And then so I. What I do is that I use and integrate what I can when I can right. So if I can do a breath work in the morning, I do that. I practice gratitude also before I get out of bed, you know I I talk to myself and I say three things that I'm grateful for.

48:24

I do you know, breathing meditations and anything can be a meditation. It doesn't have to be that you're sitting still right, it can be that you're meditating while you're doing the dishes, right you're? You're just taking that moment to really sit with yourself and kind of breathe through it. Another thing that they practice in Kundalini is the cold showers in the morning.

48:47 - Nachi (Host)

Like I won't, do a cold shower.

48:53 - Marcy (Guest)

So the way that I integrate it is that, like I take a shower, regular shower, and then at the end the last rinse is cold. And it helps just um when it really helps, because, like I don't know it just oh, it wakes you up, it wakes up your whole endocrine system and your, like your whole body, wakes up, just um.

49:17

Obviously don't put it on your head, because something about like putting cold water on your head actually makes you sleepy instead of waking you up. So obviously, no, no cold water. No cold water on the head, but like everywhere else is fine. But you know, doing those things like that and then even, uh, using satnam when I'm going to do something, and there's a lot of different chants that you can do as well. So, like, some of them are so catchy, you catch yourselves doing the, the chants without actually being in practice. You're on the train, you're like she's like yeah. So there's certain ones that, like there's, there's practices you can look it up on.

50:04

I'll leave a website link for everyone, yeah but there's certain practices that just take like 11 minutes of your day to start to start off and it doesn't have to be anything like super intense, that you're like doing all of these things but taking 11 minutes a day, 11 minutes out of how many minutes are in the day, I don't even know. I can't do the math but, taking 11 minutes a day for yourself, even if you don't necessarily practice kundalini.

50:30 - Damaris (Host)

But taking 11 minutes just to sit with yourself and like really hone in on how you're feeling and what things are coming up or reflecting on your day is important, I feel yeah, and being still right, like I mean, it boils down to just being still for whatever that 10 minutes and, like you said, if it's not um some kundalini yoga technique, you can still do that just by being still right just focus on your breathing start there but yeah, yeah, I know that um sarishi used to do I don't know if she still does uh, on ig.

51:08 - Nachi (Host)

She would do some of her um practice all right, and I always remember seeing I never, you know ever got on one, but I would watch later on and I would look at how long the whole session. I'm like an hour and a half two hours, like wow, it's, like it's. It could be deep as that, but also as short as 11 minutes.

51:34 - Marcy (Guest)

Yeah, so it's, it's, you know it's so important one of those things yeah, she's, she does like, she, like she's finishing I think they just did day 40 of the galactic sadhana and, um, it's intense, it's, it's a lot. And then she, she's really big about like really energizing your body before you sit down to meditate, because the meditation can be 11 minutes long, but like you have to move your body before you sit, like because just in the learning and the teacher training is basically you have to do some kind of physical exercise so that your body does obey when you sit down and you just want to calm your body down.

52:12

Because if you go in from not doing anything to sitting for 11 minutes straight, it's going to be hard for you to actually get into a meditative state.

52:21 - Damaris (Host)

Are there any last thoughts? You want to leave our listeners with as far as what they should consider with Kundalini Yoga, like the benefits, the, just anything else to add, because I think there's so much that this is a lot that can be covered with this topic, but I feel like, if nothing else, I feel like we did Kundundalini 101 right, but yeah, that's good, I'm glad so.

52:46 - Marcy (Guest)

So, basically, what I do advise is is that there's certain breaths that you shouldn't do if you're pregnant or if you're on your menstrual cycle. So breath of fire, anything that's like belly pumping breath um, try not to do so. Instead, do um deep breathing and um just start a little bit at a time. You're you're you're not gonna know what's gonna work for you until you try it. And just keep an open mind, because sometimes the the postures can be like what nachi said you're just sitting there, um, in the easy pose with your, with your fingers extended, and like chanting something, and you think it's not doing anything, but then, like later on in the day, you're like, oh my god, like stuff is coming up so just sitting through those feelings and don't be scared to try something new no I

53:30 - Damaris (Host)

love it, and then where can they find you?

53:35 - Marcy (Guest)

you guys can find me at comadreandopod on IG. Tiktok I have, but I feel like I don't use it as much but on YouTube as well. So I have. My podcast is like your podcast, so I have video as well as a sound integrated as well.

53:50 - Damaris (Host)

And we'll absolutely put this in the show notes as well. So don't worry about that. Nachi and I, we always close out our episodes consistently. There's a lot of noise out there, but our message is consistent Stop getting distracted by the smoke and mirrors, tune out the noise and focus on your divine purpose in life. Vibrate higher to elevate your frequency and always. Thank you for listening. So, that said, don't forget to subscribe to our channel and follow us on instagram, tiktok and twitter at I'm not yelling underscore and we look forward to talking next time.