200 Hours That Changed My Life: Inside the World of Kundalini Yoga Certification

When I first signed up for a 200-hour Kundalini Yoga teacher training course, I was searching for something I couldn’t name. Life had been moving fast, too fast — deadlines, responsibilities, and the weight of expectations pressing down on me like a storm cloud that never cleared. I wasn’t exactly sure what Kundalini Yoga was, only that I needed something more than what I was doing. I wanted to feel whole again. I wanted to breathe.

What I found over those 200 Hour Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training was not just a yoga certification. I found myself — not the curated version I showed to the world, but the raw, real person beneath years of emotional armor. This training wasn’t just about learning kriyas or mantras; it was about returning home to a version of myself I didn’t even realize I had forgotten.

The First Step: Surrender

The journey began on a cool morning inside a quiet studio space filled with soft light and nervous energy. None of us knew each other. Most had never practiced Kundalini Yoga before. We came from different walks of life — teachers, healers, therapists, artists, mothers — and yet we all shared that same look of hopeful fatigue, as if life had finally brought us to the right doorstep.

The first few days were a blur of new experiences: white clothing, early morning Sadhana at 4 a.m., chanting mantras in Gurmukhi, and sitting through long hours of meditation. It wasn’t easy. My legs would go numb. My mind would rebel. My ego screamed at me to leave. But slowly, breath by breath, I began to understand what surrender meant. I learned to sit with discomfort, to move through it instead of around it.

Beyond the Postures

Unlike many yoga styles that emphasize physical form and flexibility, Kundalini Yoga is more inward. The asanas are important, yes, but the emphasis is on energy, on clearing emotional blocks, and awakening a deeper sense of awareness. Each kriya — a set sequence of postures, breathwork, and chanting — targets specific energy centers and creates a shift within the nervous system.

What surprised me most was how powerful these sequences were. I remember one particular kriya for releasing fear. After the third round, I burst into tears. It felt as though years of stored anxiety had been waiting for this exact moment to come undone. This happened to many of us. We cried. We laughed. We shook. We breathed. Something ancient within us was being rewritten.

The Science of Sound

Mantra chanting was one of the most transformative parts of the training. At first, I struggled to understand how repeating phrases in a language I didn’t know could be meaningful. But the vibrations of the mantras started working on me in subtle ways. I noticed I was sleeping better. I was calmer. My reactions softened.

One mantra, in particular — “Sat Nam” — became a kind of anchor. It means “truth is my identity,” and after chanting it daily, I began to feel its meaning, not just understand it intellectually. I started to see how often I had lived disconnected from my truth, performing roles, meeting expectations, suppressing my voice. That simple phrase reminded me that I had the right to show up as myself — fully, unapologetically.

Community and Connection

One of the most beautiful and unexpected gifts of this journey was the community it built. There’s something intimate about going through deep spiritual work in a shared space. We held space for each other’s breakthroughs and breakdowns. We listened without judgment. We meditated shoulder to shoulder, often in silence, yet always deeply connected.

There were days I didn’t want to show up. Days when resistance roared. But it was my fellow trainees who kept me going. We became mirrors for each other, reflecting the light and shadow we each carried. That collective energy gave me the strength to keep facing parts of myself I’d long avoided.

Transformation Beyond the Mat

By the time the 200 hours came to an end, something fundamental had shifted in me. My posture had changed, yes, but so had my perspective. I no longer felt like life was something happening to me. I felt rooted, awake, and deeply empowered. I learned how to listen to my body, to trust my intuition, and to speak my truth — even when it trembled.

Kundalini Yoga doesn’t promise a quick fix. It’s not about becoming perfect or transcending the human experience. It’s about becoming more human. More present. More compassionate. More alive.

I walked away with a certificate, yes — but more importantly, I walked away with tools to navigate life with greater grace. I now have practices I can turn to when anxiety rises, when doubt creeps in, when life feels too much. This training gave me a map — not to escape my reality, but to meet it with clarity and courage.

A Path, Not a Destination

Looking back, those 200 hours changed the course of my life. Not because they were easy, but because they were real. They peeled back layers I didn’t even know I had. They taught me how to breathe again — not just in the physical sense, but spiritually, emotionally, energetically.

Kundalini Yoga continues to be a path I walk every day. Some days I meditate for an hour, other days just for a few minutes. But the commitment is there. The awareness is there. The gratitude is there.

To anyone feeling lost, disconnected, or burned out — this journey is not reserved for the spiritually advanced. It’s for anyone willing to show up, to be uncomfortable, to dig deep. It’s for anyone brave enough to say, “I don’t have all the answers, but I’m willing to listen.”

Because sometimes, the greatest transformation doesn’t come in grand gestures or massive life changes. Sometimes, it comes in the quiet, sacred commitment to show up — breath by breath, mantra by mantra, hour by hour — until you remember who you’ve been all along.

Maa Shakti Yog Bali is your peaceful retreat in Bali, dedicated to nurturing body, mind, and spirit through authentic yoga and meditation. Our experienced instructors offer personalized classes for all levels, helping you find balance, strength, and inner peace. Join our community to experience holistic wellness and the transformative energy of Bali.