Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan and his successors combines specific sequences of posture, movement, breath and mantra, called kriyas, with meditation and chanting, presented as a systematic technology for awakening kundalini energy and moving it up through the body's chakras. Classes are typically taught in groups by certified teachers following a codified curriculum, distinguishing this branded modern discipline from the individualized, teacher-supervised approach traditional tantric and hatha sources describe for kundalini practice generally.
The underlying concept, that a latent energy lies coiled at the base of the spine and can rise through the central channel when the body and mind are sufficiently prepared, comes from older Hindu tantric and hatha yoga cosmology, but traditional sources are notably cautious about it, warning that a premature or forced awakening can produce serious physical and psychological disturbance, and generally reserving detailed instruction for advanced students under direct guidance rather than presenting it as an open group practice. Because both the traditional cautionary framing and the specific content of Yogi Bhajan's kriyas involve material tradition or the organization itself treats as requiring qualified instruction, this entry describes kundalini yoga's aims, structure and history rather than any specific kriya, breath pattern or count.