What Is Kundalini Yoga? A Class Explained | Breath of Fire

Q: What materials we use

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Q: Three generations of women

Three generations of women.My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2004, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today.Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

White clothes, a sheepskin or a blanket on the floor, a few words chanted together before anything else. Then the breath speeds up and the room grows warm. Here is what actually happens in a Kundalini yoga class today, step by step.

What is Kundalini yoga, as it is practised today?

Kundalini yoga, often called the yoga of awareness, is a spiritual practice rooted in ancient yogic traditions. The form most people meet in studios today was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan in the late 1960s and carries strong influences from the Sikh tradition. It combines physical postures, breath control, mantra and meditation to awaken Kundalini, the life force said to lie dormant at the base of the spine.

If you want to explore the meaning of Kundalini energy and its awakening, read our main article on the magical powers of Kundalini yoga. Here, we stay practical: what a class looks like.

Kundalini yoga

How a typical Kundalini yoga class unfolds

Tuning in. The class opens with a mantra chanted three times, usually Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo (I bow to the creative wisdom, I bow to the teacher within). It marks the passage from daily life to practice.
Warm-up. Spinal flexes, gentle twists, neck rolls, often with a rhythmic breath. The spine wakes up, the body warms.
The kriya. The heart of the class: a set sequence of postures, breathing and sometimes mantra, practised for precise durations (one, three, eleven minutes). Movements are often repetitive and dynamic: squats such as Frog pose, lunges, spinal twists, arm exercises held with the eyes closed.
Breathwork. Kriyas often include pranayama such as alternate nostril breathing or Breath of Fire, the fast, rhythmic breath through the nose that gave our brand its name.
Deep relaxation. You lie on your back, covered, for several minutes, sometimes with a gong. The body integrates what has been stirred.
Meditation. Often with a mantra, a mudra (a hand position) or a specific breath. Many meditations last three or eleven minutes.
Closing. The class often ends with a short blessing song and the words Sat Nam (truth is my identity), repeated together.

Chanting, singing and mantras run through the whole class. They focus the mind and create a sense of inner calm and connection.

Group of women in white organic cotton yoga clothes by Breath of Fire — Since 2009, we have made white clothes for Kundalini yoga and meditation. See our white collection

The benefits practitioners describe

Kundalini yoga aims to bring the body and mind into balance and to awaken the full potential of each person. Practitioners often describe:

A stronger, more mobile body: kriyas build strength, flexibility and stamina, and help release tension.
Mental clarity and focus: the mix of movement, breath and meditation trains concentration.
Emotional balance: many people feel calmer and more grounded after a class, with a nervous system that settles more easily.
Spiritual connection: a sense of being connected to something larger, which many describe as the heart of the practice.

For a closer look at these benefits and practical advice to begin at home, read Kundalini yoga: benefits and how to start.

Good to know before your first class

Kundalini yoga can be physically and mentally demanding. It is best practised under the guidance of a trained and experienced teacher, especially at the beginning. Rapid breathing techniques and breath retention are not recommended during pregnancy, or if you have epilepsy, high blood pressure or a heart condition: talk to your doctor and tell your teacher beforehand.

Woman in taupe Sohang yoga top and pants in organic cotton, Breath of Fire — Free in the hips for Frog pose, warm at the ankles for meditation: the Sohang set. Discover the Sohang pants

Frequently asked questions

How long is a Kundalini yoga class?

Most classes last 60 to 90 minutes: around 10 minutes of tuning in and warm-up, 30 to 45 minutes of kriya, 10 to 15 minutes of relaxation, then meditation and closing.

Why do people wear white in Kundalini yoga?

In the tradition taught by Yogi Bhajan, white is said to expand the aura and support a clear, calm mind. Many practitioners also simply love its lightness. You can practise in any colour, but natural fibres make a real difference when the body heats up.

Do I have to chant?

No one will force you. You can listen first. Most people find that the vibration of the mantra, even whispered, becomes one of the most grounding parts of the class.

What should I wear?

Loose, breathable clothes in natural fibres that let you squat, twist and sit cross-legged for long minutes. Our Sohang pants were designed for exactly this practice, and the Ankaa pants carry an embroidered Kundalini serpent.

Tune in. Breathe. Sat Nam.

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What you wear matters. The texture against skin. The breath that moves freely. Pieces that soften with the years.

Our clothes are certified organic cotton, knitted and sewn in Portugal in small batches since 2009. Natural fibers. Slow craft. Clothing for those who pay attention to what touches the body.

Near Porto, in Portugal, two small family businesses work side by side for us. The first, in one village, knits our organic cotton from scratch and dyes it to our specifications. The second, in the next village, cuts and sews. We have been visiting both every year since 2009. We know the people by name. We share meals when we visit. They have watched our collections grow alongside their own children.

During the Covid years, when organic cotton and bamboo became briefly impossible to source in Portugal, we found a second family workshop in Turkey — also ethical, also certified, also personal. About 5% of what we make passes through their hands today. The Mizar Kimono and a few Lilac pieces from past collections come from there.

Most yoga brands buy fabric from a market — pre-made rolls, ready to cut. We don't. Every meter of jersey we use is knitted from scratch to our specifications. That is why the Sohang feels the way it does. That is why a five-year-old pair softens instead of wearing thin.

A slower way of making clothes. Sometimes inconvenient. Always worth it.

Sustainability for us is not a marketing department. It is a series of small, sometimes annoying choices we have made since 2009.

We chose certified organic cotton when it was 40% more expensive than conventional or plastic fabrics. We still pay that premium today. We grow without external capital which means we cannot afford to overstock, so we don't. We use every meter of yarn we order, even when it means smaller runs and longer waits. We are 100% self funded and all the money is placed in ethical funds in a local bank.

We focus on evergreen pieces, the Sohang, the Amrit, the Amba instead of seasonal collections. Some of these designs are over a decade old and still our bestsellers. A garment worn for ten years on a body is the most sustainable thing a fashion brand can make.

Our fabrics are dyed with processes gentle enough for a baby's skin. We package in either recycled or biodegradable bags. We ship from our small warehouse in Cully (Switzerland) or our partner in Germany, never overseas.

We don't tick every box. We are not perfect. But these are the choices we make, and we make them visible.

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.

Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.

Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.

Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.

Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.

We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Three generations of women.

My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.

My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2004, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today.

Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.

We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.

That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

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Kundalini Yoga Today: What Happens in a Class

What is Kundalini yoga, as it is practised today?

How a typical Kundalini yoga class unfolds

The benefits practitioners describe

Good to know before your first class

Frequently asked questions

How long is a Kundalini yoga class?

Why do people wear white in Kundalini yoga?

Do I have to chant?

What should I wear?

Wear your frequency.

Two villages in Portugal make your clothes

The slow choices behind our sustainability

What materials we use

Three generations of women