Enneagram and Kundalini
Q&A with Lynn Roulo
As some of you know I combine enneagram with tarot in my work. I have had the pleasure of meeting Lynn Roulo a couple of times via zoom, when she interviewed me about being an enneagram eight, the challenges and the gifts. I’ve really enjoyed my time with her. Lynn embraces enneagram and Kundalini yoga and combines the two in a fascinating way. I hope you enjoy reading about her.
Talking with Lynn Roulo
I adhere to the concept of transdisciplinarity in my work with the tarot and the enneagram. In my mind they work together to form a holisitic approach. How does the combination of enneagram and kundalini fit together for you?
I found the enneagram when I was 24 years old, when I randomly bought Personality Types by Riso/Hudson in a Los Gatos bookstore. The system was extremely useful in helping me to understand my own Type 7 mind better, and it gave a greater context for a lot of my behavior. But despite the eye-opening information it gave me, I continued to struggle to relax my habit of attention. I was still acting out a lot of my “automatic” behavior, and my progress to change was extremely slow. My anxiety, masked as restlessness, was running the show.
Then when I was 37 years old, through a different set of life circumstances, I started taking Kundalini yoga classes. After a few months of these classes, suddenly many of those changes I’d been trying to make for years, began happening. It was really remarkable, and this change convinced me that the combination of the two systems is where the power lies.
The metaphor I use is to imagine you are lost in the woods and trying to find your way home. The Enneagram gives you an extremely detailed map of where to go, but doesn’t give you supplies for the journey. Kundalini Yoga give you all the supplies you need, but it doesn’t tell you where to go. When you combine the two systems, suddenly you have the map to know the direction and the supplies to make the journey. The combination of the two systems accelerates your personal growth process and helps you be the best version of yourself.
How did you end up in Greece doing what you love?
When people ask why I moved to Greece I always say it is a story with no punchline. I had no reason to move. I just had a very clear sense, like a calling, that I should be in Athens. I had been living in San Francisco for 15 years, and I’m not impulsive about big life decisions so I came twice for shorter visits to understand what life in Athens would even be like. Then I moved my base from San Francisco to Athens.
At the beginning, I kept doing my corporate finance work (I’m a CPA). But after about three years of doing that remotely I decided it was time to stop. Again, I just had a clarity that the corporate finance work chapter was over. I wasn’t sure what exactly my next move would be but I felt certain that I’d figure it out. With more free time, I decided to write a book combining Kundalini Yoga and the Enneagram. From there, I’ve gone on to write a second book. I currently focus on Enneagram typing interviews and corporate training in the Enneagram.
Tell us a bit about your enneagram type and how it informs the work you do.
I’m a One-to-One (Intimate/Sexual) Type 7.
My Type 7 habit of attention means I bring a fun, playful attitude to the very serious, sometimes heavy topic of personal growth. I tend to focus on what’s good about the types, particularly for people who are being introduced to the Enneagram. On my Enneagram/Yoga retreats, we focus a lot on having a good time and relaxing. I think you can do better serious work if you are in a state of relaxation and expansiveness.
I also think my mind works in that Type 7 way of making unusual connections. For me, it has been easy to link Kundalini Yoga and the Enneagram. My mind sees the connection very clearly so it is easy for me to document and share that body of knowledge.
5. What would you like our readers to know about you that hasn't been touched on above.
When many people hear the word “yoga” they wonder if they can participate, especially if they aren’t particularly fit or flexible. I would like everyone to know that the KundalinI Yoga I teach is accessible to all–if you can breathe, you can do this practice. The starting position is always the breath and from there, you can do whatever your body physically allows. The breath is the steering wheel to your thoughts and when you start to learn breath control, you can start to have a very different experience in life. Everyone is invited and you can get started by following this matrix that offers videos of Kundalini Yoga kriyas and meditations for all nine types.
https://www.lynnroulo.com/my-offerings/videos/enneagram-matrix/