7 ESSENTIALS OF KUNDALINI YOGA

Your task is not to seek for Love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

A COURSE IN MIRACLES

WE HAVE CHOSEN TO GO into depth with the following selection of kundalini yoga techniques because of their ability to move our pranic energy through our body and electromagnetic field so transformation can occur. These are basics that will support your journey to open your heart and allow your soul to shine. Practicing them will provide a tangible experience of how changing our energy alters our body and how using our body shifts our energy. You will find many of these exercises again and again in the traditional kundalini yoga sequences that are discussed later in the book.

BHANDAS ENERGY LOCKS

 

Bhandas, also known as energy locks, are core practices of kundalini yoga. They awaken, unlock, and unite the flow of our bioenergy through the central channel of the spine. They stimulate the kundalini and direct its flow through a clear, open pathway of the shushmuna, the energy pathway along the spinal column. Bhandas combine suspending the breath with a subtle tightening of specific muscles so as to move prana through our energy pathways, activating our higher centers of awareness.

The pranic energy they work with is quite sacred, which is why the locks have sometimes been surrounded by an air of mysticism. These locks were held secret for thousands of years because they instill an incredible potency. This power is not something to be afraid of—it is a power to be claimed. Your soul is ready to reclaim the devotion for itself that you may have given away for most of your adult life, and your heart knows this. We cannot urge you enough to practice using bhandas to awaken your inner shine.

The three main bhandas are Root Lock, Diaphragm Lock, and Neck Lock. Below we have described them as individual yoga practices in order for you to learn them. The locks are often applied during the final breath of a kundalini yoga exercise. However, you can practice the locks in any position at any time: sitting, lying down, and even (more lightly) while walking.

A note about pronunciation: we give the classic names for the locks as we describe them below, but in the rest of this book we stick with the English names to make these practices more accessible and user-friendly. Our intention is to welcome you to the experience (rather than the language) of the practice.

ROOT LOCK

 

Root Lock activates kundalini energy at the base of the spine, awakening the boundless energetic potential of our true self. Sexual energy is the limited way that much of the world experiences this power, and most of us are familiar with how compelling sexual energy is. But there is much more to this energy than sexual arousal. Once you learn how to make it flow, it becomes the reservoir of your entire life-force.

Root Lock is called Mul Bhand (pronounced “mool bond”) in the original language of India. Root Lock is most often practiced while suspending the breath—either in or out—but can also be done for a period of time while breathing fully. A light Mul Bhand is held during most kundalini yoga exercises. It can also be practiced at any time—in your office, while walking, or going about your day.

1      To learn Mul Bhand, sit in an upright position and feel your spine rising from your pelvis to the top of your head. Connect with the flow of prana through your nostrils and into your being.

2      Exhale all your breath out, fully emptying your lungs. Hold it out while you contract the muscles of the perineal area: tighten the area around the anus and perineum and draw the sex organs up and back toward the lowermost vertebrae. Draw the bellybutton back toward the spine. Visualize the concentrated energy within the entire pelvic region being directed to the base of the spine. Continue to hold your breath out and apply the lock for as long you can. Embrace the freedom of letting your energy activate your diamond brilliance.

3      When you feel ready, release the muscles and slowly inhale, visualizing your breath as light that interacts with your soul. Sit for some time as you transition into breathing normally, allowing your prana to circulate to every cell of your body.

4      You may wish to repeat Root Lock one or two more times.

DIAPHRAGM LOCK

 

In the area of the solar plexus, the life-force prana mixes with the eliminative force apana. One can’t flow without the other, but once we connect them, our deepest energy can move unimpeded through the spinal pathway. Without Diaphragm Lock, our kundalini has a hard time rising from the base of the spine to the level of the heart. Diaphragm Lock opens the door to this energetic pathway, allowing our prana to flow up past the diaphragm so our heart becomes touched, illumined, and resonant with the light of our soul.

Diaphragm Lock was traditionally called Uddiyana Bhand (pronounced “oo-dee-yah -nah bond”), which means “to lift up.” You can think of Diaphragm Lock as an energetic and anatomical platform for the heart. The base of the heart is in fact supported with tendons that attach it to the diaphragm. As we touched upon earlier, when the heart has a grounded and strong platform to rest upon, it feels safe to open. Diaphragm Lock gives us this beautiful means by which we can live through our hearts with grace.

The awakening of the heart is deeply profound and absolutely essential on the journey of our consciousness. The short pathway of kundalini energy from the navel to the heart generates a true breakthrough in consciousness. It requires letting go of a sense of self, safety, and security and trusting that our heart can carry us with light and love. Once our prana enters into the realm of the heart, our life source surges. We become connected with all those around us. It is as though the heavens open in us and our energy can flow in ways it was prevented from before. Also, when the heart is open, the mind quiets. When the mind stills, the heart can be the boss. When the heart is in charge, our lives become magical playgrounds full of fun and loving synchronicity and moments of perfect bliss.

1      Sit up with your spine straight in a space conducive to honoring your own spirit.

2      When you feel ready, exhale entirely and lift the diaphragm up toward the heart. This will draw the navel in, pulling it back toward the spinal column. Remember, the diaphragm is like a stiff trampoline that can be lifted up toward the heart or pushed down toward the navel.

3      Feel the unimpeded flow of light rising through the channel of energy in the center of your spine. Prana that was blocked and held in the lower chakras can now flow unimpeded from the base of the spine into the rib cage. Let it touch your heart so it can blossom like a beautiful flower made of light.

4      When you feel ready, very slowly and consciously release the lock and inhale again. You may wish to repeat the lock two or more times.

NECK LOCK

 

The third bhanda, Neck Lock, allows prana to move up through the neck, awakening the third eye and pituitary gland and radiating into our aura. Neck Lock opens the fifth chakra—the throat—so kundalini energy can flow to the sixth, seventh, and eighth chakras. Without Neck Lock our energy is often blocked at the throat, and our soul light cannot reach the higher chakra frequencies of intuition, sacred wisdom, and surrender to the divine. The traditional yogic word for Neck Lock is Jalandhara Bhand (pronounced “jahlunn-dah -rah bond”), which literally means “neck lock.”

Sometimes we experience a sense of fear when we begin to connect deeply to spirit, and we pull back from the cosmic breakthrough that happens when energy flow reaches the third eye and awakens intuition. If you feel fear, please remember that prana is love. There is no reason to do any of this except to awaken and blossom so the fragrance of your soul can be sensed as part of you. The third eye is where we discern the unseen reality behind the surface, the eternal ebb and flow of the energy of life. The intuition requires complete neutrality in order not to shrink back. The crown chakra, at the top of the head, is the gateway to our rare divine consciousness. And in the aura we become an integrated, coherent whole rather than a series of separate chakras. The line between our finite idenity and infinite consciousness becomes blurred. We blend. We are not separate.

1      To practice Neck Lock, first make sure you are in a conducive space. Take a moment to connect with your breathing while seated or standing.

2      Draw the chin back and slightly down while lifting the back of the head and stretching open the spaces between the vertebrae in the back of the neck. Allow your chest to rise and ribs to expand, keeping the shoulders relaxed. This will straighten the curvature at the back of the neck. It is a gentle tug rather than a forceful position, and it should be held anytime one is sitting, during meditation or breathing exercises as well.

3      Take a moment to feel the flow of energy rising to awaken the third eye, the crown chakra, and your aura. Breathe long, deep inhales and exhales.

MAHA BHAND

 

When the three locks—Root Lock, Diphragm Lock, and Neck Lock—are practiced all together at once, as they often are, we call it Great Lock, or Maha Bhand (pronounced “mah -hah bond”). Maha Bhand enables the totality of our energy to flow as one unimpeded circuit. We vibrate as a coherent energetic flow of love, our soul identity. In general, you can always choose to practice the Maha Bhand at the finish of a kundalini yoga exercise for one to three breaths.

SAT KRIYA

 

Sat Kriya (pronounced “sutt kree-yah”) is a single phenomenal exercise that imparts all the benefits of kundalini yoga; it has the power of many other exercises in one. It is a deep healing practice that balances all aspects of the self. Perhaps the most famous exercise in all of kundalini yoga, Sat Kriya offers a superquick fix for moving, balancing, and stimulating the energy along the spine while enabling it to be assimilated with the electromagnetic field. This energy integration can happen in as little as three minutes with Sat Kriya. We love this exercise, and we have suggested it to thousands of people who have claimed it gave them new life experiences.

Sat Kriya opens the flow of prana to rise through the central channel of the spine and opens the shutters of the crown chakra at the top of the head, allowing our consciousness to blend with the loving grace of the infinite. Sat Kriya connects the flow of kundalini by merging prana and apana at the level of the diaphragm. Sexual energy merges into accessible vitality and creative force as it rises from the second chakra, filling the energy channels all the way up our body while enhancing our radiance around the body. Overall, Sat Kriya develops our ability to stay centered, focused, and at the same time expansive. If you have time for nothing else, practice Sat Kriya for three minutes in the morning and watch how your day goes. It is absolutely life changing to practice Sat Kriya for three to thirty-one minutes daily.

Sat Kriya combines three things: a body position, a repetitive motion at the navel point, and a sacred mantra, “Sat Nam,” which is described in depth in chapter 5 . When doing this exercise, give yourself sufficient time to relax afterward, and do it in a place where you will not be disturbed and you can chant out loud without any fear.

Sat Nam

1      Sit on your heels on the floor and breathe deeply. Feel the flow of prana coming in through your nose as you fill your lungs. Radiate love energy throughout your body as you exhale.

2      Draw the chin back slightly so your neck is in Neck Lock. Extend your arms straight up overhead with the elbows alongside your ears. Put your palms together and interlace your fingers, keeping only the index fingers stretched straight up and pressed together. Feel the elongation extending from the base of your spine all the way up to your fingertips, as if your fingertips were drawing light up from your root chakra.

3      Throughout the exercise, simply allow your breath to come and go as feels natural. It typically sneaks in as a little sniff after the “Sat” on its own. It’s best not to pay much attention to your breathing in Sat Kriya and allow it to happen automatically.

4      Draw the navel in sharply toward the spine while continuing to extend the arms and hands up and powerfully say the mantra “Sat” out loud. Then release the navel and say the mantra “Nam” out loud. Repeat, drawing the navel in on each “Sat” and releasing it on each “Nam,” creating a steady rhythm slightly slower than one per second. Continue for three to thirty-one minutes.

5      To finish, inhale as deeply as possible. Apply Root Lock and focus on your third eye point. Visualizing it as a bright white light, draw your energy up the spine, through the top of the head, and up to the fingertips. Hold the position while suspending your breath for ten seconds.

6      Then exhale all the breath out as you release the lock and visualize the energy flowing out through the top of your head.

7      When you have fully emptied the lungs, repeat Maha Bhand while holding the breath out for ten seconds. With the breath held out, the navel can be drawn back farther into the abdomen. Imagine light rising up from the base of your spine to your fingertips. Again, exhale completely and picture the light surrounding your body.

8      Repeat the inhale and exhale two more times, maintaining Maha Bhand as you hold the breath after the inhalation, for ten seconds each time. Then, with full awareness, slowly and gently bring your arms down and transition to normal breathing.

9      Lie down on your back and allow the flow of energy to do its magic. Just relax every fiber of your body. Take long and deep inhales and long and complete exhales. The energy flowing has its own wisdom. Trust that everything is as it needs to be in this moment. Continue to relax for at least as long as you practiced the exercise, if not longer.

CAT-COW

 

Cat-Cow keeps your spine flexible and your heart open while integrating all of your chakras. The fluid back-and-forth movement of the entire spine, from coccyx to head, promotes the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid and allows us to experience the flow of life. The steady tipping motion adjusts the hormone-producing glands, in particular the thyroid, increasing the metabolism, helping with weight loss, and energizing us for our entire day. The spinal fluid moves up to the brain, releasing the feel-good neurotransmitters and bringing a vitality to our thinking.

1      Come onto your hands and knees on the floor, with your knees directly under your hips and your wrists directly below your shoulders. Feel the stability of the pose as you root yourself to the earth on all fours.

2      Inhale as you open your heart toward the sky, lifting the chin and expanding your rib cage. Explore the space between the vertebrae and see if you can move one vertebra at a time when you begin to stretch your spine. Notice where you are flexible and where you feel stiff.

3      Exhale as you press your hands into the earth and round the spine upward like a Halloween cat, tucking the chin in toward your chest and the tailbone in toward your navel. Again, try to move one vertebra at a time.

4      Continue this movement for one to three minutes. Once you feel you have warmed up, you may speed up, but be careful never to whip the neck up and down. Always stay present and focused on your inhale and exhale so that the breath leads the movement. The breath moves the spine, and the spine moves the rest of the body.

5      To finish, inhale deeply in the up position, hold your breath, and apply Root Lock. Hold for five to fifteen seconds, then release.

ADVANCED CAT-COW WITH KNEE BEND

 

This is a great exercise for keeping the glutes toned while stimulating the powerful immune system of the spine. It also balances the neurotransmitters, bringing clear freshness to the mind. The extension of the leg behind the body works the muscles in the back and gives the spine a nice adjustment.

1      Begin in the same position as in the regular Cat-Cow, as described above.

2      As you inhale, extend the left leg high behind you, straightening the knee. Open your heart toward the sky, lift the chin, and expand your rib cage.

3      As you exhale, round the back, lower your head, and bring the left knee forward so that you are almost touching your forehead with your knee.

4      Repeat steps 2 and 3, continuing for one to three minutes. Then switch sides and do the exercise for an equal length of time on the opposite side.

BOW POSE

 

Bow Pose opens the heart energy of the fourth chakra and allows it to rise up to the sixth, seventh, and eighth chakras. It releases constrictions in the lungs and thyroid, which increases our metabolism and internal fire and can promote weight loss and boost energy all day long. This pose stretches the abdomen wonderfully, releasing trapped prana that may be causing constipation and menstrual cramps. It relieves a great deal of lower back tension. Bow pose is used in many kundalini sets and is an excellent pose to practice on its own.

1      Lie down on your stomach. Bend your knees, reach back with your hands, and take hold of your ankles. Take several long, deep breaths as you stretch the fronts of your thighs by pulling on the ankles.

2      While holding on to your ankles, inhale, arch your back, raise your chin, and lift everything you possibly can up off the floor and toward the sky. Deepen your breathing and feel how the inhalation increases the stretch. Continue breathing long, deep breaths for thirty seconds to three minutes while holding the position. Alternatively, you may practice Breath of Fire while in this pose.

3      To finish, while still holding your ankles, inhale deeply, arch up fully, and then exhale completely. Apply the Root Lock with your breath held out. Inhale and repeat a second time.

4      To come out of the position, slowly inhale as you relax your body down. Once your knees are on the floor, release the ankles from your hands and rest on your belly, resting on your cheek with your head turned to one side. Take your time and simply allow the opening of energy flow along the central nerve channel of your spine.

FROG POSE

 

If you want an exercise that tones your glutes and thighs while at the same time moves pranic energy through the spine and deepens your breathing, Frog Pose is for you! As we move the pelvis and lower spine through the electromagnetic field and stretch the hamstrings, we release blockages in the flow of prana through the fronts and backs of the thighs and through the first and second chakras. This pose is so beneficial. It gives you a spring in your step, self-confidence, and creative energy. It increases the flow of energy through the spine and even helps prevent cellulite. The back-and-forth tipping of the cranium works on the connectivity between your pituitary and pineal glands, and the motion stimulates the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, bringing freshness and clarity to the mind. If you have issues in your second chakra, like difficulty with fertility or hormonal imbalances, focus on pressing your heels together with intensity during the exercise; there are meridian points in the heels that stimulate energy in the second chakra.

Frog Pose is often done vigorously and rapidly, but it is fine to move and breathe slowly, holding and deepening into the positions. Being present, moving consciously, and making sure your breath is orchestrating your movement are the most important things to focus on.

1      Squat down onto the balls of your feet, with your heels pressed together and lifted above the ground. Press the tips of your fingers onto the ground in front of you, straightening your elbows and spreading your knees to either side of your arms. Lift your chin and expand your ribs, raising your heart up toward the sky.

2      Inhale, lift your hips, straighten your legs, and let the top of your head come straight down toward the ground. Keep your neck and lower spine relaxed and your heels touching together off the floor.

3      Exhale and return to the squatting position as in step 1, lifting the head so you are facing directly forward and raising the heart upward again.

4      Continue for twenty-five more lifts at your own pace.

5      To finish, lift the hips, hold the breath, and hold the position to consolidate the energy. Then exhale completely while relaxing down to the starting position.

BABY POSE

 

Relaxing in Baby Pose with the head lower than the heart creates a sense of wonder and lets the mind surrender to the wisdom of the fourth chakra. The head is tipped forward, energizing the third eye and the intuition, stimulating the pituitary and pineal glands, and opening us to activation of the self. In yogic terms this pose was called “the tipping of the cup of nectar so the moonbeams could be caught,” because it permits the fire of the solar plexus to rise. Allow yourself to deepen into Baby Pose, slowing the breath down. Allow and surrender.

This is a wonderfully soothing exercise for children. Rubbing a child’s lower back while they are in this position is very healing. Softly humming or chanting a mantra while nurturing them in this manner is a lovely way to comfort a loved one.

1      Sit on your heels and bring your forehead down to the ground or, if the floor is hard to reach, to a folded blanket in front of you.

2      Rest your arms alongside your body, with the palms face up next to the hips. Feel a separation between the shoulder blades as you give in to the force of gravity.

3      Breathe deeply and feel how as you inhale you gently open the space between your ribs and vertebrae. Relax into the pose and hold for as long as you feel comfortable.

AURA CHARGER

 

As described in chapter 2 , the eighth chakra is the dynamic electromagnetic field around the body, called the aura. Illnesses are often stored as energetic blockages in this field before they even enter the physical body. We also hold imprints of childhood trauma in this energy field as well as imprints from our ancestors and their life experiences. It is essential to keep this field purified. Just as we take a shower to clean the physical body, we can use practices from kundalini yoga to cleanse our energy field.

Our absolutely favorite exercise for the eighth chakra is Aura Charger. This meditation can cleanse away toxic densities from our energy fields in just a few minutes. It combines Breath of Fire (as described in chapter 4 ) and a sixty-degree arm position to make your aura clear and let your radiance shine into the world.

1      Sit on your heels, keeping your spine straight and tall. Feel your breath entering your lungs and expanding your ribs. Close your eyes, bring your breath under conscious control, and observe the flow of prana past your third eye point with each inhalation and exhalation.

2      Curl your fingers so that your fingertips touch the pads on the palms just below each finger. Extend your thumbs away from your palms.

3      Stretch your arms up from your shoulders at a diagonal, as if you’re pulling a rope between your hands, so they form a sixty-degree angle between them. Straighten your arms and keep your elbows locked, elongating the distance from your heart to your thumb tips.

4      Holding this position, do Breath of Fire for thirty seconds to three minutes. As you perform Breath of Fire, become aware of a line of energy flowing from your heart up through your shoulders and arms and into your fingertips. Feel this energy extend as an arc of brilliant light curving overhead from thumb to thumb and charging your aura with loving goodness. This arc will clear your aura of debris and energy blocks. Keep your shoulders relaxed and down so your heart is as open and filled with light as possible.

5      To finish, inhale deeply while stretching your arms straight up overhead and pressing the tips of your thumbs together. Suspend your breath, apply Root Lock, and stretch your spine up from your pelvis, opening the spaces between your vertebrae.

6      Exhale, extend your fingers with the palms down, and sweep your arms out and around you. We invite you to visualize light coming out of your fingertips to seal any rips in your energy field around your heart. Comb through your aura with your fingers, removing toxicity, negativity, and disease. As you clear the negative energy with your hands, imagine you are releasing it down into the earth below you. You are purifying the darkness from your aura, illuminating it with a bright white light.

7      To close, lower your hands onto your thighs with palms facing upward. Feel your energy circulating up from your spine, into the arc line above your head, and out into your aura. Visualize the pure and beautiful light you have created. Give yourself the precious gift of sitting, breathing, and being aware of the changes in your aura for as long as you can. Tune in to the energy that is you. It is love.

POWER ARCHER

 

Power Archer is the stance of the spiritual warrior. Think of yourself as strong but open to the divine. Wise but full of grace. Steady but willing to surrender to the flow of the universe’s intelligence. Power Archer says we honor that everything is in divine order, and at the same time we are strong and are willing to stand for what we believe in. If you have difficulty concentrating, staying with an endeavor, or seeing the details, Power Archer can benefit you. It can also help you activate a dream and allow your infinite potential to manifest into reality.

Power Archer releases blocked energy in the lungs and heart, and it stimulates the thymus gland. It tones the muscles of and opens the hips while sending pranic energy into the lower vertebrae. The stretch in the pelvis frees the current of life-force so that we flow in synchronous dedication to the energy of the universe.

1      Stand up tall, feeling your spine rise elegantly from your hips. Breathe deeply into your abdomen and allow your shoulders to relax. Tune in to the sensation of weight distributed evenly between both feet. Feel your body elongate, rising against gravity from your feet to the top of your head.

2      Lunge a few feet forward onto your left leg so your knee is bent directly over the foot. Keep the right leg straight behind you and your weight evenly distributed between both feet so that you feel a balanced stretch across your pelvis. Turn your right foot a bit shy of ninety degrees.

3      Extend your left arm out straight in front of you, as if you were holding a bow. With your right arm, draw an imaginary arrow back, pulling your right elbow backward and parallel to the ground.

4      Widen the pull between your right elbow and the left hand, opening up across the ribs while keeping a lift in the right elbow. Make your spine long, tall, open, perpendicular to the earth, and flowing, like a light tube of energy.

       That arrow you are aiming is the arrow of your intention. As you hold the pose, keep your eyes open on your target and imagine you are keenly training your arrow on your greatest dream. You are seeing it right in front of you and visualizing it as clearly as possible.

5      Begin Breath of Fire while holding the pose steadily and powerfully. Continue Breath of Fire for one to three minutes.

6      Inhale profoundly into the depths of your abdomen, aim your arrow, and let it fly as you release the breath. We invite you to feel the flow of energy from the earth below you. Feel your strength and your ease at the same time. Remember you are grace, but you are not a doormat. There is a huge difference between being soft, vulnerable, open, and spiritual and being a victim of an attack. This exercise is a great way to merge your power with your grace so that they go hand in hand.

7      Repeat steps 2 through 6 on the other side for the same length of time.

FLOW AND GLOW

 

Flow and Glow fills you with sparkle and luminescence. It gives clarity and freshness to your energy and your mind. Flow and Glow is a classic exercise. It is great to practice during flu season to boost the immune system. Flow and Glow keeps cerebrospinal fluid fresh and free of toxins. The undulating spine movement in Flow and Glow accelerates the circulation and recharging of the cerebrospinal fluid like a wave. It clears energy blockages in the spine and sushmana.

Flow and Glow is one fluid movement that flows seamlessly with the breath. Throughout the movement, lead with your chin and let your spine follow. As with most kundalini yoga exercises, coordinate your breath with the movement by exhaling as you arch your back up and compress the ribs and then inhaling as you drop the belly down and expand the rib cage.

1      Sit upright on your heels with your palms or fingers touching the ground on either side of your legs and your spine elongated. Connect with the breath flowing deeply in and out of your abdomen and the lovely energy flowing from the base of your spine to the top of your head.

2      Leading with your chin, exhale as you begin to lean forward, bending your elbows, bringing your chin forward and down toward your chest, and allowing your spine to curve forward.

3      Continue bending forward so that your chin comes down as low as possible, either to the ground in front of your knees or as close to the floor as you can bend. Arch your back and bring your torso onto or as close to your thighs as you can. Feel the force of gravity pulling you down.

4      As you inhale, begin to lift your torso back up in a smooth motion. First lift the chin; then bring your spine up off of your knees. Keep lifting until you are sitting tall, with your lower spine flexed fully forward.

5      Repeat steps 3 and 4, continuing the motion for three minutes or longer. Come down on the exhale and up on the inhale, creating an undulating movement with the spine. Keep your awareness on the light flowing through your spine. It is love. It is healing you. It wants your success.

6      Sit up very straight and inhale deeply. Hold your breath in and perform Root Lock, drawing the perineum, rectum, sex organs, and abdomen up and in, awakening prana from your lower energy centers. Hold Root Lock with a steady, firm, supportive pressure, but without applying tension. Feel your energy awaken, flowing into the base of the sushmana and rising like a beautiful luminescence through your spine, activating your chakras, reaching to the top of your head, and radiating into your aura. Feel yourself being blessed.

7      Exhale and repeat Root Lock with the breath out.

8      To finish, inhale deeply into your abdomen; then exhale completely. Breathe normally with long, slow, steady breaths. Lie down onto your back, turn your palms upward, and relax completely. Don’t try to control a thing. Let the energy of the universe flow through you, washing away disease and tension. Surrender.

STRETCH POSE

 

Stretch Pose is a challenging posture, bringing sharp focus and presence to the body and mind in a very short time. On a physical level it tones the core muscles of the both abdomen and lower back, helps with digestion, and balances the adrenaline- and insulin-producing glands of the pancreas.

Strengthening the navel center fosters a sense of security in the natural connection between your spiritual self and your physical embodiment. When your core is strong, you have a platform from which your heart can feel safe opening. When the abdominal area is weak you will feel an emotional need to close off the heart in order to provide a false sense of safety. Living through the heart with vulnerability is the calling of this time. Yet if we are not strong in our navel, we will be too afraid to listen to our heart songs. Being a spiritual warrior means knowing that you are a powerful person who owns the gift of peace. Always remember that your grace is your biggest power.

Do not be afraid if your body begins to shake during Stretch Pose. The shaking is simply a sign that your nervous system is rebalancing.

It is quite normal to feel emotional after Stretch Pose. The emotions are being released, and that release is a blessing. Channel the energy you are experiencing into a fire that burns through any pain, physical or emotional. If you feel angry at the end, do the pose all over again and purge the frustration through the practice.

Please do not practice Stretch Pose if you are pregnant.

1      Lie down on your back. Recognize a cord of energy from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, with your navel at the center of it.

2      Tuck your chin toward your chest and lift your head, hands, and heels six inches off the ground. The neck and shoulders come up, but the rest of the back, including the shoulder blades, remains pressed into the ground. Straighten your fingers and stretch your arms out powerfully from your shoulders, with your elbows straight and parallel to the ground. Point your toes.

3      Begin Breath of Fire. Tune in to the current of invigorating energy from the top of the head to the tips of your toes. Continue for fifteen seconds or longer, building up to one to three minutes over time.

4      Inhale deeply, hold the position, suspend your breath, and focus your energy at your navel center. Exhale consciously while lowering your head and arms down.

5      To finish, simply lie still on your back, allowing your body to assimilate the effects of the pose. Breathe consciously and relax. You have just energized seventy-two thousand nerve endings at your core while releasing tension that was stored in your muscles and in your electromagnetic field. You may even feel a bit of a catharsis. Just surrender and allow it as part of your expansion of consciousness.

EXERCISE FOR AURIC SENSITIVITY

 

1      Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and become very aware of your skin. Slow down your breathing.

2      Touch the index finger to the thumb very lightly, creating a circle of energy. Tune in to your aura in the area that your index finger would be if it were outstretched. The finger touching the thumb leaves an echo of focused auric sensitivity. See if you can feel the sensitivity of that auric area. Just as with your finger you can touch extremely softly and delicately, this energetic is gentle.

3      Observe the vibrations of universal wisdom that are rippling around you.

PRAYER POSE

Bringing our palms together in the center line of the body balances the left and right hemispheres of our nervous system, thereby balancing our focus. The millions of nerve endings in the palms and fingertips communicate with one another when our palms touch. When the many distractions of life are pulling you away from the grace of your own concentration, simply joining the palms together can recenter and rebalance your energy, bring you back into the present, and remind you of the timeless patience of your soul.

VENUS LOCK

This mudra channels sexual energy and helps balance the glands. Where the thumb connects into the palm is a raised mound called the Mound of Venus. The goddess Venus is the representative of beauty, grace, sensuality, and sexuality. The thumb represents the ego, or the falsely empowered identity of self as separate from the soul.

To do Venus Lock, fold your hands together, interlacing your fingers and resting one thumb on the Mound of Venus of the opposite hand. Traditionally, women place the thumb of their left hand upon the Mound of Venus of the right hand; for men, the right thumb rests on the left-hand Mound of Venus. It is a very balancing mudra that is often used in kundalini yoga exercises. You also can do it at any time during your day to generate vitality and a calm, knowing focus.

STRETCHING IN KUNDALINI YOGA

You surrender to a lot of things which are not worthy of you. I wish you would surrender to your radiance, your integrity, your beautiful human grace.

YOGI BHAJAN

Stretching the physical body is similar to the lifestyle philosophy shared throughout this book. Stretching is not about pushing or struggling. It is the gentle art of persistence that takes us from point A to point B. Pushing and struggling to get somewhere send messages to the universe that we do not trust our dreams will appear with grace.

Breath is the key to stretching in kundalini yoga. Breathe into a stretch by breathing fully into the depths of the abdomen. Embrace the feel of a stretch rather than retracting from it. Tightness in any area of the body is due to the restricted flow of prana, which in turn is caused by self-limiting beliefs or other stuck thinking. By breathing fully, we release the trapped prana. As the prana gives up its resistance to movement, as the tight fascia and muscles give up their long-held tension, a miraculous thing happens: our thoughts and spirit give up theirs as well.

STRETCHING EXERCISE

 

Many people have tightness in the legs. We can use the following exercise as an example of breathing through a stretch. Rather than forcing, breathe light and love into the area of tightness, allowing the tightness to unwind. Be patient and trust the light of your prana holds your best intentions. It can take several months, but with persistent deep breathing combined with Breath of Fire, your prana will start to flow more freely, and the tightness will surrender its grip.

1      Sit up straight on the floor, extending your legs out in front of you. Connect with your breathing and honor the presence of your spirit. Envision your breath as a beautiful white light.

2      While inhaling and exhaling deeply, bend your knees, lift your thighs, and wrap your arms around the backs of your thighs, hugging them to you. Hinge forward from your hips so that your torso is pressed as closely as possible into your upper thighs. Keep your navel pointed forward and your neck relaxed. Continue inhaling deeply into your abdomen and fully exhaling all the air from your lungs.

3      As you breathe, gradually move your heels away from you so you hinge farther forward. Only move your heels forward to the extent that you can maintain the hug, with your thighs remaining pressed to your chest. Once you reach the point where your thighs and torso start to separate, stop and soften into the position and breathe deeply.

4      Continue taking long, slow breaths deeply into your abdomen. Try to breathe as profoundly as possible, remembering the four-part Square Breath as described in chapter 3 . Envision your breath as light flowing through the areas of tightness in your lower spine or behind your legs. Continue for one to three minutes.

5      Practice Breath of Fire for an additional one to three minutes while continuing to visualize the flow of prana.

6      As your body begins to relax, you will find you can move your heels farther forward. Go ahead and move them, but keep your torso against your thighs. Be patient, relax, and focus on your breathing. Don’t overdo it or strain. Be patient.

7      To finish, inhale very deeply, hold the position, then exhale fully, deepening into the stretch. Repeat the full inhalation and exhalation two more times; then relax onto your back. Allow the current of prana to be a river of love flowing through you.