One more week to go to the end of this program and the kriyas and meditations are getting more intense.
Becoming a teacher is not an easy task. The immersion is really helping everyone here, including myself. We are clearing ourselves and being a better channel to serve others.
The end goal really is to help people have less suffering in life and to experience joy. As Yogi Bhajan said, “You must understand that you have to build your character first. Care for yourself, be kind to yourself, be compassionate to yourself. That is what you have to do. If you want to become a Teacher of Kundalini Yoga, then your inside and outside both have to be saintly.”
We did 31-minutes of Sat Kriya — the “everything kriya”.
In fact, Yogi Bhajan said that this is one of the most powerful kriyas in all of Kundalini Yoga. A kriya is a sequence of postures, breath, and sound that are combined together to allow the manifestation of a particular state. Sat Kriya is one of the few exercises in Kundalini Yoga that is a complete kriya in itself.
The rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the kriya produce waves of energy that circulate, energize, and heal the body. One of the primary actions is, quoting the manual, “To balance the energies of the lower triangle of chakras, the energy distribution centers by mixing the prana and apana at the navel center. This generates heat in the system and opens the inner channels to the upward flow and rotation of energy. The contraction of the navel and the gentle, automatic pull of the mulbandh guide the forward projection and mixing of the chakra energies.”
There are numerous benefits in doing the Sat Kriya:
* Excellent for digestive troubles, lower back problems and for transcending fears, and the wounds of childhood.
* Helps the body recover from toxicity and memory loss from drug abuse.
* Relaxes phobias about sexuality, potency, and capacity by re-channelizing sexual energy to creative and healing activities in the body.
* All the internal organs receive a gentle rhythmic massage. The heart gets stronger from the rhythmic up-and-down of blood pressure generated from the pumping motion of the Navel Point.
* Stimulates and channels the kundalini energy (note that it must always be practiced with the mantra Sat Nam).
Sat Kriya helps remove energy imbalances in the lower three chakras and thus people who are suffering from depression, anger, guilt, resentment and other emotions of the grieving process can benefit from this kriya, as these emotions are always connected with an imbalance in the energies of the lower three chakras.
Try it:
Sit on your heels. If it’s too much, place a cushion between your hips and legs. Interlace the fingers except for the index fingers, which point straight up. For the masculine, cross the right thumb over the left thumb; for the feminine, cross the left thumb over the right. Stretch the arms over the head with elbows straight, the index fingers pointing up.
Begin chanting Sat Nam (mantra means truth is my identity) with a constant rhythm. As you pull the navel in and up toward the spine, chant Sat from the Navel Point. Release and relax with Nam. Note that the breath will regulate itself. The eye focus is on the Navel Point motion and the root and diaphragm locks are automatically pulled with the rhythmic action.
To end the kriya, inhale and gently squeeze the muscles from the buttocks all the way up along the spine. Hold it briefly as you concentrate on the area just above the tip of the head. Then exhale completely. Inhale again, then exhale totally and hold the breath as you apply a firm root lock by contracting the lower pelvis. Lift the diaphragm, lock in the chin by pulling the chin to the back of the throat and squeeze all the muscles from the buttocks up to the neck. Hold the breath out for 5 to 20 seconds according to your comfort and capacity. Relax. Lie down on your back, ideally, for twice the length of time, you practiced Sat Kriya. If it’s 3 minutes, relax for 6 minutes.
As you progress, you may want to increase from 3 minutes to 5 minutes to 31 minutes or even 62 minutes. Jai Dev advises doing this for 90 to 120 days for 31 minutes every day. Remember that commitment and consistency is important for the Sat Kriya.
Counting down…
8 days till I return! and 8 more days of the #LiveHealBloomKundaliniYogaChallenge. The end of the journey can be just as exciting as the beginning. And we definitely aren’t the same as when we started.
Be well and bloom, always.
In loving service,
ROSAN
