Surya Kriya

So for our second class we incorporated a few techniques which we covered in our first class. I will  post an alternate section covering the 'warm ups' and 'breath-work' that we did. The kriya, (- which we now know to be the 'specific sequence of postures', oft referred to as 'asanas' in other yogic practices) which we practiced is known as 'Surya Kriya":

'Surya' refers to the energy of the Sun and this is what this Kriya is named after, when one has a lot of sun energy you do not get cold,  you are energetic, expressive and enthusiastic. It is the energy of purification and it holds weight down. It allows the mind to become clear, analytical and action orientated. These exercises systematically  stimulate the positive pranic/life force and kundalini energy itself. It builds strength of body and allows one to focus on many tasks.

The procession of the kriya:

1 - Breathing through the Right Nostril -
     This draws on the "sun breath" and gives us a clear and focused mind.

2 - Sat Kriya -
     We do this for six minutes which we break down into two , three minutes parts. It releases energy
     stored at the Navel Point.

    Sitting on the heels, we bring the palms of the hands together and interlace the fingers , with the 

    exception of the Index/Jupiter fingers which remain pressed together and are extended straight. Men 

    cross the right thumb over the left, and women left over right. We raise the arms above the head, 

    rolling the shoulders back and down, Jupiter fingers pointing straight up.

    The sternum naturally rises as we chant SAT and releases as we chant NAM. Don't scrunch your 

    shoulders, relax and drop them down. Go at a slow and steady pace allowing the mantra and breath 

    to carry you.

3 - Spinal Flex  -
     This brings the released Kundalini energy along the path of the spine and aids flexibility.

4 - Frog Pose -
     This transforms sexual energy.

     As we are doing rapid Frog Pose , we inhale - chest and head are up , you are face forward in    
     squatting position. As you exhale draw the Navel Point in . The head moves last as you bring it    
     towards your knees, the heels stay off  the ground.


5 - Neck Turns -
     This opens up the throat chakra, stimulates circulation to the head and works on the
     thyroid and parathyroid glands.

6 - Spinal Bend - 
     This exercise flexes the spine, distributes the energy over the whole body and balances the magnetic
     field.

7 - Meditate -
     This will take you into a deep self-healing meditation.



                                                                   Sat Nam

Hi All!

So I really enjoyed our class on Tuesday and I hope you all found something for yourself and within yourself whilst on your mat! It is a humbling honour to to be able to facilitate you on this journey, and what a wonderful journey it is that we have undertaken.
Yoga is a 'tool kit',  and now it is yours , through the use of breath - work, postures and sound, you can be responsible for yourself, your outlook and your way of being.
You are learning techniques, which you can apply and immediately experience your own innate power , to totally effect how you are feeling at any given moment. It is as simple as taking 1 minute in a crisis moment, to do  'long deep breathing' or 'alternate nostril breathing', to bring you fully into the now and feeling capable in this moment.
In our next class we shall be expanding on the locks/bandhas and delving further into the life giving techniques of pranyama/ breath work and doing a new and invigorating Kriya which will leave you feeling energised and centred, followed by a wonderful Meditation.
I am looking forward to our class on Tuesday:

"Correcting oneself is correcting the whole world. The sun is simply bright. It does not correct anyone. Because it shines, the whole world is full of light. Transforming yourself is a means of giving light to the whole world."
                     Ramana Maharashi

Sat Nam (Truth is my Identity)

Our First Class!

As you are to discover Kundalini Yoga works extremely fast and we most remain aware of the fact that we are effecting enormous energetic change within ourselves and you may find a specific Kriya relatively easy one day and most challenging the next  - this is because you have shifted the energy. It is always good to notice these shifts within yourself, and don't be surprised if you are feeling quite emotional after a certain kriya, be it teary or elated, just acknowledge the changes you are creating within and let yourself be.

The most important advice I can give you in regards to your practice, is to 'be kind to yourself', always acknowledge where you are at and let that be the perfect place, you are not taking an aerobics class although you will get a workout. Always listen to the Teacher within, know the difference between a pain and muscles being worked which would not normally be used or targeted in a specific way. Never push an injury but do stretch yourself to the best of your ability.

You are here to give back to yourself so that you may continue giving of yourself in your everyday life. So please come to expand yourself , not to compete with yourself.

Please wear light colour, natural clothing, bring your mat, water bottle and a shawl or blanket.

I will have some Yogi Tea on the stove for after class!

Sat Nam

Spinal Biomechanics (in relation to our first Class)

Basic Organ Structure and Function

The spine has two mutually exclusive functions that it needs to balance -

- it houses and protects the Nervous System, and allows for mobility. In the event that conflict arises, protecting the Nervous System is the body's top priority and the muscles connected to the spine go into spasm to prevent mobility.

The skull and spine house the Central Nervous System (CNS) and have holes that allow nerves to communicate between the central and peripheral nervous system.

The spine consists of 32-34  vertebrae of which 3-5 are fused into one bone ; the sacrum. Thus they are often counted as 26, which considers the sacrum functionally as one and the tailbone/coccyx as one.

Inbetween the vertebrae , there are intervertebral discs which have elastic cores that act as a shock absorbers. You often hear of "a slipped disc", this is when the elastic core is squeezed out from its proper place.

For our first class we will be doing the "Spinal Energy Series". This series works from the base of the spine to the top. All 26 vertebrae receive stimulation and all the chakras receive a burst of energy. Its a wonderful kriya to do before meditation and you will experience greater mental clarity due to increased circulation of the spinal fluid.

Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan was born Harbhajan Singh Puri, on August 26, 1929, in the small village Kot Harkam in the district of Gujaranwala which was then a part of India and now of Pakistan. He studied Kundalini Yoga, Tantric Yoga and Gong Meditation underneath the direction of Sant Hazara Singh, master of Kundalini yoga and Mahan Tantric of the time. Besides studying Kundalini and Tantric Yoga, Yogi Bhajan took further training in yoga under Acharya Narinder Dev of Yoga Smriti , who taught Hatha Yoga and the impact and balance of the Nervous system. This was to prove invaluable when he came to the West, where he would find a generation of spiritual seekers suffering from disorders of the Nervous system due to drug use - He came to America in the 60's. But before that chapter commences, he married in 1953 and raised three children with his wife Sardarni Inderjit Kaur, he completed his formal education and holds a Ph.D in Psychology. He pursued a a career as a government officer and lived a householders life.

Many events would lead to him finally departing his home country to commence an entirely new phase of his life. When he arrived in L.A he immediately sensed that this was the centre of the the youth movement toward self knowledge, self discovery and expression or real and meaningful relationships. He realised thaht he had been guided there to share his knowledge, he was extremely well equipped to help fufill the longing of these searching souls. He began teaching Kundalini Yoga at the East-West Cultural Centre and then in a furniture store on Melrose Avenue, in December 1968.

In 1971 he became the Master of White Tantric, The Mahan Tantric of our time.

From the outset he declared that :

"I have come here to create Teachers, not to gather students"


By the time he departed his physical body on October 6 , at 9pm, 2004, the recognised man of peace had created an institution internationally recognised the world over for its integrity. And as he had promised, created thousands of Teachers to help humanity, as we transition into the Aquarian Age.


Here is an excerpt from his final recorded lecture on Sunday, October 3, 2004:

"God and soul are permanent. Everlasting. We are bound to go. One day you will be at that stage. The body will become the permanent soul. Let us understand we are the infinite ray of God...Life is to live for each other. It is to live for each other."

Identity

"There is no identity for you, except your spiritual identity. There's no grace in you but to learn. There is no  achievement other than to become learned. There is no power but to share what you have learned with all and everyone. Share with compassion - you will be compensated, and you shall have no complex. Then all shall come to you, and you will not have to go after anyone"
                                                                                              Yogi Bhajan

What is Yoga?

In asking ourselves this question we can , in a short space of time, clear up the main basic misunderstandings associated with what one considers yoga to be, what ones expectations of yoga are and what yoga actually is. 
It is not a religion. It is not a physical exercise. It is not a psychological system for developing the psyche. Although the latter two are aspects of it,  and devotion rather than religion elevates it from a mere aerobic experience, yoga is essentially a relationship.

"The word 'yoga' comes from the word 'yoke', to 'join together' or to 'unite'. Yoga is the union of the individual consciousness with the Infinite consciousness"


Yoga is considered to be a technology of awareness. Our awareness varies greatly and it gives us different capacities and choices. We are spiritual beings having a human experience rarely do we presence ourselves to this. We forget our Infinite and Creative potential.  We limit ourselves. We need an access to breaking down theses unconscious limitations. Kundalini Yoga is the technical know how!

"The techniques of Kundalini Yoga form the owner's manual for human consciousness.Yoga explores your dimensions, depth, nature, and potential as a human being"

In truth we can talk about yoga, we can research yoga, we can read about yoga but the only we can know yoga,  is to do it, to experience it for ourselves, and it is a personal journey -  it is yours! 


"Experience and Believe" 
                                                             Yogi Bhajan

Class Structure

· The Structure of a Kundalini Yoga class:

1 – We tune in with the ADI MANTRA:

“ ONG NAMO, GURU DEV NAMO”

It means that “I call on the Divine wisdom”, “I call on the Infinite creative consciousness”

It also connects us to “The Golden Chain”, which is the lineage of the teachings, all the Teachers who have come before. We are energetically tuning into the frequency.

We sit in EASY POSE, with our spines erect, we centre ourselves with LONG DEEP BREATHING. We bring the hands together in PRAYER MUDRA at the heart centre, thumbs resting against the sternum and fingers pointing away from the body at a 60 ° angle. Concentrate on the Brow Point – the area between the eyebrows. Inhale deeply, exhale. Inhale and chant the words as you exhale. Repeat twice.

· We then chant the Heart Protection Mantra:

      

       “Aad Guray Namay, Jugaad Guray Namay,

        Sat Guray Namay, Siri Guru Devay Namay”

This clears away the clouds of doubt and opens us to guidance and protection. It surrounds the magnetic filed with protective light.

2 – Warming Up

  In warming up the spine and stretching before practice we enhance the

  effects of the sets and meditations.

3 – Kriya

  This is a specific combination of yogic postures/asanas, hand

  positions/mudras, breathwork/pranayama, mantra/sound and meditation. 

  Literally a “completed action”

4 – Deep Relaxation

The best position is “CORPSE POSE”:

Lie on your back, with your arms at your sides, palms up, feet hip with apart and eyes closed. This is an extremely important time as it allows for the energies released in the body and mind to circulate and come into equilibrium.

5 – Meditation

You will be guided through a Meditation. It is an ideal time after the “Deep Relaxation” to Meditate, as your state of mind and the frequencies you are emitting and engaging with are ideal.

6 – Concluding the Class

 We close every class by sing/chanting:

“MAY THE LONG TIME SUN SHINE UPON YOU, ALL LOVE SURROUND

 YOU AND THE PURE LIGHT WITHIN YOU, GUIDE YOUR WAY ON”

 REPEAT

This is a positive affirmation and a blessing to all.

· CHANT “LONG SAT NAM” – This mantra means “Truth is my Identity”

Yay for Yoga!

Sat Nam!

Welcome to our blog space! My intention with the creation of this space is to offer you the opportunity to get more information regarding Kundalini yoga, a forum in which to discuss the practice, and if there are specific aspects of it which you are particularly interested in , the chance to delve deeper on these subjects, and needless to mention, to offer a place where questions can be raised. I will do my upmost to provide you with clearest information based on my own personal practice, the knowledge I have acquired through my teacher training and the fantastic resources made available to me through my learning. I am also blessed to have my own Teachers to turn to whose vast wealth of experience is invaluable.

The First Steps

My initial flirtation with yoga began in 2005 when I began attending Ashtanga classes at the amazing centre here in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and loved the space I was soon to learn one of my first yogic lessons - this was not the yoga for me! I was not quite sure what was next, most likely that was where my experience of merging with soul or at the very least merging with my mat would end. So before I rolled my mat up for good and placed yoga in the , "well I gave it a go" pile, I asked myself, "What was it that was not working for me?".

After some truthful inner investigation as to my motives for taking up yoga , I realised that initially I wanted a 'six pack' and that it would be nice if I got something spiritual out of it along the way, but I was not holding my breath on either account. Therefore I could ascertain that I was already resigned and cynical about the entire journey and had already doomed it to failure! Score! Set to fail from the get go! I am sooo clever! So as soon as i cleared that up with myself I asked myself, ' well what yoga would I like to try that would work for me?', novel thinking eh?

So I scraped the 'six pack' as an immediate 'must have' and looked at the real criteria, and for me that was simply a practice that would fill me up. One that let me bring myself to my mat on any given day in any given mood which left me feeling elevated by the end of my class. A feeling that I have put something good back into me rather than going around running on empty. Which is something we are all doing most of the time. Which really underlined me that I cannot be the person I want to be for you, you and you or even me, if I am not looking after myself.

Take a moment to look at y for our life, take an average day, hey take an average morning, how much information do you consume from the moment you wake - thinking about the dream you just had, reading the newspaper or a magazine, check your email, check Facebook, make or take a few phone-calls, you have already thought about ten different people in three different countries, their families , their relationship to you, you to them, done some comparitive thinking, shared some, talked some , been emotive and it 's not even lunch time! When do you give yourself the opportunity to digest this, let alone switch off from it?

We bombard ourselves with information and it is an expectation which is taken for granted that our Nervous System should, and will keep up with our lifestyle, and we have not even mentioned the weekend!

I would like to say at this point that for some people their yoga maybe doing the gardening, tinkering in the shed, taking long walks. For me it used to be horse riding and that really was and still is pure bliss for me, it centres me, brings me into the present, fills me up, gives me connection to the living breathing world around me and literally underneath me! But I am currently living in the city and I can't roll a horse up and place him in the corner of my room! Yoga is currently much more accsessible 24/7!

Now I knew I wanted to do yoga not just aerobics and the difference between them is DEVOTION. In yoga you are presencing yourself in your body, connecting with your Conciousness, bringing devotion to the moment, being kind to yourself, pushing yourself where you feel the need and pulling back and simply being where that is appropriate. Being good to yourself so in turn you can bring that goodness and light out into the world. Wow! Doesn't this sound like something we all need and crave?

As I am sure you will have noticed there exists a wealth of options when it comes to choosing "yoga for you" - Hatha, Bikram, Iyengar, Ashtanga - the list goes on, and they all will get you to where you want to go as it is all about your personal practice and the devotion you bring to it.

I went to my first Kundalini Yoga class in January 2007 and I knew I found a practice that worked for me. I hope to inspire you and offer you something that really makes a difference in your life as this does in mine. Kundalini Yoga is extremely effective in bringing about change within you on many levels, it is 16 times faster than any other yoga ( 1year of Kundalini Yoga = 16 years of Hatha Yoga) this is due to the combination of Asana/Postures, Pranayam/Breathwork, Mantra/Working with the Sound Current and Meditation. It is a powerful practice. It works on to cause an effect on an energetic level which in turn brings about change on a mental, emotional and physical level.

In the following posts I will offer you the background to Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, I will tell you about Yogi Bhajan! I will post some helpful points to remember, definitions, precautions and outline the class structure for you.

Once our course commences we can discuss the KRIYA (this is the sequence of postures, breath and sound which are integrated together to allow the manifestation of a particular state) and meditation that we covered and you can contribute by posting your own questions/statements/thoughts about the class/yoga. I have posted up links to helpful and insightful sites on the lefthand side of this blog, they are not all yoga related, it is all stuff I am interested in and thought you may want a look at too - all mind openers! I love it! So yeah, that's my intro, I really hope you all find this fun and useful and I welcome all you shining souls to this our virtual hang out (blog)spot!

Yay for YOU and yay for YOGA!

"May the longtime sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you, guide your way on"

Sat Nam