Kundalini Yoga for a quick energy lift
For many people in the modern world when they are feeling tired or depleted they grab a cup of coffee, a chocolate bar, or a bag of lollies for a quick energy hit. These may give you a quick energy boost, however, in the long term these cheeky habits are causing havoc to your overall health and wellbeing. They are depleting your adrenals and giving you a false sense of energy to over push your limits.
Erin shares her top six Kundalini Yoga postures to supercharge you and give you a quick energy lift to boost your overall health both physically and mentally. Kundalini Yoga was designed to strengthen your nervous system and develop your intuition. Yogi Bhajan, who brought Kundalini from India to the West, described it as yoga for the householder to balance your busy life of having a job, family, business, and other life commitments. Any of these six postures will give you a quick tune up in just a couple of minutes to help you feel energised and uplifted.
Agni Pranayama - Breath of Fire
Practicing Breath of Fire daily for a minimum of 5 minutes can strengthen the lungs, purify the blood, and enhance oxygenation of the body. By practicing breath of fire daily disease can be prevented and karma burnt up.
Sitting up tall, with a straight spine, hands placed on knees with palms upwards and your eyes closed. Start by observing your breath and feeling your belly expand with each inhale and contract with each exhale.
Breath of Fire is powered from the navel point. The diaphragm is used to pump the breath in and out using the navel. Make sure that when you pull in your navel you are exhaling. Don't allow your breath to reverse.
Once you understand the movement of the diaphragm and belly during breathing begin to try breath of fire. Start by breathing through an open mouth and pant like a dog using the navel. Once you have the rhythm of the breath and belly, close your mouth and breathe through your nostrils. This is breath of fire.
Continue with the quick breath pace keeping the inhale and exhale equal length. There is a quick inhale and quick exhale with no pause between them at the rate of approximately 1 breath per second to start with and build up to 2-3 breaths per second.
This breath is used in the Ego Eradicator and Stretch Pose.
Please Note: If you feel dizzy, giddy, or light headed, slow down your pace and ensure that both the inhale and exhale are of equal length and the breath is coming from the belly. Breath of Fire should not be practiced during menstruation or when pregnant, use long deep breath instead.
Ego Eradicator
A great posture to eradicate your ego, release stress, balance your aura, and powerfully activate your energy. It releases stale air from your lungs, expands lung capacity, and increases vital energy in the body. The nervous system is restored to help you manage stress and focus your mind. If you practice this posture daily, your life will begin to flow and you can release negativity.
Sit in a cross-legged position or on your knees.
Raise your arms to 60 degrees. Curl the fingertips onto the pads at the base of the fingers. Point the thumbs up towards the sky.
Close your eyes and focus above your head
Start Breath of Fire (see above) for 1 - 3 minites
To finish, Inhale, hold the breathe and touch the thumb tips together over the head and extend all your fingers. As you exhale, release the hands out to the sides and down towards the ground envisioning clearing the energy space around you. Relax and observe how you feel.
Stretch Pose
Stretch Pose activates the third chakra at the navel. The third chakra is your source of personal power and governs self-esteem, warrior energy, and the power of transformation. By working on the navel point, stretch pose resets the entire nervous system and strengthens the abdominal area. It tunes up your digestive system and rebalances the reproductive organs.
Lie on the back with the feet together and the hands by the sides. Flatten the lower back into the ground. Lift the arms, legs, and head up off the floor. Be sure to keep the lower back pressed into the floor.
Hold the hands wherever comfortable by the side with the palms facing whatever direction is most comfortable.
Keep the eyes open and looking down the body to the toes.
Start Breath of Fire (see notes above) for 1 - 3 minutes.
To end - inhale, hold your breath for a few seconds, and then slowly lower your body down to the ground. Take rest and feel the energy circulate out from the navel point around the body.
Please Note: Stretch pose should not be practiced during the first few days of menstruation or when pregnant.
Life Nerve Stretch - Paschimottanasana
Low back pain and upper back stress are some of the most common health complaints in adults. Life nerve stretch ideally should be practiced daily for optimal flexibility. It stretches and stimulates all the muscles of the lower spine, pelvis, and the back of the legs. It most significantly involves the stimulation of the sciatic nerves, which supply the motor and sensory information to the legs. The yogis say that youth is determined by the flexibility of your spine.
Sit on the floor with your legs stretched straight out in front of you. Keep the leg muscles activated during this exercise by pulling the toes up towards you. Keep the knees and ankles together.
Wrap the index and middle finger around the large toe and press the toenail with the pad of the thumb. Or hold onto your legs if you cannot reach your toes.
Close your eyes.
Breath deep and powerful through the nose for 1 - 3 minutes. Inhale as you lengthen the spine up and exhale as you bend forward from the hips and bring the head towards the legs while keeping the spine straight and neck long with the chin slightly tucked. Continue inhaling and exhaling, lifting the body up and down, always leading from the navel and hips, not with the head.
As you inhale think “Sat” and as you exhale think “Nam” in your mind. This helps you to stay focused on your breath and connect to your truth.
To finish, inhale and lengthen the spine, then release the hands from the toes.
Archer Pose
Archer pose is great to develop strength in the legs and navel, and strengthen the nervous system. It is builds physical stamina, opens the hips, and builds the power at the navel point. It will develop your inner power and courage - the qualities of a Warrior. Mentally helps to develop mental steadiness and focus of the mind.
Stand with the right foot about 2 to 3 feet in front of the left foot. The right leg bent over right ankle. The left leg is straight and the foot is at a 45-degree angle. Draw the navel back towards the spine to strengthening the lower abdominals and elongating the lower back.
Curl the fingers of both hands into the palms, and stretch the thumbs upward. Raise right arm parallel to ground. Pull left arm back as if pulling a back a bow to bring the hand alongside the shoulder.
Keep the eyes open and fixed on your right thumbnail.
Take long deep breaths through the nose for 1 - 3 minutes.
As you inhale think “Sat” and as you exhale think “Nam” in your mind. This helps you to stay focused on your breath and connect to your truth.
As you exhale, release out of the posture and then repeat on the left side.
Sat Kriya
Sat Kriya is a powerful kriya with numerous benefits. By sitting on the heels it stimulates the stomach, intestines, and overall digestive system. It strengthens the nervous system and reproductive system, and stimulates the natural flow of energy. It redirects the energy flow upward through the central channel to cause balance to the glandular system. It will rebalance the entire energy system and clear the mind for overall wellbeing and radiance.
Sit on the heels with a straight spine.
Interlace the fingers with the Index fingers (Jupiter) pointing straight up. Cross the thumbs - Females cross left over right and Males cross right over left.
Raise the arms straight up so the arms are hugging the ears.
Keep the eyes closed and look up at the brow point (third eye)
Chant the mantra “Sat Naam” in the following way:
Pull the navel point in as you chant “Sat” (Sounds like ‘Shutt.’)
Release the lock as you chant “Naam.” (Almost like a sigh with the sound “Naam”)
Sat Naam means, basically: “Truth is my whole identity.” Sat = ”Inner truth,” and Naam = ”identity.” A mantra is a projection of the mind using sound, so basically, this mantra vibrates the higher self in the subconscious and focus the mind.
Start with 2-3 minutes and build up to 7-11 minutes
To end, Inhale completely and hold your breath, squeezing the base of spine, navel, and the muscles of the back and shoulders for as long as you can. Imagine that you are sending the energy up through the top of the head. Exhale and release the arms down. Relax. Try to relax for about the same amount of time as the exercise.
