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Dear Friends,
Greetings and welcome to the December 2014 of the Mastery of Meditation and Yoga newsletter.
Quote of the Month:
It's hard to go past Rumi for extraordinary quotes - he's often plastered all over Facebook, but with his poet mystic sensibility he has a way of using words that by themselves create spiritual experiences.
"I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul." ~Rumi
In this edition of our newsletter you will find an in-depth look at a powerful meditation with uses all three bandhas (locks) - Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya.
I've also included five popular articles that examine whether it is possible to test your spiritual growth, and if it is possible, offers ways to do this.
Finally, you will find below a very nice yoga program for weight loss and body shaping offered by yoga and fitness expert Kris Fondran. This can help you shed all the extra weight you might have put on during your Thanksgiving feasts :-). You can get more details regarding this very reasonably priced program here - ShapeShifter Yoga.
This Edition Features :-
- Instructions for Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya
- Top 5 Spiritual Test Articles
- Shape Shifter Yoga for Weight Loss and Fitness
Much Love,
Anmol
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Instructions for Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya
The following 3 body locks will be used in the practice of this kundalini yoga kriya so I will describe them first and then provide the details for the set.
Root Lock (Mula Bandha): To apply root lock you should contract the rectum, sex organ and naval (lower abdominal region) by pulling these 3 muscle groups up and in.
Abdominal Lock (Uddiyana Bandha): To apply abdominal lock (also called diaphragm lock) you should pull the abdominal muscles up and in under the rib cage.
Neck Lock (Jalandhara Bandha): To apply neck lock draw your chin back and slightly down (like a soldier at attention) creating tension in the back of the neck and causing a compression of the throat region.
Triple Lock (Maha Bandha): Maha Bandha is when all 3 locks above are applied together.
There are some variations to the locks described above, but for this set they should be applied as described.
Beginners version of Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya:
Sukh Asana with Drona Mudra
- Sit up straight with your legs crossed (sukh asana). You can sit on a chair as well, but sukh asana is preferred.
- Hold onto your knees with your hands. This is called Drona Mudra.
- Inhale deeply, then exhale and while holding your breath Out, apply and release Root Lock 1 time(s).
- Now inhale, then exhale and while holding your breath out, apply and release Root Lock plus Abdominal Lock 1 time(s). So apply both locks together and release them together, not one at a time.
- Now inhale, then exhale and while holding your breath out, apply and release Root Lock, plus Abdominal Lock, plus Neck Lock 1 time(s).
- Inhale, then exhale and repeat the entire cycle increasing the count by 1 to 2, 3, 4... up to 8. So for each count you will do just Root Lock, then Root Lock + Abdominal Lock, then Root Lock + Abdominal Lock + Neck Lock.
- Variation: As a variation, you can do just triple lock for each count from 1 to 8.
- Once you finish the 8 count, inhale and interlace your fingers having the index finger pointing upward. Then raise your arms straight up such that the upper arms are hugging your ears. Now exhale again and while holding your breath out, apply Triple Lock (Maha Bandha). Hold Maha Bandha with breath held out while stretching up with your arms. At the same time visualize energy flowing up your spine from the base to the crown of your head. Hold as long as comfortable and then release.
Finger Positions for Final Stretch
- Relax on your back in Shav Asana (corpse pose) for 5 minutes.
Intermediate version of Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya:
All the steps are the same as the beginner version, except work from a count of 1 all the way to 12.
In addition, apply Maha Bandha with extended arms and visualization 3 times.
Each time holding with breath held out for as long as comfortable.
Don't forget to relax in shav asana at the end :-).
Advanced version of Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya:
All the steps are the same as the intermediate version, except work from a count of 1 all the way to 16.
Again you will apply Maha Bandha 3 times at the end and relax afterwards.
Hints, Tips and Cautions for Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya:
Students very much liked this kriya during our Kundalini Yoga teacher's training course, but at the same time this is the one kriya which has also created difficulty for students in my classes.
So, take your time as you develop mastery over this set. Move ahead systematically. Any pranayama exercise that requires breath suspension should be approached with caution.
Since this set is stirring Kundalini directly, you should be in good health and good physical condition before undertaking its practice.
Top 5 Spiritual Test Articles:
Below are 5 articles which all explore ways to test your spiritual growth - some of which will actually help you grow as well. Enjoy!
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2007/06/20/test-to-determine-your-spiritual-growth/
Are you a Saint? A Zen Master? How about just a good human being? How do you know? What are the qualification? Are there any tests you can take to find out your spiritual growth? Yes there are. There are lots of ways to test your spiritual progress and life is constantly doing just that -- giving you tests to help you evaluate yourself in order to make spiritual progress. There are also many ways to assess your spiritual level proactively and in this article I will provide one such illuminating test.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2008/11/22/test-your-spiritual-development-20-interesting-ways/
How do you know you are developing spiritually? What are the ways to tell if your spiritual practice is in full flow, strong and growing? How can you test your spiritual growth? Unlike other types of personal development, such as fitness, weight loss, financial growth, skill development, etc., which have clear yardsticks for measurement, evaluating spiritual growth and testing the strength of a spiritual practice is a much more subtle game. After all, in this case we dealing with the sublime business of silence.
In this article I would like to reveal to you some indicators which show that your practice is doing well and that you are developing spiritually.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2009/06/12/awareness-test-for-developing-the-spiritual-mind/
Undoubtedly, you have repeatedly heard that for enlightenment, one of the keys is keeping your awareness in the here and now, keeping it in the present. This can be stated in many ways, such as observe your mind, body and feelings, or maintain your witnessing consciousness, or remain mindful, or practice choiceless awareness, or develop your spiritual mind, etc, etc. For those who don't just care to read, but are interested in discovering for themselves the Truth, know that maintaining such awareness from moment to moment is easier said than done.
Thankfully though, there are lots of nice tips and techniques for helping us live with such awareness and in today's article I would like to share with you one such a technique.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2007/09/26/comprehisive-9-day-spiritual-test-i-challenge-you-to-take/
A few months ago I had written the popular post Test to Determine Your Spiritual Growth
, which provided a simple technique with which to determine your spiritual state and progress. This article, however, is going to provide a far more comprehensive and challenging test to determine your level of spiritual evolution. This 9 day program is actually designed to destroy Karma and is considered one of the greatest programs to accomplish that, but, another way to approach this program is to see it as a true test of your spiritual progress.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2008/10/27/spiritual-test-spiritual-growth-the-zen-way/
To approach something as complex as life it is important to keep things simple. Zen Teacher Joko Beck does exactly that in how she describes what Zen considers to be spiritual living, spiritual growth and spiritual tests.
ShapeShifter Yoga for Weight Loss
Yoga is a great way to get healthy, lose weight and get fit. Here is a summary for what the ShapeShifter yoga program can do for you...
- Help you lose stubborn pounds and inches.
- Flatten your tummy, slim your thighs, firm your butt, and tone those jiggly arms.
- Make losing weight, getting fit and toning your body fun and pain free.
- Help you enjoy greater energy, get rid of tension and anxiety, end insomnia and improve your mood and well-being.
To learn more about this popular and effective yoga program, visit ShapeShifter Yoga by clicking the image below.
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