Any motion carried out throughout Kundalini Yoga follow could be known as a kriya.
Kundalini kriyas contain respiration methods, chants, and bodily actions that assist awaken the kundalini shakti from its dormant state.
In Kundalini Yoga, launched to the West by Yogi Bhajan within the Nineteen Seventies, kriyas comply with particular directions and are practised to attain a particular final result.
When practised diligently, Kundalini kriyas unblock and activate the chakras, subtly or straight reworking the physique and thoughts of the practitioner. Additionally they goal organs such because the liver, backbone, abdomen, intestines, and eyes.
These kriyas are practised in the identical approach Yogi Bhajan taught them, following the steering of Kundalini academics. A typical Kundalini Yoga class begins with a gap mantra, adopted by a warm-up, performing a kriya, and concluding with meditation.
Chances are you’ll usually see Kundalini Yoga practitioners sporting white clothes and a white turban, however this isn’t obligatory. Sporting white is recommended as a result of it’s believed to chase away unfavorable power and strengthen the aura.
White can also be an emblem of peace, which can assist promote a relaxed and centered thoughts when practising kriyas.
By practising kundalini yoga kriyas, one can awaken the dormant kundalini power that lies on the base of the backbone in root chakra. In its woke up state, the power travels by the backbone to the crown of the top, activating the seven chakras.
This course of enhances self-awareness and encourages the free circulate of prana power.
Within the following part, we have now talked about 10 widespread kriyas which can be usually carried out by practitioners. It is very important focus in your breath, gaze and sounds you make in the course of the kriya as they assist in unblocking energies and rising focus.
1. Breath of fireside
The Breath of Hearth is an important and integral a part of Kundalini Yoga kriyas.
This kriya is a respiration method that generates inside warmth, aiding in detoxing and energizing the thoughts and physique. In Breath of Hearth, you inhale passively and exhale forcefully with out pauses. The tempo and size of every breath needs to be equal.
Breath of fireside kriya works on stimulating the Photo voltaic Plexus chakra which is the seat of willpower, dedication, and inside energy.
Comply with the steps beneath to carry out Breath of fireside kriya;
- Sit in a cross-legged yoga pose, prefeabbly; lotus pose or simple pose or thunderbolt pose. Sit tall along with your again upright.
- Place your palms on the knees, both in Gyan Mudra or just palms opens dealing with upwards.
- Interact your stomach and inhale by your nostril. You need to really feel your stomach and diaphragm increasing.
- With none pause, exhale forcefully. Your stomach and diaphragm ought to snap again into the backbone.
- Make sure that the size of inhaling and exhaling are equal. Set up a rhythm and repeat the method for no less than 30 seconds.
- Steadily improve the time restrict to 5-10 minutes.
After getting completed practising BOF, come again to secure respiration.
This respiration kriya is mostly carried out in the beginning of the kundalini yoga class to heat up internally.
2. Sat kriya
Sat Kriya is without doubt one of the basic kriyas of Kundalini Yoga. In response to Yogi Bhajan, practising Sat Kriya for simply three minutes a day can present the advantages of a whole yoga class.
The kriya is called Sat Kriya as a result of it entails chanting Sat Nam in sync with the breath. Sat (pronounced sut, as in “minimize”) means reality, honesty, or righteousness, whereas Nam (pronounced naam, as in “calm”) means identify. Chanting Sat Nam is a approach of invoking the divine and aligning with the reality inside your self.
Sat Kriya straight stimulates the awakening of Kundalini Shakti. It gently massages the interior organs, regulates blood strain, and strengthens the center. Moreover, it fosters the awakening of sexual power and promotes deep leisure.
The three decrease chakras Root, Sacral, and Photo voltaic Plexus—are stimulated concurrently, serving to to calm the thoughts and enhance focus.
Comply with the steps beneath to carry out Sat kriya.
- Sit in a Vajrasana or Rock Pose. Your again needs to be straight, knees collectively and the highest of your toes needs to be on the bottom.
- Stretch each your palms overhead and be part of your palms. Your higher arms needs to be touching your ears and your elbows mustn’t bend.
- Interlock all of your finger besides the index fingers of each palms. Ideally, females ought to cross the left thumb over the correct and males ought to cross the correct thumb over the left. This hand place is named kali mudra.
- Begin chanting Sat Nam in a relentless rhythmic method 8 instances in 10 seconds.
- On inhalation, pull your navel in and up in the direction of the backbone, chant Sat. Whereas exhaling, chant Nam and chill out the stomach.
- You don’t want to have interaction any locks or bandhas as root and the diaphragm locks are robotically engaged whenever you breath. All through the method of chanting, your backbone stays straight.
- Focus your gaze on the center of the brows along with your eyes closed.
In case you are a newbie, do sat kriya for no less than 3 minutes. Steadily improve the time to 31 minutes.
On the finish of three minutes, inhale deeply and squeeze the muscular tissues from the buttocks previous the shoulder blades. Maintain your breath for a number of seconds whereas specializing in the Crown Chakra after which exhale fully.
As quickly as you finish the Sat Kriya, it is best to comply with it up with a protracted deep leisure. The standard time for leisure is twice the size of time the kriya was practiced. This leisure time is a should as it would give time on your physique to assimilate with itself.
Word: Sat kriya of kundalini yoga shouldn’t be misunderstood with Shat kriyas of Hatha Yoga. In kundalini yoga, sat kriya is a chant synch with respiration motion whereas in hatha yoga shat kriya (shat means 6) is named to the gathering of 6 yogic kriyas used for inside physique cleaning.
3. Ego eradicator
Because the identify reveals, Ego Eradicator kundalini kriya is practised to deliver that openness within the coronary heart which removes the sense of I-ness and calms the thoughts.
Ego Eradicator kriya is carried out by opening the arms up & sideways. Then with this arms place Breath of Hearth is carried out. It is a extremely popular kriya amongst kundalini yoga practitioners.
Practising the ego eradicator will open your coronary heart and stability the 2 hemispheres of the mind. It would cleanse and strengthen the lungs and enhance spinal energy as nicely.
Furthermore, this kriya may also stability your chakras, guaranteeing a smoother circulate of prana power. This may promote psychological readability, consciousness, alertness, and tranquility.
Comply with the steps beneath to do that kriya.
- Sit in an Simple Pose (Sukhasana).
- Stretch your arms overhead at an angle of 60-degrees. Curl your fingers in order that the fingertips contact the bottom of the fingers. Preserve the thumb prolonged and pointed in the direction of the sky.
- Shut your eyes and deal with the Third Eye Chakra.
- Start Breath of Hearth and proceed for 1-3 minutes.
- On the finish of the kriya, be part of the thumbs on the recommendations on an inhale and apply the foundation lock on exhale. Take one other inhale and chill out your physique on exhale.
4. Spinal stretch
This kriya is much like the Cat-Cow pose in Hatha Yoga. The one distinction is that you may be practising the spinal stretch in a seated place. By the spinal flex kriya, you possibly can scale back the tightness and stiffness within the backbone.
Doing spinal stretch will be sure that, bodily, there may be an uninterrupted circulate of the spinal fluid from the mind to the backbone. Spiritually, all of the chakras shall be stimulated and promote a free circulate of prana.
- Sit in an Simple Pose (Sukhasana) with eyes closed.
- Maintain each your shins or knees.
- Inhale and flex your backbone ahead and open your chest. Exhale and flex the backbone backward.
- At any time, the shoulders mustn’t contact your ears and be relaxed. Additionally, pay attention to protecting your head straight.
Repeat the train for 3 minutes.
5. Spinal twist
The spinal twist train successfully loosens your backbone, particularly decrease and mid-spine. It releases any stiffness or stress within the backbone and again muscular tissues, strengthens the lungs and cleanses your aura.
- Sit in an Simple Pose (Sukhasana).
- Place your palms in your shoulder, fingers within the entrance and thumb on the again. Your higher arms needs to be parallel to the bottom and elbows needs to be in keeping with the shoulders.
- Twist to the correct as you inhale after which on the left as you exhale. Whereas twisting, your head and backbone will stay straight. Chant Sat on inhale and Nam on exhale.
- Don’t be stiff. Permit your again and head to simply twist with the circulate.
Repeat the train for 1-3 minutes.
6. Stretch pose
The stretch pose is a difficult and superior train that always causes issues to the practitioners. However in case you are conscious of your breath and deal with drawing your energy from the navel middle, it is possible for you to to simply conquer this pose.
This pose works on the complete physique. It resets the nervous system, strengthens the belly organs, purifies and rejuvenates the blood. The stretch pose additionally focuses on the third eye chakra which calms your thoughts and enhances your shallowness.
Ladies can particularly profit from this pose because it strengthens the reproductive organs.
In case you are a newbie, don’t power your physique to carry the pose for 3 minutes. If you happen to can’t maintain the pose for greater than 10 seconds, it’s fantastic to let go of the place and chill out for a number of seconds. Begin once more after stress-free. You possibly can step by step improve the time whereas alternating between holding the pose and stress-free for a number of seconds.
- Lie down in your again.
- Lengthen the again of your neck and elevate your head and higher chest collectively. Draw your chin in to maintain the top straight and lengthened.
- Carry your decrease leg, protecting the decrease again on the bottom, roughly 6 inches from the bottom. Repair your gaze within the ideas of your toes.
- Preserve your hand stretched out in entrance of you with palms down however not touching your physique. You may as well place them beside you, with palms dealing with inwards and never touching the bottom or your physique.
- If you happen to really feel any discomfort in your decrease again, place your palms below your buttocks for assist or frivolously relaxation the heel on the bottom.
- Follow Breath of Hearth on this pose.
7. Entrance life nerve stretch
The Life Nerve Stretch in Kundalini Yoga is identical because the Seated Ahead Bend (Paschimottanasana) in Hatha Yoga. This train strengthens the legs and pelvis whereas stimulating the sciatic nerves. The ahead fold additionally promotes spinal lengthening and strengthening.
- Sit along with your legs stretched out in entrance of you.
- Seize your huge toes along with your finger. Wrap the index and center finger across the toe and press the toenail with the pads of your thumb.
- With an elongated backbone, interact your navel and bend ahead whereas exhaling. On the following inhale, push up with the energy of your legs and the navel. In each instances, the top follows final.
- Proceed this train for 1-3 minutes whereas respiration deeply.
8. Cobra pose
The follow of this pose is much like Hatha yoga however the intention to carry out is barely completely different. In Kundalini Yoga, the cobra pose is practised to stability the apana. It additionally will increase the prana power circulate in order that the power circulates in the direction of the upper centres.
By specializing in the Apana, it additionally stimulates and balances sexual power.
- Lie down in your abdomen and place your forearms beside your ribs. Preserve your legs joined collectively.
- Convey your palms beneath your shoulders and unfold your fingers to create a agency assist and unfold the burden evenly.
- Inhale and elevate your head, chest and backbone upwards whereas protecting your pelvis and legs on the mat. Preserve your shoulder away out of your ears and shoulders blades pressed in the direction of the again.
- Keep on this pose for 1-3 minutes whereas working towards Breath of Hearth.
- On the following inhale, stretch your backbone to the utmost. Maintain your breath within the subsequent exhale and apply the foundation lock. Inhale and exhale whereas slowly coming right down to lie down on the mat fully.
9. Archer pose
Bodily talking, the archer pose will strengthen your quads, legs, knees, shoulders, and arms. Internally, it would stimulate the third eye chakra and promote emotions of fearlessness, willpower, and dedication.
- Begin by standing within the Tadasana (Mountain Pose).
- Step your left foot to the again by approx. 3 toes. Place your left heel on the ground and switch the toes to a 45-degree angle. Your left leg needs to be straight.
- Bend the correct knee in order that your thighs are parallel to the ground and your knee is in keeping with the ankle. Make sure that your proper foot heel is in keeping with the arch of the left foot.
- Curl the fingers of each palms into your palm besides the thumb. Put your arms in entrance of your with this hand formation.
- Pull your left hand again in order that the fist is close to the left shoulder as in the event you had been pulling the arrow from the bow. Your proper arm needs to be parallel to the bottom and each the shoulders needs to be in line.
- Focus your gaze on the tip of your right-hand thumb.
Follow this pose for 3 minutes on every leg.
10. Deep Rest
Simply as a Hatha Yoga session ends with Savasana (Corpse Pose), Kundalini Yoga additionally incorporates a deep leisure method. The aim is much like permit the physique to soak up and benefit from the adjustments caused by the kriyas. You possibly can bask within the rejuvenating power of your aura and let your physique totally chill out.
Merely lie in your again along with your arms by your sides, palms dealing with up. Shut your eyes and chill out for 11 to fifteen minutes..
Conclusion
The kriyas talked about above are just some among the many many Kundalini Yoga kriyas taught by Yogi Bhajan. By stimulating and activating the chakras and prana power circulate, you permit the Kundalini power to align and rise upward.
By combining breath, gaze, and sound, you additionally activate the third eye and crown chakras, fostering a connection to divine consciousness the final word purpose of any yoga follow.