Tuesday, 09 January 2007
Yoga Bites
My sessions of Kundalini Yoga haven't been as regular as l would have liked over the past month. Partly because l've been busy with other things, partly because l'm never at my best during the winter and as usual l have experienced an energy slump.
To compensate, l try and fit in a few stretching postures when l first wake up in the morning, and maybe a quiet 10 minute meditation later in the day. lt's not as good as an hour long 'work out', but these little bite sized chunks are better than nothing. l recently bought an excellent CD -'The Soul Of Healing Meditations' by Deepak Chopra. l feel completely relaxed after listening to this and definitely recommend it.
A book l ordered over three months ago from Amazon called 'Kundalini - The Essence of Yoga' has failed to arrive. l had an email from Amazon this week who said they were unable to locate a copy. l have now re-ordered it from Foyles, so l'm keeping my fingers crossed.
20:51 Posted in Kundalini Yoga | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Kundalini yoga, meditation, Deepak Chopra
Friday, 08 September 2006
Focusing On The Third Eye
From following diagrams on a chart, l've progressed to practising Kundalini yoga with the aid of a DVD.
lt's worth doing because you can see the finer points of each exercise, and the speed at which they should be carried out.
l've found it quite strenuous and had to take a couple of breaks because l'm nowhere near as fit or proficient as the group on screen. Some of the positions, supposed to be held for two minutes, l could barely do for ten seconds!
Then there are the breathing tecniques while you are in position. 'Breath of Fire' is a challenge in itself. lt involves drawing air in and out through the nostrils very quickly, using the stomach muscles as a sort of pump.
Then next are the chants, or mantras. l quietly listen to these, but l enjoy them. There is no pressure to join in, but who knows, l might take the plunge one day. They help to detach you from the stress of normal life and get you in the right frame of mind so you can give your full concentration to what you are doing.
The meditations are wonderfully calming, but again some of these take a good deal of self-control and physical strength.
The 'Conquer Inner Anger' meditation for example, involves stretching your arms out horizontally at your sides and holding them there ... for eleven minutes! lt's also meant to improve your tolerance of pain.
Since l began, l've noticed the tension and stiffness in my neck has practically disappeared, my back is stronger with increased flexibility, and l'm calmer and more controlled emotionally.
lf l find myself becoming tired during the day and lacking in energy, the 'Baby Pose' is very refreshing. Eleven minutes of this is equivalent to four hours sleep.
Quote: 'lf you want success in life, you should bring your breathing down to five breaths a minute. You live by Breath. Food, only provides nourishment.'
Yogi Bhajan
20:00 Posted in Kundalini Yoga | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Kundalini Yoga, Breath of Fire, meditation, mantras, Yogi Bhajan
Thursday, 31 August 2006
Kundalini
Feeling sluggish and generally out of condition l have resolved to do more exercise.
So l bought a Yoga mat.
l walk alot, which is good for you, but l need to increase my flexibility.
My neck can get really tense, resulting in headaches and l'm sure they would improve if l could release this tension.
A chart came with the mat promoting a type of Yoga called Kundalini, so that's what l'm doing.
lt's believed to be the most powerful of all Yogas. Psychologist Carl Jung delivered a seminar about the practice in 1932. (See the crystalinks website below.)
The instructions on the chart are interesting. lt says things such as "Drop the head back and do Breath of Fire. Be great! Keep your head back - it won't fall off."
Although with my neck l'm not so sure.
But l'm doing OK and enjoying it. lt's a combination of postures, breathing and meditation, and l do a 45 minute session 2 or 3 times a week, usually in the morning. l choose any of the exercises l feel l like. A few simple ones interspersed with some which are challenging and harder to acheive. These will take more practice because it's important not to push yourself to the point where it becomes painful. l tend to finish in the 'Corpse Pose' - laying flat on your back with your arms outstetched, relaxed. (Not on the verge of exhaustion.)
Sometimes l play restful music and it can become quite a spiritual experience! ln a non-religious sort of way.
www.abc-of-yoga.com/styles-of-yoga/kundalini-yoga.asp
www.crystalinks.com/kundalini.html
Quote: 'l do Kundalini yoga. You keep your eyes closed through almost all of it, so you're not competing with other people. You're just competing with yourself as you try to get past your mind.'
Sherilyn Fenn
15:15 Posted in Kundalini Yoga | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: kundalini, yoga, exercise, Carl Jung, Sherilyn Fenn