Kriya Yoga

Dance Yoga

December 8, 2010December 8, 2010 Kristin Russel

Dance yoga is a marvelously unified and dynamic composition expressing the rhythm and harmony of life. There are hundreds of dances such as kathak, garba, Bhangra and special dances observed in regional festivals. However, yoga dances are slightly different. You are your own master. Let your body mind and soul dance together. You are your own judge.

There are several benefits of dance yoga:

* improve and maintain mobility

* to build and improve confidence

* to learn and develop new skills

* to help and improve coordination

* to help and maintain weight control

* develop, learn and maintain communicating skills

* removes the blockages and provides enjoyment.

The requirements for dance yoga are:

Devotion — This is a grace. To willingly submit ourselves to Allah/God in Whom we live, and move, and have our being. Hypocrisy may be the only sin. How wonderful it is when we actually feel like bowing in humility before the eternal truth. These dances can be worship: the celebration of the Divine Presence.

Watch your Breath — Breath is life. Breath is movement. Voice is breath. Let breath breathe. Return to awareness of breath in silence between dances. Notice the subtle changes in breath with each dance.

Listen — Don’t simply recite the sacred phrase. Listen to the other voices. Listen to the person directing the dance. When you listen, your voice automatically begin to harmonize. Find the center of the sound.

Feel — The dances are designed to take us more and more into the universe of feeling. Stay with your feeling. If you go off into the world of thoughts, don’t judge yourself; simply bring your concentration back to feeling. The heart center, found in the middle of the chest, is the natural place to begin.

Ecstasy — These dances can lead to states of ecstasy. Joyously invigorating! In dances where you are brought to the center of the circle, especially soar. But soar with your whole being. Taste all planes at the same time. If your feet are grounded on the earth, then your head can be in the heavens.

Amin (ah-meen) — These mean “so be it”. We say this at the conclusion of many dances. (Other phrases such as the Sanskrit Svaha, or the Native American Ho, are also used. The important thing is not to say it, but to mean it, to affirm with one’s whole being.

Silence — There may be a silent meditation before the dance starts… As the sound and music of the dance stop, enter the Silence. This is your opportunity to hear what has been created. In this silence one can absorb the qualities evoked during the dance. This is the most important part of the dance. It becomes all-encompassing.

Yoga the art of opening the tenth gate (dasam duar) the Crown Chakra

November 27, 2010November 27, 2010 Kristin Russel 1 Comment

According to yoga physiology our “prana” the life force energy escapes the body through the nine openings to perceive the world and immerse the consciousness in duality. However, if one can open the tenth gate, he /she can achieve enlightenment. The tenth gate is at the top of our head at the crown chakra. When the frontal area of the brain is activated and supplied with large amounts of high grade of energy, there is an awakening to a higher state of consciousness, which is called the Oneness State.

But looking at the nine openings we also know there is a tenth. And the tenth opening in a baby is called the anterior fontanel. As the baby develops this soft spot of the head closes and the skull bones knit tightly together. So in yoga physiology, a tenth hole is there from birth, but it closes. The key is to have a spiritual practice which withdraws the prana from the openings and closes those nine gates. It has to be achieved so you can redirect the flow of life force energy to move upwards and unlock the tenth gate.

Crown chakra is the source of unlimited pure physical energy. Purification of the this chakra creates space in the lower physical body and activates the sahasara chakra. The detoxification of lower impure physical body and activation of higher sahasara chakra completes the circuit between the two and the energy starts to flow.

The steps to open the crown chakra are as follows:

First concentrate on your forehead (3rd eye area), then to your pineal gland and finally your crown chakra.

1. Breath in

2. Begin to exhale and chant AhhUuuMmmmmmmm… feel the vibration of mmmmmmm throughout the body.

3. Concentrate and feel the vibration in your 3rd eye

4. Concentrate and feel the vibration in your pineal gland

5. Concentrate and feel the vibration in your crown chakra

Some of the beneficial effects that will come on the way, by which you will know that you are progressing.

You will feel fresh and relaxed.
Experience a sense of inner peace.
Develop a cheerful and caring attitude.
Being able to focus on anything for longer period.
Being surprised at the clarity and depth of your understanding.
Finding the world more beautiful.

Kechari Mudra

November 27, 2010November 27, 2010 Kristin Russel

When the tongue is folded back and into the cavity toward the skull touching the tip of the tongue to the uvula and eyes fix on the spot between the eyebrows, this is known as khechari mudra.

Now, what means khechari mudra? Word khecari comes from the Sanskrit roots khe, “ether” or “space” and charya, “one who moves.” This “moving in the ether” has a double meaning, as the scripture quotes: the first refers to the fact that the tongue move in the hollow space inside the cavity of the pharynx, and the second refers to the fact that mind remains in a state of complete stillness and inner peace. Khecari mudra is also associated with amrita, the nectar of life can elect which is secreted by the bindu, a point on the posterior fontanel, which is consumed by the throat chakra vishudha. In khechari mudra, you don’t need to cut the lower tendon of your tongue.

1 – There is no need to cut the “brake” of the tongue to perform this technique.

With the right practice and the continuing goal will be achieved without any risk;

2 – Sit in a meditative pose;

3 – Relax your body, close your eyes, directing them to the middle of the eyebrows. Leave your mouth slightly open and slowly lift your tongue back toward the hard palate and then to the empty area of the pharynx. Stay that way for as long as you can without discomfort;

4 – Breathe in slowly through your nose, resting in the sequence.

My yoga teacher said “USE THE POWER OF VISUALIZATION, THAT IS THE KEY TO khechari mudra”.

Click here to know more about visual Kechari Mudra.

Kriya Yoga

November 26, 2010November 26, 2010 Kristin Russel

Kriya yoga involves techniques of meditation that cause the energy or Prana to move in certain ways, to awaken the Kundalini, the coiled up energy at the base of the spine. Kriya yoga channelizes the energy forces in the Kundalini instead of merely controlling the mind. It is important that the Kundalini is activated through performance of asanas, practice of pranayama and making a conscious effort to guide this awakened energy in the spine and allowing it to immerse in the crown chakra.

You can do Kriya yoga on your own. You don’t need any teacher or Guru for that. Only thing you should do the Kriya very slowly and in a very very relax manner. In the beginning don’t do many kriyas on the same day. Progress gradually, slowly and consistently.

The ultimate goal of Kriya yoga for begginers is to attain supreme consciousness through Navi Kriya, Yoni Mudra, Maha Mudra, Spinal breathing and 3rd Eye Meditation; it is a method to prevent fluctuations of the mind. The practice of kriya yoga cleanses and heal the mind and body. It uplifts the consciousness of the seeker. As most people live only on three levels of consciousness – material, egoistic and sensual – kriya yoga opens us to higher levels of consciousness. It teaches the seeker to locate the different centers of the spine and meditate on them, thereby transforming the consciousness.

Kriya Yoga involves concentration techniques to move energy in certain ways for the purpose of awakening dormant forces to be used along the evolutionary path. These forces are somewhat magical in their nature and should only be used by an adept for dharmic purposes, healing or helping others along the spiritual path. Other names by which this yoga is known are Kundalini yoga and Tantra. Knowledge about the energy centers known as Chakras are contained in this realm of yoga. Methods and techniques such as the kriya Yoga are used to move energy from the base of the spine to the mind to attain higher levels of consciousness.
There are five specific steps in kriya yoga.

Navi Kriya (or nabhi kriya) is done into Navi chakra in front – location as your navel – and Manipura chakra on your back. Note that manipura chakra is higher than navi chakra.
Tilt your head forward to touch your chin and repeat 25 OM just two inch below the navel.Then tilt your head back as comfortably as you can and and repeat 35 OM into manipura chakra.
You may perform some navel exercise before doing Kriya Yoga:

Kriya Yoga Techniques:

1st Kriya:

Nabhi Kriya:

The yogi should mentally slowly chant ‘Om’ 15 times, concentrating just below the navel.

The yogi should mentally chant ‘Om’ 25 times, concentrating on the back of the navel.

The yogi should mentally chant ‘Om’ 35 times, concentrating at the back of the neck.

2nd Kriya :

The yogi should mentally chant ‘Om’ 15 times, along the imaginary tube of the spine, up and down.

The yogi should mentally chant ‘Om’ 35 times, concentrating on the point between the eyebrows.

3rd Kriya :

Maha Mudra: Alternatively sit on your one foot, and try to touch your other toe.

4th Kriya:

3rd Eye Meditation: Imagine a circular light in the forehead. Very slowly do pranava japa along the circumference of the circle. Do this for few minutes and feel the sensations on the forehead and then feel the sensations on whole body.

Kundalini Kriya Yoga – Upward Love Energy Transformation

November 24, 2010November 24, 2010 Kristin Russel

Kriya Yoga deals with the highest evolution of human. It deals with the finest form of love energy transformation. There is no secret in Kriya yoga. There are five important techniques, namely;
Nabhi Kriya, Spinal Breathing, Maha Mudra Exercise, Yoni Mudra and 3rd Eye Meditation.
You need to practice them regularly in a very very relax manner.

The upward and downward japa along the spine generates tremendous Love and the whole spine is spiritually magnetized. The Yogi becomes Love energy. The Sushumna channel in the spinal cord is the highway through which the Kundalini energy travels and the evolution of consciousness takes place. Kundalini is the Kinetic Energy remaining after the completion of the Universe. This residual bioelectric force lies as light/sound vibrations at the root of the spinal cord. To avail of it for one’s own evolution and realization is the birthright of every human soul.

In Kriya Yoga, Don’t be in a hurry, because if you are in a hurry you will have a lot of worries.

Never practise all the kriyas all together. In the past many people might say they have practised a number of kriyas at the same time. However, from more experiences and understanding of the kriya system, you should never practise all the kriyas together because it will be too powerful, too strong. Rather, combine them with the normal practices of asana and pranayama, concentration and relaxation.

Initailly, do the normal meditation. Then at the end add one or two kriyas to the daily practice. Practise the first three kriyas for one week. In the second week practice other two kriyas. In the third week combination of three kriyas.

Gradually go on building up your receptive ability, and at the same time balancing the awakening of energy with the normal sadhana practices.

Kriya Yoga in Daily Life

November 24, 2010November 24, 2010 Kristin Russel 1 Comment

Kriya Yoga is the science of balancing life energy effectively. Kriya yoga is having enormous healing effect. Through its practice, the mind gets engrossed at the 3rd Eye, at the middle point between the eyebrows. It releases person from bondage.

1st Kriya: