Lotte (the yoga nomad) and I practicing along the Ganges
There is no exception. After every kundalini yoga practice, I turn to the first person I see, usually my daughter, and say, “I just did the wildest thing!” It is the combination of breathing, postures, chanting/mantra, and meditation, (the usual kundalini yoga set) that brings me back to my center. But the fascinating parts are always the asanas (postures)! They bring you to your edge and then you go past your edge and see that you can do it! You drop your chattering mind which dictates how much effort you think you can give. You sink/sync into your breath where your real strength resides. At the same time, it is such a compassionate yoga. If you cannot do a full squat, just do what you can, even if it’s a few inches. You move from where you are and slowly build confidence with practice. I have seen it over and over in myself and it’s amazing! Things that were seemingly impossible, “I could never do that!,” turn into, “Wow (Wahe Guru),” I did it!
For example, I have been practicing Sat Kriya (see photo) consistently for 6 months and on and off for longer. Sat Kriya is thought of as an essential part of a kundalini yogi’s practice.
Why would someone want to do this? Sat Kriya energizes the core of your being, regulates the flow of sexual and creative energy, and strengthens your nervous system and heart.
Sit on you heels, bring your hands over your head, arms hugging ears, interlace your fingers, index fingers pointing up, sit tall. Repeat ‘Sat,’ as you bring your navel to your spine, then ‘Nam,’ as you relax your belly and repeat in a slow cadence. I started off by practicing this for a straining 2-3 minutes, then at yoga teacher training, we pushed it up to 11 minutes. I have just recently done 31 minutes- talk about dropping your mind!