KY Training Lesson 06 - Addiction

[Guest guest]

EatingWeightR

 

Copyright by Gururattan K. Khalsa, Ph.D.

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

As you know, in addition to this Kundalini Yoga List where we discuss

Kundalini Yoga and experiences related to this spiritual path, we have a

Kundalini Yoga Training List where I share more detailed information on the

practice of Kundalini Yoga.

 

Many of those who filled out the questionnaire for the Kundalini Yoga

Training indicated the desire to use Kundalini Yoga to lose weight. Recent

questions and topics of discussion on the Kundalini Yoga List include eating

disorders, caffeine and addictions. I am sending Lesson 6 which discusses

how to use Kundalini Yoga to deal with these issues out to both lists.

 

Those of you who are d to both lists will receive two copies - my

apologies for this, but there was no other way to get this out to the wider

audience that we now have.

 

If you are interested in the detailed discussion and in receiving copies of

our future lessons, you can to Kundalini Yoga Training by sending

a blank email to

kytraining- .

 

This is my Holiday gift to all of you!

 

Many blessings for feeling really good during this Holiday season!

 

Sat Nam,

 

Rattana

 

P.S. The best day to begin a new practice is the New Moon. The First New

Moon of the year and Millennium is January 6.

 

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INTRODUCTION TO KUNDALINI YOGA

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ADDICTIONS-GIFTS FROM THE GARBAGE

 

KUNDALINI YOGA TRAINING - LESSON 6

 

COURSE BY GURURATTAN K. KHALSA, PH.D.

 

 

 

Food, diet, weight loss, eating disorders, and other addictive substances

and behaviors-whatever our specific issue, everyday we are all confronted

with what to put in our mouths and how the decisions we make affect our

well-being. My approach is to use our addictive tendencies as a path to

empowerment. In the process we can claim "the gifts from the garbage."

 

 

3RD CHAKRA: YOGA AND MAKING AND BREAKING HABITS

 

The ability to make and break habits is associated with the navel center or

third chakra. When our navel center is strong we have the will to make

decisions and to keep them. There are many navel exercises and sets. Many

of these can be found in my manual Transitions to a Heart-Centered World.

Breath of fire is a great navel breath as is 4 part energizing breath. You

will find the instructions for the 4-part breath on the Yoga Technology

website - meditati.html Do this 3-5 minute

exercise 3 or more times a day, especially at moments when you are being

pulled to a compulsive, addictive behavior. (Remember the navel center is

2-3 inches below the navel.)

 

Many addictions, especially smoking, drugs and alcohol are related to the

fire element. Navel breathing, especially breath of fire and 4 part breath,

give us the fire energy we crave. As the energy we create begins to satisfy

us, we are released from the hold of the addiction.

 

A strong navel center is a requirement for being able to commit and keep

your commitments to yourself. Daily practice to strengthen the navel center

is the first commitment we need to make to ourselves.

 

 

2nd and 3rd CHAKRAS: DIGESTION AND POWER CENTER

 

There are MANY things going on in our body that we can connect with if we

tune into and are present to our energy. The second chakra, which is

located in the abdominal area, is where much of our additive and "food"

issues reside. The abdominal area is our power center. Women especially

learn to hold in their stomachs. The result is a constant tension and

continual blocking of our internal source of power. This is the area where

our digestion and elimination is regulated. When we create stress by

holding in our stomachs and have a negative attitude toward this part of our

body, we interfere with our normal biological functioning.

 

When the belly is relaxed, digestion and elimination can occur in a natural

and peaceful matter. Imagine you were a large or small intestine and that

you had to carry out your job under the adverse circumstances that we create

by holding in our bellies, blocking the energy flow and cutting off the

breath. You wouldn't get the job done properly, so matter how hard you

tried.

 

EXERCISE--One way to cultivate a relaxed abdominal area is to practice long

deep abdominal breathing. Lie on your back, place your hands on your belly,

let your inhale push your hands up and exhale relax the hands back down.

Many women in classes I have taught have experienced dramatic increases of

energy with this simple breathing exercise.

 

Our goal is to befriend our bellies and to consciously allow our energy to

flow. Overtime our peaceful relationship with our energy and our body will

supercede any programming of how our bodies should look. As we make friends

with our bodies, HOW OUR BODIES FEEL BECOMES OUR COMMANDING TOUCHSTONE.

 

 

SECURITY IS OUR GREATEST ASSET

 

SELF-LOVE on an energetic level is our goal. For self-love to be real, we

have to enjoy being in our bodies. This is of course a process that takes

time. We have to be willing to feel uncomfortable and to experience our

emotions. If we are willing, we will over time experience inner power and

peace.

 

Yogi Bhajan taught us years ago that "A woman's greatest security is

herself." This summer he reminded us again that a woman's greatest asset is

her own security. And in fact, a woman can not really function as woman,

i.e. use all her innate gifts, until she feels secure within herself. Can

you feel the power of those statements? Just writing those words again

makes me sit up straighter and breathe deeper.

 

I think the same is true for men. For both men and women, it is our inner

connection that is our source of true power.

 

Maybe the core issue is not food or addictions. Maybe the core issue is our

own security, our own self-love, and our dedicated commitment to living our

own lives.

 

EXERCISE--The practice of long deep abdominal breathing as described above

can be used to cultivate a feeling of security in your body and love of your

physical form. Allow yourself to experience that the energy you bring in

with the breath is feeding your body (because it is). This can produce a

very satisfying feeling that replaces the addictive cravings. Another

variation is to initiate the breath at the navel center. The focus on the

navel center will help you consciously create the flame and the fire in your

"lower furnace". The fire energetically builds your will power on a very

organic level.

 

 

FEEL GOOD

 

My most powerful driving force is to feel good. Almost everything I do is

in one way or another related to the fact that I want to feel good all the

time. This does not mean that I do, but it does mean that I do the best I

can to cultivate a state of well being. Admittedly, it is a continual,

lifetime task. I must be vigilant at all times. But feeling good is so

important to me that it is worth all the time and effort. I do yoga

everyday to feel good. And what I eat is mostly (not all) determined by how

I will feel after I eat.

 

I remember several years ago I attended a class with about 40 women on

habits, diet and eating. The teacher asked us, "Who considers how they will

feel 3 hours later before they eat?" Only 3 women raised their hands. Wow.

I was shocked. These were all spiritually committed women. So don't feel

bad if you wouldn't have raised your hand. But do consider that making it a

priority to feel good is something to consider. It could change your life

and be a key to dealing with eating disorders and weight.

 

Actually, I believe that everyone is driven by the desire to feel good. We

just need to make this desire conscious and learn habits and behaviors that

make total well-being possible.

 

1ST CHAKRA: IDENTIFYING NEEDS AND GETTING THEM MET

 

Finding solutions to all our human challenges is actually a question of

identifying our needs and figuring out how to get them met. Security and

satisfying needs are first chakra issues. Some of some our basic needs that

relate to food and addictions include the following-

 

* To feel secure

* To feel a sense of well being

* To feel nurtured

* To be nourished

 

Please add to the list.

 

I operate from the premise that we all have needs and that our lives are

organized around how to get them met. We may sabotage ourselves by doing

things that don't really get our needs met or are harmful. But we are still

internally driven to attempt to satisfy our basic needs. In fact, I believe

that eating disorders, drug, alcohol and tobacco addictions are unsuccessful

attempts to get our needs met.

 

In dealing with any challenge, the first step is to identify the need. The

second step is to embrace it, NOT deny it or try to suppress it. The third

step is to figure how we can satisfy these needs, without hurting ourselves,

but instead by promoting our health and happiness.

 

 

SUBSTITUTES VS DEPRAVATION

 

Food is often used an inadequate substitute for the above and other needs.

Something is missing in our lives so we try to placate our craving with

food.

 

The problem with bad food is that none of our needs are satisfied including

the one for food. In fact we just crave more food. This is a serious

problem even for those of us who try to eat a healthy diet.

 

Ingesting "food" that does not have its natural, complete vitamin-mineral

content not only does not satisfy our bodies, it also creates cravings.

This is because the body needs the complete vitamin-mineral structure to

properly digest its food. If something is missing, the body will try to

find it by depleting the rest of the body of those particular vitamins or

minerals and by sending out "hunger" signals demanding what it needs.

 

The problem today is that most of our foods are severely deficient in

vitamin-mineral content. Genetically engineered foods are even worse

because the natural crystalline structures of plants are simplified. As a

result the cells cannot absorb what is left of the nutrients from the food.

 

This is the same for the water we drink. Pollution, purification, chemical

additives and processing of water has debilitated our water to the extent

that it cannot be fully absorbed by our cells. We are born with 98% water

content in our bodies. Our cells are dehydrated down to about 75% by the

time we are 40 or 50. And no matter how much water we drink, if it does not

come from the few vital sources left on the Planet, our body's thirst for

water is not totally quenched.

 

Now all this is rather depressing except for the fact that we do have some

very effective vitamin and mineral supplements available to us that can

satisfy our bodies. And recently there have been some major discoveries

that help us revitalize the water we drink.

 

In addition, there is a lot that we can do immediately by choosing healthier

foods. We can eliminate processed sugar, processed foods, fried foods, red

meat and caffeine from our diet. The trick is substitution. Depravation

does not work.

 

SUGAR

 

Our bodies need natural sugar and foods of the Earth element. Fruits

contain natural sugar. And there are many "health food junk foods" that are

sweetened with honey and natural sugar from fruit. Although these are not

as nutritious as a piece of fruit or carrot juice, they are not harmful like

refined sugar and flour. I say minimize the damage and do your best to keep

your body at peace without ingesting the known addictive foods-refined sugar

being on the top of the list.

 

Refined sugar is addictive because of what I explained above. The natural

nutrients have been extracted and the body craves more in an attempt to get

the minerals and vitamins it needs to carry out its digestive and

eliminative functions. Caffeine from coffee, coke, chocolate also

dehydrates the body.

 

Since sugar is addictive, any amount of it generally provokes the craving

and reestablishes the addiction. This is why it is recommended to eliminate

it completely. If you have the guts to do this, I suggest having a good

supply of substitutes on hand. Remember the need must be satisfied.

Deprivation does not work. As the body gets accustomed to more complete

foods, the sugar craving will subside. The need for natural sugars will

remain because the body needs some of this food. Over time (and it may be a

while) more natural sugars will be the only ones that satisfy you.

 

When I was young my mother made the most outrageous refined sugar-flour

based desserts imaginable. It took me several years to eliminate my desire

for refined sugar. The dessert habit, however, is still in my genes. Now I

am satisfied with a couple of bites of Golden Temple Ginger Snap Granola.

 

To help break my refined sugar addition, I ate millet almost everyday for

several years. Millet is one of the few grains that is an Earth food. All

sugars are Earth foods. By eating millet, my body was able to have its need

for Earth foods satisfied. I eat millet once in a while now. Amazingly I

still like it.

 

I am not saying it was easy. But I am sharing that it was possible and it

was worth it. I feel so much better without refined sugar. And as I said,

feeling good is a priority for me.

 

COLLECTIVE ADDICTIONS

 

support each other. A stop smoking course recommended giving up

coffee, teas with caffeine and alcohol at the same time. Each one increased

the craving for the others. They recommended substituting vitamin C, dried

and fresh fruit. The vitamin C helps replace the nutrients lost and rebuild

the substance in the body that is replaced by nicotine.

 

 

WHEN TO START

 

The best day to begin any regime or Sadhana to break or make new habits is

the New Moon. I have personally experienced that it is much easier to keep

up and actually succeed when I start a fast on the New Moon. Yogically,

forty days is the amount of time it takes to break a habit.

 

 

OILS

 

Somehow because of the cholesterol scare, we have gotten the message that

oil is bad. Refined, fried oils are not easily digested by the body.

Natural oils are needed by the body for optimum functioning. Olive or

almond oil (not canola) in your salad dressing or added to your grains after

they are cooked can satisfy these needs.

 

It is very important that women do not eliminate oil from their diets. No

oil speeds up the aging process and makes menopause more difficult.

 

 

THE BOX TECHNIQUE

 

Someone shared with me the idea that I now call the box technique. This is

one way to deal with the psychology of what we eat and don't eat. We all

actually use this technique all the time. There are things that we do not

do and do not eat. We have them classified in a box. We do not eat food

out of a trash bin. We don't eat rotten food. We wouldn't even think about

it. We can choose to expand our box and put other foods in that box. This

works if we keep the item in the box. And it circumvents a lot of mental

anguish of trying to decide "to eat or not to eat." Over time the sides of

the box will grow stronger and we won't even question our initial decision.

 

When I was young, I often ate much more than I needed. I was of course

uncomfortable after I stuffed myself. I worried about getting fat, which

did not happen, but I did waste a lot of mental energy and made myself

uptight. One day, after college, I decided that I did not want to live

like that. I made the decision to eat only until I was full and then I

would stop. It took me about 2 months to get into the habit and integrate

the strategy into my psyche. I am so much more comfortable mentally and

physically that to do any differently is not even an option. I have gotten

better over the years too. I look at my food, appreciate what I am eating

while I am eating, even try to chew more. It all helps.

 

We have built in survival strategies. The trick is to discover your own

version and use them to your advantage. As Yogi Bhajan taught us, the

Universe is set up for us to win. Life on Planet Earth is to discover how

to win our own game of life. We were all born with the innate wisdom to

succeed and be happy.

 

 

DIVINE ADDICTS

 

Maybe weight and food problems are not really about food and weight. Maybe

the issue is self-love. Maybe we should start out by loving our bodies as

they are. After all everyone is different and therefore special. Maybe

addictions are about taking back our power from those forces and

"authorities" who we have let manipulate us. Maybe every issue we face is a

spiritual issue between me and myself and me and the Divine.

 

My hypothesis is that we all have addictive personalities. We just have

different addictions. Actually the addictive power is a spiritual necessity

and gift. I believe we were given this quality to be able to hold on to our

experience of God.

 

I propose getting high on Kundalini Yoga and using this addictive power to

hold on to the experience. This sounds easy, but this reorientation is a

challenge too. Holding on to the feeling can be as challenging as breaking

an addiction. What we are doing is breaking an old habit and creating a new

one. We are training our mind to reorient our focus. We are reversing an

energy pattern that has been in place for a long time. We are challenging

an old belief system and creating a new one. The trick is to patiently

train yourself and to keep up until you are addicted to God.

 

You can cultivate an addiction to God with any Kundalini yoga set, breathing

exercise or meditation. The important point is to do something to change

your energy and then to focus on the feeling and satisfaction that you have

created. Have fun feeling good and please share your results with us.

 

Many blessings for the New Year and Millennium and Sat Nam,

 

Gururattan Kaur "Rattana"

 

Copyright by Gururattan Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D.

 

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[Guest guest]

Merry Christmas to you, Gordan.

 

Thank you for your invaluable assistance. I have been pleasantly surprised

by . It's a great omen for the next millenium.

 

Sat Nam!

 

JT

 

PS. I would like to be on your list.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/16/99 4:27:58 PM Eastern Standard Time,

gordon writes:

 

<< kytraining- . >>

[Guest guest]

Hi to All

 

For anyone else who is wanting to to the separate KY Training

List, just :

kytraining-

 

Sat Nam!

Gordon

 

 

> JTMCCOLLUM

>

> Merry Christmas to you, Gordan.

>

> Thank you for your invaluable assistance. I have been pleasantly

surprised

> by . It's a great omen for the next millenium.

>

> Sat Nam!

>

> JT

>

> PS. I would like to be on your list.