Pieter's breathing exercise post and 'tuning in'

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam everyone!

I had several off-post and some on-post requests for this. Pieter had

sent a post to me about a month or two ago when I was having problems

with focusing my mind. In it, he gives several different breathing

exercises. He recommends doing these before doing your ky. I hadn't

been doing any pranayam at all when he posted this. So, like usual, I

started with something small and built up. I took the first exercise

he listed, and just did that for the first few days. I noticed a

difference the first time I used it. And the effect wasn't just

during ky. The rest of the day and night my sinuses and nasal

passages were SO clear, I couldn't beleive it. If I don't do

pranayam, I've noticed my passages will remain clear anyways for

several days. AFter about 3 days, I notice a stuffy feeling beginning

to set in. But it's a 'quick fix' for me now!

 

Also, I've had a few requests to explain 'tuning in'. The second to

the last paragraph in Pieter's post explains this as well. When

tuning in, the hands should be in prayer pose, with thumbs touching

your sternum. In one breath chant Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. Do this 3

times in a row. This creates a connection between you and all ky

teachers over time. It helps you to feel connected and provides a

subtle guidance as you do your ky. This should be done at the

beginning of each session. I remember when I first started, I

couldn't feel a difference between tuning in and not tuning in. I

continued to do it, but wasn't fully grasping the impact nor the

reason at the time. And I remember reading someone else post about

feeling so connected when tuning in (I think it may have been Cris).

I remember thinking she was imagining it or something because I

couldn't feel anything. Cris I owe you an apology. After about 2

months of doing this, I began to feel the same thing. I notice such a

difference in the way I feel before and after tuning in. It's like a

different mindset for me. I can't explain it any better than that.

But if you aren't doing this, you really should start. And don't

judge after a day or two. Tune in consistently for awhile. Eventually

you will begin to feel the difference.

 

Christa

 

 

Below is Pieter's post:

 

 

Dear Christa,

 

Regarding feeling the ida and pingala, these are energy channels that

start at a point between the eyebrows, then up over each side of the

top of the head, then each side of the vertebra in the neck, then

each side of the rest of the spine, down to the base of the spine.

Using certain pranayamas, you can feel these channels fill up with

prana like an electric current.

 

When the mind becomes very still, the senses automatically withdraw

and you can see in your minds eye in the field of consciousness of 3

dimentional space the nidis throughout the body filling with prana,

as your awareness deepens into brightness. then you will see the

energy withdrawing into the ida and pingala then to the base of the

spine and upwards. Your mind will be utterly still, pure - satvic and

filled with the longing for God and abiding in His Name which is our

True Identity (SAT NAM).

 

To begin to feel and become aware of these nadis, you might want to

do the following channnel cleansing KY kriyas. These are just 3, but

there are many others that will do the same thing.

 

Here in BKK we start all the classes with various excersizes using

long deep breathing (LDB) and breath of fire (BF), just so that the

entire nervous system and circulatory system are purified to carry

easily the greatest possible charge. Then ewe begin to include these

several channel cleansing kriyas.

 

So after some LDB maybe 10 to 20 breaths completely expandintelungs

from the bottom through the middle and upper part, then contracting

all the air out, you may want to try these pranayama kriyas:

 

1. Sit with the legs crossed, spine straight. Extend the left arm

upwards, straight and reaching, so you feel a pressure in the armpit,

with the left arm close to the ear, palm facing inwards. With the

right hand flat with the fingers together facingstraight upwards like

an antena, place the right thumb against the right nostril and begin

a very powerful LDB through the left nostril, at least 15 to 25

breaths, with each inhalation focusing on the extending and reaching

of the left arm upwards. Then inhale deeply, hold the breath, pull

the root lock, reach the left arm up and hold 30 seconds, exhale,

inhale, exhale, inhale hold again 30 seconds with the root lock

pulled, chest expanded forwards, chin in slightly, eyes rolled

towards the top of the head. Then keeping the left arm up slowly

exhale, remain still for another 10 seconds, then slowy lower the

arms and hands back to the knees, as you relax the breath. Then

sitting, you may feel the energy all along the ida / moon channel, as

described above, like an electric current. After around a minute

(maybe longer) to let the energy become fully absorbed and

assimilated into the ida nadi, begin the same pranayama with the

right are extended up and the thumb of the left hand covering the

left nostril to breath through the right nostril, same as with the

left. Then you will also feel the radiance within the pingala / sun

nadi.

 

2. In this next pranayama kriya, you sit on the left heel, so that

the heel is between the buttox pressing against the anal sphinctors

to block the downward flow of energy. Then you place the palm of

your right arm on the floor just behind the side of the body with the

elbow pressed against the ribs. Then extend the left arm up

reaching, as in the first pranayama, press the chest forwards, again

begin a powerful LDB, as with the first pranayama. After 15 to 25

powerful and complete breaths, inhale and hold the breath, pull the

root lock, reach the left arm up and hold 30 seconds, exhale, inhale,

exhale, inhale hold again 30 seconds with the root lock pulled, chest

expanded forwards, chin in slightly, eyes rolled towards the top of

the head. Then keeping the left arm up slowly exhale, remain still

for another 10 seconds, then slowy lower the arms and hands back to

the knees, as you relax the breath. Then sitting cross legged, you

may feel the energy all along the ida / moon channel, as described

above, like an electric current. After around a minute (maybe

longer) to let the energy become fully absorbed and assimilated into

the ida nadi, begin the same pranayama sittingon the right heel

leaning back against the left arm (palm o the grount), with the right

arm extended up, and repeat the breathing and holding of the breath

as with the left side. Then you will also feel the radiance within

the pingala / sun nadi.

 

Breath of fire - preliminary excersize:

 

Apart from stretching the legs to gather circulation, we usually

practice BF before the final pranayama kriya for the ida and pingala.

 

As you know, BF is not the same as kapalabati, where one rythmically

and forcefully pulls the root lock and contracs the navel and lower

diaphragm inwards expelling all the air, then relaxing the ribs to

let airflow in without inhaling. Nor is BF a kind of bellows breath

of the abdomen extending inward and outward ad one expands the lower

diaphragm. And it is definitely not the same as bastrika, where one

has an even rythmical shallow and very fast breathing, as taught by

many hatha yogis.

 

Breath of fire uses the full extention of the diaphragm, from the top

part of the chest, through the middle and down to the bottom, like a

full length bellows, where the whole diaphragn expands maybe to 50 or

70% of the lung capacity and contractst maybe 10% of lung capacity

(assuming 20% capacit beinhe lungs at rest). This is to say that you

will feel the suspension of air from below the navel in the Kandal,

through the solar plexus and up through the heart area, but without

the full expansion of the upper part of the rib cage and raising of

the shoulders, as with a long deep breath. (Shati Parwa's book

explains this aspect of how the breath also fills into the chest and

heart area clearly as well.)

 

As a BF excersize, i.e., to get into it and feel it, in class we sit

cross legged, spine straight with the left palm facing inwards around

4 inches from the abdomen just below the navel (the Kandal area) and

the right palm similarly just above the navel (Solar Plexus area).

Then sniffing some air in, you expand your hands forwards as though

pulling the air in throguh the full length of the lungs without a

full inhalation, but just to the point of feeling the sispension of

the air throughout the full length of the diaphragm. Pause for a

moment, just to feel that suspension from the Kandal through the

Solar Plexus and through the heart area. Then contract/sniff the

air out, pulling the hands back in wowards the Kandal and Solar

Plexus. Continue this slow rythmical sniffing of the are in and out

with a slight pause to fee the inward and outward suspension of air.

Gradually, increase the rythum and speed and power of the breath

without makint shallow, as with bastrica, with the hands expanding

twards and back. You might visualize the idea of the iron bars that

link the wheels of an old time locomotive, as your hands reach out

and pull back with each expansion and contraction of the diaphragm ad

lungs, as though you are buildingp power and steam, and transformin

it energy. Finally you will be at a maximum full length power and

rythm of the breath of fire. Continue for some time, 3 to 5 minutes,

then put your hands on your knees, inhale very deeply and fully.

Press the shoulders back, bring the chin in slightly, pull the root

lock, press the soine and chest forwards, rol the eyes to the top of

the head and hold the breath for 30 seconds, then exhale, inhale,

exhale, inhale hold again 30 seconds with the root lock pulled, chest

expanded forwards, chin in slightly, eyes rolled towards the top of

the head. Then exhale, relax the breath and feel the electromagnetic

current running from the Kandal (located between the 4th vertebra and

navel)through the spine and through the top of the head. Just sit

for a while and let the radiance become fully absorbed and

assimilated into the cells of the body and spine and brain, allowing

them to build up a charge.

 

3. Now you're ready for the last pranayama kriya for the channel

ceansing of the ida and pingala. Sittingwh the spine straight, bring

the left knee to the chest with foot flat on the ground, heel against

the buttox. Then you place the palm of your right arm on the floor

just behind the side of the body with the elbow pressed against the

ribs. Then extend the left arm up reaching, as in the first

pranayama, press the chest forwards, begin a very powerful BF for 1

to 3 minutes or longer. Then inhale powerfully, deeply and completely

and hold the breath, pull the root lock, reach the left arm up,

arching the spine, pressing the chest forwards, and hold the breath

for 30 seconds; exhale forcefully, inhale, exhale, inhale hold again

30 seconds with the root lock pulled, chest expanded forwards, chin

in slightly, eyes rolled towards the top of the head. Then keeping

the left arm up slowly exhale, remain still for another 10 seconds,

then slowy lower the arms and hands back to the knees, as you relax

the breath. Then sitting cross legged, you may feel the energy all

along the ida / moon channel, as described above, like an electric

current. After around a minute (maybe longer) to let the energy

become fully absorbed and assimilated into the ida nadi, begin the

same pranayama, bringing the right knee to the chest, right foot flat

on the ground, heel close to the buttox, leaning back against the

left arm (palm on the ground), with the right arm extended up, same

as with the left and repeat the breathing and holding of the breath

as with the left side. Then you will also feel the radiance within

the pingala / sun nadi.

 

This completes the ida/pingala pranayama set we typically do before

our classes, sometimes with some additional kriyas that open and

charge these energy channels as well, but with different pressures

from different positions.

 

If you do tese 3 pranayama kriyas for the ida and pingala with the

LBad BF preparations before each one, and then you do alternate

nostril breathing of 10 cycles or more on a regular basis, where you

inhale through the left nostril to the count of 4 watching the flow

of prana along the ida nadi, then hold 16, wathching the prana at the

sacral plexis and base of the spine, then exhale to the count of 8,

while watching the flow of prana along the pingala up to the agna

chakra between, behind, slightly above the point between the

eyebrows, holding for 16 counts, then inhaling 4 along the pungala,

hold 16 at the sacral and exhaling 8 along the ida - constituting one

complete cycle, then you will feel the whole body becoming light,

loosing all its inertia, the mind becoming clear, still and expansive.

 

Now you are ready to start a Kundalini Yoga class with Laya

meditations and gain some real benefits from it.

 

Placing the palms together w/ thumbs against the sternum you can

begin a second round of Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo, one breath for each

sound, 3 times or more, then inhale deeply hold the breath

pullingtheroot lock for 30 seconds or longer, then relaxingte breath,

the body will be held in an electromagnetic inward turning space of

soundlessness.

 

Then the KY class can begin.

 

Try this and see what happens. There will be an electromagnetic

pulling from within the core of your being. Tas sense of a "yokin

will emerge where the mind becomes still and turns inward as though

there was a vortex sucking in everything, and you will "hear" the

Truth resounding soundlessly from within and abide as single all-

pervasive being.

 

Pieter

[Guest guest]

Christa,

 

glad you brought that up! It really helps to "tune

in" prior and I am glad you noticed a difference!!!

 

Instructors are taught to always tune in prior to

teaching a session.

 

sat nam

 

p.s

 

I sooooo enjoy your posts!!

 

Gretchen

[Guest guest]

> I sooooo enjoy your posts!!

>

> Gretchen

 

Thanks!

 

I'm just kinda stumbling through this myself. But it's great to hear

my stumbling is entertaining!

 

Christa