Kundalini Yoga - 17

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POSTURE AND THE HEART CHAKRA

 

Cultivating and maintaining good posture is one of our modern

challenges. In this lesson we will cover some pointers and techniques

related to posture. Some of the reasons for bad posture and the

gradual humping of our spine include (1) A closed heart, (2) Being

too mental, (3) Too much energy in the upper chakras and not being

grounded, (4) Weak navel point.

 

(1) A CLOSED HEART

 

One of the main reasons for poor posture is a closed heart. If we

are afraid, lack self-confidence and self-esteem, or suffer from any

of the other manifestations of a closed heart chakra, we try to

protect ourselves by physically bending in at the heart center. Much

of our deep emotional pain in stored in the solar plexus (between the

navel center and the breasts.) Our protective instincts are often

initiated in the area of the solar plexus.

 

To open the heart, we must begin at the solar plexus and cultivate a

deep non-verbal relationship with the emotional energies residing in

that area of our body. Fear, anger and sadness are the lions that

guard the gate to the heart. We must befriend them to open our

hearts.

 

Muscularly the heart needs the support of the back muscles to stay

open. If our back muscles are weak, we gradually collapse and bend

over.

 

(2) BEING TOO MENTAL

 

Ideally, we operate from our heart. When we walk, our heart should

lead. The problem is that we have become talking and walking heads.

Our body ends up being a source of transportation for our thoughts

about what we think we should be doing. What happens is that our

physical head actually leads when we walk and protrudes over our body

even when we are eating, talking or sitting working at our computer.

When our head is not evenly balanced over our spine, our posture gets

out of alignment. Our body has to compensate for the weight of the

head sticking out in front of the body.

 

(3) NOT GROUNDED

 

Because we live in our thoughts and not in the sensations in our

bodies, our energies stay in our upper body, from the shoulders up.

When we are energetically top heavy, many things get out of

alignment, including our posture. If our shoulders can't relax, our

heart center is not relaxed.

 

(4) WEAK NAVEL CENTER

 

Our navel center is the third eye of our physical body. It is also

the physical mid point of the body. When it is weak, we literally

have no physical center or way to direct our lower centers. Our

physical movements should be initiated from our navel center.

However, when it is weak or off center, by default we initiate from

our head.

 

CORRECTIVE PRACTICES

 

The above problems can be corrected in a variety of ways. The first

is through attention and intention. We simply choose to be aware of

where our energy is and balance it out by mental and physical

adjustments including

 

(1) Slightly pulling in our navel point (2) Gently pulling the root

lock (muscles at the base of the spine) (3) Breathing in our belly

and making sure that the inhale expands the kidney area (4)

Initiating movements, including walking from the navel center (5)

Inhale before initiating movements. Usually we move and then realize

we are holding our breath. (6) Pulling our spine up, especially at

the solar plexus so it stays open and not caved in (7) Keeping the

sternum up and shoulders relaxed (8) Checking periodically to make

sure our head in comfortably over the shoulders and not forward. We

can pull it back slightly. (9) Feeling the sensations in our body

(10) When we have thoughts, checking to see how they register in our

body (11) Standing on two feet and legs, instead of balancing on one

only while standing around (12) Lie on the floor with pillows or

folded blankets under the spine at the level of the heart and solar

plexus. (13) While holding a strap that is at least 3 feet long in

the two hands, move in various directions to loosen up the front and

back of your body. Learn how to move and strengthen the muscles in

the mid back. You can make up a lot of movements, which will feel

good and move the energy. (14) Move shoulders, hands, arms, fingers,

back. We are often stationary. Inaction creates stagnation of

energy. Stand up and shake your limbs. Do shoulder shrugs and neck

rolls while you are sitting. Be creative, but stretch and move!

 

PRACTICING KUNDALINI YOGA

 

Our daily practice of Kundalini yoga should include exercises to

cultivate energy in our lower chakras, strengthen the navel point and

open the heart center. Shoulder shrugs and neck rolls provide a lot

of relief if practiced on a daily basis.

 

With rare exceptions, all exercises should be executed with an open

heart. This means that we should not hump our back to try to get into

a posture. This is especially true of leg stretches. Aim the belly,

solar plexus and chest toward the leg and then stretch as far as it

is comfortable. But do not bend the back to get the head to the leg.

The back should be stretched to lengthen and open it

 

SET TO OPEN THE HEART AND REMOVE NEGATIVITY

 

Here is a short set that works on opening the heart center. It is

taken from " Relax and Renew " page 102 and was taught by Yogi Bhajan

in 1973. During exercise one, keep the breath in the solar plexus and

feel the energy and sensations there. Exercise two actually takes

stress out of the head and gives you a glowing complexion. You are so

happy when it is over! Exercise three opens up the back and heart and

connects the energy of the arms and hands with the heart. This and

the following one are good exercises for symptoms of carpal tunnel

and numbing of the arms and hands. These conditions are partly caused

by blocked energy between the hands, arms and heart. Exercise four

is fabulous to do many times a day. You can open your heart from the

back. Feel your shoulder blades move down and together. A lot of

stress, which is blocked heart- center energy, will be released.

Enjoy.

 

Full details of this set complete with illustrations can be found at

kundalini yogakyt17.html

 

(by Gururattan Kaur Khalsa)