ॐ Kundalini Practice

Breathing Exercises — Pranayama

Asanas — Mudra | Bandha

Yoga

 

Mantra | Mudra | Samadhi | Nadi | Pashuchakra | Panchakosha | Yoga Nidra

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Note: According to many traditions this is not recommended for beginners, or anyone practicing without guidance of an experienced teacher.

 

Om Namah Shivaya ॐ नमः शिवाय

 

Breathing Exercises:

 

Pranayama

The practice of breath control to regulate energy throughout the body, as well as to activate and cleanse energy pathways. It comes from Sanskrit, Prana, or life force energy, and Yama, which means "restraint" or “control.”

 

Note: Only the right hand is used in the entire process. Use the right-hand thumb to close your right nostril, and use the ring finger and a middle finger (pressed together) to close your left nostril.

Important: In the beginning start very slow, just with a few cycles of breath; do it without any force, sensing the feelings and energy flow in your body. This simple exercise is a very powerful technique. A warning from ancient Hatha Yoga Pradipika sums it up well — "Just as lions, elephants and tigers are controlled by and by, so the breath is controlled by slow degrees, otherwise (i.e., by being hasty or using too much force) it kills the practitioner himself."

 

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The Ratio

According to the ancient scriptures the ratio is 1:4:2. That means if you take 4 second time in inhalation (Puraka), and hold the breath in for 16 sec (Kumbhaka), then take 8 sec time for exhalation (Rechaka).

 

Why is it practiced with the right hand only?

The thumb of our right hand represents the fire element and the right nostril represents the Sun. Similarly, the right-hand ring and middle finger represent Space and Earth elements, and the left nostrils represent the Moon.

As fingers of both our hands represent the same elements, so if we practice with the left hand then it becomes a combination of fire and moon, which is a disbalance of the energy circuit of our body. Always practice Pranayama with your right hand.

 

Surya (Sun) Bhedana Pranayama

In Yoga, our right nostril is related to the sun and the left nostril is related to the moon. Therefore, In Surya Bhedna Pranayama we only breathe from the right nostril and only leave the breath out from the left nostril.

Chandra (Moon) Bhedana Pranayama

In Chandra Bhedna Pranayama we only breathe in from the left nostril and leave the breath out from the right nostril.

 

 

The Nadi

In yoga science, the left nostril is connected to Ida nadi (Chandra/Moon), and the right nostril is connected to Pingala nadi (Surya/Sun). They represent polarities — Yin/Yang, female/male, cooling/heating, negative/positive.

The central and most important nadi is known as Sushumna, it's located in the center and runs the length of the spine.

Ida and Pingala follow Sushumna on the left and right sides of the spine, correspondingly.

All the three main nadis start from the base (Muladhara) chakra and meetup at the Ajna ("Third Eye") chakra.

Additionally, there are 72,000 known nadis that run throughout the human body.

 

What is Nadi Shodhana Means?

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama literally means cleaning of nerves (nadi). All 72,000 nadi throughout the body are branches of Ida and Pingala dadi. 36,000 nadi emerge from Ida and 36,000 from Pingala. Ida is associated with the right brain and the left side of the body. Pingala is associated with the left brain and the right side of the body.


What is the Difference between Nadi Shodhana and Anuloma Viloma Pranayama?

In Anuloma Viloma, there is no need to hold the breath, whereas, in Nadi Shodhana, one needs to hold the breath inside for as long as possible.

In Anuloma Viloma, the air is inhaled from the left nostril and exhaled from the right one, after that it is inhaled from the right nostril and exhaled from the left one.

In Nadi Shodhana, the air is inhaled from the left nostril, held, and exhaled from the right one. The second time the air is inhaled from the right nostril, held, and exhaled from the left one.

 

What to do first Kapalbhati or Anuloma Viloma Pranayama?

First Kapalbhati and then Anuloma Viloma Pranayama. Because Kapalbhati is Yoga Asana and Anuloma Viloma is a Pranayama. Yoga Asana should be done first, and then Pranayama.

 

Ext.

 

Anuloma Viloma Pranayama

 

a) Anuloma (natural)

Anuloma Pranayama (अनुलोम प्राणायाम) used in the practice of Hatha yoga, Anu roughly translates as with and Loma means hair implying "with the grain" or "natural". It is the opposite of Viloma Pranayama (विलोम प्राणायाम) which means against the grain.

Anuloma involves inhaling through both nostrils together and exhaling each breath alternately between the left and right nostrils. The thumb of the right hand is used to manipulate the right nostril, while the pinky and ring finger are used to control the left nostril. Inverted Anuloma breath is called Pratiloma and involves inhaling through alternating nostrils and exhaling through both together. The practice of a kumbhaka or retention is encouraged as students advance at the practice; first at the end of the inhale and eventually the end of the exhale.

When practiced as Sama Vrtti or even breath, the inhalation, retention and exhalation are all of equal duration. More advanced students may employ Visama Vrtti or uneven breath, using ratios such as 1:4:2 (one beat inhale, four beat retention, and a two beat exhale).

 

b) Viloma (against the grain)

Viloma Pranayama (विलोम प्राणायाम) is a yoga breathing exercise that involves a series of interrupted inhalations with pauses followed by a series of interrupted exhalations with pauses.

The name comes from the Sanskrit, vi, which means “against” or “contrary to”; and loma, which means “hair.” Viloma, therefore, translates as “against the grain” or “against the natural course.”

Viloma Pranayama is typically practiced from a reclined position facing skyward. Begin by inhaling a third of the lungs' capacity, then pause for two to three seconds. Inhale another third, pause again, and inhale until the lungs are filled. Pause before repeating the pattern on the exhale.

The number of pauses may be increased depending on the yogi's lung capacity. Viloma pranayama may also be practiced with the pauses only on the exhalation or only on the inhalation.

 

 

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Types of Pranayama Yoga

 

Bhastrika Pranayama

Bhastrika Pranayam is also known as Bellows Breath. In this breath yoga, a sound like a blacksmith bellows is produced. According to some schools Bhastrika pranayama is done first on breath yoga series.

Kapalbhati Pranayama

It is a purification technique that is why it is known as Skull Purification.

 

Kapalabhati (Breath of Fire)

Kapalabhati (Sanskrit: कपालभाति kapāla 'skull', and bhāti 'shining, illuminating) breath of fire involves short and strong forceful exhalations and inhalation happens automatically. There are three forms of Kapalabhati:

 

Bahya Pranayama

Bahya Pranayama or Tri Bandha Or Maha Bandha is a combination of the other three common bandhas — Mula Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha, and Uddiyana Bandha.

Anuloma Viloma Pranayama

Anuloma Viloma is also known as Alternate Nostril breathing.

Bhramari Pranayama

In Bharamari Pranayama we have to make a sound like a bee.

Udgeeth Pranayama

Udgeeth Pranayama or Omkar Chanting is pranayama which takes us to the state of meditation. In this pranayama, we take a long deep breath and then chant Om. The vibrations of AUM calm our mind and take us to the meditative state.

Shitali Pranayama

Soft Pranayama is the best yoga for summer. Through this pranayama, we can control the temperature of our body. You have to make a shape like a pipe from your tongue and then breathe in with the pipe. After holding the breath in for a while, the breath has to be left out from the nostrils.

Sheetkari Pranayama

Sheetkari pranayama is similar to that of Sitali Pranayama, but we connect our upper and lower teeth and then take a breath.

Ujjayi Pranayam

When practicing this pranayama, the vibration that is produced by our throats makes a special effect on the throat and thyroid gland.

Vritti Pranayama

Vritti Pranayama is of two types – Sama Vritti Pranayama and Vishama Vritti Pranayama. The breathing ratio is similar in the Sama Vritti Pranayama, whereas, in Vishama Vritti Pranayama, the breathing ratio is irregular.

Plavini Pranayama

Plavini is a Sanskrit word which means swim. In this yoga breathing is held according to desire.

Murcha Pranayama

Murcha is a Sanskrit word which means suspension from all mental activities.

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

Surya (Sun) Bhedana Pranayama

In Yoga, our right nostril is related to the sun and the left nostril is related to the moon. Therefore, In Surya Bhedana Pranayama we only breathe from the right nostril and only leave the breath out from the left nostril.

Chandra (Moon) Bhedana Pranayama

In Chandra Bhedana Pranayama we only breathe in from the left nostril and leave the breath out from the right nostril.

 

 

 

Respiratory Process in Pranayama Breathing

To understand the respiratory process in Pranayama Breathing, you have to understand Abdominal breathing, Chest breathing, and Full breathing.

Abdominal Breathing

Lie down in Savasana or sit in any meditation posture and take a natural breath. Now place the right hand on the abdomen above the abdomen and place the left hand in the center of the heart.

Take a long deep breath. When you start breathing, the stomach and hand start to rise up and the left hand on the heart goes downwards.

While breathing in, spread the abdominal area as much as you can, but do not spread the heart area. Now breathe out.

When you breathe out, the abdominal area goes downwards. This type of breathing is known as abdominal Breathing.

Chest Breathing

This type of breathing is done by spreading the chest completely. Sit in any posture or lie down in savasana. Breath in fully by paying full attention to the chest.

Spread the chest region as much as you can. Be conscious of the breath that comes in the rib cage.

Now release the breath out slowly and experience that the chest is shrinking.

Full Breathing

In this type of breathing both abdominal and chest breathing is used. Sit in any posture, or lie in Savasana.

Now breathe in slowly and deeply, and fill the abdomen with air completely; then fill the lungs fully. Be aware of the abdomen, lungs, and neck muscles.

Slowly let the breath out by relaxing the neck muscles first, then the chest with the abdomen region. Remove excessive air out by pulling the muscles in, or pressing the belly with hands.

 

 

 

Tummo

 

Tummo (Tib: གཏུམ་མོ, gtum-mo; San: चण्डाली, romanized: candālī) is the fierce goddess of heat and passion in Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Tummo is found in the Mahasiddha Krishnacarya and the Hevajra Tantra texts.

As a breathing exercise, tummo (Tumo or Chandali yoga) is a part of tantric meditation cycles for yogic heat, developed around the concept of the female deity. It is found in the Six Dharmas of Naropa, Lamdre, Kalachakra and Anuyoga teachings of Tibetan Vajrayana. The purpose of tummo is to gain control over body processes during the completion stage of 'highest yoga tantra' (Anuttarayoga Tantra) or Anuyoga.

 

Nomenclature, orthography and etymology

Tummo  is a Tibetan word, literally meaning fierce [woman]. Tummo is a Tibetan word for inner fire.

Tummo may also be rendered in English approximating its phonemic enunciation as "Dumo".

 

Practice

The "center channel" (dbu ma or avadhuti) is the whole arterial system, or more specifically the aorta. The two "side channels" are the venous system (roma or rasanā), and the spinal column and nervous system (rkyang ma or lalanā). A chakra is any place in the body where there are clusters of arteries, veins and nerves.

In the practice of tummo, the visualization of lower ends to the three channels is primarily used to focus body awareness in the sub navel area. Breath retention, Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha force vāyu (wind, air) and ojas into the arterial system. Ojas itself has two stores within the body — the heart and brain. Thus there is the visualization of blazing and dripping.

 

Kundalini and Tummo

Kundalinī-yoga offered a range of techniques to harness the powerful psycho-physical energy coursing through the body, which most people simply dissipate in pursuits of pleasure, or spend on thoughts and emotions. A yogi consciously accumulates and then directs this energy for specific purposes. This energy generates warmth as it accumulates, and becomes an inner fire, or inner heat (candālī) that can burn away the dross of ignorance and ego-clinging.

Numerous non-buddhist tantras of the Shakti and Shiva traditions (generally termed Hindu by westerners) speak of Kundalini, which is generally described as a coiled energy at the base of the spine, at the first chakra.

Kundalini yoga in the Natha Sampradaya and Vajrayana in Tibetan Buddhism both take their origin from the Mahasiddhas who were active in India from the 8th century to the 12th century. Kundalini yoga practices formed the core of the teachings of a number of these Mahasiddhas and are strongly represented in both Tibetan Buddhist practices and contemporary Kundalini yoga practices. Kundalini yoga was spoken of as "candālī yoga" by these Mahasiddhas and became known as gTummo rnal 'byor in Tibet. Candali yoga was a key practice of the famous Tibetan yogi Milarepa.

The rLung (winds in Tibetan: rLung) practitioner (yogi) uses special colors of clothes to improve the power of the Tummo fire.

The psychic heat Drod is produced by the space particles and the heat manifested from the friction of the wind element. This is another fundamental element as it supports and gives power to the consciousness, like the power of the fire that can launch rockets to space. The power is called medrod or 'digestion fire' in medicine and Tummo in yoga tantra. The heat (fire) sustains life and protects the body/mind. The psychic fire increases the wisdom, burns the ignorant mind of the brain and gives realization and liberation from the darkness of unawareness.That is why yoga describes Tummo as the aggressive fire which ignites from below navel, pierces the chakras one by one and reaches the sky of the crown chakra.

"The tummo burning arrow married with the celestial bride leads to enjoy the life of transformation of samsara. They give birth to the son of awareness from the blissful garden of Vajrayogini."

 

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Asanas

 

 

Mudra (Gesture/Pose)

 (Sanskrit, मुद्रा, "seal")

 

Shakti Chalana

In the beginning practice 15-20 times, gradually increase the duration after completion of the training, up to 5 minutes.

 

 

 

Kechari Mudra

 

Kechari Mudra (Sanskrit, खेचरी मुद्रा) is a yoga practice carried out by curling the tip of the tongue back into the mouth until it reaches above the soft palate and into the nasal cavity.

In the beginning stages and for most practitioners, the tip of the tongue touches the soft palate as far back as possible without straining, or is placed in contact with the uvula at the back of the mouth. Through the performance of Kechari Mudra, touching the tip of the tongue to the uvula, or "little tongue," (or placing it in the nasal cavity behind the uvula), the divine life-current draws the prana from the senses into the spine and draws it up through the chakras to Vaishvanara (Universal Spirit), uniting the consciousness with spirit,  enables one to raise Kundalini and access various stores of amrita in the head, which subsequently flood the body, or described as "the best of all Mudras."

Tantraloka, states that all other mudras derive from kecharī mudrā, which is "the stance of moving or flying through the void of the supreme consciousness." The practice is also mentioned in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The Buddhist Pali canon contains three passages in which the Buddha describes pressing the tongue against the palate for the purposes of controlling hunger or the mind.

Kechari Mudra is to be practised on a light, healthy diet, otherwise constipation tends to occur, as the prana needed to digest food does not adequately reach the lower chakras.

 

 

 

Bandha (Lock)

 

Mula Bandha (contraction of the perineum)

Mula Bandha (Sanskrit: मूल बंध mula, meaning root, base, beginning, foundation, origin or cause) is "root lock" at the root of the spine, the perineum. By slightly contracting the pubo-coccygeal muscle, which goes from the pubic bone to the tailbone (coccyx), we create an energetic seal that locks prana into the body and so prevents it from leaking out at the base of the spine, and to move prana into the central channel, sushumna.

Mula Bandha should be held as a restraint only after kumbhaka (retention, holding the breath, no inhalation or exhalation), either after inhalation, the inner or Antara Kumbhaka, or after exhalation, the outer or Bahya Kumbhaka (also called Bahir Kumbhaka).

 

Jalandhara Bandha (tucking the chin close to the chest)

Jalandhara bandha (Sanskrit: जाल jāla, net and धर dhara, "holding") is performed by extending the neck and elevating the sternum (breastbone) before dropping the head so that the chin may rest on the chest. Meanwhile, the tongue pushes up against the palate in the mouth.

 

Uddiyana Bandha (contraction of the abdomen into the rib cage)

Uddiyana Bandha (Sanskrit: उड्डीयन बन्ध), also called abdominal lock or upward lifting lock, is the abdominal bandha described and employed in hatha yoga, in particular in the nauli purification. It involves, after having exhaled all the air out, pulling the abdomen under the rib cage by taking a false inhale while holding the breath and then releasing the abdomen after a pause. The process is repeated many times before letting the air into the lungs, resuming normal breath.

Maha Bandha ("the great lock") combines all the other three bandhas: Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha.

 

 

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Yoga

Yoga: https://yogajournal.com/poses

 

 

Poses:

 

Standing:

 

Tadasana ताडासन Mountain

 

Surya Namaskar सुर्य नमस्कार Sun Salutation

 

Vrikshasana वृक्षासन Tree

 

Virabhadrasana I वीरभद्रासन Warrior I

 

Virabhadrasana II वीरभद्रासन II Warrior II

 

Virabhadrasana III वीरभद्रासन III Warrior III

 

Anjaneyasana अञ्जनेयासन Crescent Moon or Dragon (Yin)

 

 

Balancing:

 

Vasishtasana वसिष्ठासन Vasishta's pose, Side plank

 

Trikonasana, Utthita Trikonasana त्रिकोणासन,
उत्थित त्रिकोणासन		 Triangle

 

Parshvakonasana पार्श्वकोणासन Side angle

 

Natarajasana नटराजासन Lord of the Dance, Dancer, Nataraja's Pose

 

Garudasana गरुडासन Eagle

 

Bakasana
Kakasana
 बकासन,
ककासन
 Crane (arms straight)
Crow (arms bent)

 

Ardha Chandrasana अर्धचन्द्रासन Half moon

 

 

 

Sitting:

 

Sukhasana सुखासन Easy

 

Siddhasana (men), Siddha Yoni Asana (women) सिद्धासन Accomplished, The Adept's Pose

 

Padmasana पद्मासन Lotus

 

Muktasana मुक्तासन Liberated

 

Baddha Konasana, Bhadrasana
 बद्धकोणासन Cobbler's pose or Butterfly

 

Gorakshasana गोरक्षासन Cowherd,Gorakhnath's pose

 

Gomukhasana गोमुखासन Cow-faced

 

Matsyendrasana मत्स्येन्द्रासन Lord of the Fishes, Matsyendra's pose

 

Janusirsasana जानुशीर्षासन Head-to-Knee

 

Dandasana दण्डासन Staff

 

 

 

Kneeling:

 

Ushtrasana उष्ट्रासन Camel

 

Bidalasana, Marjariasana
 बिडालासन
मार्जरीआसन
 Cat

 

Balasana बालासन Child

 

Virasana, Dhyana Virasana
 वीरासन,
ध्यान वीरासन
 Hero, Hero's Meditation

 

 

 

Reclining:

 

Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana ऊर्ध्वमुखश्वानासन Upward-Facing Dog

 

Adho Mukha Shvanasana अधोमुखश्वानासन Downward-Facing Dog

 

Dhanurasana धनुरासन Bow

 

Matsyasana मत्स्यासन Fish

 

Shalabhasana शलभासन Locust

 

Makarasana मकरासन Crocodile

 

Bhujangasana भुजंगासन Cobra

 

Shavasana शवासन Corpse

 

 

Inversion:

 

Sarvangasana सालम्बसर्वाङ्गासन Shoulder Stand

 

Halasana हलासन Plough

 

Karnapidasana कर्णपीडासन Ear-pressing

 

Urdhva Dhanurasana
Chakrasana
 ऊर्ध्वधनुरासन, चक्रासन Upwards-facing bow
Wheel

 

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