(Heart-concentration, kriya, and the threefold yoga of action)
By concentrating on the lotus of the heart, there arises a state of sorrowless joy, which is infused with inner light. Such a state anchors the mind in a state of freedom. Yoga-sūtra-bhāṣya (1: 36)
Patañjali refers to the fact that the unlimited threefold cosmic energy is blocked by the absence of kriyāśakti – the power of action. Awakening kriyāśakti allows one to overcome the causes of suffering and thus walk the path to liberation. Kriyā yoga is therefore that yoga which awakens the universal power of action. Yoga of Action (Kriya Yoga) has three components: Tapas – discipline (heat or intensity), Svadhyaya – refinement (self-study), Ishvara Pranidhana – surrender to God Its purposes are to disarm the causes of suffering and achieve samadhi. Pātañjalayogasūtra II (1–2)
Kriyā is always full of passionate intensity, self-awareness and full of surrender to the supreme goal. This is the right place for your heart.
(Vision, succession, and revealing your highest nature)
To achieve this flow, each exercise must be a natural answer to its predecessor. This ‘answer’ can only be found if one possesses a clear vision of where the class should lead you to. This oneness of your vision, the class, and your skillful action requires a wealth of experience, as well as a long and deep journey into yourself until you find the strength to lead others on your own secret paths up the mountain.
He was always very strict in the timing and order of the kriyās’ performance. Performing an exercise in a predefined manner helps the student discover their boundaries and overcome their individual attachments. Krishnamacharya, the grandfather of modern Ashtanga (aṣṭāṅga) Yoga, once said that success in yoga cannot be achieved by following one’s likes or dislikes, as this only serves to change an exercise according to one’s own limitations. All this is indeed true for those students who cannot listen to the subtle voice inside their hearts. Just in this case we will make an exception, because I believe in you.
want you to discover your nature, because this nature, in its highly personal flavour, is what the world thirsts for. It is your duty to reveal it to the world. There is just one commandment on this higher path of practice: You must always, and by all means, seek out the expression of you that is the highest, most lovable, truest, clearest, and most desired on your way to a brighter world. Do not be overwhelmed; achieving this is easier than you might think – you must simply act from your heart. In doing so, all will be achieved with ease. By acting contrary to your heart, it will be impossible to achieve regardless of how hard you try.
(Seed sounds, OM, and the teacher as heart)
In this bīja nyāsa, we position the seed sounds of the five elements within the revered suṣumnā and allow their vibrations to expand.
Assume a meditative posture, comfortable but upright. Fold your hands in front of your heart, feel your centre, softly sing OM, and let this OM travel through your body from the base to the cosmos. This OM represents the teacher, guide, mother, father, and soul.
The teacher is both the means and goal. Every action begins with, is pervaded by, and finally rests in, the teacher. Without this teacher, Kundalini Yoga can be harmful and nothing will be attained. Always remember the teacher, both in the beginning and the end. This teacher is your heart. The one teacher, manonmanī, the place beyond mind. Before you even chant the mantra, take a few breaths with your hands folded in front your heart. Sink into the cavity of your innermost being. Repose at the bottom of your heart. Silently remember the teacher. The flame, beautifully burning without smoke. An eternal light in the dark, illuminating the path.
(Bhrāmarī — the eternal sound and union with inner self)
Bhrāmarī Prāṇāyāma Bhrāmarī, also known as the humming bee breathing, is a breathing technique that brings deep joy and serenity to those who practice it. It can be likened to a wedding with one’s inner self. That self vibrates in this sweet and honey-like sound, a sound that is like an eternal rushing river, without beginning or end. When practicing bhrāmarī, imagine yourself as a being made of this one sound. However, the sound that you try to adhere to cannot be heard with your ears. Instead, it’s an inner, delicate sound that you must search for in the subtle dimension within. When you hum, try to listen to the more subtle sound, which shines from the joy of your ever-expanded being.
The heart lies at the core of the suṣumnā channel, and it is here that nāda resides as śabda-brahman. This is the eternal vibration of the divine in the form of sound.
When one listens to the unstruck sound in the heart (anāhata), that is uninterrupted just like a rushing river without beginning or end, this one will become one with that sound that is God (sabda brahmani), and enter the highest state. Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra, (38)
When practicing bhrāmarī, we celebrate the sound aspect of our being and worship śabda-brahman. According to the Kubjikāmata-tantra, śabda-brahman represents the individual soul, which can experience its divine essence by immersing itself in the primal sound from which it has originated. In this way, when we practice bhrāmarī we are offering a prayer to your soul, acknowledging your eternal sound nature, and expressing our ever-expanded, honey-like essence.
Once the mind has experienced the eternal bliss that lies behind bhrāmarī, the mind naturally lets go of any other pursuit.
Inhale rapidly, producing the sound of a male bee. Then exhale with the sound of a female bee. This is followed by kumbhaka. The great yogis, by constantly practicing this, experience indescribable happiness in their hearts. This is bhrāmarī. Haṭha-Yoga-Pradīpikā (2:67)
(Kapālabhāti, bhastrikā, and the fire that must be guarded)
It moves the prāṇas and purifies them when they mix with the fire at the navel. Kapālabhāti is performed from the kanda, the navel point. Kanda is commonly misunderstood as maṇipūra chakra. In some yogic schools, the nāḍis all originate from there. It has the form of a golden egg, is situated underneath the navel, and is the centre of bodily pranic force.
Imagine this little golden egg moving upwards upon exhalation and imagine it moving downwards when the breath relaxes. Imagine a stream of golden light rising to the sky.
Practice joyfully Inhale and exhale like the bellows of a blacksmith. This is kapālabhāti and removes all ailments due to kapha. Haṭha-Yoga-Pradīpikā (2:35)
Bhastrikā Prāṇāyāma This ‘bellows breathing’ is a remarkably strong prāṇāyāma that is, in many ways, a yogic secret. Bhastrikā awakens Kuṇḍalinī, and purifies and strengthens like no other breath.
Yet we must be careful, for the fire can also burn the temple to ashes and drive a person to madness. Fire is a force, and any force must be guarded with consciousness.
Dissipated yogic energy can make one nervous and angry, and destroy the practitioner. Ajagari protects from these dangers.
Realization may also come if one is oriented toward the ideal of pure awareness, Isvara, the creative source from which we emerged. In It lies the finest seed of all knowledge. Existing beyond time, Isvara was also the ideal of the ancients. Isvara is represented by a sound, OM. Through repetition its meaning becomes clear. Pātañjalayogasūtra I (23, 25–28)
Oṃ is also referred to as “praṇavaḥ,” the primordial vibration that projects “praṇa” (life force) into the supreme primal emptiness before existence manifests. It is the creative force behind life, existence, and all that is. Oṃ consists of three audible parts (and an inaudible one): A, U, M. These three parts represent the three stages of consciousness and the threefold nature of existence, which are source, manifestation, and dissolution.
Practice gratitude for All, it is You.
This will stimulate the nāḍis and help purification. When you sit for your sādhana, you have nothing else to do, so do nothing else… Practice 10–20 rounds of this every morning.
At the end, pull mūlabandha and retain the breath inside. Practice for at least one minute every morning.