Getting Rid of Faults in the Spine

(Reaching Me in Me, pp. 23-24, compiled by Harijot Kaur Khalsa.)

Sit in Easy Pose. Lock your hands behind your neck with the elbows out to the sides. Keep the neck straight, don’t allow your hands to push it forward.

Twist your torso to the left.

Twist your torso to the right.

Bend your torso straight forward (bringing your forehead to the floor).

Bend your torso backward as far as you possibly can, without allowing your legs to lift up. Continue this sequence of movements. Move vigorously. 6 minutes.

Still in Easy Pose. Bend your torso forward, bringing your forehead to the floor and come back up. Move as rapidly as you can. 2 minutes. This exercise helps the brain to replenish its own blood supply. The muscles responsible for doing this can only be activated if the movement is done vigorously.

Lie down flat on your back with your hands on the floor at your sides. Bring both knees to the chest, then extend both legs straight up to 90 degrees and then lower them back to the floor. Continue. The complete cycle of movement should take two seconds. Breathe in and out heavily in time with the movement so your breath becomes like Breath of Fire. 1 ½ minutes.

Still lying on your back, interlock your hands behind your head with the elbows out to the sides. Bring your elbows and legs up to 90 degrees at the same time. Continue raising and lowering the elbows and legs with Breath of Fire. 1 ½ minutes.

Squat down with your heels on the ground. Lock your hands behind your neck. Stand up and return to the squatting position, moving at a rate of one movement per second. This is for detoxification. 2 minutes.

Easy Pose. Put the backs of the hands on your neck at a point between the sides and the back of the neck. (If your neck were square, your hands would be on the back corners.) Your elbows are up and point forward. In this position, twist the torso left and right. 2 minutes. This exercise is called the “C-Spring,” because, if done correctly, it can adjust vertebrae C-1 to C-7.

Still in Easy Pose, extend your arms straight out in front, parallel to the floor with your palms facing down. Make your hands into fists. Extend your body forward, keeping the arms parallel to the floor. Pull your fists back to your chest with heavy tension as your torso leans backward. The movement is like rowing a boat. It is called “parallel stretch move.” 2 minutes.

Relax and sit like a Yogi. 30 seconds. Begin to chant rapidly in a monotone: “Har, Har, Wahe Guru.” One repetition of the mantra takes 2 seconds. Continue for 2 ½ minutes. To finish: Inhale, hold the breath 18 seconds. Exhale. Repeat this sequence two more times.

“This body, mind and spirit is yours. Enjoy it or waste it. It is your choice.” — Yogi Bhajan.