The Essence of Self

(Inner Workout Manual, pp. 29-30)

Easy Pose. Extend the arms to the front parallel to the floor with the palms facing down. Spread the arms slightly to form a V and rotate them backward in large circles. Begin Breath of Fire and gradually increase the power of the breath as you rotate the arms faster and faster, wider and wider. Continue for 4 minutes.

For best results do this exercise very energetically. The faster the breath is, the more powerfully it stimulates the heart.

Bow Pose. Rock back and forth from the shoulders to the knees coordinating the motion with a powerful Breath of Fire, so powerful that it feels as though fire were coming from the nostrils. Continue for 1 minute.

(How to Do It: Begin by lying down on your stomach. Apply root lock to rotate your pelvis. Roll the tops of the thighs toward each other to protect the sacrum. This will help you to keep the feet touching. Grab the ankles and press strongly through the root line into the ground. Pull the shoulder blades down the back to leverage the lifting of the chest. Use the legs to pull against the arms to raise the body up into position.)

(Bow Pose is hard for many people, but it is important to get beyond the “bending where you are already bending” syndrome and open new territory in flexibility. If you really want to lengthen your spine out, particularly through the important pelvic muscles, you really have to keep the feet and knees close together and use the legs to pull against the arms. You may not come up as high, but it opens up the spine in a far more useful way.)

Lie on the Back. Knees together, arms wrapped around the knees with the thighs clasped to the chest, forehead to the knees. Rock along the entire length of the spine, forward and back, in coordination with Breath of Fire for 1 ½ minutes.

Crow Pose. Clasp the hands in Venus Lock on the top of the head. On the count of “1,” inhale and rise up from a squatting position. On the count of “2,” exhale and squat down into Crow Pose. Continue for 52 counts.

Repeat Exercise 1 for 2 minutes.

Easy Pose. Cross your hands at the center of the chest over the Heart Center. Close your eyes. Drop any self-limitations — surrender the self to the Self. In this expanded awareness you will experience your essence. Remain focused and meditate for 11-31 minutes. (Musical Variations: Dhan Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru by Sangeet Kaur. Sing with the CD, beaming from your heart. Call out to Guru Ram Das to open your heart and create a miracle in your life.)

Comments: When you are weighted down by the scars and disappointments of life, it is difficult to sense the broader reality of which you are a part. The pains create blocks to the inflow of cosmic energy and you become less sensitive to your own possibilities. This series guides the prana through your body to the heart chakra, “opening” the heart so you can give and receive love without fear, anger or resentment and experience compassion. In this state of compassion you release the pain of former relationships, energize current relationships on a higher level and begin to express our divine essence.

The exercises in this kriya release tension, strengthen the digestion and open the lungs.