Down to the Water

Cleanliness is next to godliness, at least according to my grama.

I didn’t always live such a clean life either. Back in the day, I partied hardy. I smoke, drank, ate crap and did some things I wasn’t always proud of. Worse yet, I didn’t always have a clean mind-I let the dark outshine the light. I was a slob on a lot of levels. As I’ve gotten older, I have begun to clean things up. I cleaned up my diet-limiting processed foods, going vegan, drinking more water. I cleaned up my lifestyle-no more drinking or smoking, limiting my contact with toxic people. I’m cleaning up my house too-fewer toxic products, decreasing clutter, letting in light.

Many people think eating clean is hard. Its only hard if you let it be. Its less convenient because I need to cook more and put more thought into what I am eating. I can’t just grab fast food, I need to prepare. I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and grains. I drink a lot of fresh juice. I drink mostly water and limit  my caffeine intake. I watch how much salt & sugar are in the foods I consume.

I spend time every day tidying up my house. Once I got things under control, life got easier. I don’t have clutter everywhere. The chi moves freely in my home. There is more abundance.

I have started practicing the habit of ishnaan (hydrotherapy). It’s a cold shower, done in a specific manner. I take a normal shower after I go to the gym at night, so my morning ishnaan is not necessarily about cleaning. It a way to wake up your body and clean out toxins. This practice comes out of the kundalini tradition, and it is a game changer.

I have a pair of white boxers. I massage almond oil on me. I get into a cold shower and do a little wahe guru dance. When I started doing this, I originally was not convinced, but the more I did it, the better I felt. My skin looked better. I didn’t get sick as often. Plus, I was wide awake without chugging copious amounts of caffeine.

Pure

 

I took a kundalini yoga workshop several months ago. One of the tenets behind this form of yoga is spiritual purification. There are a lot of ways to achieve it, and some were more do-able in the modern world than others. I do have a family, job and other attachments that keep from spending my day in reverence, prayer and meditation (although that does sound pretty great). I have been able to implement some of the lifestyle into my daily life, and I think its made me a better wife and mom, as well as yogi.

 

One of the precepts is having a healthy daily routine, including eating healthy foods, serving others, the importance of sleep and rest and hygiene. There are some ideas that I thought were crazy at first, but as I have tried them, I realize there are a lot of benefits.

 

One was in regards to hair care. Many kundalini practioners have incredibly long hair, and its really lustrous and beautiful. As part of the kundalini practice, they comb their hair using wooden combs for 5 minutes morning and night (reminds me of Marcia Brady with her hair brushing). Another routine is to massage almond oil into your hair and scalp and let it sit for an hour before showering. Since I started doing that, my hair has gotten thicker and doesn’t break as easily.

 

Another kundalini precept is cleansing the mouth every morning. While most of us brush teeth as part of our morning routine, this is a bit more intense. You are supposed to push your toothbrush into the back of your mouth every morning until you gag to clear the “monkey glands” that are in the back of the throat. Also, you should use a tooth powder prior to brushing with toothpaste. It acts as an astringent, and really does clean your mouth. I also think that since I’ve been doing it, my teeth are cleaner and whiter, despite my love of coffee and tea.

 

Tooth powder

1 part sea salt

2 parts bentonite clay

 

Mix together and store in air tight jar.

 

The other crazy part of a kundalini lifestyle is hydrotherapy. Basically, you massage yourself with almond or sesame oil and take a cold shower. As you massage the oil in the cold water, you are supposed to chant the mantra “Wahe Guru”.  I thought the idea was nuts, until I decided to try it. I don’t take an entirely cold shower, because to me, that is not a pleasant way to get going in the morning. However, I start out with it cold, and there are a lot of benefits. One, my skin has never looked so good! Seriously-my skin is super soft, without using lotion. Two, it does really get the blood flowing and gives as much energy as a tall Starbucks. Three, it really makes you look great. There’s something about overcoming a challenge and succeeding.

 

Om

I've been practicing meditation for almost 30 years now. It started as teenage rebellion, now I can't imagine my life without it. 

I have a meditation space set up in my bedroom, next to my bed. I start and end my day there. 

A few years ago, I took a kundalini workshop and it helped transform my practice. One meditation in particular has really changed my life. I do the anti stress shower every night (when I don't, I notice the difference.) it helps real ease energy and gets me ready for sleep.

The 3HO foundation has it on their website http://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/pranayam/meditation-alleviate-your-stress

Posture: Sit in a comfortable meditative posture with a straight spine–chin in, and chest lifted, hands in Gyan Mudra or any other comfortable meditative mudra.

Eyes: Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath.

Breath: Inhale through the nose in 8 equal strokes. Exhale through the nose in one deep and powerful stroke.

Time: 11 minutes.

To End: Inhale deeply and hold the breath 5-10 seconds. Exhale. Inhale deeply and hold the breath 15-20 seconds and roll your shoulders. Exhale powerfully. Inhale deeply and hold the breath 15-20 seconds and roll the shoulders as fast as you can. Exhale and relax.

I use a meditation timer app on my phone, and have a meditation playlist. Just like with anything else, the more you do it, the easier it gets. When I first started meditating, I couldn't turn off the chatter in my mind. It's gotten better over the years, but sometimes it's really there. That's when I know I need meditation more than ever.

Kashmir

Being laid up with a broken leg, I am unable to practice yoga asanas as I usually do. It doesn't mean that I'm not practicing yoga. There is more to yoga than the physical poses.
Since my fibula fractured on 8/10, I have shifted from a dynamic flow to practicing kundalini yoga. It's defined as

a physical, mental and spiritual discipline for developing strength, awareness, character, and consciousness. Practitioners call Kundalini yoga the yoga of awareness because it focuses on the expansion of sensory awareness and intuition in order to raise individual consciousness and merge it with the Infinite consciousness of God. As a form of yoga and meditation, Kundalini's purpose is to cultivate the creative spiritual potential of a human to uphold values, speak truth, and focus on the compassion and consciousness needed to serve and heal others.

It's a very different practice from the last 25 years for me, but this is not the first go round for me. Recovering from surgery in the past, I've turned to kundalini to help with the process.

I'm not able to practice the asanas. I am able to practice the breathing, meditation and mudras. Long deep breathing is the center of kundalini

Make your spine straight, whether you are sitting, standing, or lying down. This whole breath is done very slowly and consciously, and the air moves in and out through your nose, not your mouth.

INHALE

Then slowly move your belly outward. As you do this, you are automatically drawing your diaphragm down.

As your diaphragm moves down, it pulls the bottom of your lungs down, thereby pulling air into the bottom of your lungs as a bellows action. Allow your bottom ribs to expand, and then expand the upper ribs to bring air into all of your lungs!

EXHALE!

Now slowly move your belly in.

This pushes your diaphragm up, and pushes the air out of the bottom of your lungs. Contract your bottom ribs, and then the upper ones for a full exhalation.

PACE

Do this as slowly and fully as you can comfortably do it. And be sure that the length of your inhale equals the length of your exhale!
(from www.kundaliniyoga.com)

The current meditation that I've been using for the last few weeks is:
Mudra: Have the hands in Gyan Mudra, or resting in Buddha Mudra in the lap. Maintain a strong Neck Lock (jalandhar bandh).
Mantra: Chant the Adi Shakti Mantra, EK ONG KAAR SAT NAAM
SIREE WHA-HAY GUROO
One Creator created this Creation.
Truth is His Name.
Great beyond description is His infinite wisdom.
in a 2-1/2 breath cycle, in the following manner:
Inhale deeply and as you pull in the navel abruptly, chant EK. Then ONG KAAR is drawn out. Give equal time to Ong and Kaar. Inhale deeply and as you pull in the navel abruptly, chant SAT. Then NAAM is drawn out. Then, just as you get to the end of the breath, add a quick SIREE. (pronounced S’REE.) Inhale half a breath, pull in the navel abruptly, chant WHA. Then HAY GUROO (HAY should be relatively short, GUROO is pronounced G’ROO and is drawn out, but not too long.) The Ong Kaar and Naam Siree are equal in length. The Wha-hay Guroo is equal in length to Ong. Try not to let the pitch fall.
(ifrom www.kundalinirising.org)

While the practice of asana is an integral part of yoga, you can still practice yoga if you are physically unable.