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Cobra Pose.
Begin by lying on the stomach. There are two ways to move into Cobra
Pose. The classic way is to engage the hands under the shoulders with
palms flat on the ground. The feet are together with the tops of the feet
on the ground. Arch up with the upper body first. Pull the shoulders
down and back. Then pull the head and heart up. If you are flexible,
straighten the arms. Alternatively start out in Platform Pose and drop
down into Cobra, gradually moving into the posture, even keeping the
pelvis off the ground. If you are not very flexible keep the forearms on
the ground like a sphinx or do not straighten the arms. Either way,
stretch up across the abdomen and chest and away from the lower back.
While in Cobra Pose, raise and lower the chin to chest 16 times.
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Cobra Pose.
Bring heels up as close to head as possible and hold with Breath of Fire
for 2-3 minutes.
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Cobra Pose.
Bring your heels back down to the ground. Lift alternate hands up to
shoulder level, inhaling up and exhaling down for 2-3 minutes.
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Cobra Pose.
Bring alternate arms up as straight as possible, inhaling up and exhaling
down for 2-3 minutes.
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Lying on
Stomach. Interlace hands
behind the back and lift the upper body and the arms as high as possible
and hold with Breath of Fire for 2-3 minutes.
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Bow Pose.
Begin by lying on the stomach. Grab the ankles. Use the legs to raise
the upper body. Rock back and forth on the stomach for 2-3 minutes.
Ideally, try to get the toe joints together. Also, try to engage the Root
Lock (Mulbandh) first, then stretch up, so that the back doesn’t
compress. The knees are a little bit apart. Use the legs to pull the
arms and to lift the chest up.
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Lying on
the Back. Clasp knees to chest
and rock back and forth on the spine for 1-2 minutes.
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Lying on
the Back. Raise legs up to 90
degrees and hold them there while doing Breath of Fire for 3 minutes.
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Wheel Pose.
Begin by lying on the back. Bend the knees and place the feet flat on the
floor. Have the palms flat on the floor with the fingers pointing towards
the feet. Inhale and do a pelvic tilt. Exhale into a bent arm wheel
pose. Inhale and lift the navel all the way up. Try to get a
perpendicular line from the heart to the wrists. Try to pull away from
the lower back. Do not compress the lower back. Push heels down into the
ground to bring more weight onto the hands. Hold for 1-2 minutes.
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Sit with
legs outstretched straight in front of you. Stretch forward, hold onto the toes (or thigh, knee or
shin—whatever you can reach), head to knees (or as close as you can get
your head to your knees, leading with the heart) with Breath of Fire for
2-3 minutes.
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Crow Pose.
(You may begin Crow Pose in a standing position.) Squat on flat feet.
Knees and feet are wide apart with heels flat on the ground. Apply neck
lock. The back should be perpendicular to the ground. If you difficulty
keeping your balance, try widening the feet and knees more. If you can’t
get the heels down, you may use something underneath your feet. Arms
extended straight out in front while in Crow Pose and raise and lower
alternate arms up to 90 degrees for 2-3 minutes.
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Easy Pose.
Meditate.
Comments:
Times were unspecified by Yogi Bhajan for this kriya. Gururattan Kaur
Khalsa added the times. If you are a beginner, start with 30 seconds to 1
minute, then slowly increase your time to those suggested.
In Exercise 9,
Guruattan’s notes indicated ¼ Wheel Pose with the fingers pointing away from
the body. In Transitions to a Heart-Centered World she indicates
they found the posture (1/4 Wheel Pose) too difficult and have substituted
Wheel Pose. |