Easy Kriya To Get The Energy Moving
This whole kriya only takes 22 minutes and is the perfect way to start your day.
Tune in with ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO 3 times.
Front Leg Stretches
Sit with your left leg stretched out straight in front of you; and place your right foot against the inner thigh of the left leg. With both hands, stretch forward and then down over the left leg. Hold on to the foot or as far down the leg as you can reach with both hands to get your forehead as close to your knee as you can without straining. Use long slow deep breathing. Hold for 2 minutes. Come back in and out as needed. Keep your chin tucked in. Repeat on the right side, 2 minutes.
Seated Side Stretches
Stretch your left leg out in front of you; place your right foot against the inner thigh of the left leg. Reach your left hand down to the shin, ankle, or foot of the left leg, whatever you can reach easily without straining. Place the right arm behind your back. Tilt the pelvis forward so that the chest lifts up.
Keep the chin towards the right shoulder. Do not let it flop. Gently fold from the pelvis, not the lower back, sideways over the left leg. You should feel a stretch in the left hamstring and the right hip. Use long slow deep breathing. Hold for 2 minutes. Come back in and out as needed.
Side Stretch Right
Use the same starting position as in the previous posture, sole of foot to inner thigh. Same as exercise #2. This time, spread the straight leg out wide. Fold over and to the side to feel the stretch throughout your torso. Hold the pose for 2 minutes, moving in and out of it as needed. Then switch legs so you are stretching to the left. Continue for 2 minutes. Repeat on the right side, 2 minutes.
Easy Camel Ride
Come into Easy Pose and grasp the shins above the ankles. Inhale as you lift the chest up high and tilt the pelvis forward. Exhale, round the lower back, and rock the pelvis back. Remember to lift the chest up high on each inhale and keep the chin level to the ground in both positions. Don’t let the head flop. Work at your own pace to whatever range of motion is comfortable. Continue for 3 minutes to work the kinks out of your back and let the energy flow.
Cross Crawl
Lie down on your back with the arms by your sides and your palms flat against the floor. On the inhale, bring the left knee to the chest and at the same time, bring the right arm up and over your head until it lies flat on the floor, forearm to mat. Exhale into the starting position and repeat with the opposite leg and arm, right knee into the chest, left arm stretched out above your head. Concentrate the breath around the level of the navel center. Continue for 2 minutes, alternating sides. Try to keep your lower back on the mat and avoid twisting the body.
Cat-Cow
Come onto the hands and knees, with your hands shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing forward. Your knees should be squarely under your hips. Exhale and tilt the pelvis downwards and the small of the back upwards like an angry cat arching its back, head down, chin into chest. You can mentally hiss like a bristling cat if this helps you remember the position. Inhale and tilt the pelvis in the opposite direction, so you have a sway back and your chin is upwards, head facing up. You can mentally moo if this helps you remember.
Move fluidly from cat to cow and back to cat again as smoothly as possible with no jerking. The movement should feel natural, not forced or strained. Continue for 2 minutes and feel all the blocked energy being released.
Child pose
From cat-cow, sit back on your heels to Child pose. Place your forehead on the ground and stretch, wiggle and do whatever feels nice. Then move the arms to your sides, hands near the ankles, with your palms facing upwards, forehead still
on the mat. Allow the shoulders to relax. Breathe normally and hold this pose for 90 seconds.
Washing Machine
Come into Easy Pose. Grasp the shoulders with the 4 fingers in front and thumbs in back, right hand to right shoulder, left hand to left shoulder. Don’t tense up the hands. Inhale and twist the torso to the left. Exhale and twist the torso to the right. Keep the chest up high and let the head travel with the shoulders. The elbows should be out and the underside of your upper arms parallel with the floor to maintain the form as you twist back and forth. Don’t let yourself slump or slouch. Continue for 90 seconds.
Shoulder Rolls
In Easy pose, place the hands on your lap or thighs, palms down. Roll the shoulders in big, slow, smooth circles from back to front. Breathe normally.
Continue for 1 minute.
Roll in the opposite direction from front to back for 1 minute.
Deep Relaxation Corpse Pose 3 minutes
Tune out with SAT NAM 3 times and get on with your busy day feeling great because you are so full of energy naturally flowing in your body without getting stuck.
You can use this kriya every morning before you shower and before you eat anything to start the day off right. If you want to ‘ground’ you energy so you are not too bouncy afterwards, you have 2 choices.
1. Finish off your shower with cold water on your hands and feet, tops and bottoms.
2. Use a homemade salt scrub with 1 part olive oil to 2 parts Kosher salt and a drop of peppermint essential oil if you wish. Scrub your hands and feet. Then rinse with cold water. Note that the oil can be a bit slippery on the soles of your feet, so do one at a time and then step out of the shower onto your bath mat. Only use the scrub every 3 days to avoid too much abrasion.
Now that you know how to move your energy, let’s look at a kriya to boost your vitality.
