Tune In, Tune Up

Tune in to the infinite and tune up your body with this energizing Kundalini sequence for optimum health.

By Andrea Ferretti

She stands just over five feet tall, but when Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa enters a room, everyone notices. It isn't just her turban, her flowing all-white ensemble, or her enormous gong that make her stand out. Khalsa's presence can only be explained by the immense amount of energy she exudes, whether it's serene, joyful, or even mischievous. In Kundalini terms, she's got a very strong aura.

Khalsa, the cofounder and director of the Golden Bridge Yoga center in Los Angeles, chalks it up to doing this form of yoga for more than 30 years. "Kundalini gives you energy and grit to deal with the challenges in your life," she says. "It strengthens your aura and opens you up to give and receive love." If you've never done Kundalini before, you'll notice some differences from other types of yoga. Instead of holding the poses, Kundalini classes incorporate different kinds of movement, from waving or kicking the limbs in a repetitive, structured way to dancing in an unstructured way. Khalsa often uses music during class, and each session ends with Corpse Pose to the sound of a gong. Also, each kriya, or sequence, is taught exactly as it was passed down from Kundalini masters.

Here, Khalsa shares a kriya for optimum health and well-being taught to her by her teacher Yogi Bhajan, who died in 2004. The sequence stimulates the navel chakra, which regulates strength and mental clarity.

Before you begin

PREPARE

Don't eat for at least two hours before you practice. If you need nourishment, drink some juice. Warm yourself up with a few stretches to loosen the spine, hips, and shoulders.

CHANT

Chant "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo." It translates as "I open myself to the Divine Creativity of the Universe. To the Subtle Transparent Teacher within and without, I bow." Chanting this mantra is like tuning the radio to a certain wavelength, turning on the channel to Infinity. It extends your mind from the daily earthly life to timelessness.

1. Lying on your back, bend your right knee and bring it across your body to the left side. Raise your right arm alongside your ear. Your shoulders remain on the floor. Stretch to the left side and then to the right, 21 times on each side.

2. Still lying on your back, lift your left leg to 90 degrees and lower it while lifting your right leg to 90 degrees. Continue alternate leg lifts for 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Still lying on your back, lift your arms and legs up to 90 degrees and then lower them and raise them again rapidly for 2 minutes.

4. Lying on your stomach, reach back and grab your left ankle and pull the leg down to touch the left buttock. Then release the left ankle and grab the right ankle and stretch it down to touch the right buttock. Continue, moving quickly and alternating legs for 1 minute.

5. Still lying on your stomach, grab both ankles and come up into Bow Pose. Roll on your stomach back and forth like a hobbyhorse, extend your tongue out of your mouth, and do the breath of fire for 1 1/2 minutes. (To do breath of fire, pump the breath in and out through your nose. Your navel center will move in as you exhale and out as you inhale. Start slowly and gradually increase to 60 breaths per minute. Keep your face and shoulders relaxed.)

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