I will not be depleted or thrown off balance by life. I will remain strong and centered. For me, highly empathic, when I feel the sudden rush of an entire populous of people thrown into despair and fear, it rocks me to the core.  But this aint my first rodeo. I knew as my body started to contract, I would need to move this energy or it would start to stagnate in my system. The world does not have time for us to stay stuck, we must move it through us. We remain at choice on how we respond, but sometimes it feels like we're getting swept away or buried in the muck. We balance, the root and the rise, the expansion and contraction, movement and stillness. 

The Advance Abdominal & Navel Strengthening Kriya centers, strengthens & balances the energy of the navel center. Navel center energy plays a active roll in energy, health, will power, inner balance & ability to make commitments. The navel center or 3rd chakra is associated with digestive organs and the element of fire. Fire transmutes and transforms similar to the process of digestion. The internal fire makes it so we can digest the nutrients from our food.  The energetic fire makes it so we can use the the denser energies generated by the 1st and 2nd chakra, associated with earth and water,  transform and transport that energy into the higher centers. 

This set is advanced because of the meditative depth that comes from long deep breathing.  Out of the 12 exercises all but 2 are with long, slow deep breaths.  

Give it a try, posted with modifications.

Each exercise: eyes closed, internal gaze up at 3rd eye point, inhaling mentalling thinking Sat (pronounced S-ah-t, means Truth), exhaling mentally thinking Nam (pronounced N-ah-mm, means "name/I am"), unless otherwise specified. 

Each exercise done for 1-3 minutes, and I like to rest for at least 1 minute after each posture to integrate and digest the experience.  

THIS IS IMPORTANT: Take some time after each exercise to rest. (Maybe journal about what you noticed.) Stay mindful, be present.

​This kriya can be found in the manual: Transformation Vol. 1: Mastering the Self. 

Start by setting an intention. How do you want to feel? Tune in, warm up your body, and move the breath.

1. Alternate Leg Lifts. 
Come lying down flat on your back. Have your arms by your sides with your palms down. If you have chronic low back discomfort or feel like your low back would like extra support, have your hands underneath your hips. 
Inhale and lift your left leg up towards 90degree to the floor with your toes pointed. Exhale as you lower your leg down. Inhale and lift your right leg up towards 90 with your toes pointed. Exhale and lower your leg down. Long Slow Deep Breathing. 1-3 minutes.
This is not a race. Move mindfully, letting energy build at the navel point.

2. Cross Crawl.
Remain lying down flat on your back with your arms by your sides, palms flat on the floor. On your inhale, bring your left knee up to your chest and at the same time bring your right arm up and back in a kind of straight arm backstroke, Exhale yourself flat. Inhale with your opposite arm and leg. Continue the movement, breathing in and out of the nose, concentrating the breath's energy at the Navel Point.  Moving opposite arm and leg is one the quickest exercises you can do to bring balance to the mind.  Both sides have to fire.  1-3 minutes. 

3. Kundalini Triangle Pose Variation.
Draw the knees up to the chest . Your choice, come to hands and knees. Hands to the floor, a bit forward of the shoulders, fingers spread wide but with the thumb tips touching so the hands with be narrower than your shoulders.  Curl your toes under, lift your hips. Start with a soft bend in the knees as you work to get the arms straight without being locked, the head in line with the upper arms. Then maybe legs engage more towards straight, but see if you can find even weight between your hands and feet.
Think about the previous 2 postures. We pumped prana, energy, freshly oxygenated blood into the navel area. Being in this position allows for the brain to "bathed" in  cerebrospinal fluid.  Let energy shift because of gravity and structure. Is there a slight pulse as kundalini shakti coasts into the higher centers?
Hold the position. Long Slow Deep Breathing. 1-3 minutes  

4. Cobra Pose. 
Come lying down flat on your belly. Bring forehead to the floor, and your palms down on the floor underneath and slightly forward of your shoulders.  Legs can be together or if your low back is needing more space, legs could seperate a bit. Tops of your feet press into the floor so that your thighs activate,press pubic bone towards floor without tucking your tailbone. Inhale and raise the head up, chest up and smoothly press up. Make sure your arms are shoulder width apart, elbows slightly bent, fingers pointing forward, shoulders rolled back, chest high, head lifted. Your whole pelvic area in on the ground. Resting on your forearms as in Sphinx Pose is a great modification if you feel too much pressure in your body.  Hold the position focusing on lengthening whole body: front, back and side. Be engaged in this posture, notice which part of your stops making effort first. Low Slow Deep Breathing. 1-3 minutes

5. Yoga Crunch.
Roll back over onto your back. Bring your feet flat  to the floor, knees up. Basketweave your hands behind your head. You're going curl, in a six-count movement, both up and down. lift the head of the ground supporting the head back in the hands; do not pull with the hands or arms. Low back strong against the floor. From the floor, inhale slowly, exhale and slowly curl up tightening the abdominal muscles, taking a full six-counts. Now inhale and slowly loosen the abdominal as you go lowering for a full six-counts. Keep the head up in both positions. This will help you keep the lower back engaged on the floor. Continue, go slow and concentrate your energy right at your navel point. Imagine you are breathing in and out through the navel. This will help you concentrate on the area of the body.
1-3 minutes.

6. Stretch Pose.
Lie flat on your back. Hugs your knees in. If low back is tight, bring hands under your hips.  Lift forehead towards knees. Extend your legs forward keeping big toes touching, feet 6inches off the floor.  Hands either under hips or arms lifted reaching towards toes. If needed, keep your heels lightly resting on the floor.  Breath of Fire. 1-3 minutes. 
Do what you can, breath of fire is potent so it may not take very long to feel an effect. 

7. Leg Thrusts.
Remain lying on your back. Bring both knees to the chest. Arms by your sides with palms down or under hips if needed.  Inhale and thrust the left left out so it is about 12 inches off the ground with the toe pointed away from the body. Exhale and switch legs. Stoke this navel fire. Flush the body with fresh oxygenated blood. Use Powerful Deep Breaths. 1-3 minutes. 

8. Bow Pose.
Roll over onto your belly. Reach back and catch the top of your feet or ankles, with your hands or a strap.  Push out with the shins keeping the knees hip distance apart. Hips press the floor as you lift the head and chest off the ground. Keep kicking shins out, holding on so your arms straighten. Lift the thighs without compromising the low back. Hold the position steady. Long Slow Deep Breathing. 1-3 minutes.
Let the belly slowly be massaged against the earth with minimal rocking, breathe while maintaining integrity of structure. Let this movement of breath and gravity help "massage out" the organs. 

9. Rest on Stomach.
Rest with normal breath on your belly, arms by your sides with your head turned to one side.  
Imagine the Earth as a sponge and let Mother Earth soak up whatever is ready to energetically release. You've done a lot already to center and focus energy, strength and clear the navel center. Even creating an audible sound or a "haaa" breath out. Continue to rest. 1-3 minutes.

10. Baby Pose Arms Extended.
Push yourself up bringing your hips towards your heels, forehead to the ground. Have your arms stretched out front, hands on the ground, about shoulder width apart. Relax in this position with Normal Breath. Use the relaxation as a tools to lengthen the spine using  "softening"  vs "stretching".  The back body opens. 1-3 minutes. 

11. Camel Pose.
Rise up and out of baby pose and come up to a high kneeling position. Knees hips with a part. Hands to hips. Inhale lift your chest and let your head lift up and back without collapsing.  Options: Reach for heels, hips press forward as shoulders move back and chest lifts.  Props: Turn toes under lifting heels, hold heels or use blocks on either side of feet, reach for blocks.  Or listen to how your body feels: you want to feel front body opening and back body lengthening. If you can create that feeling with the hands on the hips, great. If you need the full expression to create that feeling, then go where your body wants to go. EIther let the head go back or keep the chin on the chest. Listen to your body, it is your choice.
​
Open up front body, just as you opened the back body in the previous posture. Let energy move up and the front body opens up. This is an energetically vulnerable position for us, to fully open.  The reaction to being vulnerable, being exposed is to armor ourselves, to contract in fear, because we think that is the only way to protects ourselves, But what if instead, we expand like we do in this posture.  When we removed the veils, when our power comes from within, when we radiate and expand, our strength comes from within. We become balanced: open and safe.
Normal Breath. 1-3 minutes.
​Come out slowly, the same way you came in: lift up to high kneeling position. Move slowly into next posture.

12. Baby Pose.
​Coming out of Camel Pose, move slowly and mindfully. Notice what comes up for you. You are moving into reflection and observation. Bring your hips to your heels and place your forehead on the ground (or prop). Place your arms by your ankles palms face up. Relax in the position with Normal Breath. 1-3 minutes.  

After expansion, we must use the repose for introspection. Some people feel this moment only as contraction or reverting back to old ways, but this moment after expansion can be used to realign and reeevaluate. So here as you move inward, go within. 
Asking a question that resonates with you:
- When do you take time to digest the moments of your life?
- What is the feelings associated with a balanced life?
- What inspires me?
-What does expansion feel like in my life?
​-What does contraction feel like in my life?

13. Deep Relaxation.
Move slowly, come out of baby pose and rest on your back. Lie down with your arms by your side palms up. Eyes gently close, breath relaxes. Options: Use bolster or rolled blanket under knees. If lying on the back doesnt feel restful, then try lying on your side or belly. Rest. 3-5 minutes (or more).

Close your practice with a Sat Nam or as you like. Take time to reflect.  
What's one action you can take today, or this week, that helps you feel the way you want to feel?  
Now over to you.
What was your experience with this kriya?  
 

What is depression? Most doctors would say it is a chemical imbalance. But that is a limited view of what is happening within the body/mind system. Lucky for us, Dr. Kelly Brogan had a powerful experience initiated my a misdiagnosis and through exploring the power of the microbiome system & the health of her gut, she found that her thyroid dysfunction was caused by a combination of postpartum body changes, an imbalance in her gut and poor dietary choices. She then took this experience and applied it to her patients with depression with amazing results.

Here is a new way to look at depression:
It is the result of the body’s interrelated systems attempting to adapt to stressors, such as inflammation. It is a signal that the interconnected systems in the body are out of balance – from blood sugar, to gut health, to thyroid function– and inflammation is at the root.
The causes of depression and related symptoms of inflammation are not being adequately treated.

I teamed up with 11 other health professionals to create the 30 Day Detox Program to support your body to release inflammation and feel vibrant and healthy. It is a structured program to reduce inflammation by gently supporting the body’s digestion and detoxification systems. This Vitality Program is called Clear The Way. You will love it and we are holding a LIVE tele-group you can join starting November 7th.

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