Having just finished teaching my first class in this month's online series in Kundalini Yoga for Stress Release , I am feeling so buzzed up after practising the Pittra Kriya.
This is a powerful 3-part meditation, that "eats up stress", by working on the glands, nervous system and energy body.
You might not think it to look at the instructions, but this is a super-powerful practice that has to be tried to be understood. And it also gets physically very challenging.
As I was talking my students through the most difficult part, I remembered the Kundalini Yoga sutra:"there is a way through every block".
This is the 2nd of 5 Sutras for the Aquarian Age, given to us by Yogi Bhajan.
Last night I had a direct experience of this, when my daughter and I got locked into our living room.
7pm. No food or water. Nobody around. The backdoor locked and bolted. The front door locked with the key in the lock, so nobody could have gotten in, even with a key.
I called my landlady and my ex. And there was talk of my ex getting a taxi over to pass a screwdriver through the window to me, so I could try to unscrew the lock.
I said I'd call him back and then just sat and waited.
After a few minutes of concern about the lack of water (I was already thirsty), I felt very calm and just knew there would be a way to resolve the situation. My daughter was happy and buoyant too and started to google how to open a locked door.
As I looked around the room, I spotted my daughter's school-bag and started rummaging through it.
I found her lunch-card and a pair of scissors. The scissors were no use, but the card fitted into one of the screws, so I was able to un-screw it. The other screw, though, was stuck tight.
I could have left it there and given up, but then I discovered that I could swing the door handle up and away, revealing the locking mechanism inside. But this wasn't moving, so we were still locked.
Hmmm. But then it occurred to me to use the scissors to try and turn the bolt inside and that worked. Magically, easily, the door was open and we were free!
In the end, after an initial sense of really being stuck in a hopeless situation, this very quickly gave way to a trust in resolution and the effortless resolve of the apparent insurmountable block!
We were out within 20-30 minutes. And sat down to dinner as if nothing had happened.
Had I gotten more stressed, the outcome could have been very different.
When we are able to stay calm, we have access to greater creativity and are open to more possibilities. When we focus on thoughts and feelings of fear and anxiety, we impede the brain from working efficiently and block the flow of life. We freeze the body-mind.
I had a similar situation happen once before, when I got locked out of my flat. Rather than panicking, I remained amazingly calm and just stood, breathed and waited. I was with a client, who had just had a session with me and he was amazed at my presence of mind.
Within 5 minutes, my neighbour had climbed into my flat through a window and let me in. So there was no need to panic!
There is a way through every block.
It's good to remember that when we get stressed and the options seem limited. We actually narrow our field that way and close ourselves off to the limitless nature of opportunities and solutions.
Similarly, when we're doing a challenging kriya or meditation in Kundalini Yoga practice, the mind can tell us it's impossible, we can't do it, it hurts and so on. But actually, in my experience, there comes a moment when, if we surrender fully to the practice, that the kundalini energy kicks in and takes over. Suddenly it's as if we're flying - full of energy - and the body could keep on going for ever.
We've not checked out of the body in any way. We can still feel it fully. And we can't pre-empt this or will it to happen. It's not a product of the mind, but of surrendered mindlessness. But when it happens, the Shakti energy is flowing through the cells, muscles and organs and enlightening us - literally.
This is the power of this practice. And a beautiful reminder, that when we stop trying to control life, but flow with it, nothing is insurmountable.
If you'd like to join the course, it's not too late and if you'd like some one-to-one support in working through a block in your life, then do be in touch to discuss some personal coaching and/or private kundalini yoga tuition.