We offer you here, an exercise set to introduce you to Kundalini Yoga (KY). One of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy body is a flexible spine. The yogis say that youth is determined by the flexibility of your spine.

Low back pain and upper back stress are some of the most common health complaints of adults. The best way to avoid backaches is to take care of your spine on a daily basis. There are no quick fixes for back pain, but this exercise set is an effective maintenance program.

To Begin
Sit quietly and be with your breath. Consciously slow down the breath and breathe from the belly. Be with the sensations in your body. Tune into your own rhythm. Allow a few minutes to calm down, center yourself and create your own space.

Tuning in
Before beginning Kundalini Yoga practice, always “tune in” by chanting the ADI MANTRA. Click here for full details

Exercises

Rotate the Pelvis Sit in easy pose. Place the hands on the knees. Deeply roll the pelvis around in a grinding motion. Relax into the movement. Make it a moving meditation.Do 26 rotations or 1-2 minutes in each direction.Benefits: This exercise opens up the energy in the lower spine, massages the internal organs and aids in digestion.

To end: Inhale deep, hold the breath, apply rootlock (mulbhand), exhale and relax. Sit quietly and feel the energy circulate in your spine and throughout your body.Benefits: This exercise stimulates and stretches the lower spine.
	Spinal Flex On Heels Sit on the heels; place the hands flat on the thighs. Continue spinal flex as above with a powerful breath.1-2 minutes.Benefits: This exercise works on the mid spine and heart chakra

Side Twists Sit on the heels. Place the hands on the shoulders, fingers in front and thumbs in back. Inhale, twist to the left. Exhale, twist to the right. Twist your head to each side as well. Gradually feel an increased rotation in your spine. Keep elbows parallel to the ground, allowing the arms to swing freely with the body. This exercise can be done standing up,Continue 1-2 minutes or 26 times.To end: Inhale center, hold the breath, apply rootlock, exhale, relax and feel the energy circulate, especially at the level of the heart.Benefits: This exercise opens up the heart center and stimulates the upper spine.

Shoulder Shrugs Still on the heels or in easy pose, shrug both shoulders up on the inhale and down on the exhale.1- 2 minutes.To End: Inhale up, hold, apply rootlock, and relax.Benefits: This exercise loosens up the tension in the shoulders and relaxes upper back

Rock and Roll on the Spine Bring your knees to your chest, grab them with the arms, and rock back and forth on the spine, massaging it gently from the neck to the base of the spine. Make sure you have a soft surface.1-2 minutes.Benefits: This exercise circulates the energy and relaxes the spine.

To end: Inhale center, hold the breath, apply root lock and then relax. Bring the legs together and bounce them up and down a few times to relax the muscles and massage them. Benefits: Opens up the pelvis and stretches the leg muscles.

Life Nerve Stretch Legs outstretched, bring right foot into left thigh, and slowly bend over the left leg to grab the foot or ankle (or wherever it is comfortable), keeping the leg flat on the ground. Breathe long and deep or do Breath of Fire. 1-2 minutes each side.To end: Inhale deeply and exhale several times deepening the stretch. Then slowly come up. Bounce the legs and massage them. Switch sides and repeat.Benefits: This exercise stretches the leg muscles and loosens up the lower back.

Cat Cow Come on the hands and knees, knees shoulder width apart. Inhale as you flex your spine down and bring your head up. Exhale as you flex your spine up in an arched position with the head down. Keep the arms straight. Continue rhythmically with powerful breathing, gradually increasing the speed as your spine becomes more and more flexible.1-3 minutes.To end: Inhale in saggy cow, hold, pull the energy up the spine with the root lock. Exhale and relax on the heels. Sit quietly and let the breath slow down. Feel the energy circulate. Concentrate at the third eye.Benefits: This exercise is known as the Kundalini chiropractor. Done regularly it loosens up and adjusts the spine.

Pick Me Up Exercise Lie down on your back and simply relax for a moment. Then bend your knees and draw the heels up towards the buttocks, keeping the feet flat on the floor. Grab your ankles and holding on to them, slowly raise the hips up, arching the lower spine and lifting the navel towards the sky. As you lift up, slowly inhale through the nose. Hold the breath as you gently stretch up, lifting as high as is comfortable, then slowly relax down again as you breathe out through the nose.Slowly repeat this lifting up and down movement a minimum of twelve times, synchronizing the breathing with the movement of the hips, for a maximum of 26 lifts. To go from the minimum number of 12, to the maximum number 26, increase your total. 1-2 lifts per day.

Meditation Sit quietly and meditate. Be present to the sensations in your body. Increase your awareness to include every part of your body and spine. Consolidate your presence by feeling all your sensations simultaneously for at least one minute at the end.2-5 minutes or as long as you like.To end: Inhale and exhale deeply 3 times. Raise your arms above your head, stretch your spine, shake your arms and send blessings to the world. Carry this feeling of blessings and gratitude with you throughout your day.

When to Practice Benefits

This series of exercises works systematically from the base of the spine to the top. All 26 vertebrae receive stimulation and all the energy centers receive a burst of energy. These exercises increase the circulation of the spinal fluid, which contributes to greater mental clarity. Regular practice of this series will give you increased vitality, help prevent backaches, reduce tension, and keep you young by increasing the flexibility of the spine.

This set can be done in the morning as a way to give you added energy for the day. It can also be done in the evening before dinner to revitalize you after a busy day and give you energy for the evening.

Breathing and Mantra
The powerful effects of the Kundalini exercises are attained by combining movement, breath and mantra. In Kundalini yoga we either coordinate a powerful inhale and exhale with the movement or do long deep breathing or breath of fire, with poses that are held. All breathing during the exercises, both the inhale and the exhale, is done only through the nose with the mouth closed, unless otherwise specified.

The use of a mantra, chanted internally helps to focus the mind and clean the subconscious mind. The mantra that we use is Sat Nam. During the exercises, mentally chant Sat on the inhale and Nam on the exhale.

(see also Fundamentals of Kundalini Yoga – on this site)

Your Own Pace
Begin and continue your practice at your own pace. There is no contest to see what difficult poses you can get into. The goal is to activate your glandular system and strengthen your nervous system so that have more energy and feel more alive. Go to your limit but not beyond. Only you know your own body and what works for you. Possible touchstones include activation, gentle stretch and rhythmic movement.

Between Exercises
Take 30 seconds or more to relax between exercises and be with the energy as you experience it in your body. The energy will automatically adjust and go to where it is needed. Your job is to be present, and not consciously try to make something happen. If you do the exercises, something is already happening. One of the wonderful things about Kundalini Yoga is the discovery. Allow yourself time to discover that is taking place.

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS
Once you have mastered the Set as above, try adding the following more advanced components, inserted in the above program between Neck Rolls and Side Twist. Follow instructions carefully. If in doubt, ask for advice on theKundalini Yoga list.

On the back, raise legs and torso above the head, supporting the body with the hands at the waist and extending the legs and hips into a straight line, with long, deep breathing for 1 to 2 minutes. Then drop the feet back over head into Plow Pose, resting arms on the ground. Rest there a minute before slowly lowering hips onto floor, vertebra by vertebra.