Sat Kriya Comments: Sat Kriya is fundamental to Kundalini Yoga and should be practiced every dayfor at least 3 minutes. lf you have trme for nothing else, make this kriya part of yourdaily commitment to yourself to keep the body a clean and vital temple of Cod. Notice that you emphasize pulling the Navel Point in. Don't try to apply mulbandh; it happens automatically if the navel is pulled. Consequently, the hips andlumbar spine do not rotate or flex. Your spine stays straight and theonly motion your arms make is a slight up-and-down stretch with each Sat Nam as your chest lifts. Sat Kriya's effects arenumerous. lt strengthens the entire sexual system and stimulates its natural flow of en- ergy, relaxing phobias about sexuality. lt allows youto con- trol the insistent sexual impulse by redirecting the flowof sexual energy to creative activities and healing in thebody. People who are severely maladjusted or who have mental problems benefit from this kriya because these disturbances are always connected with an imbalance in theenergies of thelower three chakras. Ceneral physical health is improved Sit on theheels and stretch the arms overhead sothat the elbows hug the ears. With thepalms together, in- terlock allthefingers except theindex fingers flupiter) which point straight up. Begin to chant SatNam em- phatically in a constant rhythm about 8 times perl0 seconds. Chant the sound Sat from the Navel Point and solar plexus, pulling theumbilicus allthewayin toward thespine. On Nam relax thebelly. Continue at least 3 minutes, then inhale and squeeze the muscles tightly from the buttocks allthewayup the back, past the shoulders. Mentally allow the energy to flowthrough thetop of theskull. ldeally, youshould relax for twice the length of time that the kriya \À/as practiced. because all of the internal organs receive a gentle, rhythmic massage from this exercise. The heartgets stronger from the rhythmic up-and-down of bloodpressure you generate fromthe pumping motionof the navel. Thisexercise works directly on stimulating and channeling the kundalini energy, so it must always be practiced with the mantra SatNam. You may build the time of the kriya to 3 | minutes, but re- member to have a long, deep relaxation immediately after- wards. A goodway to buildthe time up is to do the kriya for 3 minutes, then rest 2 minutes. Repeat this cycle until you have completed l5 minutes of Sat Kriya and l0 min- utes of rest. Thenfollow this sequence with an additional | 5-20 minutes of deep relaxation. Do not try to jump to 3 I minutes because you feelyou arestrong, virile or happen to be a yoga teacher. Respect the inherent powerof the technique. Let the kriyaprepare the ground of your body properly to plant the seed of higher experience. lt is not just an exercise, it is a kriya that works on all levels of your be- ing-known and unknown. You might block the more sub- tle experiences of higher energies by pushing the physical body too hard. You could have a huge rush of energy or you may have an experience of higher consciousness, but then not be able to integrate the experience into your psyche. So prepare yourself with constancy, patience and moderation. Theend result is assured. lf you have not taken drugs or have cleared your sys- tem of alltheir effects, you maychoose to practice this kriya with the palms open, pressing flat against each other. This releases more energy than the other method. lt is gener- allynot taught thisway in a public class because someone attending may havetotally weakened his nerves through drugabuse. I I I I I I I I I I I T I t 98