An Unusual Program for WEIGHT LOSS Using Kundalini Yoga

By Nirvair Singh Khalsa

What you are about to read is a unique weight loss program that I
give to my students. Keep in mind that this program will be very,
very different from any you have ever seen or attempted.

With your permission, we will take a journey. I'm going to ask
you a question. But before I ask it, please do this meditation. Be
patient…don't jump ahead in the article yet. I really want
you to be in a meditative mind before we continue the journey. This
meditation will connect you to your inner Guru (in other words, it
will take you to the place where there is an answer (Ru) in every
question (Gu). In Sanskrit "gu" means darkness or ignorance,
and "ru" means light.

Sit in Easy Pose,* spine straight. Chant the tune-in mantra, Ong
Namo Guru Dev Namo, three times. Now raise the arms out to the
sides, and bend at the elbows so the upper arms are parallel to the
ground and the forearms are perpendicular to the ground. Hands are
in Gyan Mudra* with the index fingers and thumb tips touching
lightly. Eyes closed, concentrate at the Brow Point.* Slowly and
rhythmically chant the mantra Wahe Guru, broken into four syllables:
Wha Hay Gu Roo. Take a deep breath before each repetition of all
four syllables. Continue for 3 to 11 minutes. At the end of the
meditation, lower the arms.

Now, here comes the question.
Ask it out loud, to yourself:"Am I overweight?" No extensive
thinking…just get the quick and immediate answer from deep in
your consciousness…Yes or No.

The reason for embarking on this process is because we are
continuously inundated with information about body image and diet:
Atkins…Jared…fashion industry going up only to size 10 as the
standard…adult onset diabetes…thinner actors and models
selling an impossible norm…my lying bathroom scale… popular
and expensive cosmetic surgeries….Too much information! It has
all
turned into the clash of the ideal and the real. It takes genuine
clarity to acknowledge all the messages and then come to an inner
state of knowing what is right and true for you.

Now…
If your answer is Yes… stay with me here on this page. You're
on the FIRST PATH. If the answer was No… You're on the SECOND
PATH
(Scroll Down)

I have talked with many students about weight loss during my many
years of teaching. It has led me to this conclusion: When there is
not a medically diagnosed physical imbalance, weight gain is as much
about an inner process of life and discovery as it is about what you
eat, how you look, and what you consider an ideal body image. Weight
gain can be about protecting yourself with "extra padding."
Your fat cells are lipids and water. Water is a psychic capacitor.
It holds energy. The protection may be from daily work-related
stress or from current or past emotional trauma that is resurfacing.
It requires you to be patient with yourself: no crash diets, no
daily weighing on the bathroom scale, and a regular sadhana of being
kind to yourself and doing the Kriya for Physical and Emotional
Clearing below.
I also recommend:

Chanting Guru Guru Wahe Guru, Guru Ram Das Guru daily for 11
minutes. There are wonderful versions that you can chant with on
CD's by Snatam Kaur, Singh Kaur, Sada Sat Kaur, Gurudass Singh,
and Mata Mandir Singh.

Exercise regularly…daily walking for 20 to 30 minutes is
excellent.

Eat a normal, healthy, and balanced diet: 10 to 20
percent of your calories coming from fat, 10 to 20 percent coming
from protein, and the rest coming from vegetables, fruit, and
complex carbohydrates.

Drink plenty of pure water as well. This is especially important if
you are doing a higher protein diet, which may be hard on the
kidneys. As a general rule of thumb, drink one half your body weight
in ounces of water a day.

Yoga works on many levels. For optimal health, you need to move
food, emotions, and life circumstances through your system in a
timely way. If you are stuck, this series can re-establish flow and,
as a result, bring you more energy and vitality. Sitting in Easy
Pose, with the spine straight, chant the tune-in mantra Ong Namo
Guru Dev Namo three times.

High Knee-Lift Walk. Come standing. Keep the back straight as you
inhale and lift the left knee up high and as close to the chest as
possible. Exhale and lower the knee down. Inhale and lift the right
knee up high and as close to the chest as possible, exhale and lower
the knee down. Continue marching in place. Keep the arms relaxed at
the sides. (3 minutes)

Diaphragm Lifts. Remain standing. Bend forward and place the hands
on the knees. Bend the knees slightly. Inhale and then exhale.
Holding the breath out, pull up on the diaphragm (by making a
concave area under the rib cage) and then release the diaphragm
several times in a row, in a very steady rhythmic movement. Inhale
when needed, then exhale and hold the breath out and continue. (3
minutes)

Pelvic Grind Left. Sitting in Easy Pose, place your hands on your
knees and begin grinding yourself in a big smooth circle, going to
the left. Lift the chest up high as you come forward, and let the
chest collapse and the pelvis tilt backwards as you go back. Keep
the chin level (parallel) to the ground in both positions. Breathe
normally. (90 seconds)

Pelvic Grind Right. Repeat exercise 3, grinding to the right. (90
seconds)

Wide Leg Stretch Left. Stretch both legs straight out in front of
you and then separate the legs until they are wide apart. Bring the
torso upright and turn it to the left. Stretch forward and down over
the left leg. Hold on to your shin, ankle, or foot with both hands.
Keep the spine straight, the head in line with the spine. Stretch
until you feel gently challenged. Hold it steady, no bouncing. Long
Deep Breathing.*(2 minutes)

Wide Leg Stretch Right. Repeat exercise 5 to the right side. (2
minutes)

Short Relaxation. Come out of this position and rest on your back.
Lie down flat, have the arms by the sides with the palms up, the
eyes gently closed, and the breath soft and normal. Have the knees
up slightly for comfort, if needed. (1 minute)

Leg Thrusts. Remain on the back, with arms by the sides and turn the
palms face down. Bring both knees to the chest. Alternately
straighten the legs in a thrusting motion with the toes pointed.
Keep the feet twelve to eighteen inches off the ground. Place the
hands under the hips for support, if needed. Powerful Deep Breaths.
(1 minute)

Short Relaxation. Come out of this position and rest on your back.
Lie down flat, have the arms by the sides with the palms up and the
eyes gently closed. Breathe softly and normally. Have the knees up
slightly for comfort, if needed. (1 minute)

Bow Pose. Roll over onto your stomach. Reach back and catch the tops
of the feet or the ankles with the hands. Push out with the shins
and pull in with the arms, keeping the elbows straight. Lift the
chest off the ground, and if you are able, also lift the thighs off
the ground. The head is up and back. Now, if possible, begin rocking
like a rocking horse with Breath of Fire.* (90 seconds)

Baby Pose with Dragon Tail. Come into Rock Pose* and place the
forehead on the ground. The arms are by the sides, hands next to the
ankles, with the palms up. In this position begin moving the hips as
though you had a big heavy dragon's tail. Slowly move the hips
from side to side. Breathe normally. (2 minutes)

Cooling Relaxing Breath (Sitalee Pranayam). Sit in a comfortable
crosslegged position, place the hands in Gyan Mudra* at the knees,
and stick out your tongue. Make a tunnel (or a taco) out of your
tongue and begin to inhale very slowly and deeply through the rolled
tongue and to exhale equally slowly through the nose. Breathe slowly
and deeply. (4 minutes)


Weight Loss…No

If your inner answer was "No," you're on the SECOND PATH.
I know this may have been a surprise to you. Honestly, I think that
most of you reading this article really belong on this page! All you
really need to do is stabilize your weight.

Exercise regularly: daily walking for 20 minutes to 30 minutes is
excellent.

Eat a normal, healthy, and balanced diet: 10 to 20 percent of your
calories coming from fat, 10 to 20 percent coming from protein, and
the rest coming from vegetables, fruit, and complex carbohydrates.

Drink plenty of pure water as well: as a general rule of thumb, one
half your body weight, in ounces of water a day.

This series of exercises is for sun energy. This set will help you
to be warm, energetic, enthusiastic, and outgoing. It should also
help to stabilize your weight.
Chant the tune-in mantra, "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo", three times.

Right Nostril Breath. Come sitting up in Easy Pose* with the lower
back tucked in, the chest high, and the chin level (parallel) to the
ground and slightly tucked in. Raise the left hand and, using your
thumb, block off the left nostril. Long Slow Deep Breathing* through
the right nostril. (3 minutes)

Sat Kriya. Sit in Rock Pose (Vajrasana).* You may sit in Easy Pose
if Rock Pose is not possible. Arms are held up overhead with the
upper arms hugging the ears. Fingers are clasped together with the
index fingers pointing straight up and palms touching. Recite the
word Sat as you pull the Navel Point in and up. Recite the word Naam
as you relax the Navel Point. Let the breath regulate itself. The
eyes are closed and focused at the Brow Point.* Continue for 3
minutes.
Then inhale, hold the breath, apply mulbandh.* Imagine your
energy radiating out from the Navel Point and circulating throughout
the body for a few seconds. Relax. Rest. Remain in Rock Pose if
possible. Rest, keeping the eyes and concentration at the Brow
Point. Breathe normally. (1 minute)

Sat Kriya. Repeat exercise 2 for 3 minutes, but at the end inhale,
hold the breath, apply mulbandh, and mentally draw all the energy to
the top of the fingertips for a few seconds. Relax. Rest. Remain in
Rock Pose if possible, and rest, keeping the eyes and concentration
at the Brow Point. Breathe normally. (1 minute)

Basic Spine Flex with Root Lock. Place the hands on the shins right
above the ankles. Grasp the shins firmly and inhale through the nose
as you lift the chest up high and tilt the pelvis forward. Now
exhale through the nose, collapse the chest, and gently tilt the
pelvis the opposite way as you briefly apply Root Lock.* Release
Root Lock and inhale up. Exhale back and apply Root Lock. Continue.
Remember to lift the chest up high on each inhale and keep the chin
level to the ground in both positions. As you inhale, mentally chant
Sat. As you exhale, mentally chant Nam. Keep it smooth, without
jerking the body. (3 minutes)

Frog Pose. Slowly stand up and place the feet close together with
the heels touching and the feet out at an angle. Squat down on the
tiptoes with the fingertips on the ground in between the legs. Knees
are wide apart and heels remain together. Head is up.
Inhale and straighten the legs, staying on the tiptoes and keeping
the fingertips on the ground. Bring the chin to the chest. Exhale
down into the original position. Heels remain together and off the
floor for the entire exercise (modified Frog Pose). Continue for 26
repetitions. (You can shorten the duration of an exercise if
necessary, but do not increase it.)

Head Turns. Come into Rock Pose. Catch your breath for a moment.
Fold the hands in the lap and begin turning the head. Inhale slowly
as you turn the head to the left keeping the chin level to the
ground, exhale slowly as you turn the head to the right keeping the
chin level to the ground. Long Slow Deep Breath. (3 minutes)

Torso Bends. Remain sitting in Rock Pose* and bring the hands on to
the shoulders with the fingers in front and thumbs in back. You may
sit in Easy Pose if necessary. Without twisting, inhale as you bend
left, and exhale as you bend right (like a pendulum). Long Slow Deep
Breath. (3 minutes)

Slow Meditative Breath. Come out of this position and sit
comfortably in Easy Pose. Have the hands folded in the lap or in
Gyan Mudra* at the knees. Keeping a very firm concentration at the
Brow Point, and applying a very light Root Lock, begin long slow
deep breathing. On the inhale think Sat and on the exhale think Nam.
(6 minutes)

Deep Relaxation. Come out of this position and rest on your back.
Lie down flat, have the arms by the sides with the palms up, the
eyes gently closed, and the breath soft and normal. Have the knees
up slightly for comfort, if needed. (7 to 11 minutes)

Nirvair Singh Khalsa has studied with Yogi Bhajan for thirty-three
years and has taught accredited Kundalini Yoga classes as taught by
Yogi Bhajan at the University of Alaska for twenty-nine years. He
has authored four Kundalini Yoga books, and twenty DVD/videos. He
codirects the Kundalini Yoga Center of Alaska.