Yogic AnatomyPrana_, Vayus_, Naais_, the Kunaalini & the Navel Point

must awaken our inner computer to an awareness of the Infinite if we are to live healthy, happy and holy. That cannot happen until the Kundalini, the spiritual nerve, breaks through the blockage at the base of the spine. in the muladhara chakra. and then travels upward. You must generate the pressure of the prana and mix it with the apana and generate heat. With this heat of the prana you put a charge on the Kundalini. ” – YOGI B HAJAN

This chapter includes … Prana & Kundalini 174 Vayus 174 Nadis 175 Prana. Apana. Nadis, & the Kundalini (A lecture by Yogi Bhajan) 176 Questions & Answers with the Master 176 Using the Gift of Prana 179 The Power of Sushmana. Ida & Pingala 179 The Navel Point 180 Yogi Bhajan on the Navel Point 181

The tie between us and God is the ray of light called Prana. That’s why the human is called the Pranee – the one who lives by the Grace of Prana. . YOGI BHAJAN

Prana The subtle life force, the sub-atomic energy. The first unit of energy. Prana is the motion and coding of life energies through the realms of the mind and body. Apana The eliminating force of the body. Kundalini The uncoiling of your essential consciousness, your creative potential, the energy of consciousness, the energy of the soul itself. Literally it means “the curl in the lock of the hair of the beloved.” Nadis Channels of flow for the Prana. There are 72,000 nadis, of which 72 are vital. Of those 72, three major nadis are important for the understanding of Kundalini Yoga: ida. pingala. sushmuna. Ida The nadi which ends at the left nostril. It brings in the cooling, soothing, mind-expanding energy of the moon. Pingala The nadi which ends in the right nostril. It brings in the stimulating, energizing, heating energy of the sun. Sushmuna The central nadi, or channel through which the kundalini ascends. The sushmuna originates from the base of the spine where the three nadis (ida. pingala. and sushmuna) meet. It travels up the center of the spine to the top of the head. It is also called the Silver Cord. Vayus The different frequencies and modes of motion of the Prana. f.ach vayu has a natural home in the body. They are: prana. apana, udana. samana. vyana. The Navel Point is a center of energy transformation in the body. This center is etheric. It is located a few inches below the navel, and in front of the lower spine. This center is a vital nexus. It encloses within itself the starting point of the 72,000 nadis, including, of course, the 72 vital nadis.

Prana Er Kunaalini Prana is the motion and the coding of energies through the realms of the mind and body. Prana is not kundalini. Kundalini is an emanation of the soul itself, the opening of the soul energy and awareness. Many people are confused by the writings on kundalini because it has become popular to think that there are “kundalini emergencies.” Most of these so-called emergencies are actually imbalances of the Prana in one or another of your Ten Bodies or in the chakras. Most healing has to do with rearranging the Pranas in an appropriate way. Vayus Prana with a capital ” P” divides itself into different frequencies or different types of motion within the areas of the body. These are the vayus. f.ach of these subdivisions of Prana has a natural home in the body. If too much of a particular Prana accumulates in an area away from its normal functioning or too little is there when it’s needed, that creates a disorder, an illness of the body, mind, or emotions. Many of the techniques of posture and breathing and the way we eat. and act, are done to recreate the natural flow, or these subdivisions of Prana within our bodies. In this way our body can regain a sense of stillness, flexibility, and spontaneous intuition, so that it becomes a perfect instrument for the soul. We no longer worry about or obsess on our disorders or needs. We can sense the motion that’s in the entire universe. In the ancient times, the science of sensing the motion of the universe and of expanding your knowledge by using it was called swarodaya. A yogi would see the condition of the breath of a student, and he would know the state of illness, and the probability of success in the ventures he or she was going to encounter. It looked like a psychic miracle, but it was a sensitivity to the motions of the Prana. By blending the Pranas appropriately, you can regulate your moods and expand your mental capacity. Imagine the Prana going into each area of your body. Prana divides into five vayus: prana. apana. udana. samana, and vyana. Prana (small “p”) accumulates between the base of the heart and the neck. It is linked to the function of the lungs and to inspiration. The motion of prana is accumulation and expansion of the lungs and of the internal energy. When you are full of prana, you’re ready for life, you’re charged with energy, your respiration is open and your mind takes on a sense of positivity. Apana has its abode below the navel and governs all the functions relating to elimination. It is associated with elimination through the rectum, the bladder, the colon, and the genitals. Apana even flows down and exits the body through the feet, although its primary exit is through the rectum. Powerful apana is needed these days to deal with the elimination of toxins. It also gives you the ability to know what you need to retain and what you need to let go. Apana is associated with earthy qualities that sustain many of the body parts. Someone with too much apana will tend to be slow, lazy and have a sense of heaviness, a sense of confusion or stupidity. With strong apana comes a sense of security and the ability to put one foot in front of the other.

Samana rules the region between the heart and the navel and governs much of the body’s metabolic activity. It tends to organize, systematize, and decide where things go. Samana helps in assimilation. It helps you to know what to assimilate and what to pass on to the colon. People with too little samana or upset samana have a sense of mental confusion, confused emotions. and an inability to know what is really true for them emotionally. Relationships can be quite confused. People with relationship boundary problems often have upsets in samana. Strong samana allows you to discriminate, and gives you emotional clarity. Udana resides in the larynx and upwards into the head. As opposed to prana. it throws the air up and out. It is about projection. It is active in all forms of speech as well as in expelling through vomiting. It interacts with all the senses in the head. When udana is not properly regulated, the voice is irregular; and there’s an inability to create musical notes properly. If udana is strong, you can project, and you can create with your word. Vyana pervades the entire body. It is like a subtle connecting tissue. It governs the overall coordination and movement of muscles and joints throughout the body. Vyana gives both the body and your thoughts a sense of integrity, a kind of viscosity to the Pranic Body. When it’s very strong, there’s a sense of interconnectedness and flow. When uyana is disturbed, one part of the body may feel isolated or disconnected from the others. When uyana is imbalanced and disturbed, the mind has a difficult time staying with any one thought. Ideas constantly change, and thoughts are scattered into competing parts, instead of all the parts coordinating and connecting. Though there are many more subdivisions of Prana that go along with the different motions of the body, these are the major ones. The Flow of the Kunalini One of the central processes in most Kundalini kriyas is to strengthen the accumulating energy of prana and the eliminating energy of apana. When prana and apana, which act as the central axis of all the Pranas, are strong and balanced, the others tend to adjust. When prana and apana are both strong, the opposite energies mix together, uniting through the navel by applying mulbandh. This opens the doorway to the flow of Kundalini, which is the opening of the soul energy of awareness.

Nadis What do these different types of Prana have to do with the meridians and channels of flow in the body? In Kundalini Yoga, these channels are called nadis. A nadi is not a nerve or a muscle, but just a channel of flow, which may go along a bone or a vein, or may go straight through what we’d think of as space without a physical organ. There are seventy-two major surs, or zones, through which the nadis flow. Of the seventy-two, there are three major ones: the ida, on the left, the pingala, on the right, and the sushmuna, in the center. Of those three, it is the central channel, the sushmuna, which Kundalini Yoga concentrates on mostly, because if you can vibrate the sushmuna, then you can vibrate all three surs. When you vibrate all three, you vibrate the seventytwo, and you can adjust the entire system. It is for this reason that when we chant and we use the power of shabd, we consciously locate that shabd in the central channel so that we can vibrate all the seventy-two major meridians. Now, those seventy-two span out to 72,000 channels throughout the body in different systems. It is the interaction with the Crown Chakra that gives 1,000 thoughts per smallest time unit, 1,000 vibrations or seeds of the mind. Those 1,000 strokes of the mind strike the seventy-two major channels, giving 72,000 vibrations. Just think of a string being plucked by a pick. It vibrates and creates a shape in both time and space. The plucking of the seventy-two major channels by the interaction with the mind, gives all your Ten Bodies a shape in time and space. It shapes your physical body, your emotional bodies, and your mental bodies. Kundalini Yoga decodes how to pluck those major strings by using the central channel.

Prana_, Apana_, Nattis Er Kunaalini PRANA IS THE LIFE FORCE INTERPENETRATING EVERY ATOM of your form-and indeed the universe. Apana refers to the eliminative functions of the body. These functions operate at all levels, both gross and subtle to expel negative energy and waste. For the purpose of raising kundalini, let us describe prana as the “vital air” above the navel, and apana as the “vital air” below the navel. There are 72,000 currents or nadis which emanate from the Navel Point and end in the hands and feet. It is through these that the prana is carried to all the parts of the body. Of these 72,000 nadis there are three which are most important: the ida, the pingala, and the sushmuna. The ida and pingala travel the distance between the nostrils (ida, left, and pingala, right) and the base of the spine. The sushmuna originates from the base of the spine where the three nadis meet, and travels up the center of the spine to the top of the head. This center at the base of the spine is called the seat of the kundalini and is the place where the kundalini energy lies dormant. The ida represents the negatively charged energy (apana) or lunar energy which eliminates body wastes and has a calming, cooling and restorative effect upon the body and mind. The pingala carries the positively charged energy (prana) which has an energizing and heat producing effect on the body and mind. The kundalini will not awaken and rise until these two energies-prana (positive) and apana (negative)-are integrated and balanced in the Root Chakra. This pressure is required to raise the kundalini and cause its ascendance through sushmuna, also called the Silver Cord. Thus, through inhalation and retention, prana is directed down to the Navel Chakra, while the apana, through exhalation and retention, is drawn upward from the Root Chakra to the Navel Point. The meeting and uniting of the two forces in the pranic cavity creates tremendous heat in the Navel Chakra-not hot heat, but white heat. The combined energies are often described as energizing the filament of sushmuna, meaning that sushmuna lights up like the filament in a light globe suddenly plugged into its source of electric power. Responding to breath control and mental direction, the integrated energies depart the Navel Chakra and descend to the Root Chakra where they stimulate the kundalini. Further breath and the application of the will causes the kundalini energy to rise, charging the higher centers of consciousness. In this way the lower forms of energy can be transmuted into higher forms. The first law of thermodynamics is that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but rather, it can be changed from one form

TEACHINGS OF mE MASTER A LECTURE Er INTERVIEW Wim YOGI BHAJAN to another. In order for this energy to flow, certain blockages and impurities in the nerves have to be removed and the channels must be cleansed. This is most effectively done through the power of the breath and mantra in conjunction with various postures and locks. Kundalini Yoga teaches that to raise the energy through the sushmuna, the student can apply hydraulic locks, which implies the conscious application of pressure. It requires such pressure to raise kundalini and the prana-apana of the lower chakras and send them ascending up the sushmuna. Pressure in the Root Chakra sends apana-ida force up to the Navel Chakra. Applying the hydraulic lock in the diaphragm sends it further upwards to the Throat Chakra. From there, the Neck Lock takes it into the brain to complete its journey. In order to stimulate the pineal gland, or the seat of the soul, the Tenth Gate or Crown Chakra at the top of the head must be “unsealed.” Under normal circumstances the gate remains sealed. But when kundalini heat rises, the pineal begins to transmit a beam of radiation and project it toward the pituitary. The pituitary, in turn, projects impulsations, and something like a “cosmic colorvision.” When both the pituitary and pineal are aroused and unite in their mystic marriage union in the third ventricle, the majestic Third Eye, the gate to the Crown Chakra opens.” (Beads of Truth. No. 4. 1980) Questions Er Answers with the Master Question: What is the kundalini? What is it like when the kundalini energy rises? Is kundalini like electricity? Answer: What is kundalini? It is the whole energy of the cosmos in the individual and beyond the individual. It is the energy of consciousness. Without the constant flow of that energy, you could not live. With a large flow, your mind begins to flow and awaken. You stop living in imaginary realities and become very d utiful to the tasks and joys of life. You experience it when the energy of the glandular system combines with the nervous system to create such a sensitivity that the brain in its totality receives signals and integrates them. A new clarity accompanies your perception, thought, and intuition. Normally you use a small portion of the brain’s potential. When kundalini awakens, one understands the effect and impact of an action at the beginning of a sequence of action and reaction. He has the choice to take an action or not. In other words, a person becomes totally and wholly aware. That is why it is called “the yoga of awareness.” Just as all rivers end up in the ocean, all yoga ends up raising the kundalini.

The kundalini is the creative potential of the human being. To get this experience of the kundalini, technology and science is needed. After the eighth year of life, the pineal gland does not secrete fully. Some people think it is functionless in the human structure. Kundalini Yoga activates its dormant potentials in the brain. It needs to tap the reserve energy that is stored near your Navel Point. There is a pure source of energy at the navel area that is known, perceived, and understood by the yogis. It is that pure energy that guides and develops your shape and connects you to this Earth. That connection and that pure energy is still there. It is part of your subtle structure as a human being. All you have to do is uncoil that energy and make a functional connection with your pineal gland. Once that master gland, the channel of the soul, has started secreting, it will give you the power to reach your self-realization in relationship to the total universal awareness. This is what must accompany the awakening of Kundalini. I mean it scientifically. This mechanism happens but I realize that some people are still ignorant of these processes. If I would have talked a hundred years ago about atomic energy people would have said, ” It is frightening. It is impossible. Who wants to do that? That can’t be inside each substance. 1 1 They didn’t know about the atom, its internal structure, and its potentials. We still have that same ignorance of the internal nature and structure of human consciousness and its potentials. People want it but they are frightened, they make up stories when they lack experience, and they base their belief on rumor and misinformation. This is a human problem, not the problem of an individual. Without knowing anything about what something is or what something actually means, we settle for opinions and get opinionated. That is why I encourage you to ask questions, learn, and experience. Occasionally you will see certain people who may not be practicing Kundalini Yoga but who are known to have a sixth sense. They have a unique awareness and inborn capacities. They have an intuitive power which tells them that the consequences of certain actions will be disastrous in the end. They have an inner radar which warns them of danger and guides them toward effective actions. If you have this intuitive relationship between your individual consciousness and the universal consciousness, you can compute what someone is trying to say before they say it. What they actually say is unimportant. You will know what they intend and what they mean behind the words. This is not very difficult. Most people are not aware that they have this ability in them. With a little mental work, it can be activated and achieved. This intuitive capacity is natural. The real action behind it is that you become sensitive to the auric radiance of the other person. That radiance comes from the subtle bodies that compose the unseen

human structure. All you have to do is compute the signal of the aura as it comes to you. You will know what that person really wants. If a person comes to you, you immediately know his projection. Before he even talks. you just say, “You have come with many stories, but you are ultimately going to ask me for a hundred dollars. Friend, I don’t have it to give to you. 11 I used to speak that bluntly to people, but word started to spread that I am a great psychic. People would seek me out for predictions and for their ego. That is not a good reputation for a simple man of God, so now I am very restrained about showing it. .Question: I have a friend who is a psychotherapist He teaches Hatha Yoga as a part of his therapy. He told me that Kundalini Yoga is an extremely dangerous form of yoga and that it can lead to insanity if not handled right Is this true? Answer: It is very unfortunate that some people talk that way. First of all, they do not know what they are talking about. Is money dangerous? It is just an energy. Kundalini is a latent energy that can be used for total consciousness. The only dangerous thing is the person whose Kundalini is raised properly. That person is totally conscious. He cannot be lied to or cheated or politically swayed. The kundalini is essential. As long as you practice a total discipline or a complete and balanced kriya, there is no difficulty. In Kundalini Yoga, you will notice that every meditation and kriya has some form of mantra in it. This insures the channelization of the energy. Second, they don’t have any real experience of it. The truth is Kundalini Yoga produces whole human beings, teachers, and yogis. A yogi is one who has a union with the supreme consciousness. Some people teach yoga as if it is a bunch of dumb exercises, but they have no right to call themselves yogis. To teach this yoga you must have authentic experience and practical knowledge of the technology. There is never a problem with Kundalini Yoga taught as the original sacred science. .Question: What about great visions, psychic experiences, or jerk· ing and trembling after meditation? Is this the kundalini rising? Answer: This is glitter at the bottom of the ladder. These hallucinations, psychism, and nerve weaknesses mean nothing. If a student practicing Kundalini Yoga is very blocked up in the spine and pranic nadis, he may have a one time experience when the channels are cleared. But that is one time, brief, and does not disrupt anything. These things may happen when someone’s nervous system has not been properly prepared, or if they do not use the mantra or breathing technique properly. The real measure of kundalini rising is your consciousness from breath to breath and courage you bring to your life. These momentary flashes brought on by weakness have nothing to do with kundalini.

Question: Is the goal for the yoga student to bring all the energy into the brain? Answer : No! The energy of kundalini releases from the navel center, then rises to the top of the head. When it descends to complete its cycle of energy, the chakras open fully. By chakras opening I mean the talents of each chakra are consolidated into the character and behavior of that person. It does no good at all to fill a person with energy that he cannot integrate. Question: Most Kundalini Yoga students let their hair grow. Is this necessary? Answer: No. You can practice with any length hair. but the hair was the first technique to raise the kundalini energy. When the hair is at its natural full length and coiled over the anterior fontanel for men or the posterior fontanel for women. it draws pranic energy into the spine. The force of this downward positive energy causes the Kundalini energy to rise for balance. This is why you always find grace and calmness in a person with uncut hair from birth if they keep it well. Actually the hair was so important that the word for consciousness, kundalini, actually derives from kundal which means “a coil of the beloved’s hair.” Question: You referred to the chakras as centers of consciousness. Would you describe the qualities each gives? Answer: There are seven centers in the body. They are all in the spine. They each have a projected center or chakra. First is the rectum. Second projected center is the sex organ. Third is the navel center. When you pull the rectum and sex organ together. the energy projects to the third center of consciousness. Fourth is the center between the two nipples. the heart center. Fifth is the neck. Sixth is between the two eyes at the top of the nose. And the seventh is the last at the top of the head. corresponding to the pineal gland. Do these centers have some correlation with the human? Yes. A person whose consciousness dwells in the rectum will never have a normal. direct sexual relationship. One whose center of consciousness is the second center will define themself in terms of sex, may even use pain or other forms of intense stimulation as an approach to pleasure in sex. At the third center of consciousness a person can ‘t overcome greediness. He may try his level best. Somehow he will like to get others’ things. They may be useful to him or not. The fourth center of consciousness is the heart center where the nipples and throat form a triangle. Here a person gets knowledge. The fifth center of consciousness is at the throat. He may talk without flowery English. but his words will have that weight that goes right into the heart. At the sixth center of consciousness, a person can know everything around him. He may use the knowledge or not. The pituitary gland gives him the greatest

intuition. At the last center of consciousness. which is the highest center, a person becomes most humble. He has extreme humil ity. In the highest center the ego becomes universal ego, so that person has no pain and no pleasure. What he says happens. That is the highest center of consciousness. In a long deep meditation. you can know where your consciousness is. It can be seen and judged by assessing what your environments are and what are the most important needs in your life. You can know which chakras you are operating from. Now. knowing does not make any difference. Can you pull it up and change gears in such a way that you can come out of it? Question: Is it possible for a teacher to raise the kundalini of his students just by his presence? Answer: The kundalini can be stimulated directly by a teacher. But that teacher is not much of a teacher! The students should be prepared. then given a technology to raise it themselves. Why should they wait at the feet of a teacher like puppies? They should go through the experience, then share the techniques with others. Question: Does a student of Kundalini Yoga have to be celibate? Answer: The student should be a householder. raise a family and fulfill the obligations of a spiritual society. Celibacy actually means to be by yourself without abusing your sexual and regenerative abilities. A married person is by himself, for both people are merged as one. Even in marriage the sexual energy is respected and built up. A normal couple will find a frequency of one time a month completely satisfying if approached correctly. If you want to be celibate without ever having sex, remember to practice Sat Kriya each day so you can utilize the energy and not go nutty. Question: When the kundalini rises, do you go into trance or become rigid? Answer: A raised kundalini will give you grace of motion. Life fills every cell so you are able to move smoothly with an awareness of the rhythm and music of all your environments. The kundalini makes you alive and graceful. not rigid like some kind of death. Question: Why are these teachings being shared so openly now? Answer: The techniques belong to those who practice them. They are the heritage of humanity. I am just a postman with a lot of letters to deliver. You can open them and use them or not-that is your problem. But the world is going through changes. Your future generations will need these techniques to stay mentally healthy and physically strong. These teachings will help humanity as it awakens from adolescence. I am sharing these teachings to create a science of the total self.

Using the Gift of Prana OUR TIE BETWEEN US AND GOD is the ray of light called Prana. That’s why the human is called Pranee, the one who lives by Prana. Pavan Guru, that’s what Guru Nanak uttered. Pavan means carrier of the Prana. It is what re-vibrates and reconstructs your cells. Life is not only the Earth. Life is everywhere, but it is transparent. Transparent life does not need Prana. It has the sensitivity, mind, soul. projectivity, but it doesn’t need the Prana. Why are we given Prana here? To have sensitivity to feel and forgive others. You know what God is? Forgiveness. God Almighty is with you 24 hours, never takes action. Can you believe the forgiven ess. compassion, kind ness. though He knows all the n egative things you a re doing? Pavan Pavan Pavan Pavan Par Para Pavan Guru Pavan Guru Wahe Guru Wahe Guru Pavan Guru* OUR LIFE IS BASED ON THE PAVAN, the carrier of the Prana, the Pran Shakti. We call it Para Shakti. This is Pavan Guru. Those who are suffering in their life, they are not suffering because they are not wise. They are suffering because they are not using divine wisdom. Divine wisdom is not what you have been told, that it is something special. It is the simplest thing. What you have in your life is Prana. That is why you are called Pranee. Pranee is one who consumes the Prana and lives on. That’s all. The moment this Prana will leave your body, you’ll be cal led a dead man. As a living man, you are called Praanee. Praanee means you are living by the grace of Prana. God gave you Prana and if you chant the Name with that Prana. you regain the mental shield. We chant Wahe Guru, that is our Gurmantra. Sat Naam is our Aad Mantra. Ek Ong Kar Sat Naam Karta Purkh, Nirbho, Nirvair. Aka/ Moorat. Ajooni Saibhang, Gur Parsad is our Moo/ Mantra. Then there’s no problem.

The Power of Sushmuna, lela Er Pingala BY BALANCING YOUR PRANA AND YOUR SUBTLE ANATOMY WITH KUN DALINI YOGA, you awaken the self-healing potentials in your body and mind. Your Pranic Body has inherent healing activity that manifests with three qual ities according to the primary channel that is used in the healing process: sushmuna, ida and pingala-the three major nadis in yoga anatomy. We use all three in Kundalinli Yoga. Sushmuna healing is the most subtle. It represents the use of the Neutral Mind to enter into the healing space. It is the same healing space of Guru Ram Das. the fourth Sikh Guru, the Master of Raj Yoga. He was known for healing and miraculous blessings to all people regardless of origin or spiritual beliefs. First, you establish a link with those you want to meditate upon or send healing to. An example of how to enter this space is to chant: Guroo Guroo Whahay Guroo, Guroo Raam Oas Guroo. Simply imagine dipping that person into a beautiful pool of water that is infinite in extent. Hear every movement and ripple in the water echo the chant. Effectively you do nothing, except be fully present and aware. You are initiating healing through you, beyond the Positive and Negative minds. You are dwelling in the Neutral Mind and healing through the sushmuna and consciousness. Healing through the Neutral Mind means that you learn to use awareness as the agent of healing. It is your relationship to your self, experienced within yourself. that is the tool. Pingala healing is the gathering of force, or shakti. It is the moving of this Prana from one spot to another. This is automatically guided in the kriyas of Kundalini Yoga. Ida healing uses your imagination. beliefs and abilities to project a feeling, visualization or sound that represents the infnite or the sacred. You create an imaginative scene, and that creates a space of healing. An example is to imagine a beautiful beach scene and take that person there with you. When you imagine with your whole mind and all your senses, the ida becomes active. Then the other person, in rapport with you, moves away from their previous place of pain. These three levels of healing, sushmuna, pinga/a, and ida. are part of the process of healing in Kundalini Yoga. They are activated and applied automatically in the structure of the krlyas. As yoga teachers we do not diagnose, but we do encourage the natural healing processes by the use of the kriyas and meditations. Healing in this sense is an ongoing natural maintainence of the body/minds’ ability to heal itself. If you are a professional with a license to treat people, you will find the practices of Kundalini Yoga can enhance your skills regardless of which form of healing you are trained in. Kundalini Yoga is a source to elevate awareness and maintain the flow of energy in the mind and body, which will enliven any healing approach, and help people care for themselves with a positive lifestyle. We do certain krlyas in a group to enter into a collective self healing space. A healing circle is when we meditate and chant together in specific ways to multiply the effects of our indivdual minds through the power of the group projection.

The Navel Point IN THE ANCIENT SHASTRAS IT STATES THAT, “all yoga starts at the Navel Point.” There is an old Indian story which illustrates this point wel l. Once, a young student asked his teacher how far he must travel to find enlightenment and the true path of the Self. The teacher spread his fingers wide and said. “You must travel the distance from the thumb to the tip of the little finger. If you place the spread hand on your stomach with the little finger at the Navel Point, then the thumb stretches to the heart center. This is the mystical path consciousness must ascend.” In the discipline of the martial arts. the entire concept of balance and force depends on developing the awareness of the Navel Point as a center around which the body moves. In order to truly understand the nature of meditation and consciousness. a clear conception of the energy and function of the navel center is necessary. The Navel Point is not just a “point.” It is a center of energy transformation in the body. According to the science of Kundalini Yoga, the mental and physical levels of consciousness are totally interrelated and co-regulating. There are areas in the physical body that connect with the chakras in the electromagnetic body. The chakras transform different frequencies of energy, and this transformation results in different behaviors and levels of consciousness. There are eight major chakra areas: rectum. sex organs. navel center. heart center, throat, brow point, the anterior fontanel, and the aura. or magnetic field. The first center that must be stimulated in order to raise the energy of consciousness is the navel center. The navel center is described in the Upanishads as follows: “In the center of the stomach. the navel center reposes in the chakra known as Manipura. Between the navel and the last bone of the spinal column is the Navel Point, shaped like a bird’s egg. This encloses within itself the starting point of 72,000 nerves. of which 72 are vital and of these 72 there are ten that are the most important. In order to have proper control over these nerves, one has to take special pains.” The Navel Point does not correspond with the umbilicus, navel, or belly button. although it is related to it. The center itself is etheric, a few inches down and in front of. the lower spine. It has a very important function since thousands of channels carrying the life force of the body converge through this point and can have their different currents, ratios, and intensities of flow initiated and adjusted there. By observing whether or not the Navel Point is centered in its optimal location. and the intensity of the energy coming from it, we can self-diagnose and correct many maladies that would not easily be dealt with by other therapeutic approaches.

TESTING THE NAVEL POINT There is a simple method for testing the Navel Point. It is based on a physical correlate to the Navel Point-the position, strength. and rhythm of the abdominal heart or navel pulse. The exercises. diets. manipulations. and daily habits that create a constant strength at the Navel Point are the “special pains” mentioned in the Upanishads. To locate and feel the navel pulse, on an empty or almost empty stomach do the following: I) Lie on the back. Completely tense and relax the entire body two or three times. This allows the abdominal muscles to totally relax and stimulates the navel pulse for easy location.

2) Do Stretch Pose for two to three minutes. This exercise is even better for relaxation and bringing out the navel pulse. 3) Next, make the tips of your fingers into a little circle. Press the tips down on the belly button toward the spine. Press firmly but with gentleness. You will be able to feel one point with your fingertips that beats strongly. If this beat is exactly in the center of the navel, then we say the Navel Point is centered and in place. If it is displaced, many hard-to-diagnose maladies can exist in the person’s body.

UNDERSTANDING NAVEL POINT MALADIES Learning to adjust the Navel Point is an elementary skill used by kundal ini yogis and is one of the pillars of ayurvedic medicine diagnosis. Two things are measured: I) Students must feel the intensity and rhythm of the beat of the navel with the fingertips. 2) The location of the beat must be measured from the belly button. To check Navel Point alignment by physical measurement, there is a slightly different procedure for a male and female. For a male: Take a string and measure the distance from one nipple to the belly button. Mark the length of the string. Move the end of the string to the next nipple and see if the length from the nipple to the umbilicus is the same. If the lengths are not the same, then the Navel Point needs adjustment. For a female: You will need to enlist the help of a friend to measure the distance from your toes to your belly button. To reduce any error from hip rotation, put your heels together and press your toes out away from your heels equally on each side. In a male, the navel generally displaces to the left. in a female, to the right. If the navel beat is found above the belly button, improper digestion, constipation. acidity, diseases of the heart. and general irritation in behavior will be the result. If displaced downwards, the result is loose motion, dyspepsia, colic pain, and bad dreams. If displaced sideways, acute pain results. These pains are located in various nerves of the body and are difficult to remove with drugs. In the female, displacement often leads to such problems as leukorrhea and menstrual irregularity. THE CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT There can be many causes of displacement:  Overeating or eating improper foods. For example, eating too much meat and sugar are common causes.  A fall, or uneven distirbution of body weight due to jerky motions. For instance, too much weight or a sudden strong jerk on the left foot displaces the navel to the right. A jerk on the right foot displaces the navel to the left.  Birth control pills, drugs, and tranquil izers can all cause displacement.  Carrying heavy things during menstruation.

SETTING THE NAVEL POINT Certain yoga exercises and diet can be used to correct the Navel Point displacement.  Stretch Pose done every day will help maintain the Navel Point in alignment.  The Navel Adjustment Kriya (see Sets chapter)-which includes Stretch Pose. Bow Pose. Wheel Pose. and Fish Pose-can be done in combination with other nabhi (navel) kriyas, but only if the additional exercises are done prior to this series.  Eating a yogic diet can be very effective in correcting Navel Point displacement.  If the problem is severe. there are many health practitioners who have been trained by Yogi Bhajan to correct Navel Point displacement. Yogi Bh’fian on the Navel Point There is a very powerful psychic power under the Navel Point. It sits there like a cobra snake and when it wakes up, it travels through the six centers of the body and awakens them with its touch. When it touches the Seventh Center. the person knows all. When it intermingles with the aura, it delightfully enlightens the arcline and makes everything work out for the person.