BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

Given January 31, 1996

Sit straight. Hands resting on your knees. Tune in.(with the mantra Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo)

Sit in easy pose(or on a chair) with your chin in and your chest out. Stick your tongue all the way out and keep it out as you rapidly breathe in and out through your mouth. This is called Lion Breath(or dog breath). Continue the panting diaphargm breath for 3-5 minutes.

To finish: inhale, hold your breath 15 seconds, press the tongue hard against the upper palate. Exhale. Repeat this sequence two more times.

This exercise brings energy to your immune system to fight infection. It is a very healing exercise. When you feel a tingling in your toes, thighs, and lower back it is an indication that you are doing the exercise correctly.

From page 45 of the Kundalini Yoga Manual, "Reaching ME in Me," by Harijot Kaur Khalsa, and published with permission by Kundalini Research Institute, Espanola, MN. Available at Aquarian Bookstore.

ISHNAAN HYDROTHERAPY

Staying Under Icy Water Until Your Body Feels Toasty!

The psychology of Ishnaan therapy is that if first thing in the morning—two and a half hours before sunrise, you can get your body up and out of a cozy warm bed and into really cold water against the powerful resistance of your body and mind—then you are coming from pure will power, which is the power of your soul. You have set your higher will and awareness to be the main player that day for your highest benefit. It is an experience that cleanses the body within and without, clears the mind and clarifies your connection to your higher self.

To best obtain the benefits, massage your body with almond oil and take a long cold shower—the colder the better, massaging your body wherever the water touches until the water no longer feels cold. Heartily chant "Wahe Guru!" as you go—cold showers with Wahe Guru burn off lots of karma!

Enter the water directly, except for optional shorts covering sexual organs and thighs—which regulate the production of red blood cells. First let cold water hit the backs of the legs and up the spin to the base of the skull, massaging everywhere you feel cold. .

Next, work down the front using sweeping strokes to massage the forehead, nose, cheeks, chin and neck, giving a natural face-lift and helping to relieve sinus congestion. Roughly rub your ears really hard under cold water—it hurts but helps the whole body. Use an upward stroking motion on the neck up to the base of the ears to relieve or prevent any swelling of lymph nodes there and deeply massage the breasts and under the armpits—massaging this area helps prevent colds.

Let the cold water hit the rib cage, abdomen, as well as the hands and arms, massaging as you go, stimulating meridians for digestion, elimination and the heart. Then go to the hips, the insides of the thighs and the calves down to the feet, using the feet to massage the calves and the feet over each other to massage your arches, everything. Stand on your toes and sit down over and over to avoid knee problems. It's fun to do in cold water--very refreshing!

If the water feels unbearably cold at any point, you can hold that part of the body under the flow of icy water and withdraw it to massage the area until it warms up. It may take many repetitions of this process before you can hold it under the cold water without discomfort. Going through this process serves to relax spasms and dis-ease and reconstruct the cells of the body.

When cold water hits the surface of your skin, all the blood from deep inside your body rushes to the surface in self-defense, dilating the capillaries so deposits can go, improving circulation and giving you a beautiful nervous system. When the capillaries normalize again, that excess blood goes back to your organs nicely

energized and the glands immediately change their secretions. When your glands, the guardians of health and life, secrete correctly, you feel young and vibrant. This process helps relieve dullness and numbness in the body. It takes care of the skin and keeps it youthful—it is better than taking vitamin A, D and E!

As a final measure, take a wet towel and roll it and beat your back over your shoulders. It balances your sugar and salt and gets rid of edema. Spank your back—you’ll have fun and it is essential.

When you are done, briskly dry off with a rough towel and gratefully face your day with invigorated clarity. If you sit to meditate afterwards, be sure to wrap yourself in a blanket to retain warmth. Best is a blanket or shawl that will drape over your head and cover you in a cozy cocoon.

Mudra to open up blockages in communication

When you don't know how to communicate something that is bothering you and you have to go to a meeting to talk, or any other situation you need to say something that may sound uncomfortable. Press the pad of the thumb firmly onto the nail of the Mercury (pinky) finger for about one minute (other fingers straight up).

"By locking with the pinkie of Mercury finger, you develop the inner strength to communicate anywhere with anyone, under any circumstances."

Then change the mudra and touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the Mercury (pinky) finger. " It is a total physiological situation. And when you will touch this (the two tips together) and sit, means your mercury (communication energy) has to be dominating along with your ego. There is no reason that you should not carry the day."