Writer Carolina Wilkins
In our abdomen we keep a great treasure, the navel center is one of the most powerful centers of our body… our engine, our impulse, where our strength for the conquest is born. The conquest of ourselves (our fears, desires…) and our lives (projects, dreams…); a source from which to build your success. The navel point, a center where different cultures and disciplines concentrate their interest in empowerment for the great power that is hidden behind the name of Manipura the 3rd chakra or energy vortex, the Nabi or Hara, where those who practice martial arts concentrate to develop their maximum strength, patience, will, motivation.
It is the center of the spiritual warrior from where personal power, self-esteem, identity, judgment, inner balance, inspiration and health are balanced… Its work serves to balance and distribute energy to the different parts of the body, it is associated with action, the power to initiate and the persistence to conclude.
There are different ways to care for, activate and balance the abdominal area and this time we share with you a series of exercises or kriya, which serve to activate this force.
Exercise 1: Wheel posture.
Lying on your back, place your hands on the floor with your fingers pointing towards your feet, close to your shoulders. Place your feet on the floor near the buttocks and lift your body off the floor arching your back, let your head hang and bring your gaze to your thumbs. If you know how, do fire breathing for 1 minute, otherwise take long, deep breaths.
If the exercise is too rough, lie on your back with the soles of your feet on the floor and your knees bent, push your hips up, interlace your fingers under your body and keep your shoulders on the floor.
This posture lengthens the abdominal muscles preparing them for an increased abdominal stretch. Centering the navel point gives flexibility to the spine and helps the digestive system.
Exercise 2: Stretching posture.
Lie on your back, hands under the buttocks, palms down. Lift your head and heels six inches off the floor, look toward your toes while stretching them forward. If you know how, do fire breathing for 1 to 3 minutes. If you can not perform the exercise, do it first with one leg and then with the other.
This posture stretches and adjusts the navel point and stretches the abdominal muscles, works the nervous system and stimulates circulation.
Exercise 3: Parallel bicycle.
Lie on your back, hands under the buttocks with palms down. Extend your legs 20cm above the floor, inhale, bring your left knee close to your body and as you exhale bring your right knee close to your body while extending your left knee. Time 1-2 minutes each leg. Feel that you are projecting energy from the navel. Breathe forcefully keeping the rhythm.
If you find it difficult, you can keep your knees slightly bent during the exercise.
Lie on your back and relax for 5 minutes.
There is a component of respect and reverence when practicing yoga towards oneself and the whole to which we belong:
Kundalini, is the name of the yoga discipline that I share and Yogi Bahjan the master guru who introduced this discipline.
Before starting the exercises, we sit cross-legged and hands together at the level of the heart. This moment is important to connect with you and your essence, take 3 deep breaths and and…
we recite inwardly as we begin:
Ong Namo Gurudev Namo
And 3 times at the end of the kriya:
Sat Nam
If you try it and you like this kriya or series of exercises to enhance your strength and power, you can work it for 40 days in a row, (what we call a quarantine), which will serve to settle the effects of the stimulation of the navel point in addition to having some abs of scandal.
Do not force the movements and respect the times and the order.
Enjoy your work!
