Meditating in the jungle in Ubud, Bali. Photo: Amandari Resorts, Ubud, Bali
If you’ve read Afterimage 17, scroll down to the section with videos: Kriya for Energy, Creativity, Prosperity
There’s An App Kriya for That
In Afterimage 17, I wrote about a night where I wished I had more energy, and a surge of creativity would help me complete what I set out to write. I also wanted to Write from Abundance.
I thought about what people say about “There’s an app for that.”
I knew there had to be a kriya for what I wanted. I went to my teaching resources and found it: The Kriya for Energy, Creativity, and Abundance. Technically, Abundance and Prosperity are slightly different, but let’s just say they’re two tributaries flowing into the same river.
I swapped coffee out with a kriya, wrote the newsletter, went to be relatively early, and slept like a baby.
Kriyas
A kriya is a practice within yoga meant to achieve or create a specific outcome. In the school of yoga I practice, yoga is considered a precursor to meditation. It’s a set of exercises to get the kinks out of the body so it can sit still during meditation.
It’s said that a kriya practice sets off a chain reaction between the body, mind, and spirit. I like to think of it like this: imagine the physical poses (asana), certain ways to breathe (pranayama), as well as the way we might engage and lock our muscles in sync with our breath (bandhas), set off physiological changes that alter body chemistry, how we work with our emotions and our mind, and eventually how we perceive and experience our world.
Some people say it's a self-induced high, but I think of it more as a tool to self-regulate. The closest example of this is a workout. We can set an intention for the training, we sync (or hold) breath to movement, raise our heart rate, cool off and stretch, again with breath. It changes body chemistry, how we feel, and how we see things.
It sounds complicated, but it isn’t. I practice it, because it works.
Kriya for Energy, Creativity, Prosperity
Let’s look at the three exercises that make up this kriya. They are:
Breath of Fire
Igniting Creativity
Affirmation for Prosperity
The Breath of Fire is a cleansing and energizing breath. I think of it as stoking the fire to our foundational energy: qi, or life force. I’ll guide you through in the video to show you what it looks like. When you do it on your own, set your timer for 3 minutes.
From the Instructor’s Manual: “Breath of Fire is not to be practiced during pregnancy or on the first three days of your menstrual flow. In a kriya where Breath of Fire is called for, you can either replace it with Long Deep Breathing or practice a very light Breath of Fire without pumping the navel.”
Resource for Afterimage 17: Exercise for Energy (Breath of Fire)
In Igniting Creativity we work vigorously with a movement in the upper body and by holding our breath. As in the last exercise, I’ll guide you through. Repeat this exercise three times.
Resource for Afterimage 17: Igniting Creativity
We work with our breath in the last exercise, and with an affirmation to welcome the energy of prosperity. Eyes are 9/10 closed, focus your gaze on the tip of your nose. Practice this for 3 minutes at a time. The mantras are:
“I am Beautiful, I am Bountiful, I am Blissful.”
“Excel, Excel, Fearless.”
Resource for Afterimage 17: Affirmation for Prosperity
If you don’t have time for all three exercises, try The Breath of Fire. It will oxygenate you and wake you up.
Enjoy your dose of Energy, Creativity, and Prosperity!
This is intended for informational purposes and not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor or medical provider if you are pregnant or have any medical conditions.