Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Exercises for Healthy Weight Loss:

1. Yoga Arm Raises: a. Guided Instructions for Yoga Arm Raises: y y y y Stand up tall. Inhale deeply through the nose as you swing both your arms up with palms facing forward. Now swing the arms down and powerfully exhale through the mouth. The exhalation is brief and powerful. Just throw the air out of the system. Continue at a fairly brisk pace, swinging your arms up and down in this fashion in conjunction with the breathing.

b. Duration for Yoga Arm Raises: 1-5 mins c. Benefits of Yoga Arm Raises: y y y Very effective in getting your energy going. Expands your chest cavity and lung capacity. Throws all negativity out of your body (toxins, negative emotions, stress, negative thoughts). Assist this process by visualizing any negativity that has been troubling you being expelled from your system as you exhale. Works on your shoulders, promoting flexibility and strength.

d. Practice Tips for Yoga Arm Raises: As you develop mastery over this exercise, try to work through the discomfort in the shoulders this exercises produces. You will notice that after you get past the initial points of resistance, the energy pathways open up and the exercise gets easier. 2. Kundalini Yoga March: a. Guided Instructions for Kundalini Yoga March: y y y y Continue standing.

Have your arms in jogging position and begin marching in place.

Begin the Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise. Try to bring your keens up high as you march.

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga March: 1-5 mins c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga March: y y y y Gets your heart rate going. Quickly oxygenates your blood. Effective warm-up before doing the more strenuous exercises. Works on your legs.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga March: To modify this exercise switch to Long Deep Breathing or Normal Breathing if Breath of Fire is too much to do. You can also not bring the knees up too high and walk in place instead.

3. Kundalini Yoga Jogging: a. Guided Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Jogging: y y Continue to have your arms as if you were jogging, also continue the Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise, and start jogging in place. Try to bring your keens up high as you jog.

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Jogging: 1-5 mins c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Jogging: y y Picks up your heart rate and really gets the blood circulating throughout your body. Done with Breath of Fire the benefits of this exercise are significantly magnified. Doing a few minutes with Breath of Fire is equal to doing the exercise much much longer with normal breathing. Works on your legs.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Jogging: To modify this exercise switch to normal breathing, if Breath of Fire is too much to do. You can also not bring the knees up too high or just continue to walk/march in place inste ad, if you feel over worked. (Take a break at this point if you are feeling very winded.) 4. Kundalini Yoga Jumping Jacks: a. Guided Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Jumping Jacks: y y Stand with your arms down and feet together. Now take a half inhalation and jump your legs to about shoulder width apart and swing your arms straight out to the sides parallel to the ground. The palms are facing down finger are extended. Now complete the inhalation as you jump and bring your feet wide apart. At the same time swing your arms directly above your head and clap your palms together. Now do a half exhalation as you jump your feet back to shoulder width apart and swing your hands back to being parallel to the ground with palms facing down and fingers extended. Now complete the Jumping Jack by jumping your feet back together and bringing your hands back down all the away. Continue on for the duration of the exercise.

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b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Jumping Jacks: 1-5 mins c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Jumping Jacks: y y y y Good for your heart and lungs. Works on building concentration and focus. Works on your calves and leg muscles. Works on your arms and shoulders.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Jumping Jacks: This yoga exercise is not as easy as it sounds initially as you have to focus in order to break the pattern of how you

normally do Jumping Jacks. The partitioned breathing will help build your lung capacity. To modify just do the legs or just the arms as needed. (Take a break at this point if you are feeling very winded) 5. Deep Squats Yoga Exercise: a. Guided Instructions for Deep Squats Yoga Exercise: y y y y y Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Extend both arms straight out in front of you, with fingers extended and palms facing down. Inhale through the nose as you squat down. Exhale powerfully through the mouth as you stand back up. Continue at a smooth pace for the duration of the exercise.

b. Duration for Deep Squats Yoga Exercise: 1-5 mins c. Benefits of Deep Squats Yoga Exercise: y y y Excellent for toning and strengthening the large muscles of you thighs and buttocks. Builds vitality and virility. Works on your shoulders.

d. Practice Tips for Deep Squats Yoga Exercise : If you have bad knees you need to careful with this exercise. Only go as far down as you are comfortable. (Take a break at this point if you are feeling very winded.) 6. Kundalini Yoga Archers Pose: (Article: Online Illustration of Kundalini Yoga Archer Pose) Illustration of Kundalini Yoga Archer Pose

a. Guided Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Archers Pose: y Stand and place your feet wide apart.

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Now have your left foot pointing to your left, have you right foot pointing in slightly, the heels of both feet should be in a straight line. Your torso should be straight and facing forward. Low lean to the left so that 70% of your weight is on your left leg. Your left knee should occlude your left foot from view if you were to look down. There should be a stretch in your right upper thigh. Now extend your left arm out to the left as if holding a bow and turn your head to the left and gaze over your left fist. Now with the right hand pretend as if you are pulling back the bow strings. Your right hand should be all the way past your right chest. Do Long Deep Powerful Breathing while holding this posture and gazing steadily over your left fist. After half the time reverse the direction of the posture.

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Archers Pose: 1-3 mins / side c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Archers Pose: y y y y y y Excellent yoga posture for your entire body, mind and spirit. Opens up and expands your energy channels. Builds strength of character, self-esteem, confidence, concentration and mental focus. Expands your chest and lungs. Also, works on your nervous system. Good for your legs and shoulders as well. Eliminates Stress.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Archers Pose : This yoga asana (posture) is the favorite of many students and teachers alike. It will make you powerful and strong. Dont over do it if you already have ego issues. 7. Kundalini Yoga Abdominal Pop Corn Exercise: a. Guided Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Abdominal Pop Corn Exercise: y y y Lie on your back, bend your legs and bring you knees in towards your chest. Hold on to each knee. Right hand grasps right knee, and left hand grasps left knee. Now try to explode off the ground like you are a pop corn popping. So you are trying to launch your whole body towards the ceiling (you will probably not leave the ground, but its the effort that counts here If you are doing this right, pretty soon your abdominal muscles will let you know.

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Abdominal Pop Corn Exercise: 1-5 mins c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Abdominal Pop Corn Exercise: y y Very good for building your core power and abdominal strength. Good for building overall fitness and stamina.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Abdominal Pop Corn Exercise: Another yoga exercise that you should not be quickly fooled by. If doing it correctly it is a great way to burn calories and develop strong abdominal muscles without putting any strain on the joints and lower back. Make sure you are using a soft surface when doing this exercise.

8. Kundalini Yoga Dance & Shake: a. Guided Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Dance & Shake: y y y y Sit Comfortably with your legs crossed. Use a firm cushion if you need to. Raise your hands above your head. Now move everything from the hips up vigorously and chaotically. You should be moving your arms, shoulders, chest, waist, fingers, head, etc. Breath very deeply and powerfully during the entire duration of the exercise. You navel should be pumping due to the force of the breathing as well. Dont hold back let everything fly.

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Dance & Shake: 1-5 mins c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Dance & Shake: y y y Charges, invigorates and awaken all your cells and organs. Excellent for throwing out all the garbage of the past and breaking down deep rooted patterns of thought and behavior. Detoxifies your system and builds your ability to handle more energy.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Dance & Shake : If you are listening to music, turn it up during this exercise. It is the last physical exercise for this set so give it all you have got. 9. Relax in Yoga Corpse Pose: (also called Shav Asana) a. Guided Instruction for Yoga Corpse Pose: y y y y Lie on your back and have your arms out to your sides about six to twelve inches away from your body. Turn your palms slightly upward. Relax your body and breath. With every breath visualize your body as you would ideally want it to be. Visualize it taking that shape and visualize yourself having optimum health and fitness. Visualize the weight melting away. Dont underestimate the power of your mind. Really believe this to be taking place, especially because is it.

b. Duration for Yoga Corpse Pose: 1-5 minutes. c. Benefits of Yoga Corpse Pose: y y y y

Attracts that which you set your mind to (in this case, a healthy, fit, toned, slim body).
Allows the body to consolidate the gains from the previous exercises. Helps the body heal and rejuvenate itself. Promotes relaxation and peace.

Morning Yoga Poses for Stretching Surya Namaskar

Illustration of Surya Namaskar

Best Morning Yoga Poses for Stretching:

A. How to Do Surya Namaskar: y y

Stand straight up with feet feet together and palms together at chest level as in illustration #1 above. Raise your arms up and reach back, arching your back but keeping your elbows and knees straight . This will stretch your entire back, neck
and shoulders. Illustration #2. Inhale deeply.

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Next reach down towards your toes. Here make sure you only go as far as comfortable while keeping the legs straight. If you can, bring the palms of your hands down to the floor next to your feet. This is called Yoga Head to Toe pose and is excellent for stretching your hamstrings. Illustration #3 above. Exhale. Now come into forward lunge. To do this, reach back with your left leg as you lunge forward gently. Your left knee will touch the floor. This is a wonderful yoga pose for stretching and opening up your hips. Look up and press forward as you do this as in illustration #4 above. Inhale. Then come into Downward Facing Dog Pose. Press your heels towards the floor and your head down between your shoulders as in Illustration #5. This pose will stretch your calves, hamstrings and shoulders. It is also great for strengthening your arms and shoulders. Exhale. From here come into the pose shown in illustration #6. Here your chin, knees, chest an toes are touching the floor only, while your rest on your palms. Great for upper body strength. Come down nice and slow into this pose if you can. Inhale, then exhale. Then come into Yoga Cobra Pose with straight arms as shown in Illustration #7. This will give your back and spine a great stretch and strengthen your arms, shoulders and chest. Inhale. From Cobra Pose come back into Downward Facing Dog. Dont forget to keep your awareness and attention in the present. Exhale. Now lunge again, but this time reach back with your right leg. Thus stretching the other hip. Look up and press forward. This is illustrated in picture number 9 above. Inhale. From here return to Head to Toe pose as in illustration #10. Exhale. Then reach forward from the hips as you come all the way up and back into back stretch pose. Inhale. Finally return to the starting posture as shown in illustration #12 above. Exhale.

B. Repetitions for Surya Namaskar:

Sun Salutation is generally done in the morning, although it can be done anything during the day. It is also a great way to warm-up prior to doing more difficult poses and sets. I suggest starting with 3 rounds and building up from there slowly. Add 1 round every few days until you reach 12 rounds. As this set is so good for you, you may wish to do even more repetition is you like.

C. Benefits of Sun Salutation:

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Excellent for stretching and opening up the entire body. Especially back, shoulders, arms, neck, hamstrings, hips, quads and calves. Great way to get the whole body going in the morning. Helps your digestive, circulatory, respiration and nervous systems. Great for reducing stress and bestowing a calm, peaceful mind. Known for helping in weight loss and helping you be slim, trim and fit. Helps strengthen the arms, back, shoulders and legs. Helps open up the shoulders and hips.

D. Practice Tips and Cautions for Surya Namaskar: y

The entire sequence above is done along with a particular breathing pattern. This pattern follows the rule where you inhale on the poses where you are expanding the chest/abdominal region and you exhale on the poses where you are contracting the chest/abd ominal region.

So you inhale into illustration #2, exhale when moving into illustration #3, etc. I have marked the sequence above where you inhale and where you exhale as well.
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Only stretch as far as comfortable, dont force any of the stretches. When you practice many rounds, you will find yourself getting more flexible as you do the later rounds. You will also find yourself getting more flexible over time as your practice thi s set regularly. When you do the lunges your front foot is between your arms. If you cant bring it up there in one smooth motion, adjust and "walk" in up. For the pose where you reach down towards your toes when standing, let your head hang down and al low its weight to help you stretch. If you have high blood pressure or other serious injuries, specially to the back, do this sequence gently only and develop your capacity slowly over time. Surya Namaskar has been used by many famous actors and actresses to lose weight and get fit. This is true and if it can work for them, it can surely also work for you.