5 GOALS AND 4 MOVEMENTS

We’ve learned about the channels and how they knot into chakras which ultimately lead us further away from living in our sushumna. Lady Niguma’s yoga has 5 fundamental goals which are achieved by applying 4 basic movements to each chakra. Before we discuss those, let’s talk generally about the problems of our channels and knots. Then we will understand how the 4 movements solve those problems to achieve the 5 goals.

Damaging and healing side channels

For those of use who are not living 100% in our sushumna, we have prana running through our side channels. These channels are damaged and have perforations, or small tears all over them. The more we see things the wrong way, as coming from their own side, the more we damage the channels. The more damaged they are, the more unhealthy our body becomes and more mistaken our views of the world become. While you are doing your asana practice you are withdrawing the prana from your side channels. If these channels are damaged, however, then the prana will seep back in and the benefits of your asana will not last. This is especially true when we are stretching out our channels. Physical expressions of damaged channels include having a bent spine, wrinkles and generally aging, or some form of twisting in the body. On the other hand, someone who has healed their channels by understanding seeds and emptiness, and by taking care of other people, will be more vibrant, joyful, compassionate, and strong. The more we practice compassionate wisdom, the more we are able to loosen our knots and clean and strengthen our channels.

An example of this level of awareness can be found in a donut shop. Imagine that you are at the donut shop and there is only one maple donut left---you’re favorite! You’re already salivating. You really want it. But then you hear a sweet old lady’s voice behind you say “I love maple donuts.” At that moment, where is your prana? Are you ignorantly desiring the donut for yourself? Are you thinking that the enjoyment of that donut is coming from the donut independent of your seeds? When we hold these two mistaken views, we damage our channels and push our prana out of our sushumna. Alternatively, we can buy the donut and offer it to the sweet lady and rejoice in her enjoyment knowing that those seeds will bring us closer to the goal of yoga. This compassionate wisdom straightens, heals, and strengthens our channels. Living a Lady Niguma lifestyle like this makes us ready to do the intense and focused work that will bring us the goals of her yoga.

The 5 Goals

Lady Niguma’s 5 goals are focused on using asanas to make changes to the inner body. The Lady Niguma Yoga sequence achieves these five goals through four simple steps that work to release the knots in the channels, straighten the channels, gather the winds into the central channel and distribute the drops and prana. Lady Niguma Level 1 applies these goals to the components within our subtle body. Lady Niguma Level 2 applies these goals to how the changes affect our emotions and mental states.

1. Cleaning the channels of impurities 2. Cleaning the inner drops of consciousness 3. Cleaning the winds and drops together 4. Opening the channel 5. Entering the wind into the central channel

1. CLEANING THE CHANNELS OF IMPURITIES

1 TWIST

3 GATHER 2 STRETCH

4 DISPERSE

4. OPENING THE CHANNEL

5. ENTERING THE WIND INTO THE CENTRAL CHANNEL

2. CLEANING THE INNER DROPS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

3. CLEANING THE WINDS AND DROPS TOGETHER

4 Movements

Lady Niguma teaches that there are four movements we can make with our body that will help us achieve the 5 goals. Briefly, they are: (1) Twist, (2) Stretch, (3) Gather, and (4) Distribute.

1. Twist Twists are composed of poses that primarily pull at the channels in the opposite direction of their natural twist around the central channel. When it is not possible to twist, applying pressure is substituted. This is done for the root and crown chakras, for example.

2. Stretch These poses primarily straighten out the primary channels. 3. Gather Poses that help gather the wind from the side channels into the central channel. 4. Disperse After the prana has been gathered, it is distributed and moved up along to the next chakra.

Bandhas

Bandhas are light constrictions performed at different areas of the body to help control the prana - preventing the prana from flowing out of the central channel for instance. Lady Niguma utilizes bandhas to gather and distribute prana. The Sanskrit word bandha literally means to bind and we see the same root in the English words bind and bond. You can think of bandhas as locks, or one-way valves. Bandhas create a kind of seal for the winds. A seal can also happen spontaneously. Bandhas should be learned from a qualified instructor and should be approached gently. The three main bandhas are:

Mula Bandha

Mula means root. The same root is found in the English word mural, meaning a painting on a wall or the wall itself. The idea is that a wall is a foundation or a root that holds up a house. This area of the body is considered the root or foundation of the inner energetic system. Mula bandha is performed by pulling in and up at the perineum or you could think of it as a slight constriction at the perineum or pelvic floor.

Uddiyana Bandha

The word uddiyana is made of two parts: ud and diyana. Ud means up. Diyana comes from the Sanskrit root di, meaning to fly or soar. So udiyana means to fly up, and this is the internal feeling of doing this bandha. Uddiyana bandha is performed with an exhale that empties out the air and hollows out the abdomen. This first part of the lock can either be done in a slight or exaggerated way, depending on the intent, skill and experience of the practitioner. Secondly, there is a slight constriction of the abdominal area in and up. This contraction is briefly held simultaneously with the other two locks.

Jalandhara Bandha

The word jalandhara is made up of jalan and dhara. Jala, depending on how it is spelled in Sanskrit, can mean either water or net. It probably derives from the root car, meaning to move or flow. This root is found in the English words car and chariot. Dhara means to hold. Jalandhara bandha is performed with a slight constriction at the throat achieved by tucking the chin towards the chest. Simultaneously there is a slight sensation of sucking in the front of the throat into the back. This can also be triggered by ujjayi breathing. Jalandhara bandha helps prevent prana from moving into the head. These bandhas should be learned in person from a qualified teacher. Engagement of these bandhas takes some practice, but once learned they are of great benefit to our asana practice.

Opening chakras sequentially

The Lady Niguma Yoga poses go in a special order. The sequencing flows up the chakras of the bodycausing prana to flow more smoothly. If you do this yoga over a period of months, it prepares you in a safe way to attain higher energetic states.

The Jewel of the Practice

The jewel of the practice is the inner focus on crucial points combined with the physical movements. If you’re focusing on the crucial points without love (for others as well as ourselves), then you’re missing the point. You will never realize the full potential of this practice. You must put your mind in higher thoughts while you do the asana-thoughts of compassionate wisdom. This is how we see the faces of every being. This is how we achieve the goal of yoga.