Topic 1

Kriya Yoga: Practice

KRIYA 10: NAUMUKHI MUDRA
(CLOSING THE NINE GATES)
The Sanskrit word nau means ' nine' and mukhi
means 'gates'. This kriya can be called ' the
mudra oI the nine gates'. A more widely used
name, however, is ' the closing oI the nine gates'.
The Iirst nine kriyas can be classiIied as
techniques oI pratyahara (sense withdrawal).
Naumukhi is tbe Iirst in the group oI dharana
(concentration) techniques. From this stage
onwards the mind becomes more and more
one-pointed.
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In the human body there are nine openings or
gates through which one perceives all the sense
experiences oI the outside world. These are:
the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the mouth,
the anus and the sexual organ.
There is also a tenth gate, called the Brahma
Dwara (the Door oI Brahma), which leads to
mystical or transcendental experience and
realization. During mundane, everyday experi-
ence this gate is closed - all perception comes
through the other nine gates. In naumukhi
these nine gates are temporarily closed. This
prevents external perception and helps to open
up the tenth door.
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Naumukhi is made up oI t he Iol l owi ng
subsidiary techniques:
1. Ujjayi pranayama
2
2. Khechari mudra
2
3. Moola bandha
3
4. Vajroli mudra
5. Shanmukhi mudra
4
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The word vafroli is derived Irom the word
vafra which has various meanings and implica-
tions. In the context oI vajroli mudra, vajra
can be regarded as the name oI a nerve which
connects the sexual organs with the brain. It is
also a psychic pathway that is associated with
t he sushumna pathway
5
. Thi s pathway is
directly connect ed with the unl eashi ng oI
powerIul psychic Iorces.
There are two types oI vajroli mudra - one
is concerned with maithuna (sexual intercourse
under prescribed conditions) and the other is
a simple raja yoga Iorm. It is the latter that is
utilized in kriya yoga.
The technique is as Iollows:
Sit in any comIortable position.
Place the hands on the knees and relax the
whole body.
Try to draw the sexual organs upwards by
pulling and tensing the sexual organ and lower
abdomen.
This contraction is similar to that which is made
when one has the urge to urinate, but has to
retain the urine Ior some time.
The testes in men and the vagina in women,
should move slightly due to the contraction.
This is the simple Iorm oI vajroli mudra.
Its purpose is to convert retas (sexual energy)
into ofas (highly reIined pranic or psychic
energy). This process is called urdhva retas -
the sublimation oI sexual energy. Prana is the
essence oI both ojas and retas; vajroli helps to
bring about sublimation oI the grosser retas
into the more reIined ojas.
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Shanmukhi mudra
4
can be translated as ' the
attitude oI the seven gates'. BeIore attempting
naumukhi we suggest t hat you pract i se
shanmukhi mudra Ior a Iew days.
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The sitting position Ior naumukhi mudra is
siddhasana Ior men, and siddha yoni asana
Ior women
6
. These two asanas are most
suitable since they apply a constant pressure
at the mooladhara chakra trigger point in the
area oI the perineum.
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II you cannot sit in one oI the above asanas
you can choose any other comIortable sitting
pose as an alternative. II necessary you can
use a cushion.
Techni que
Sit in siddhasana or siddha yoni asana.
Keep the back straight but relaxed.
Close the eyes and keep them closed through-
out the practice.
Do khechari mudra.
Place the hands on the knees and let the arms
relax.
Exhale deeply and bend the head Iorwards
slightly as shown in the accompanying Iigure 1.
The Iirst round starts here.
Fix your attention on the mool adhara chakra.
Repeat ' mooladhara' mentally 3 times: ' mool-
adhara - mool adhara - mool adhara' while
holding the breath.
Inhal e with ujjayi pr anayama and simul-
taneously move your awareness up the arohan
(Irontal passage) as illustrated in Iigure 1.
Be aware oI each kshetram as you raise your
awareness: swadhisthana, manipura, anahata
vishuddhi.
Do not say the name mentally - only awareness
oI each centre.
Raise your head as your awareness passes
Irom vishuddhi to bindu (Iigure 2).
Inhalation should be completed when your
awareness reaches bindu.
Hold the breath.
Raise your head as your awareness passes
Irom the Iace.
Practise shanmukhi mudra by closing the ears
with the thumbs, the eyes with both IoreIingers,
your nostrils with the two middle Iingers and
the lips with the Iourth and IiIth Iingers (Iigure
3). Do not apply too much pressure with the
Iingers - just enough to Iirmly close each 'gate'.
Practise moola bandha, without j al andhara
bandha.
Practise vajroli mudra.
At this stage all the gates are closed.
Be aware oI the awarohan (spinal passage).
Try to visualize a shi ni ng copper trishul
(trident) in the spine with the root in mool-
adhara chakra and the 3 prongs extending
upwards I r om vishuddhi chakra (Iigure 4).
Continue to retain the breath.
The trident will move upwards slightly oI its
own accord so that the central prong pierces
bindu.
As it pierces bindu, mentally pronounce the
mant r a ' bi ndu bhedan' (literally: ' bi ndu
piercing' ) once.
Feel that there is an explosion oI the mant ra in
all directions Irom bindu (Iigure 5).
Then the trident will drop downwards again to
the starting position shown in Iigure 4.
Again it will rise; once more pronounce the
mant ra ' bindu bhedan' as the bindu is pierced.
Then it will drop again.
Feel this alternate rising and Ialling oI the
trident Ior as long as you can comIortably
hold your breath.
Then release vajroli mudra.
Release moola bandha.
Release the pressure oI the Iingers and thumbs
and lower the hands to the knees.
Exhale with ujjayi pranayama and khechari
mudr a while simultaneously movi ng your
attention t hrough the centres in the awarohan
as Iollows: bindu, ajna, vishuddhi, anahata,
manipura, swadhisthana, mooladhara.
Be aware oI each centre in turn (Iigure 6) - no
mental repetition.
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Exhalation should end at mooladhara.
Hold the breath.
Bend the head slightly Iorwards.
This is the end oI the Iirst round.
Start the second round immediately.
Inhale and let your awareness pass through
the centres oI the Irontal passage and so on.
Practise 5 complete rounds.
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Ujjayi breathing throughout the practice. Hold
the breath while repeating the ' mooladhara'
mantra. Inhale while ascending the Irontal
passage. Hold the breath while visualizing the
trident and repeating the ' bindu bhedan'
rrantra. Exhale while descending the spinal
par age.
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Fix awareness on breathing, chakras and
kshetrams. the closing oI the nine gates, the
trident and the ' mool adhara' and ' bindu
ohedan' mantras.
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Do 3 rounds. This should take about 5 minutes
- a little more, a little less - depending on your
control oI breath.
Hi nt s
Most people will Iind it diIIicult to complete
a round with one respiration. You may Ieel
slight suIIocation. In the beginning, it is
best that you prematurely break the practice
in the middle oI the round and breathe in
and out. Do not strain.
Perhaps you can do one complete round
with one inhalation and exhalation, but you
may still Ieel discomIort. Under these
circumstances, we suggest that you breathe
in once at the end oI each round when your
awareness reaches mool adhara. As you
gain more control over the duration oI
inhalation, retention and exhalation, then
this extra Iacility can be discarded.
AIter breath retention and visualization oI
the trident you may Ieel a little discomIort
or diIIiculty in exhalation. The lungs seem
to 'lock'. We have Iound that this problem
is overcome by inhaling slightly beIore
exhalation.
It is extremely important that the back be
held perIectly straight all throughout this
kriya. II the spine is not straight, the
sensation that Iollows the piercing oI bindu
will not be perceived.
It is also important that vajroli mudra be
correctly perIormed, Ior this too heightens
the sensations experienced duri ng this
practice. When vajroli mudra is perIected,
t he cont ract i on oI vaj ra nadi can be
achieved without cont ract i ng the anal
sphincter muscle. The sensation is like an
electric current running the Iull length oI
vajra nadi to the brain.
Try to sensitize your awareness to the point
where you actually Ieel the piercing oI
bindu. The sensation is similar to an electric-
shock.
KRIYA 11: SHAKTI CHALINI
(CONDUCTION OF PRANA)
The word shakti means 'energy' , ' prana' or
' kundalini' ; the word chalini means 'to move'
or 'to conduct' . This kriya can thereIore be
called ' the conduct i on oI pr ana' or ' t he
awakening oI the kundalini' . It is the eleventh
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kriya, the second oI the dharana (concentration)
group oI practices and should be practised
immediately aIter naumukhi.
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Shakti chalini is widely ment i oned in yogic
scriptures. It is well described in the Yoga
Chudamani Upanishad (verses 107-108),
Gherand Samhita (3:44-50) and the Hatha Yoga
Pradipika (3:104-120). All the descriptions,
however, are diIIerent; the same name, 'shakti
chalini' , is used Ior di IIerent t echni ques.
Furthermore, none oI these techniques resem-
ble the practice oI shakti chalini that is used in
kriya yoga. II you are interested, we suggest
that you look up these reIerences Ior yourselI.
However, we will give a Iew quotations Irom
the Hatha Yoga Pradipika: "The kundalini is
coiled and shaped like a snake. When the shakti
moves then there is realization. OI this there is
no doubt." (3:108) This verse indicates the
importance oI awakening the kundalini (shakti)
using such methods as shakti chalini. However,
there must be mental balance in one' s being:
"The balaranda (kundalini) lies midway
bet ween t he Ganges (ida) and Yamuna
(pingala). When it moves one attains the abode
oI Lord Vishnu (illumination)." (3:109) This
verse emphasizes that the kundalini will not
awaken unless the ida and pingala are balanced.
We suggest that you reIer back to our previous
discussion ' The Balance oI LiIe'
5
. Without this
balance the kundalini will never awaken even iI
you practise shakti chalini or any other yogic
technique Ior the next twenty years.
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To practise shakti chalini you should know the
Iollowing techniques:
1. Khechari mudra
2
2. Ujjayi pranayama
2
3. Sha nmukhi mu d r a
4
The position oI the Iingers and hands Ior
shanmukhi mudra is illustrated in Iigure 3.
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Sit in siddhasana or siddha yoni asana'
1
. II you
cannot sit in one oI these two asanas sit in any
other comIortable asana.
You should remain in the same sitting posi-
tion that you utilized Ior naumukhi; there is
no need to move one' s physical position or to
open the eyes.
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Sit in a comIortable pose.
Hold the back straight.
Close the eyes and keep them closed through-
out the entire practice.
Do khechari mudra.
Exhale deeply.
Bend the head Iorwards.
Fix the awareness at mooladhara chakra.
The Iirst round begins here.
Mentally pronounce the mant ra
' mooladhara - mooladhara - mooladhara' .
Then inhale with ujjayi pranayama letting your
awareness ascend the Irontal (arohan) passage.
You should be aware oI each centre in turn as
Iollows: swadhisthana, mani pura, anahat a,
vishuddhi.
There should be a smooth Ilow oI awareness
(Iigure 1) - no mental pronunciation.
Raise your head as the awareness moves Irom
vishuddhi to bindu (Iigure 2).
Inhalation should cease on reaching bindu.
Hold the breath.
Practise shanmukhi mudra, closing the eyes,
ears, nose and lips with the Iingers and thumbs
(Iigure 3).
Allow your awareness to rotate in a continuous
circle through the awarohan (spinal passage)
and the arohan (Irontal passage).
Simultaneously try to visualize a thin green
snake moving in the same closed loop.
Continue to hold your breath.
The snake should move downwards Irom
bindu to mooladhara in the spinal passage
and then upwards Irom mooladhara to bindu
in the Irontal passage.
The movement oI the snake should be inte-
grated with the movement oI your awareness.
The snake should make a compl et e loop
(Iigure 3).
Visualize the snake as biting its own tail.
Let the snake move in a continuous circle; iI it
starts to move on a diIIerent track, let it - only
watch.
It may appear to spin oII away Irom the
awarohan - arohan circuit, let it. Only remain
aware.
Continue this visualization Ior as long as you
can comIortably hold your breath, but don' t
strain.
Then release shanmukhi mudra and place the
hands on the knees.
Fix your awareness on bindu.
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Exhale with ujjayi while bei ng aware oI each
cent r e i n t he awar ohan as Iollows: aj na,
vishuddhi, anahat a, mani pura, swadhisthana,
mool adhara.
Only be aware oI each cent re - no ment al
repet i t i on (Iigure 4). Exhalation should be
t er mi nat ed when your awareness r eaches
mool adhara.
Lower your head Iorwards. Thi s is t he end oI
the Iirst r ound.
Immediately start t he second r ound.
Mentally repeat t he ' mool adhara' mant r a 3
times.
Then, with ujjayi inhalation, raise your aware-
ness t hr ough t he cent r es oI t he a r oha n
passage. Do 5 compl et e rounds.
Breathing
Ujjayi breat hi ng t hroughout the practice. Hol d
the breat h while repeat i ng t he ' mool adhara'
mant ra. Inhal e while ascendi ng t he ar ohan
passage. Hol d t he breat h while visualizing t he
movement oI t he internal snake. Exhale while
descendi ng the awarohan passage.
Hints
When this kriya is mast ered t hen 5 r ounds
shoul d be t he equi val ent oI 5 compl et e
respirations. In t he begi nni ng, however, this
is not easy. We suggest that you Iollow t he
instructions t hat we have listed under this
headi ng in t he description oI t he previous
kriya, naumukhi mudr a.
Awareness
Be aware oI t he breat hi ng, t he centres in t he
a r oha n and awar ohan, t he ' mool a dha r a'
mant ra, t he physical movement oI t he head,
the raising and lowering oI t he hands and the
visualization oI t he psychic snake.
Visualization
II you practise shakti chalini alone, t hen you
may Iind it diIIicult to visualize t he snake. II,
however, you Iirst oI all practise t he precedi ng
ten kriyas you will Iind that visualization is
much easier. Th e snake seems t o appear
naturally. II you cannot visualize t he snake,
don' t worry - with time and practice you will.
Number of rounds
Do 5 r ounds. Thi s takes appr oxi mat el y 5
mi nut es accordi ng to your capacity to retain
t he br e a t h and cont r ol exhal at i on and
inhalation.
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1
Book& '''( Lesson 31, Topic 3
2
Book I, Lesson 6, Topic 5
3
Book& ''( Lesson 19, Topic 4
4
Book& ''( Lesson 18, Topic 5
5
For Iurt her details oI the sushumna pathway
reIer to Balance oI LiIe: Part 1 - Book& ''( Lesson
22, Topic 1; Part 2 - Book& ''( Lesson 23, Topic 1
6
Book I, Lesson 7, Topic 2
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