Heather’s Kundalini Yoga Blog Kundalini yoga, passion, joy, fulfillment - sharing lessons I’ve learned

     I will always remember the day I watched The Twin Towers go down standing at  the corner of Union Square; and the feeling I had while trying to figure out how to get myself home.  It took about 2 months after 911 to come out of a depression and feel somewhat alive again.  I prayed many nights for an answer on what I should be doing in my life.  The  experience  made me sit back and calculate my values, time, and worth.  I woke up every morning with one thought -and that was I will work in India.  I would laugh at myself and continue on with the day. Each morning for over 3 weeks I had the same thought about India. Then my mind was clear and 2 weeks later I received a phone call to work on a project in India. I had to laugh. God can be direct if we keep the channels open. 

        This trip to India began my spiritual journey and I had a deep longing to experience a new and more meaningful path in my life.  In 2001 I walked into “Kundalini Yoga East” and found myself  cautious of the white attire and turbans, but soon felt relaxed in a non-judgemental environment. I liked the quality of knowledge from the teachers, but also their deep humbleness in presenting what they believed in.  I can say without learning  Kundalini Yoga I may have lost my way in life. It connected me again to my true self and that inner joy that can’t be bought or created by anyone else.  I enjoyed getting to know myself again and even though I struggled at first with meditation; I soon discovered my weaknesses and became more aware within to know that the meditation/chants were what I needed most to develop my true identity.   I studied for about 4 years before I had a calling to move back to Pittsburgh my home town. I think it is common for any one who is on  a spiritual path to find a moment in their life when they need to face their roots one more time.

       Pittsburgh was definately a culture shock for me; but it has allowed me to step up to the plate and become a Kundalini Yoga teacher/healer.  I am surprised at how little people really know about this type of yoga.  I always go back to what the master Yogi Bhajan said,  it is about experiencing the technology. Ten years later I am now committed to receiving my second certification because I have seen the results in my student’s work.  The science of Kundalini Yoga has thus far proven to be accurate by watching how much my students improve in their health-let go of medications-reduce tumors -and conquer what some doctors may say is not possible.  I believe there needs to be a balance in life with western and eastern philosophies. I know with my own genetic blood issues both worlds have helped me live a stronger life. Sat Nam!

        October 24, 2009 - In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month,  Heather Ferri Productions, LLC will sponsor 3 lectures/demonstrations from 1-4pm with Certified Kundalini Yoga teacher Sangeeta Kaur.  Sangeeta Kaur is the spiritual name given to Heather when she recieved her first certification.  These events will be held at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00PM at Glow located at 663 Washington Road in the heart of Mt. Lebanon.  Reservations will be limited to 35 attendees per session. 

        If you would like more information about this event or yoga DVD’s you can contact Heather at heatherferriproductions@yahoo.com or call 412-276-2466.

        Master Teacher, Sangeeta Kaur, will discuss 3 major health concerns:  Hormones, Stress, and Obesity.  She will demonstrate some basic fundamental exercises regarding breath and posture as well as discuss how Kundalini Yoga flushes out toxins and cleanses the organs by physical movement.  Kaur will focus on Kundalini Yoga sets which not only stimulate the immune system but also encourage better circulation around the breasts and lymph glands under the armpits.  Participants will learn that Kundalini Yoga is a specialized science which plays an important role in both healing the body as well as the mind.

         Sangeeta Kaur trained in New York City for 6 years. In addition Kaur recieved 500 hours of instruction from the masters at the Kundalini Yoga Research Institute in New Mexico. She brings a wealth of information regarding women’s health.  Attendees will have the chance to pre-view segments of Kaur’s “Kundalini Yoga for Women” DVD and hear why she believes all women should practice these simple exercises every day.  Participants will recieve a coupon valid for one Kundalini Yoga class at Glow with Sangeeta for $5.00(regular value is $18)  as well as a raffle entry for a private session at Glow worth $150 ( Winner to be announced at 4pm)

         Each one hour session will feature a guest speaker who will discuss how their life and health have changed as a result of Kundalini Yoga/Sangeeta Kaur.

     In my many years of teaching I have come to the conclusion that the exercise that scares people the most is sitting still in silence.  Why?  In our culture we are programmed early on that resting, doing nothing for a short period of time, is a result of being lazy.

      Regarding health issues many of my students suffer from chronic problems due to their inability to relax.  A nervous system that has to work overtime creates a person who ages faster and heals slower.  Kundalini Yoga teaches you methods to use to calm the brain down from thinking, and allowing the nervous system to shut down so that the person can sleep better. 

       Silence requires a person to be within their own thoughts, and if not prepared may be shocked at what the mind thinks and feels at that moment in time.  In my teaching experience I have heard endless stories regarding how student’s discover a deep secret or painful tragedy that was buried inside them.  The first question I ask the student is what happened in your life to allow this information to present itself?  It never fails that each student will discuss how life slowed down for them-work was slow-more time on their hands and this opened a door for them to remember or visualize a past experience that was blocked within their soul. 

      In a yoga practice it is the physical exercises that open us up to be able to sit still and meditate.   Then the challenge is getting rid of all the random and endless noise in our heads so that the brain can actually hear it’s own thoughts and reflect on them.

     It is common to walk into a yoga class and have new students say they are not interested in chanting or doing meditation work.  Why? Through my experiences people have misread much information on yoga and the reasons chanting are vital to the healing process of their bodies.  I always mention that the reason we must chant and create sounds through the mouth is our tongue has 84 meridians that stimulate different glands in the brain when placed in the correct positions.  Chanting certain vowels open the chambers to the brain and relaxation occurs.

    The first reason people might be having insomnia is they can’t seem to shut down the nervous system and feel relaxed.  Many Kundalini Yoga sets work on the nervous system allowing a person to experience an active work-out that creates a calmness in the mind.  Through this feeling of being calm the body is able to shut down and sleep.  Second, using one of the meditations Sa Ta Na Ma, which you press on each finger with the thumb while chanting over and over again, begins the process of cleaning the sub-conscious brain.  This is the part of the brain that focuses on the past.  The goal in meditation work is to get to a place where you can be completely in the present moment. 

     Finally, doing meditation work right before you go to bed will build better habits for the mind and body to process. In time a person should feel a shift in their sleeping patterns and feel a window open within their minds. This window then  creates a healthier mind during the day from having the ability to properly shut down at night.

• Glad to be back in the burgh! #
• Thank God tom. is Friday! #

• Can’t wait to go to LA tom…. #
• woke up to snow in Pittsburgh! #

First, do you sit in a chair everyday for hours?  How does your spine feel by the end of the day?  Bad posture creates a lack of oxygen supply to the brain.  Sitting with a straight spine requires encaging the abdominals and breathing from the diaphragm.  In Kundalini Yoga we have a spinal flex series that addresses posture;and with sitting well comes a feeling of having more energy.

Second, when people breath from the mouth it only supplies the upper part of the lungs with air; which leads to a shallow breath.  In Kundalini Yoga many of the exercises require using the nostrils for breath.  Nostril breathing is vital for helping depression.  It is common to watch students leaving a Kundalini Yoga class looking “high on life”  because of the breath work.

Third, our minds can be described as a computer chip that logs our past experiences and thoughts.  How do we clean that computer chip?  In Kundalini Yoga we use all types of mantras to assist in re-programming how we think.  If a person is used to saying to themselves, “I am stupid” in a matter of time that is programmed into the brain and stored.  Depression is losing sight of your true self and believing false statements from the past.  In doing meditation work it not only cleans your computer chip, but also teaches the brain to be present.

Last, depression can become a habit of life.  By doing active scientific yoga movement you are forced to get out of your head and into the body.  In my many years of teaching I have discovered that the mind can easily lie, but our bodies will always lead us back to the truth.

• I did a heart chakra set today, WOW #
• It was great to feel the sun while taking a long walk this afternoon, and now I am off to teach my tap dancing kids !!! #

• I am working on another article regarding women’s health. I am also enjoying a nice cup of tea! #
• @cityguyyoga in reply to cityguyyoga #
• While reading this morning-this stuck to me-”those who do not know how to live to their words shall never have the knowledge to know God.” #
• Today the skies are in a deep fog-what will the day bring? #

     First, we use the long deep breathing exercises to calm and relax the mind.  One nostril breathing is a great way to center your brain.  Cover your right nostril with your thumb and begin taking long deep breaths out of the left nostril.  Then reverse the exercise.  It is common to discover that most of the time you are breathing out of only one nostril and the goal is to balance the breath between both nostrils.  In a matter of a few minutes checmicals are released from the brain and your mood shifts.  This mood shift allows a person to be present in their life and not to react to people or situations.  When we feel happier we attract better life circumstances.

     Second, in Kundalini Yoga there are specific heart chakra sets to do to attract more abundance into your life.  The fourth chakra, which is the heart, needs to be open and clear in order to attract opportunties.  When working on the heart many of the exercises will consist of having your arms over the head in different angles.  Fire breath is a fast, rhythmic pattern used many times to move blocked energy in the body.  I am amazed at students who commit to a 40 day yoga set on the heart chakra and return to me with life-changing stories.

     Third, many of the meditations used to open the heart and create a channel for abundance is “Har.”  The idea is to open your higher self to a place of surrender so the universe can provide for you.  Many times when out heart is blocked so is our ability to see other possible doors in life.  In Kundalini Yoga numerology is used to design the length of time for each mediation/exercise.  Eleven minutes is a solid number to start with using “Har” to chant.  If you place one hand on your navel point you need to project that one word from your gut.  If the intention is clear you will begin to feel a shift that will allow you to be guided and protected by a higher energy within your life.