28/12/2020
The powerful Chi Warrior Kriya brings the energy from the ground and moves it through our body as an energy channel, making us more attuned to our senses and therefore increasingly present in the Here and Now, all there really is.
By pulling the energy up from the ground while inhaling and expelling it out through our extended arms and hands while exhaling, we build a strong prana circulation through the body. While forcefully exhaling through the month with the Kali mudra (tongue sticking out), we deepen the experience and invoke the presence of Kali, the deity known for burning negativities.
Goddess invokation is not to be mistaken with a religious rite per se. In my understanding, gods and goddesses (or deities) can be seen as a representation of a set of values, a mindset, a spirit. They help us galvanize our intentions at a specific target and they give purpose to the practice (be it kriyas, meditation, bhakti...)
Prana = Qi = Chi all meaning energy, life force. Kriyas are a wonderful tool to allow more prana to flow through us and therefore raise the energy in us.
I prefer not to speak of increasing "my" energy or "our" prana as energy just flows through us. We cannot "own" energy but we can clear the canals, the pipes, channels (nadis) the energy flows through. That is exactly what we do with Kriyas, by working on the energy body (pranayama kosha or 2nd body - that on which acupuncture and homeopathy work, for example) and allowing the cosmic energy to flow smoothly through us.
Note that Kriyas are only one - but a potent one - way to improve the health of the panayama kosha. Other techniques working on the energy body, directly or indirectly, include meditation, Qi Gong, asanas, pranayama, yin yoga, acupuncture, sports when practiced with awareness...(this is not exhaustive). Depending on the intensity and the level of presence of the practicioner, the result will be of different magnitude. Personally I find that Kriyas practised with focus, intention and dedication in conjunction with asanas and meditation are a very powerful and effective way to improve the prana flow through our body.
"Energy, like water, should be moving to keep it fresh, otherwise you’ll create a stagnant swamp...And fall sick"
This "Chi Kriya" has been passed on by Anand Mehrotra, Founder of Sattva Yoga Academy near Rishikesh, foothills of the Himalayas.
