Yoga

For the last 40 days, I’ve been doing Meditation to burn inner anger and rebuild your immune system.

The directions are to :
‘Breathe strongly and powerfully with emotion. Burn your inner anger and get rid of it. Take the help of the breath to get rid of the body’s weaknesses and impurities’.

It’s said that 11 minutes a day will re-build within you a powerful immune system and after 40 days, you will be a different person.

Meditation to burn inner anger involves you placing your left hand at your heart palm down and your right arm straight up two fingers out, two curled under your thumb. You breathe in through your mouth fully and out again through the mouth. At the end, you raise both arms up breathe in and cannon breath out. There’s a great video from Carlyn Cowen I started with.

This is the first 40 days I’ve done since having a baby! I was interested again to do a meditation involving my arms. I am a long time believer, from experience, that I hold a lot of stress and tension in my arms. I find them challenging but so rewarding too. Inner anger stuck out as we all have some form of anger inside us. The first image I saw was Snatamn Kaur demonstrating it and if she’s doing it (she seems like the calmest serene woman on the planet) then I can do it too.

There is and isn’t anything, in particular, I was personally working on. Though there are some parts of my environment that annoy me heavily and I can’t change them some not at all, some not straight away. It comes from living with an extended family other than my husband and child. If there’s anything I’ve learned from this experience, it’s to be truthful about how I feel. When I hide this or am in the reactive mode it becomes undealt with and I get physical symptoms, a twitch in my neck, heavy arms and stomach ache.

Stress will always show up in the body.

Throughout the 40 days, I kept a journal, crossing off days and writing notes about my days.

Some days, when I was really still and non distracted the meditation was super powerful and it was easy to commit daily to that.

What I noticed at first was the all to familiar discomfort of a commitment only four days in. I started by only doing three warm-ups then the meditation, though twenty days in I explored short kriyas while S.Kaur slept. Also throughout this period, I felt I was able to get more honest with myself and out loud. I got tasks done that I put off for another time.

I came across this killer Yogi Bhajan quote:

‘Truth spoken in fear is a lie. It is a comment from the heart chakra. Words of truth spoken kindly is the signature of the heart chakra.’

Highlights and happenings over 40 days:

Did my life insurance policy
Emailed venues to teach yoga at in London this September and met up with one of them.
I started having cold showers every day and once again it is wonderful and a total game changer.
I also started having a green juice in the morning followed by banana porridge. These became part of my new mum morning routine.
I planned a set of classes around the Chakras to re-familiarise myself and be prepared.
I stayed at my families when they were on holiday and had two mornings of yoga and meditation in a big room, vastness, and space.
I got into the daily habit of reading the Hukumnana each morning (daily order/intention of the day).
I did podcasts on Sabbath, Living environments and Anxiety notes. You can find these on True talks with Taran.

I went social media free Friday evenings – Saturday evenings! I felt so much more focused and now follow Cal Newport’s blog as he writes about digital minimalism (written book of the same name) and now getting into the habit of intentional social media rather than mindless default scrolling.
I tuned into how I felt and the growing annoyances, irritations instead of letting it grow into a mountain of resentment.
I recognized how great it feels to just have family time us three, so I make the most of a free house, walk in the woods, day out.
I feel less resistance and tension around household issues when it’s not your house, it’s not your rules. I change what I can (the parts of the house I can change I will and save for).

I made a new habit of opening curtains in the early morning, to be in natural light as much as possible (my mum’s house is great for this) and going for walks – daily walking really is clearing a lot.
I’ve done a lot of complaining these 40 days! Mainly to my husband, I’m recognizing what I do and don’t want and there’s nothing wrong with that. Though you can’t keep complaining, you need to be a vehicle for change!
It’s brought forward the reminder to put my practice at the forefront of life, the values I learn in Kundalini yoga are not just for the mat, they are for every moment and interaction. The same goes for Sikhi and the path I chose to live on.

I went to a SikhPA event Womens (in) equality – first time out in London on my own in two months!
S.Kaur moved from Moses basket to cot! She’s started smiling too!
I had three times where my tummy played up, felt so tight and irritated whether it be from food or stress, I was aware of it, ate light and when I felt to and spoke about my feelings towards things bothering me.
I’ve become more mindful of eating healthier food and earlier dinner time too. I’ve gone from eating at 7.30pm to 6.30pm, it means I have to get organized to cook around 5pm and save my husband’s food till later but we both feel better for it. I also bought Kundalini Yoga recipe book and there are some quick and easy gems in there.

I was reminded of the cornerstones of what’s important – Yoga, Sikhi, Creativity. Instead of being immersed in general conversation I recognized I wanted to work on side projects, learn and have deeper conversations. Something I’m experimenting with now.

I’ve listened to a lot of Guru Jagat on Youtube.
Tried out Pilates, Zumba, and Buggyfit. I also started a great baby massage class too with NCT.
I tied areas of the bedroom with S.Kaur which was both needed and fun too singing along to Snatamn Kaur!
I did a 24-hour appreciation challenge.

A Sikhnet story reminded me – no complain, no compare, no compete.
I went to a screening of documentary Mantra spontaneous date night and saw Dark Phoenix an Xmen film at baby cinema.
I made the first moves to switch from child benefit to Universal Credit (a long process).
I went out for drives with S.Kaur for the first time on my own, something I was worried about but all was fine.

I drafted some business cards and flyers for yoga business.
I went through a hand car wash for the first time, I’ve never cleaned any car I’ve owned.
I did a journal page, journaling my feelings then painting over them with acrylics.
My favorite Kriyas to do were: Pituitary Gland and Trukti Kriya.

In the last 10 days I:

Bought a new thicker yoga mat, new bras, personal development books (audio is more practical on walks) and a much-needed jet washer for the garden.
I edited my website so the focus is on yoga and classes, then my blog.
I wrote in a cafe distraction-free, guilt-free and it felt wonderful!
I recognized when with family, it can feel draining. Set boundaries and always take my own car.
Recorded dreams and did more of Byron Katie’s The Work app to deal with issues.
Started and completed Kriya A very subtle exercise, it involves a lot of shaking and journaling daily.
Saw mum and dad and did different activities – a restaurant and park visit – so refreshing!

On day 40:

I felt at first it ended badly – I spent money on a spontaneous gift that a) I didn’t get credit for and b) was not consulted about. However, it made a difference to another person and that’s what counts, also I didn’t need to go into a busy mall to get it. This day it was 33 degrees but babies aren’t really fans of sunbathing, something I love.

Though the same day I was given a bunch of skirts in my size and style for free and a cheque come through, again the name needs changing (spelling error) but it came.

The husband helped out feeding and changing S.Kaur so I could finish 40/40 days and family announced they’re moving home this year, enabling us all to sort our environments this year.

Overview and final thoughts:

I haven’t burned away inner anger so much as recognized it. Recognizing it coming in the form of complaining, comparing, striving, not letting things be, not accepting the way things are and being cold, distant, awkward and moany. There are things that I cannot change, only change how I am with them, it’s brought sitting in discomfort, the knowingness of what I want and don’t want.

Boundaries and self-respect are something to practice more of.

After all, everything is temporary and why let things take up rent in your mind when they don’t have to.

Life is a gift, don’t drift or create a rift. – YB

I like to track what I’ve done in a 40 days because it helps me stay accountable. It shows how transformative Kundalini Yoga can be in small changes, new habits and tiny but totally life-changing behaviors.

Have you done this or another 40 days meditation recently? I’d love to know or link to it in the comments below!