Glands and Immunity
This kriya works the master gland directly. The pituitary sits behind the brow, the seat of the third eye, and every lunge, bend, and forehead-to-floor surrender in this set sends blood and pressure into that command center to wake it. You are not stretching for the body alone. You are tuning the gland that governs the whole endocrine choir, opening the inner eye through the back of the spine and the crown of the head.
Pose 1
Lunge Stretch. Bend the right knee with the right foot flat on the floor. Stretch the left leg straight back and set the hands on the floor for balance. Arch the head back and hold, breathing slow and deep for 1 minute. Then shift into Breath of Fire for 2 minutes.
Pose 2
Lunge Stretch Rest. From position one, lower the right knee to the floor and fold the torso down over the thigh. Rest the forehead on the floor, stretch the left leg all the way back, and let the arms lie by the sides, palms up. Breathe slow and deep for 3 minutes.
Pose 3
Repeat exercises 1 and 2 with the legs reversed.
Pose 4
Front Bend. Stand with the feet about two feet apart. Fold forward and touch the fingertips or the palms to the floor. Hold with long deep breathing for 3 minutes.
Pose 5
Ego Eradicator. Stand again and stretch the arms overhead at a thirty-degree angle, thumbs pointing up, fingers curled onto the pads of the palms. Keep the elbows straight and breathe long and deep for 3 minutes. (Seated in Easy Pose for Ego Eradicator the arms reach overhead at a sixty-degree angle. Standing, the angle drops to thirty degrees, as pictured, for balance.)
Pose 6
Triangle Pose. Come onto the hands and knees and press up into Triangle Pose. The heels stay on the floor and the head and neck go soft. Hold for up to 3 minutes.
Pose 7
Cobra Pose. Relax on the stomach for 1 minute. Then draw the heels together, palms flat on the floor under the shoulders, and push up into Cobra Pose. Stretch the head and neck back and begin long deep breathing for 1 minute. Then turn the head side to side, inhaling to the left, exhaling to the right, for 2 minutes. Inhale, exhale, and pull Mulbandh 3 times.
Pose 8
Sit on the heels in Rock Pose and spread the knees wide apart. Bring the forehead to the floor with the palms flat on the ground in front of the knees, the arms stretching up and out like a flower greeting the sun. Exhale and come down, forehead to the floor. Continue for 3 minutes.
Pose 9
Yoga Mudra. Sit on the heels again with the knees together and the fingers interlaced at the base of the spine. Bring the forehead to the ground and lift the arms straight up as far as they will go. Hold for 3 minutes with long deep breathing.