Throughout the day we have different stress triggers. We can be triggered by all kinds of circumstances, people, noises, even the weather. Yogi Bhajan said that 85% of our behavior is automatic and determined by our environment. If we let our environment dictate our mood then our life will feel like an emotional roller-coaster. The only way off the roller-coaster is through our breath. In today’s vlog I share a powerful and practical meditation that you can use to reduce stress anywhere, anytime. This Kundalini practice is often referred to as the “backpack meditation” because you can bust it out of your spiritual backpack whenever you’re in need of some serenity. We can’t control the stress in our life but we can control how we handle them. Use this practice to change your reaction to stress. Test-drive this meditation and share your experience with me in the comments below. If you need future guidance check out the breakdown underneath the video. Meditation to Alleviate Your stress (AKA Backpack Meditation) breakdown as taught by Yogi Bhajan:

The posture: Sit cross-legged in easy pose. The hands: Place your hands in Giyan mudra with your thumb pressing against your pointer finger. The pointer finger, otherwise known as Jupiter. When you press your thumb against this finger you ignite your knowledge. The breathe: This Kundalini meditation suggests that you breathe in eight strokes through your nose and out for one stroke through your nose. vera bradley baroque backpack on saleIf yogic breathe is new to you and it’s hard to breathe in that much air then breathe in for four strokes instead of eight. simms dry creek backpack saleBreathe in four strokes through the nose and one breath out.55l backpack amazon

Time: You can do this meditation for one minute and experience miraculous results. Put this meditation in your back pocket and use it whenever stress arises. The Kundalini yogis suggest that you do this meditation for eleven minutes for 40 days. Pay close attention to how your environment triggers your stress patterns. Whenever possible turn to this meditation to release you from stress and restore your vitality.tom bihn backpack synapse 25 In this video I share a Kundalini meditation for irrationality. sazabi backpackThis practice is part of a series of “backpack meditations” that you can use anywhere at any time. xara backpackI’ve been practicing this meditation for the past forty-days and I can testify to the great benefits. costco jansport backpacks

I feel more calm, centered and even-keeled. Bring this meditation into your daily sadhana and you will feel much more chilled out! For further support the directions are written below. How to do Backpack meditation #3 Sit: in easy pose (cross-legged on the floor) Mudra: Left hand near left ear, thumb touching ring finger.Right hand in lap, thumb touching little finger. Breath: Long deep breath for 11 minutes. Close the meditation: Once you’ve finished your 11 minute meditation then raise your hands over your head and shake them for 3 minutes. I suggest shaking them to the Florence + the Machine song, Shake it Out. Here I am shaking it out at my LA workshop! Next VideoAre you overspiritualizing?Kundalini remains a mainstay of my practice because it is one of the most powerful forms of yoga and meditation I have found - I've practiced it almost every day since early 2013 (even if just for a few minutes) and the effect it has had on my life has been profound and observable.

Kundalini combines breath, hand position (mudra), eye focus, meditation, asana (posture) and sometimes mantra, and so it has a more potent effect on our physiology and neurophysiology than mindfulness meditation or other types of meditation. It strengthens our nerves, repatterns our brain wiring, helps balance the glandular system, develops a sense of will, strengthens our mind, and does a whole host of other things. It's changed my life in a PROFOUND way and I recommend anyone in some mode of recovery find a way to incorporate it into their life.This meditation was the second Kundalini meditation I did for a forty-day practice. It's a powerful meditation with immediate effects and it remains part of my regular practice (and part of my "crisis toolkit"). Similar to the Siri Gaitri, I was drawn to it because it is a balancing meditation (it balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain), and because in those early days I so desperately needed to feel a sense of balance. I was also drawn to it because I'm an EXTREMIST, I need to feel something is actually working, and the effects of this meditation are powerful and immediate - it goes straight to the fight or flight response and brings you into an almost sedative state.

It's perfect to use as a consistent practice if you are looking to truly shift your energy and cultivate a sense of deep calm and balance (I recommend anyone do this for 40 days), and it's also perfect  to learn if you are looking for powerful coping mechanisms to self-regulate. In other words, it's great to use over time to cultivate lasting change, but it's also great to use if you are ever in a state of stress, panic, anxiety, fear, craving, etc. - as a coping mechanism on this path. I've many times excused myself and used it in private to self-soothe and manage myself (think bathroom stalls). You can watch  the video, or read the instructions below to practice on your own. Meditation for Tattva Balance Beyond Stress & DualitySitting Position. Sit in an Easy Pose (cross legged), with a light jalandhar bandh (chin is pulled in to neck). Raise the arms with the elbows bent until the hands meet at the level of the heart in front of the chest. The forearms make a straight line parallel to the ground.

Spread the fingers of both hands. Touch the fingertips and thumb tips of opposite hands together. Create enough pressure to join the first segments of each finger. The thumbs are stretched back and point toward the torso. The fingers are bent slightly due to the pressure. The palms are separated.Fix your eyes at the tip of the nose.Create the following breathing pattern: Inhale smoothly and deeply through the nose. Exhale through the rounded lips in 8 equal emphatic strokes. On each exhale, pull the Navel Point in sharply.Continue for 3 minutes. Build the practice slowly to 11 minutes. Practicing longer is only for the dedicated and serious student.Inhale deeply, hold for 10-30 seconds, and exhale. Inhale again and shake the hands. The five elements are categories of quality that are based in the energetic flow of your life force. If all the elements are strong, in balance, and located in their proper areas of the body, then you can resist stress, trauma, and illness. You also do not get confused in conflicts between the two hemispheres of the brain as they compete for the right to make and direct decisions.