This is my ideal morning routine. If time permits.
- Bhuta Shuddhi
Water has memory. I remember seeing a scientific experiment where they take 2 bowls of water. To one bowl they tell all positive things – you are amazing, you are happy etc. To another bowl they tell all negative things. Then they freeze it and after a few hours observe the water molecules – the one with the positive things all have beautiful patterns. The one with negative things are all messed up.
The first step of Bhuta Shuddhi, we hold a little water in the palm and tell a mantra 3 times. Then swallow it. I feel this consecrated water gets mixed up with my body’s existing water and also changes it for the better. We humans are 80% Water.
Then we swallow drumstick balls – in lieu of earth. First I thought these were sand from Vellingiri hills. When I had ordered these in US, they had revealed the ingredients. Sneaky 🙂
Then get to light the camphor and view it upclose. Great for the eyes at the beginning of the day.
Finally get to take deep breaths of the Camphor and finish it off with Ujjayi Breathe.
This is the ideal way to start a day.
When I am short of time I skip it. San when she is short of time does only this. She loves doing Bhuta Shuddhi.
How to learn : This is a course taught by Isha Hatha Yoga. Rs.2,100 – they give the Bhuta Shuddhi kit with this. 1.5 hours only.
2. Nadi Vibhajan
This is the preparatory Asana. Earlier I used to just rush through this, but I take my own sweet time to do each of the poses.
I tell myself, this is off-setting the 8-12 hours of sitting on the computer.
I have seen pilates videos – similar to these asanas – saying it’s good for spine, posture etc. Nadi Vibhajan poses are similar.
This is taught along with the Shambhavi course. I do it daily – since this is the first step before Shambhavi.
3. Eye Exercise
We were listening to the audio book of the biography of an American astronaut. He was bespectacled, but he went through some eye exercises to temporarily get 20/20 vision to qualify on some test.
After hearing that I thought – so my eye sight can be reversed or at least contained. I have short sight ( around 5 ) and long sight ( kicked in after I crossed 40 ). Now I wear expensive progressive lens and dread replacing them.
I came across this nice video from Vethanthri Maharishi – I stare into a computer and phone screen 14-16 hours a day – hoping this exercise should reverse it a bit or at least prevent my eye sight from deteriorating further.
Also I have read somewhere that when the eye sight shifts focus from left to right – the neurons do some kind of handshake between the 2 hemispheres – doing this daily is important – it keeps Alzheimers Dementia at bay apparently.
This one hardly takes 5 minutes. Have added this to my daily routine. Need not pay anything to learn this – the YouTube video below is enough.
4. Anga Mardhana
This was the most hardest yoga I had ever learnt. I would say this is like the Baap of all Yogas. Learning this is enough. No more yoga is needed.
The first time I did this I thought man – how will I ever remember it. There were so many steps to follow.
But Isha Hatha Yoga teachers have a way to drill it into your head. Even after 2-3 years since I learnt this I haven’t forgotten the sequence. And I do this occasionally. Last I did in September last year, then next in Feb 1st week this year.
I find it hard to pack this in every day – my goal is to do this once a week at least – on weekends.
The days I do it – I will feel as if my entire body has become extra flexible. Like rubber.
How to learn : Isha Hatha Yoga Rs.3,500 – it is a 4 day program, 3 hours each session.
5. Surya Kriya
This is the elder cousin to Surya Namaskar – slightly different, much slower but super powerful.
The first time I learnt I had loose motions! The body generates so much heat.
The teacher said please drink Tender Coconut, I was not paying attention and on the last day one of the participants said – oh you should have drank Tender Coconut.
I thought I had eaten something bad for the loose motion.
This is some powerful shit ( hehe ). Seriously.
I try to do this almost daily. It is not as demanding as Anga Mardhana – but it pumps your body with lot of energy for the day.
How to learn : Isha Hatha Yoga. Rs. 3,000. 4 days 2 hours each session.
5.5 Sushanti Meditation
At the end of Surya Kriya, I lie down in the best yoga pose of all – Shavasna – the corpse pose.
Then I do this Sushanti meditation where I take my focus to the energy points.
And I lose count and I restart from where I left out. Sometimes I do multiple times to resume the count.
The mind will keep drifting out and I have to bring it back – that’s how all meditation works.
It is very relaxing. Especially after the intensity which Surya Kriya brings.
6. Shambhavi Maha Mudhra – The Hero or rather Heroine of all!
Prior to Shambhavi I was following Art of Living’s Happiness Course – or Sudarshan Kriya. One problem I had was I needed the guidance for counts. Yes, I can do it myself without the aid but I would lose track and felt unsatisfied.
Luckily Shambhavi from beginning they encouraged to do without any guidance.
It is your preference – either Art of Living’s Happiness Course or Isha’s Inner Engineering – pick any one of them – both are super beneficial to your body and mind.
I had seen an old Chinese Chi Master teaches something similar to that in Shambhavi ( don’t recommend following instead learn Shambhavi from Isha itself ). These are powerful stuff, and if we do it the wrong way it might injure our spine etc.
Creating these vibrations in the body does something positive to the body and mind. Yep – I am not going to scientifically analyse, but I can feel the difference this does to my day.
Also I am reading a book called Pranayama – it talks about the triumvirate – Breathe,Mind and Body – have these 3 interchangeably become the Controller, Controlled and Controlling.
Pretty cool idea. Sometimes the Breathe is the controller, controlling the mind and the body gets controlled. Then the body can take over and control the breath and control the mind. Then the mind can take over and by controlling the body, control the breathe.
Shambhavi takes 20-25 minutes. I try not to miss Shambhavi – to me it is like brushing teeth daily. It takes years and years of practise to do this right and to reap its benefits.
Preparatory Asana, Anga Mardhana and Suriya Kriya – all these Yoga is to prepare the body and mind so one can do Shambhavi Perfectly.
The days I do Shambavi and the days I don’t do Shambavi – the difference is like day and night.
Thank you Sadhguru for teaching this to me / us. Ever grateful to you.
How to learn : Inner Engineering Rs.4,000. 7 online videos to watch before the day of initiation, then 2 days. 4 hours on day 1, 9.5 hours on day 2.
Worth every rupee of it.
My take on Shambavi : You might not believe in Sadhguru ( he is least bothered on what we mortals think of him 🙂 ) but learn this gift he has given us. Increasing the positive energy in the body and mind – automatically pushes out the negative stuff from our body and mind – and this allows us to do amazing things in life. And we can have a healthy successful life / career / relationship.
If Sadhguru is too “off-putting” then you can do Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Happiness course. Different set of Kriya – but similar effect.
Also the course fee- Rs.4,000. A Buffet in Whitefield will cost Rs.1,500 for one person. And in Buffets we are happy only for the first 15 minutes. After that we regret eating too much, regret paying the fat bill, regret rest of the day, regret the next day morning 🙂
I would say all the courses Isha charges are way too less.
6.5 Chakra Meditation
Shambhavi clears up the mind and makes it ready for meditation. The mind is nicely primed after Shambhavi – and now I have started doing Chakra meditation.
The point of yoga is to prepare one for meditation. Not long life or healthy living! That is the by-product.
I read a book – 5 Tibetans – he describes a routine like Surya Kriya – and he also spoke about meditation.
I have tried various meditations.
Had learnt TM – in college. Then learnt Shahaj Samadhi from Sri Sri’s Sister from Art of living. Last one I learnt was Heartfulness. I practise occasionally Sahaj – when I wake up in the middle of the night and try to go to sleep.
One problem with Sahaj is – I was given a bheeja mantra to bring back my mind after it starts wandering. And this Bheeja mantra that I got reminds me of a person who generates unpleasant feeling in me – and I have to fight it. Like they say – dont think of red apple and mind can’t just stop thinking of it.
Later I tried my hand at Heartfulness meditation. It is quite good – app is also there. And they ask you to use heartbeat for bringing back the mind.
Like Sushanti meditation – just need some node to come back to – otherwise let the mind freely wander. That’s all meditation is – from my learnings of so many techniques. It is quite simple.
I find Chakra meditation better as I get a sense of where I am during the meditation. Rest of them I do not get a sense of whether I just started meditation, or I am in the middle game or end game!
Here I know – ok, I have been in Manipura for quite sometime, let me move to the next one.
Chakra meditation asks you to focus on the 7 chakras.
Root Chakra – Muladhara
Sacral Chakra – Swadishtana
Solar Plexus Chakra – Manipura
Heart Chakra – Anahata
Throat Chakra – Visudha
Third Eye Chakra – Ajna
Crown Chakra – Sahasrara
Goal of meditation – according to me – is to give the mind a free run to do its thinking. Give it a full playing field – let it play its heart out. Good thoughts, Bad thoughts, Happy thoughts, Unhappy thoughts – all will come in full force. Hear them out. Then the mind will settle. Ok this guy is listening to me – and these thoughts will not be a burden anymore.
7. Shanmukhi Mudhra
I have been suffering from Tinnitus from my child hood. It’s a ringing in my ear that I hear constantly. It gets worse when I have cold – and I become partially deaf. I have got punishment in school because I did not hear the teacher’s instruction properly.
Shanmukhi Mudra is supposed to cure Tinnitus the marketing material said. I signed up. It hardly takes 5 minutes. This is to be done as the last routine. Also I should give a 7 day break after doing this every 21 days.
And I keep skipping this – sometimes I feel I am doing my morning routine way too long and skip. I am not consistent – Tinnitus is still there – perhaps it is kept at bay. Have to get consistent with this.
How to learn : Isha Hatha Yoga, Rs.1,000. 1.5 hours 1 session.
This is the order in which I learnt all these tools
2015 – Sudarshan Kriya ( but stopped practising )
2017 – Shambhavi MahaMudra
2019 – Bhuta Shuddhi and Shanmukhi Mudra
2020 – Anga Mardhana
2021 – Suriya Kriya
2023 – Eye Exercise
Without Anga Mardhana it takes an hour to do my routines.
With Anga Mardhana – She-bang as I call it – it takes 2 hours. This day – whatever problem I am working gets resolved. Guaranteed. Have seen it every time I have done a She-bang
Makes me super human 🙂
What Next?
I have almost learnt all the courses Isha has to offer in their satellite centres – in Whitefield.
I have been wanting to do Shunya for a very long time. But I have to go Ashram for this and be cut off from the world for 4 days. Once I even registered and paid but could not go. This gets filled up immediately in Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore. Perhaps I might do it in US, Tennessee centre this year.
