KriyaAsana Yoga is a combination of both Vinyasa And Kundalini Practice.
Gozo Yogi Michelle Bartolo helps us to understand the wisdom of this Yogi practice.
KriyaAsana Yoga is a combination of my favourite practices, Vinyasa & Kundalini. Vinyasa is a fluid practice of linking one pose to the next with ease, grace & softness. Kundalini is a practice that unblocks any blocked energy in the way of emotions, traumas, grief, etc. to be sure we are open and free.
KriyaAsana Yoga. What Are The Benefits?
- Asana-Vinyasa practice gets our energy flowing, balances our breath, and creates heat in the body, stability in the mind, and connection to our spirit.
- Asana-Vinyasa opens the first layer that leads to our nervous system.
- Kriyas work very closely with our nervous system and show us where our blockages are.
- Kriyas are often done for longer amounts of time than the asana is held. On average, kriyas are performed for 1 – 11 minutes. They are a meditation in action.
In my personal practice of Vinyasa, I noticed the physical benefits more than the spiritual benefits. Kundalini brought in the spiritual aspect of the practice and challenged my mind in a different way.
What Is Kriya – 3HO?
In Kundalini Yoga, a kriya is a specific sequence of physical actions that work toward a particular outcome. Kriya practice initiates a sequence of physical and mental changes that affect the body, mind, and spirit. There are kriyas to support the liver, balance the glandular system, stimulate the pituitary, release grief, improve our digestion and so much more. Each kriya has a different impact, but they work on all levels of your being at once.
Kriya is a Sanskrit word meaning complete action, deed, or effort. The root, kri, means to do or create.
Michelle Bartolo
Kriya is a Sanskrit word meaning complete action, deed, or effort. The root, kri, means to do or create. Within the context of Kundalini Yoga, kriya refers to a single or specific set of yogic exercises designed to create a predictable outcome in consciousness.
The instructions for any given kriya will include the sequence of postures and, if applicable, the suggested time in each exercise, eye focus, and accompanying breath or sound. Kriyas make up the body of most Kundalini Yoga practice. These ‘kriya sets’ work wonders on releasing our blocked energy and showing us where we are ‘stuck’. If a kriya is challenging for us then we are shown where our energy is blocked.
The Wisdom Of KriyaAsana Yoga Practice
The wisdom of Kundalini Yoga is in the angles of the asanas, fuelled by breath, repetition of mantra, and concentrated by the eye focus and body locks, and this can change us at the core of our being. This is also empowering for the practitioner, as it creates the potential for real and immediate change.
The magic of Vinyasa is the wave-like motion as we dance from asana to asana with ease, grace, and effort. Where each pose blends into the next not knowing where we are starting from or where we stop. As energy moves in waves and we are energy, we mimic that same fluidity.
The end goal, beyond the benefits of physical exercise, is to lubricate the joints, open the energy channels, cleanse the blood, and prepare the mind and body for meditation. That is KriyaAsana Yoga.
Working With KriyaAsana Yoga
Sometimes we come across a kriya and/or asana that moves us deeply. A kriya might move us to tears; it might create a profound sense of joy; it could just challenge us physically in a way that inspires us to keep working with it. An asana may also release an energy block that could free a stored emotion or memory that you haven’t thought about in years. Our mission is to remove what we’ve stored, and take our ‘garbage’ out so we can live a life full of freedom, joy, peace & love.
Experience energy and inspiration. To find, we must seek.
Michelle. X
Yoga In Gozo: Michelle Bartolo Offerings 2023: KriyaAsana LIVE Classes in Gharb Mondays & Wednesdays 18.30 CET KriyaAsana Classes LIVE ONLINE Tuesdays 18.30 Sounds into Silence LIVE & ONLINE (chanting, mantras & meditation) Fridays 8.30 - 9.30am 40 Day New Year Sadhana LIVE ONLINE January 30th - March 10th KriyaAsana 200 hr RYT | HYBRID Spring & Fall 2023 | Live in Gozo & Live Online
Author: Michelle Bartolo
Michelle Bartolo is a Yoga Guide based in Gozo. Blending the styles of Vinyasa and Kundalini with Pranayama Practices, Mindful Meditation, and Quantum Physics, she offers holistic classes, private sessions, retreats, and teacher training using yoga tools to heal the emotional, mental, and physical bodies.
