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Copyright © 2003 - Guru Rattana, Ph.D.

One of the most commonly marked goals of Kundalini Yoga is to sharpen your intuition. There are many ways to do this and we will cover them over time. In this lesson, I want to give you a few pointers on how to do this by balancing and aligning with the earth element.

There are five elements or tattvas - air, water, earth, fire and ether. One of the goals of yoga is to balance and integrate all five elements of our being. Practice of the techniques and postures goes a long way to achieving this goal. However, performance of techniques is only half of the story. We must also cultivate a conscious awareness of the shifts that are taking place. The mechanics are the masculine aspect of the practice. The awareness is the feminine aspect of the practice.

Astrology helps us determine the most appropriate time to work on a particular tattva. While the Sun is in earth signs - Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn - is the most powerful time to align with the earth element. I have made my astrological New Millennium Being e-zine a part of this training so that you can use this information to develop your relationship with the elements.

At the end of each newsletter is a meditation or yoga set that deals with the element of the month. The exercise series at the end of the last newsletter "The Earth Taurus Connection" helps cultivate the power of the first chakra and a relationship with the Earth and your body. (You can download this issue from our autoresponder - nmb33@yogatech.com)

We often associate intuition with the third eye and the mind. The mind is the masculine aspect of intuition. The feminine aspect of intuition works through the instinctual self and the senses of the body. This exercise set, which involves using the breath while applying *rootlock, facilitates instinctual awareness. After the exercise, sit or lie very still and simply be aware of the sensations in your body. Over time you will realize that these sensations are a powerful and accurate information system. They are the physical and emotional aspects of your intuitive awareness.

It is important to remember to integrate your awareness after every yoga and meditation session. We do all the exercises so that we can shift our awareness. Jumping up after a yoga session without a conscious deep relaxation or silent meditation is like meal without dessert or going to the beach and not going for a swim.

The relaxation and silent meditation with a humble prayer play a big role in integrating and anchoring in the effects of your practice. The effects last longer and you are able to stay more consciously centered during the day. It will also be easier to recreate the experience during the day.

Use your breath and rootlock while sitting in your car or at your desk to pull yourself back into your body, reawaken your instinctual awareness and reconnect you to your earthly source.

Here's the meditation again.

Meditation to Connect with the Earth
Tuning into the energy of the Earth is enhanced while the Sun is in Taurus from April 19 through May 19th. Cultivating the earth element requires attention to the sensations in the body, to the feet and legs, and to the first chakra or base of the spine. Paying attention to the feeling of gravity and its pull on the body toward the Earth is very useful. The goal is to experience a heaviness that becomes a feeling of stability and stillness.

Working with the root lock is a very powerful way to connect with the body and the Earth. The following exercise gives you energy and relaxes the nerves.

1. Sit in easy pose. Inhale, hold the breath in. Pull and release the rootlock 3 or more times. Exhale. Repeat for 1 or more minutes.
   
   
2. Inhale, exhale, hold the breath out. Pull and release rootlock 3 or more times. Inhale. Repeat for 1 or more minutes.
   
   
3. Inhale, exhale, hold the breath out and pull and relax rootlock 3 times. Inhale, hold the breath in and pull and relax rootlock 3 times. Alternate for 1 or more minutes.
   
   Stretch legs between exercises as needed.
   
   
4. To end, unite with energy of the Earth and feel the current raising up your spine. Let go, if only for an instant. The union between Earth and Universal Spirit happens when you let go. The union cleanses stress and negativity. Practicing rootlock when you are thinking too much or afraid, helps release fear by connecting you to your physical source and by activating your own energy.

Rootlock in this exercise is done by gently pulling the muscles at the anus. As you pull the rootlock, feel that you are pulling energy up from the core of the Earth.

(For more information about rootlock in particular, and Kundalini Yoga locks in general, check out our guide to Locks or Bhandas.)

Copyright © 2003 - Guru Rattana, Ph.D.