Kum Nye Awakening

Kum Nye Awakening has MOVED!

kumnyeteam — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:58:55 +0000

Dear Readers of Kum Nye Awakening,

The Kum Nye Team members are happy to announce that we have created a new blog! It has been launched within a new Kum Nye Yoga Community at KumNyeYoga.com! There, you will be able to find valuable information about Kum Nye, have your questions answered by Kum Nye Instructors internationally, and discuss Kum Nye with other practitioners. The new blog is apart of a forum for Kum Nye practitioners to freely express their adventures in Kum Nye, called “Journals.” Groups can be made depending on where in the world you are and how you practice Kum Nye.

It’s totally free to join and create your username and profile. If you’re already on Facebook, you don’t even have to create your username- we have a feature that automatically links your current username and profile by a click of a button with Facebook Connect! From there you can dip your feet into all different sorts of Kum Nye communities and features we have provided for you!

We hope you will visit often and allow the new blog to open your senses and hearts as we have allowed Kum Nye to do to us.

The Kum Nye Team welcomes everyone to the new Kum Nye Yoga Blog!

Kum Nye Class at Ratna Ling

meggieh — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:33:17 +0000

Sept. 21, 2009

Kum Nye is a popular practice at Ratna Ling, the retreat center and home of Dharma Publishing where I live and work. In the last community meeting, other work-study volunteers asked for more Kum Nye classes. Today we are starting the ‘Power Kum Nye’ class. It is based on the principle that in Kum Nye we want to quicken our energy. Stimulating our energy is crucial for us to get the most out of our practice/life.

In this class that we are offering to everyone at Ratna Ling on a weekly basis, we will use physical postures, breathing and visualization techniques to stimulate and transform energy, and heal body and mind through the transformative power of awareness. This is one of my favorite topics. The best part for me right now, is that a 6 week commitment will be required. This means I get to work with the same group for six weeks to dive deeper into the topic and have good time together.

Meggie Hayne,Kum Nye Instructor

Ratna Ling, California

A Sense of Joy and Appreciation through Breathing

kumnyeteam — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:51:09 +0000

Kum Nye helps to dissolve patterns of anxiety by leading us back to direct experience. Kum Nye breathing calms the throat center, which enables it to function smoothly. The throat center is the integrator of energy in the body. It connects the channel of energy between ourselves and the world around us, between the mind and the body, and from cell to cell. The throat center is about flow and communication.

This style of simultaneous breathing through the nose and mouth is important to become familiar with before embarking on the movement exercises. Below is a video of Arnaud Maitland explaining the way in which we should breath as well as the benefits of converging the body and breath.

Click play to watch!

This video of Arnaud Maitland explaining Kum Nye breathing has been excerpted from Level 1, Lesson 4 of the eKum Nye online learning series.

Two basic breathing exercises such as “Joyful Breath” and “Opening the Senses” help us to separate out the different qualities of the Kum Nye breath.

“Joyful Breath”: Practice “Joyful Breath” for 20 minutes a day for a week.

Gently relax your throat, belly and spine and begin to breathe very softly and easily through both nose and mouth. Let this soft breathing soothe and relax your whole being by bringing the breath to any muscle tension in your body. Let it gradually become more calm until a quality of mellowness develops.

“Opening the Senses”: Practice this slow breathing for 20 minutes for 3 or 4 days. Follow your breath with your awareness until you become very still.

Sit comfortably in the sitting posture and begin to breathe softly through the nose and mouth. Gently slow down your inhalations while keeping the breath as soft as possible. Go deeply into the sensations in and around your body, expanding and accumulating the breath. Then, pay attention to your exhalations: breathing out very slowly through both nose and mouth, keeping the breath light and soft. Let your feelings spread.

Try practicing “Joyful Breath” for your first week and for the next three or four days, explore the slow breath in “Opening the Senses.” Theses forms of breathing are helpful in being performed during the movement exercises. These basic breathing exercises are from Tibetan Relaxation by Tarthang Tulku.

Dharma Publishing Presents, DharmaLearning.com!

kumnyeteam — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:08:16 +0000

The Kum Nye Team is proud to announce Dharma Learning, our new online learning center with its first program, eKum Nye! We are currently phasing our eKum Nye by email program into an up-to-date online educational system. As our knowledge of Kum Nye evolves, and so does technology, we are striving to give you the best learning experience possible. Therefore, each level of eKum Nye will soon be available as an interactive eCourse, newly revised and augmented with high-resolution pictures and instructive video segments from senior Kum Nye instructor Arnaud Maitland and the Kum Nye Team at Ratna Ling.

Click play below to see an introduction to the new program by Arnaud Maitland:

These eCourses can be accessed at our new website dedicated to online learning: DharmaLearning.com! You can register for free to access our course catalog here. Once you’ve registered, you can self-enroll in the courses at any time by clicking on the Catalog tab at the top of the page. The entire eKum Nye program will be available in the coming weeks. More eCourses in various subjects from the teachings of the Nyingma lineage are planned, so stay tuned for more info!

Level One is now available, and the other levels are coming in the next few weeks. Those just beginning the eKum Nye program are invited to sign up now for Level One! Level Two will be available before the ten-week Level One course is completed.

In the upcoming weeks, the Kum Nye Team will also be releasing news and mini-Kum Nye lessons from the eKum Nye series, so sign up if you’re interested!

Opening the Thigh Joints

kumnyeteam — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:24:17 +0000

To increase your comfort in the sitting posture of the Seven Gestures, there are various exercises which help to loosen the thigh joints.
The exercises “Letting Go” and “Melting Tension” can be practiced to loosen your muscles and relax your joints before you enter the posture. A description and demonstration of these exercises are provided in a free 20- minute online lesson by Kum Nye instructor Meggie Hayne.

Check out other free Kum Nye Classes and learn more about Kum Nye at MyKumNye.com!

The Sitting Posture of the Seven Gestures

kumnyeteam — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:17:52 +0000

An integral aspect of Kum Nye is sitting in the Seven Gestures. Comprised of seven “gestures” or “aspects,” when performed together, become a single gesture of balance, providing the foundation for Kym Nye relaxation. Sitting in this posture with soft, smooth breathing can relieve mental and emotional agitation and physical tension. So find your mat or cushion and get ready to experience relaxation!

1. First, sit on a mat or cushion with your legs in lotus, half-lotus, or simply crossed. If there is pain in your knees, try crossing your legs loosely, putting a higher pillow under your pelvis or sitting in a straight chair with your legs uncrossed. Start by sitting, and notice how you feel.

2. Place your hands on your knees with the palms down. Release tension starting in your arms and shoulders and continuing down to your hands.

3. Draw back your neck to align your neck with your spine and tuck your chin in slightly.

4. Stretch your spine while maintaining balance to allow energy to flow naturally from the lower to the upper body.

5. Gently open your eyes and follow your gaze down along the ridge of your nose. Keeping your eyes softly focused, point your gaze at a spot about 4 feet away on the ground. Relax the area around your eyes and move your awareness inward.

6. Open your mouth slightly, keeping your jaw relaxed, and breathe in through both nose and mouth.

7. Allow the tip of your tongue to lightly touch the upper palate (the ridge on the roof of your mouth where your teeth meet your upper gums). The curving of the tongue allows the saliva to stay in your mouth and decreases the need to swallow.

This is from Lesson I, Level 1 of our online eKum Nye program. To learn more about eKum Nye visit DharmaLearning.com!

If you would like more guidance about the 7 Gestures or a virtual demonstration, click play to watch our Kum Nye Instructor, Meggie Hayne, in the video below!

The Big Yoga Read

kumnyeteam — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Have your ever wanted to recommend a great Kum Nye book for a friend or colleague?

Well, now you can, but on a much bigger scale. The Big Yoga Read for 2010 will be a compilation of the 100 most useful or inspiring yoga books and will be published by Yogamatters, an online yoga shop and community. Kum Nye Awakening encourages you to post your three favorite yoga books and invites you to recommend one or all of your favorites from “The Joy of Being” or “Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga” or any other Kum Nye texts by Tarthang Tulku if they have made a positive effect on your life. The voting lasts until September 30th. We need your help in sharing the joys of Kum Nye to everyone we can, so please vote soon!

Voting is easy, simply go to The Big Yoga Read!

Connecting to the Best Way of Being

kumnyeteam — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:08:54 +0000

Kum Nye is not only a “massage of the subtle body,” but a meditative mind-body discipline that creates inner space to help us communicate with our deeper universal nature. Our upcoming retreat, Healing Dimensions of Awareness, will specifically allow us to practice how to live out our boundless potential through training our mind and body to operate as a whole.

Senior Kum Nye teacher Arnaud Maitland will lead the retreat as we learn how to release the tension in our body through contact with eight dimensions of awareness.

A previous retreat participant, Jimena Suaya from Argentina, describes how Kum Nye helps her achieve the most she can get out of being. Press play to see the video below.

Healing Dimensions of Awareness Retreat

When: October 25-31st, 2009

Where: Ratna Ling Retreat Center in Sonoma County, California

Click here to view the video briefly describing the retreat by Arnaud Maitland.

Click here for more details and to register online for the retreat.

New Release!

activatinginnerknowing — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Kum Nye on DVD: Developing Wholeness of Energy

The second Kum Nye DVD release out of a series of four, Developing Wholeness of Energy focuses on KN exercises #20, Touching Body Energy; #25, Calming Inner Energy; # 54, Loosening Up the Self-Image; #62, Increasing Endurance; and #58, Coordinating the Wholeness of Energy. Lead Instructor Arnaud Maitland’s narration gently guides you through the traditional practice of Kum Nye while instructor Meggie Hayne demonstrates the postures. The postures, movements, breathing and visualizations will cultivate calmness and awaken deeper aspects of your being. All exercises are from Tarthang Tulku’s Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga (Dharma Publishing 1976 and revised in 2008). Developing Wholeness of Energy is 57 minutes long and is available in wide screen, US, and European formats. Click here to purchase this DVD!

The Relationship between Physical and Psychological in Kum Nye

activatinginnerknowing — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:07:00 +0000

“The unique value of the Kum Nye system of relaxation is that it integrates and balances two approaches, the physical and the psychological.”

– Tarthang Tulku

Consider the possibility that we are an embodiment of energies and values. Our body and our presence reflect how we think. How we respond to being alive is reflected in the flow of our energy. If we are resistant or doubtful, then our energy doesn’t flow optimally. The energy flow is interrupted. Blockages are formed which internally make it hard for us to fully participate in life. By practicing Kum Nye, we begin to melt these blockages. In the process, energy starts to flow and it is easier for us to participate wholeheartedly.

Blocks in our energy can come from a number of places: the environment we live in, how we were raised, even our family history. As we melt these tensions, we may experience any number of these parts of our past. We may even experience images and storylines that we cannot relate to; memories that seem to have no bearing on our present life at all. The seeds of our upsets us are hidden in the dense areas of the body. When the conditions are ripe, they will erupt. Kum Nye can help us release these deeply rooted time bombs. Work through these blockages. As long as we are melting them away, our subtle body energy system will begin to work better and better. We will transcend the layers of memories and experiences that make us contract.

Ultimately, Kum Nye brings us to the pure energies of body and mind, transcending the physical and the psychological altogether.