I would go on the 3HO or IKYTA websiter to find a certified teacher in your area. If you are very ill right now and unable to move, then I'd focus on doing some simple pranayams (breathing techniques) to start flushing the system through with oxygen, and do healing meditations such as the Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung and sing along with the healing mantra.

Here is a lovely version of it by Snatam Kaur: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9OCEfi4Lv0 with the posture, if you can do it..

http://www.3ho.org/3ho-lifestyle/hea...e-healing-tool

If you can't sit up straight right now, just do what you can to prop up and hold your spine as straight as possible, with a slight chin tuck to straighten the cervical spine so that the natural energy can flow through the nervous system more clearly. In Kundalini yoga, if one is not able to do a specific posture or movement, you can still get the benefit of these things by doing them in your mind. Imagie yourself doing it, and you will still form new neural networks, just by using your imagination to go through the sequence or posture!

The brain is an incredible tool.. I feel somehow, we all got sick in part because some vital connections got broken in our systems, or rerouted the wrong way. A big part of that would have been played by the brain. The good thing is, when we harness the power of the mind with good intention, we can really do amazing things. I believe a big part of it is believing it is possible to heal, and being willing to take leaps of faith in that direction.. Not giving up on our selves, our bodies. Also, I believe being humble enough to ask for help from the universe is also helpful.

I remember being so frustrated, and angry with my body and with myself when it didn't "work." Well I may not have understood what was going on and why it was not behaving the way I wanted it to, but it was doing the best it could. Any illness that is manifested has come about from some context or reason, and makes sense in that context. What we want to do is create another context for healing. Part of that is accepting what has happened, choosing to take responsibility for that, becoming extremely compassionate with our bodies and ourselves, and having faith in the life we've been given. It's been a hard lesson.

I was still quite ill when I signed up for yoga teacher training, and in the intake interview, my teacher asked questions to assess how much faith I had in my ability to heal. She said something like: "Are you willing to give up the identity of someone who is ill? Are you committed to healing this? Because if you are, and you stand and act from there, like it is your responsibility, and you do the work to get there, not like some doctor is going to save you, but it's down to you and your decision, and you decide what and who you are, sick or well, then the universe organizes around that choice. Everything meets you there. Try it and see." And I did. And she was right. It's a very right brain orientation to life. And the left brain part of me thought logically, if our systems can "learn" to get sick, maybe they can unlearn it too.

My advice would be to be willing to give up some things you may have assumed to be reality, or truth. Be willing to consider that you may not know, and maybe you don't want to know, much... that maybe it's better to bow to the great mystery of this whole amazing shebang we are part of, and trust that all is as it should be. I know it's hard to have a sense of trust when what is happening scares us.. it certainly is a challenge to our faith in life, but the thing is, our faith needs to be strong in order to work! Perhaps this experience is designed to lead you to your own heart, your own soul in some way.

Kundalini Yoga is a technology to apply to one's own mind and body to affect change. The meditations and mantras work on a subtle vibrational level to open up your system's receptivity to your own soul. From there, it is easy to have faith and trust, even when things aren't going the way you want them to. Use it as something that is teaching you something. Be open, and committed to discovering what the teaching is.

This is our training manual: http://www.amazon.com/The-Aquarian-T.../dp/0972011013

I encourage you to order it. If you can open your mind to "not knowing," even if it is only to try something new on for a while, to see if it works, read this book. For me, so many things in there were like keys that fit into locks I wasn't aware I had, and opened up the doors within myself that eventually got me here: well enough to work and go hiking, to literally climb mountains (well, smallish ones, but still! It's something I wasn't sure I would ever be able to do again).

Don't be afraid of the turbans, the white clothing.. yes, it does seem weird, but don't get hung up on that. Don't forget, this is ancient technology, and it has been kept safe by strong tradition. AND bless those yogis and teachers over the centuries for being so committed to figuring out how the human body and mind works. It is essentially a manual for the human body, for how to ensure everything works well, the way it is designed.

It might seem utterly batty to be doing some of the movements, or repeating things in a language you don't understand. One feels very silly at first and doesn't quite understand the point, until one begins to experience the changes in the system. The weird hand movements (as in Subagh Kriya for example) actually utilize the energy meridian points in the hands to create certain energetic effects.. it's like acupressure. The mantras, repeated all in Gurmukhi, are designed to connect the tongue to the energy points on the upper palate, and use it like a computer keyboard to "program" the brain to certain states of consciousness, bring the master glands online, etc. The "Oonnnnnggggg" part of "tuning in" or "Adi Mantra" is designed to apply the sound vibration to the pituitary gland through the neural tissue and cavity of the sinuses. All these "silly things" are designed to create certain effects, to use the body and it's design to bring about certain states of consciousness that also, incidentally, promote the body and brain functioning in harmony with one's spirit, and the greater spiritual context of relationships, etc.

Well I see I've nearly written a book here, but feel free to ask anything else.

Treena

That's about my speed. If you can do things in your mind and get credit or benefit as if you'd actually done them, you are better off and far better rested than had you actually done them. Nice philosophy.

Yes, there is still some benefit, but it is also about investing the energy one has in healing and kind of provoking the system into a healing state. This is done in various ways, but it is important to move what you can through the body physically too, and keep up as best you can. What one's "best" is will vary from day to day so you just need to make room for that and honour it while still investing your energy and commitment. The breath work and mantras are a lot of "bang for your buck" if you are not well enough to do much physical movement.. energy can be built up that way over time, and then when you do have some energy to move, you can start small with that.

A well trained brain can move energy as much as moving the body can.

For some of us MGers, yoga is simply not possible. Meditation has been shown to have amazing effects on the body, too, if done routinely and well.

Not to be untoward (sorry if this offends anyone), but there are people who can have orgasms simply by thinking about it. The mind can put you in such a light state that you feel as though you're floating. Some Buddhist monks can actually levitate.

I'm glad yoga works for you, TreeLover. That's great. It's a good topic to bring up, because some people with MG can do it.

Annie

Used to be able to do this when I was younger... but that is 30 + years ago.

Sorry, as I said I am not a believer in these sort of things.... but I did try... got as far as 50 secs into the mantra, before I had completely zoned out and hit the stop button.

Seems like it is not for me.