Tibetan Yoga Keksel

Tibetan Yoga Keksel

 

 22/06/2024 Tibet House Japan, Tokyo

 

Tibet House Japan organized a Yoga class online to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21. Yoga enthusiasts from different corners of Japan joined the class. Geshe Chaphur Rinpoche of the Gyalshen Institute in California conducted the Yoga class based on the ancient teaching of rdZog-chen (Great perfection), pronounced Zog-chen.

 

Here is the gist of what Ven. Chaphur Rinpoche taught at the class. Chaphur Rinpoche taught the Nine-breathing exercise and the Tibetan Yoga practice known as Keksel (Tib:kegs-sel). Nine-breathing exercise should precede each five exercises of the Keksel. Understanding of the tsa, lung, and thigle, (channel, wind, and sphere-light) and the position of the three channels are important.

 

Our body is a network of channels (Tib:rtsa) and from the crown of the head to the secret region below navel, we have three channels: right white channel, left red channel, and central blue channel.

 

Sitting comfortably in equanimity (Tib:mnyam bzhag), block your right nostril with the index finger and breath in from the left nostril, now block you left nostril with the index finger of the left hand and bring down your right hand and breath out from the right nostril. Do it three times.

 

Next, block your left nostril with the index finger and breath in from the right nostril and repeat the process accordingly as above three times.

 

Lastly, block both nostrils with the ring fingers of both hands slowly and breath in slowly and bring down both hands breath out. Do it three times.

 

While breathing in, imagine the five colors of the five elements: space, wind, fire, water, and earth coming in. These are five outer elements. Proper balance of these elements in our body is needed for good health. These will stimulate the inner five elements (mind, breath, heat, blood, and flesh) and these will further stimulate and nourish the sacred five elements (heart, lung, liver, kidney, and spleen) of our body. This breathing help keep these vital organs of our body healthy.

 

From the spiritual and mental side, the right white channel cools and tames our anger; the left red channel burns and control our attachment and desire; and the central blue channel dispel our ignorance.  

 

So, through the proper conduct of the nine breathing exercise, we nourish our five vital organs in our body and help clear our negative emotions of anger, attachment, and ignorance.

 

Outer elements      Inner elements      Sacred elements     Color

 

Space                    Mind                     Heart                    White

Wind                     Breath                   Lung                     Green

Fire                       Heat                      Liver                     Red

Water                    Blood                    Kidney                  Blue

Earth                    Flesh                     Spleen                             Yellow

 

These nine breathing exercises should precede each of the five Keksel exercise. Breathing has 4 process (Tib:rLung sbyor yan lag bzhi).  Through these nine-breathing exercises negative emotions like attachment, anger, and ignorance could be cleansed. The five Keksel exercises are meant to open and activate the five chakras (Tib:'Khor-lo) that people have in their bodies. Locations of the five chakras are: crown of the head, throat, heart, navel, and the sacred region.

 

First exercise is Upward moving wind (Tib:    )

Breath in, and turn your head from right to left three times, turn left to right three times, and back and forward three times and let our the breath. Breathing has four processes: breath-in, rebirth, hold, and breath out. Hold the breath in between the crown and throat.

 

Second exercise is Holding life energy (Tib:srog 'zin)

Breath in, raise your right hand and circle it around your head three times; repeat with left hand; put your hands on your hip-waist, let your right arm in curve come forward three time and go back three times; repeat the same with the left arm and breath out.

 

Chaphur Rinpoche is an accomplished Geshe from Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India. He has written several books and teaches Bon, Dzogchen, and Buddhism in the States. He is the founder and Spiritual Director of Gyalshen Institute and Chaphur Foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area, the United States.

 

This is a student's note. Errors and omissions could not be ruled out. Serious students are advised to attend the Rinpoche's teaching directly.