Frequently Lea has recommended the book Relax and Renew by Gururattan Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D. and Ann Marie Maxwell which is a terrific introduction to Kundalini and the yoga sets and meditations. Not only does the book give you the basic outlines of the kundalini practice such as tuning in with “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo,” it gives you warm-up exercises, how to conclude a set, wake up series and a 15 minute morning set in case you’re short on time in the morning. Even if you’re an “advanced” practitioner of kundalini yoga there are many wonderful sets included in here such as “Skull & Pelvic Bone Adjustment,” “Short Kriya to See Inner Beauty,” “Anger Set,” “Liver Set” including the dates each Kriya was taught. The book is also peppered with beautiful Yogi Bhajan quotes for example, “God consciousness is the freedom that you get from getting out of your fear complex. When your fear complex leaves you, you are God.” Or, “If you are not beautiful and graceful, there is nothing beautiful or graceful. There is a truth, for you are the universe and the universe is you.”
In addition there are detailed diagrams of the digestive system, spinal nerves, eye muscles and acupressure points. The book pretty much has everything. What to cook, food combinations, mudras, the bandhas, pranayama, further reading. For $25 you really get your money’s worth.
The book was published in December 1988 and is fun for its old type-written font and photocopied line drawings.
—Marie Carter
