Want to know more about the Mind-Body practice of Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga, Relaxation and Joy of Being?
Then please read on…
The practice of Kum Nye, believed to have been first developed by Shamanic Tibetan Warrior Monks some 17,000 years ago, was done so as a fully-integrated healing, medical, wellbeing and yogic exercise system.
Lama Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche is credited with being the first trained Lama to bring Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga to the West in 1969.
He developed and refined the practice in order to better facilitate the Western Body-Mind so it is better to let him do the talking about some of the benefits, origins and practices of Kum Nye.
Following is information quoted directly from his website at the Nyingma Institute in Berkley, California.
“For beginning students, the slow and gentle movements of Kum Nye offer a welcome experience of relaxation. Many people seek techniques to help resolve personal difficulties such as work-related stress, emotional conflicts, or a sense of being out of touch with the deeper current of their lives. Even a brief acquaintance with Kum Nye exercises can reduce stress and offer a host of additional benefits such as enhanced sensitivity to body and mind and a fuller self-understanding based on direct experience of emotions, thoughts, sensations, and feelings. As stress melts away, sensory awareness is reawakened, the urgent chatter of thoughts is stilled, and mind and body come into greater attunement.
Intermediate students find that the restful discipline of familiar Kum Nye exercises is a reliable antidote to mental and emotional stress as it rebalances body and mind to allow awareness to settle into a natural state where relaxation and insight arise as needed. As students become familiar with Kum Nye and learn to practice with patience and sensitivity, they can reliably select exercises which overcome specific physical problems, such as exercises that counteract stiffness and rigidity and promote muscle tone and circulation.
For advanced students, Kum Nye can work in concert with meditation practice and other studies to invigorate the body and invite deeper meditation experiences by loosening all types of physical and mental rigidity. In-depth practice of Kum Nye exercises leads to deeply grounded and alert states of mind.
EFFECTS OF PRACTICE
Kum Nye and Nyingma Psychology programs work together to relieve symptoms of imbalance and encourage a closer look at their underlying causes. From a talk by Tarthang Tulku, winter of 1986:
“Over time, pressure and tension demoralize and damage the human spirit. Loss of confidence, reluctance to take responsibility, and the feeling of being pressured, even controlled, are warning signs that our human spirit is being subjected to a dictatorship of some kind. But no matter where we look, it is difficult to find the root cause of pressured, anxious feelings. While we can point to certain events that seem to ‘cause’ our tension, we forget to ask a more important question: Why do we allow such things to control us? If we had the knowledge to direct our lives more skillfully, we could develop more inner freedom and confidence.”
In the rush of our lives, thoughts, feelings, and sensations are relentlessly stimulated and agitated. With Kum Nye, we can learn to take care of ourselves, calm body and mind, and sort out our thoughts and feelings in a positive way.
Stillness alternated with movement stimulates the flow of feelings and energy, integrating body and mind. With Kum Nye Yoga practice the energies of body, mind, senses, breath, and heart merge.
The Kum Nye exercises bring us in contact with the pure energies of body and mind. Each sensation and emotion has its specific feeling tone. By increasing our awareness of subtle feelings, we learn to move with energy. When we contact the neutral, wholesome energy that pervades all forms it is like coming home.
During Kum Nye practice, our energy constantly refreshes itself. Time and age can not catch or freeze this energy, for it is always actively moving, cultivating itself, never delayed or at a standstill. This energetic process is called ‘longevity’, and its potential lies within the senses.
The Kum Nye breathing exercises balance the energy rhythms of the breath. The postures condense or expand the flow of energy in the body; the movements promote the flow of feeling in the body; the massage releases the stress blockages in the body and mantra unlocks hidden tensions in the subtle body energy system and chakras.
Healing with Kum Nye
From where we stand now, we may be able to reflect on what experiences have shaped our lives. Yet we have no idea how years of restriction have affected our body, our senses, nerves, organs, and circulatory systems – perhaps even the ways our mind operates.
We may have neglected our body for a long time. Out of a sense of ownership, we have taken it for granted and abused it with frustration and worries. It may still suffer from unresolved traumas from the past. Perhaps it bears the scars of agitation and anger, strong thoughts and a propensity to rash actions. Its energy is blocked by knots of tension that close off the flow of feeling.
When we touch these scars and knots with a gentle and accepting attitude, the feelings that are locked inside will emerge, and the energy that was blocked is restored. Offering the tools we need to relax and open sensory fields, Kum Nye Yoga encourages us to face our sensitivities and embrace painful feelings without fear. Through these exercises joy emerges, washing out the residues of regret and transforming anger and resentment into positive expressions.
As we learn the language of our bodies and senses, we gain control over feelings, thoughts and our style of expression. Our adult consciousness allows us the fresh experience of childhood. It is possible to smooth out the confusion and chaotic associations that seem to be the inevitable outcome of our formative years. We can find our foundation, improve connections between senses, body and mind, and create a new life for ourselves, based on a better understanding of our own embodiment. In a way we have never before experienced, we can truly BE.
Integration
Kum Nye Yoga is a gentle healing system that relieves stress, transforms negative patterns, and helps us to be balanced and healthy. Healing both our body and mind, Kum Nye brings together their energies to function in harmony. Our enjoyment and appreciation of life grow significantly.
The unique value of Kum Nye is that it integrates and balances two approaches, the physical and psychological. Our entire being is balanced, integrated and energize, opening channels of communication between senses, body, and mind. A sense of wholeness and calm settles. The integration of body and mind is felt in all our activities: when we feel relaxed and healthy, we are better able to help others. Our inner environment becomes happier, our interactions more friendly, and our appreciation for our environment leads to total acceptance of the way things are.
Developing Balance
Kum Nye Yoga is the art of developing balance. We discover a new way of being, an open perspective that delights in the integration of body, mind, senses, feelings and environment. We will feel an ongoing refreshing of senses and mind, our body energy quickens. This is what it means to be balanced.
Integrate Kum Nye into your daily routine, during short breaks from work, and while getting up in the morning or going to bed at night. Then, when you meet with challenges, you will have the knowledge to cope more effectively.
It is possible to find a more flexible way of being. If we develop our sensory capacities, our daily activities will appear in a more aesthetic light. If we give joy to the mind, ways to transform our attitudes and apply new knowledge and techniques will make our daily life and work easier. Anything we do can become a Kum Nye exercise, stimulating imagination and creativity.”
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You are very welcome to come and experience a Free Weekday Kum Nye Online Class with us, facilitated by Kum Nye Teacher-Presenter, Paula Trafford. [Early morning [UK] Class times are on the booking calendar]
Simply visit the online classes page here , click the yellow button and follow the instructions to select and book your class. At Checkout, enter the CODE: FFC1 then continue the booking process and you will receive by email your online link to the class of your choice.