I’m on day 34 of my latest 40 Day Kriya. It’s a profound and challenging practice, not just physically – each day feels different and emotions well up and sometimes even roil.

This is the third 40 Day Kriya I’ve done – the difference is, it’s part of my Kundalini yoga teacher training. I am learning and distilling from these experiences to create a modern approach to ancient yoga that will help you find your midlife mojo.

When you do a 40 Day Kriya, you do the same yoga practice each day – to uplift your energy. Kundalini yoga is about raising energy, so if you miss a day you should start again from the beginning as the you’ve lost the momentum.

Kundalini yoga is also about challenging you in this safe environment so that you feel more confident and capable when facing real life challenges. That’s a bit like when you were a child and read a scary book.

All of these 40 Day Kriyas give me something different, deepen my relationship with myself and help me grow – become a better version of myself. That’s not always easy. It’s a bit of a crazy ride – my relationship with my Kriya has varied wildly each day as I’m doing it.

The first enabled me to move through a difficult and stressful situation with grace and the faith that it would all work out. This is huge, as I’m not always the calmest person. I wrote a couple of blog post about it that you can see here:
https://bit.ly/KriyaMindBodyConnection
https://bit.ly/fluidityblog

The second one was what introduced me to the ‘moving meditation’ part of Kundalini yoga – the slow, strong, straightforward, repetitive movements. I love how this helps me move into that pause so the quiet is beautifully tangible and I can tune into my own voice and hear myself clearly. It makes meditation accessible.

This third one is a bit of poser. It’s definitely a stretch and a challenge. It’s a bit like when you go on holiday with a friend for the first time only to find out that the two of you aren’t brilliantly matched for travel. Overall, it’s a fine experience, you enjoyed each other and enjoyed the experience, yet you’re better off traveling with someone else, whose rhythms more match your own. There’s a feeling of a need to accommodate not a natural flow. There’s a lack of ease in the relationship.

The 40 Day Kriya is very rewarding and ultimately gives me great strength and confidence. I think when this is finished, I’ll do a variety of kriya’s for my daily practice rather than go straight into another 40 Day Kriya.

It’s not all a hard slog and challenge – I’ve just been enjoying a Kriya that has a meditation for joy. The exuberance is effervescent.

Stay tuned for more thoughts and insights as I continue my Kundalini teacher training.

What are you loving and what is challenging you at the moment? Tell me about it.

Check out my moving meditations in the Units part of my group
https://bit.ly/midlifeuplifted