Maya Fiennes in the October 2008 issue of Yoga Magazine.
The universe certainly has a sense of humour.
So I had two choices: to be angry and moan about it, to be miserable, to analyse and question or to accept it.
Having spent two idyllic weeks with my family on beautiful Cat island in the Bahamas, my system felt revitalised by the sun, sea and healthy beach-life living. Imagine my surprise when the night before we were due to leave, I suddenly developed an extremely sore throat, blocked ears and nose.
I was in disbelief and denial. No way could this be happening in paradise! After such a wonderful and relaxing holiday I would have to face the long trip back to London feeling as shady and grey as my destination. I thought it was the result of a mosquito bite or perhaps I had swallowed a rare tropical fly whilst sleeping or been bitten by some unusual jellyfish. How could my yogic immune system let me down like this? However irrational the thoughts I went crazy convincing myself I did not deserve this, especially as I was booked the next day to teach a weekend workshop of Kundalini yoga and the power of Self-healing!
What a parody. The universe certainly has a sense of humour. So I had two choices: to be angry and moan about it, to be miserable, to analyse and question or to accept it. But again my mind was interferring. I am a yoga teacher; I can't be ill. What would my students say? "She has flu yet she's teaching self-healing? Why doesn't she heal herself?" Well I soon realised the problem. My state of self-denial meant that I did not allow my body to acknowledge I had a cold, therefore I could not cure it. The Yoga wouldn't work whilst I thought there was nothing wrong with me. The moment I accepted my condition I was able to shift the cold in a matter of hours through yoga.
Yoga strengthens your immune system, especially Kundalini, which will work with the body's stored energy if we know how to use it. I have proven this to myself, countless times. I remember once during a dinner, I sneezed and my eyes sarted to be watery, my nose suddenly blocked - a cold was coming on at the speed of light. But I was present, I was "at the moment" and I accepted my condition for what it was. I slipped off to the bathroom and I started my "Immune System Booster Breath".
Whilst sitting on the toilet seat, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the third eye, located between the eyebrows. I raised the left elbow to just below the shoulder and positioned the left hand as if taking an oath, touching the tip of the ring finger with the thumb and then closed my right nostril with right index finger. I then started a steady and powerful "breath of fire" - a rapid equal inhale and exhale through the left nostril just like sniffing.
After five minutes I immediately felt better. The symptoms disappeared as quickly as they started. When I came back to the dinner table, everyone was dumbstruck. I was radiating again with not a sign of red eyes or sniffing nose. All clear.
Back to the crossroads of my dilemma: cancel the workshop or go with it? As I don't give up easily, I decided to forge ahead and use this example as a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the transformation of performing alchemy, a process that requires us to recognise what's consciously going on within. To accept our situation, and agree to make the shift.
When I started with the group they all agreed that this was very beneficial, especially as it brought to light the humble reality that we are human beings and this is a common challenge we face on a day-to-day basis. But at the same time we are powerful spiritual beings and are capable of transformation. Only when we work together as ONE, when we balance our body, mind and spirit, then anything is possible!
Maya's Immune System Booster Breath
This breath meditation strengthens the immune system by accessing the healing energy from the moon, mother of life - which creates an army of white blood cells in the body, ready to fight any viruses. The process is helping the nervous and glandular system to replenish themselves. This lunar breath heals the emotional body by clearing all the unhealthy energies. It also helps remove sorrow, pain and depression. The moon breath energy is needed in the day to compensate for the predominant solar energy. During this meditation you may go through emotional shifts while your body re-balances. And emotional release is a healthy indication that things are shifting; stick with the process of transformation while your body regains natural balance.
Maya Fiennes
Macedonian-born Maya has combined her talents as a successful classical pianist and performer with her upbeat personality to create a unique style of yoga and meditation for modern living, based on Kundalini Yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Maya's philosophy of good health and living with inner peace and confidence, has made her one of the most in-demand yoga instructors in London. Maya went to England in the ealy 1990s to complete her training as a classical pianist. She uses her original music in her classes, which she also performs in concert throughout the world. She runs yoga workshops and retreats.
