Yogi Bhajan brought the technology and science of Kundalini Yoga to the West in 1969. He worked tirelessly to spread the teachings during his life and has left an enormous legacy in the form of thousands of kriyas, lectures, talks and classes. Marginally overwhelming or what? but it doesn’t have to be.
So where do you start?
My counsel would be to start small
(3 minutes of Sat Kriya and or 3 minutes of Kirtan Kriya)
and as you get the hang of it add another bit
and then another.
If you go to a studio, most classes are about 1 hour and 15 minutes and follow a specific format.
Your home practice can be as little as 5 minutes.
You can also do long as 2.5 hours or longer if you wish. but Rome wasn’t built in a day, then again I wasn’t on that job:-)
The most important thing is to show up, and do what you can and maybe push yourself a little more, remembering you know your body best, or you are getting to know it a little better:-)
I always say in class there’s a difference between a bit of effort and hurting yourself.
So back to the basics, the title of this post.
Tune in
Every practice will start (tune in) and end (close) with a chant as follows
Get comfortable sitting cross-legged on your mat, Straight spine, chin tucked slightly, sit bones firm on your mat, in comfortable clothes that you can move in.
The opening mantra tunes you in mentally and physically. This mantra connects you with all the teachers who have gone before you and to the divine within you and will guide you through your practice
Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo x 3 times.
Your voice rises slightly on the Dev. You can download an mp3 with this chant from here I‘d recommend Snatam Kaur’s album Grace as it has this opening chant and the closing chant so you can sing along with it until you are humming it like your favourite Katy Perry song:-)
Then do your practice.
There’s a font of information on Kundalini yoga all over the web but a good place to start is 3ho or KRI
Close
You close your practice by singing a blessing song. You can bless yourself, your family, your friends, your community or anyone who needs it today. There’s always someone:-)
May the Long Time Sun Shine Upon You, All Love Surround You, And the Pure Light Within You, Guide Your Way On
You can sing it 3 times if you wish
Then seal your practice by chanting
Sat Nam x 3 times
Sat is long and sounds like Saaaaaaaat with a short Nam. Sat Nam means I am truth, truth I am.
If you want more kriyas you can download my app which has 10 preloaded kriyas to get you started with a practice and you can add 10 more when you are feeling like exploring more.
I highly recommend going to a studio class if you can as it’s wonderful to connect with the group energy and learn from a qualified teacher
Enjoy and please let me know how you go or if you have any questions please don’t be shy.
x Eilish
And as always please take good care of your body, mind and spirit and talk to your doctor if you are in any doubt before starting a new practice.
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