What is Kundalini Meditation?

Kundalini meditation is a practice aimed at awakening life energy – kundalini. Kundalini yoga meditation aims to awaken kundalini through asanas ( yoga poses ) and pranayama (breathing exercises). Kundalini is directed through the central Sushumna-nadi (spine), awakening each of the 7 chakras as it passes through them. As soon as kundalini reaches the chakra (sahasrara), located at the top of the head, it unites with the universal divine consciousness.

What does it mean?

In yogic philosophy, there is an intangible, subtle body that generally corresponds to the coarser physical body. The components of this subtle body include: nadis (energy channels), chakras (energy centers), prana (life energy), and kundalini shakti (divine cosmic energy or spiritual power). The Sanskrit word “kundalini” literally means “coiled”, and kundalini-shakti is symbolized by a spiral serpent lying at the root of the Muladhara chakra, located at the base of the spine. Thus, kundalini is a natural divine energy within a person, a life force that, when fully activated, leads to enlightenment. Regular practice is needed to awaken kundalini energy. You can find a true guru (master) who will help you activate kundalini. This is a very safe and fast way, but the guru must be real and powerful enough. You can also practice independently, which is not easy, although there are many meditation techniques for this purpose in the literature. In this article, we will provide one of the most effective and fairly simple meditation techniques for awakening kundalini energy (see also Osho’s dynamic kundalini meditation)

The effect of awakening energy

To understand the practice of kundalini meditation and yoga, it is necessary to study the chakra centers in the body. There are 7 chakras in the human body, accumulating a certain energy from birth. The energy of each chakra can be controlled and accumulated. When activating kundalini, you connect your root chakra to the crown, passing through all the other chakras, as a result of which the entire energy field becomes unified. Thoughts and actions become unified. This energy is extremely strong and its awakening can be dangerous for a person who does not have absolute control over their emotions. When tuning in to the practice of awakening kundalini, you first need to cleanse your mind of negative thoughts, including subconscious destructive thoughts and emotions. Thoughts will act on the body automatically, so your actions may be incorrect if you indulge in energy without a calm, correctly thinking mind. You will also be able to control the chemical processes in the body, such as the release of testosterone, adrenaline, insulin, etc. Because of this, it is believed that one who can awaken the kundalini energy in the body can heal themselves from their illnesses by correctly managing the release of chemicals in the body.

Sa Ta Na Ma

One of the first meditations taught by Yogi Bhajan is Kirtan Kriya, often referred to as the SA TA NA MA (Sa Ta Na Ma) meditation. Sa Ta Na Ma Kundalini meditation is a combination of mantra repetition accompanied by the movement of the fingers in certain mudras. This meditation remains one of the most important meditations in yoga today and remains the main meditation recommended for regular practice by every student. Yogi Bhajan said that if you can only do one meditation, it should be this one. Regardless of what you need at the moment, it will correct and balance the “knots” (emotions, chakras, etc.) that need it, which will bring harmony to your life.

Mantra

The sounds of this mantra come from one of the oldest mantras of Kundalini yoga – Sat Nam, which means “my true essence” or “true personality”. There are many interpretations for each of the sounds, we will give one of them:

Benefits of practice

This meditation is recognized in some scientific circles as a powerful tool for preventing Alzheimer’s disease, and the practice of this meditation also increases the body’s cognitive function (perception, thinking, reasoning, and memorization), reduces stress levels, and improves short-term memory. The Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Prevention Foundation recommends a 12-minute version of the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation practice, but there are several variations in the duration of this meditation practice. During practice, the alternation of the method of pronouncing the mantra aloud, in a whisper, and silently (“to oneself”) matters:

6-minute:

• 1 minute aloud;
• 1 minute whispered;
• 2 minutes silently;
• 1 minute whispered;
• 1 minute aloud.

12-minute:

• 2 minutes aloud;
• 2 minutes whispered;
• 4 minutes silently;
• 2 minutes whispered;
• 2 minutes aloud.

30-minute:

• 5 minutes aloud;
• 5 minutes whispered;
• 10 minutes silently;
• 5 minutes whispered;
• 5 minutes aloud.
  In order not to distract your mind from controlling time, we advise you to install a timer application on your phone (of which there are many now, and free ones – they are popular for athletes practicing interval training) – depending on the chosen duration option, enter the corresponding interval settings into the application and run the program.

Method

1. determine which of the three duration options for practice suits your schedule (6, 12, or 30 minutes);
2. sit in a comfortable meditative posture for you, placing a pillow or roller under your tailbone. Keep your spine straight, but do not strain your back and shoulders – pull them away from your ears. Take a few deep cleansing breaths through your nose and make audible exhalations through your mouth. Concentrate on the sacral area and observe when you start to feel warmth in this area.
3. close your eyes and freely place your hands on your knees or on the sides of your body with your palms up. Next, you will change the combinations of fingers (mudras), which correspond to certain sounds of the mantra: Sa – the index finger connects with the thumb; Gyan mudra. It is believed that the connection of the thumb and index finger gives knowledge, expands our capabilities, and frees us from limitations. This mudra increases the air element inside the body, positively affects emotions, strengthens the nervous system, stimulates the pituitary gland and endocrine system. Ta – the middle finger connects with the thumb; Shuni mudra. It is believed that the connection of the thumb and middle finger gives us patience, wisdom, and purity. This mudra increases the ethereal space inside the body, positively influencing thoughts and intuition. It is also believed that this mudra has a detox effect on the body and facilitates its release from toxic accumulations. Na – the ring finger connects with the thumb; Surya Mudra. It is believed that the connection of the thumb and ring finger bestows us with vitality and develops endurance. This mudra increases the earth element inside the body and simultaneously reduces the fire element. This positively affects the bones, muscles, tendons, and internal organs. Ma – the little finger connects with the thumb; Buddhi Mudra. It is believed that the connection of the thumb and little finger helps cleanse the communication channels. This mudra reduces the water element inside the body, which helps reduce problems with swelling and hormonal surges. Promotes the healing of teary eyes, runny nose, and diarrhea. When practicing this meditation for the first time, perform a “tuning” of the consistency of sounds and gestures: pronounce each sound of the mantra changing the combinations of fingers. Feel the simultaneous pressure on the palate when you pronounce each word, along with the pressure on the pads of your fingers. When your body is ready to start singing the mantra, say Sa Ta Na Ma aloud, moving your fingers through the mudras with each sound and visualizing the energy pattern through the crown and through the forehead. Allow your inner witness to observe all the sensations that arise in the body and mind.

When the time comes, switch to a whisper, continuing to alternate mudras and visualizing the L-shaped energy flow. Move further into conscious silence – continue to perform the finger dance in mudras, silently repeating the mantra to yourself. When the interval of silence ends, you will return to a whisper again. From a whisper, you will again feel the fullness and energy of the sounds, repeating the mantra in a full voice. When the practice comes to an end, release the mudras, stop reproducing the mantras. Inhale deeply, raising your arms above your head. Move your fingers, energetically shake your hands, turn right and left, loosen your spine. This helps release energy from the body. Do not get up immediately after the end of the meditation – observe the sensations occurring in your body for some time.