My latest 40 day meditation: Sodarshan Chakra Kriya

I recently completed my 5th year of my Level 2 Kundalini Yoga Trainings.

Wow, what an accomplishment.  Those of you who practice Kundalini Yoga know how challenging these teachings can be.  It involves facing yourself, your issues, your deficits and your challenges. With that said it has opened me up to my joy, my courage, my tenacity, my strength and my Soul!

I have been teaching Yoga since 2000.  I believe as a teacher I must continue to grow, learn and then teach the new things I have learned.  I continue to grow and evolve as a student and a teacher.

My most recent 40 day sadhana (daily spiritual practice) (for more information on sadhana see this post: Sadhana 101 was Sodarshan Chakra Kriya. This is a kriya that Yoga Bhajan describes as one of the top 3 you should practice.  Sat Kriya, Kirtan Kriya and Sodarshan Chakra Kriya.  Here is a great description! Description of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya

I couldn’t believe I didn’t know this Kriya.  I did my Level 1 training in 2002-03 at Golden Bridge Yoga Los Angeles.  Either I forgot about it, or I never learned it, anyway this is a snippet of what Yogi Bhajan says about it:

This is one of the greatest meditations you can practice. It has considerable transformational powers. The personal identity is rebuilt, giving the individual a new perspective on the Self. It retrains the mind. According to the tantra shastras, it can purify your past karma and the subconscious impulses that may block you from fulfilling you. It balances all the 27 facets of life and mental projection, and gives you the pranic power of health and healing It establishes inner happiness and a state of flow and ecstasy in life”.

There is more in the link description of the meditation if you click there above.  I was very excited to learn and practice this kriya.  I asked my fellow teachers about any tips they could give me.  The best tip I got was to do 3 minutes of “Ego Eradicator” before beginning:  Ego Eradicator so I did! This opens your lungs.  Then you can jump right in!  Here is a video: Sodarshan Chakra Kriya.

I did it for 11 minutes for 40 days with 3 minutes of Ego Eradicator first.  Today was my 40th day! I am writing this blog to you to celebrate surviving this kriya.  It was so powerful!!! (Mind you, I’ve been practicing Kundalini Yoga for 14 years and have done MANY 40-90 day Kriyas and Meditations).

“I felt like I was going to die”.  This is the description I got over and over when I asked my colleagues about it.  Yes! You are holding your breath as you pump the navel 16x internally chanting “wahe guru”.  (Wah, pump navel, He, pump navel, Guru pump navel) while holding the breath….see video for full description….I found it helpful to count 16x on the lines of the fingers on my left hand….4 fingers, each line, total of 48 chants/pumps while holding the breath Whew!

I faced so many things inside myself on this journey (almost the same when I did the Aquarian Sadhana from 5-7am for 40 days at the beginning of this year!).  I feel so amazing and happy and accomplished.

This is what Kundalini Yoga is all about.  I hope you can try this for yourself and let me know how it goes.  I can’t begin to describe how much gratitude I have for these teachings and how much they have healed me and changed my life.  Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you, In gratitude, humbly yours,  Valinda-Viriam Kaur