So Many Kriyas, So Little Time: Choosing a Spiritual Practice

“One part of sadhana should stay constant long enough for you to master, or at least experience, the changes evoked by a single technique. Each kriya and mantra has its individual effects, although they all elevate you toward a cosmic consciousness. Learn to value the pricelessness of one kriya, and all others will be understood in a clearer light.” 
–Yogi Bhajan, from The Aquarian Teacher, Level One Instructor. Page 150.

I find a great sense of security and am grateful for routine. I also love a little shake up from the Universe once in a while, just to remind me I am not the Doer! Now I don’t think I am unusual here, but perhaps the type of routines I enjoy may be a little out of the ordinary. I love to choose a sadhana, a spiritual practice that is my very own! Just to have that opportunity to breathe, practice some Kundalini Yoga and a meditation helps me stay on track between Aquarian Sadhana and a good night’s sleep.

In the days when Yogi Bhajan was still with us on Earth, we could make an appointment with our spiritual teacher, and after a few minutes with him, he might give a meditation or a yoga set that would be done for 40 days. I know people who were given meditations or prayers to chant for life, others for 1,000 days. Some of us received meditations to practice for 40 days after attending Women’s Camp. There were 40-day meditations following White Tantric Yoga that he gave to seal the effects of our experience in group consciousness. It felt very special to be at the feet of the Master, knowing he would advise me this way.

Having these opportunities taught me a great deal about my pace in life. I learned that it takes 40 days to break a habit and there were many to break! While practicing Kirtan Kriya for an extended period of time, the primal sounds of Sa Ta Na Ma came into live form for me. I would hear them in my sleep! I knew that there was some deep work going on.

If you are a student, a teacher, a lover of Kundalini Yoga, you may have taken on a meditation for a period of time.  It’s a great way to fill the gaps between yoga classes too, and will give you what Yogi Bhajan called “grit.”

When I started to look for my own kriyas and meditations to practice, I felt like Yogi Bhajan had trained me to do this all these years. I had some questions. You may have considered some of these questions too:

1. What do I need? To find out what I needed, I had to understand my feelings, and why I was seeking. I took some time, looked through some manuals and meditated on the source of my quest.
2. What do I want? I needed to dig in, find my intention.
3. How much time do I have? That’s usually a big one and each time, I get the chance to decide when I will have the time. Sometimes an evening sadhana feels right, and sometimes a yoga set mid-day will give me exactly what I am looking for. A daily practice can be 3 minutes or 62 minutes.

Once I decide upon the practice, I look at how long I would like to be in the flow of it. I look for a simple approach.

As a sensory human, happiness is your birthright. Please take the time to care for your entire being. Your soul will guide you on the path to practicing what you need to find that happiness and peace. I wish you the best on this journey and will share more about personal practice in the future. ~by Sant Kaur Khalsa

Sant Kaur is a Certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher and Co-Director of Yoga4AllTucson. She regularly teaches at 10:30 am Saturdays and leads Mantra Workshops.

The practice of this meditation, even briefly, locates you in your heart, opens your perception, and lets you immediately recognize the way forward. All the blocks that seemed absolute dissolve. When darkness and struggle seem to surround you, a ray of light finds its way in and it is even easier to see through the darkness. This is a state of ordinary miracles. This is a steady state of gratitude to see the constant flow of miracles that accompany you on your path. That is Dharma!

Additional commentary by Gurucharan Singh on this meditation
http://www.3ho.org/meditation-2nd-sutra-mandhavani-kriya

I walked the dog this morning, came home and decided the rosemary and lavender needed some water. I walked over to the hose, which was circled around a wooden stake and attached so that I did not have to bend.

 All of a sudden, twinge in my left sciatic hip. 

Ah Oh!! I thought to myself - Great! 

I watered and then cautiously and gingerly put the hose away and came inside. I am working in 4 hours so needed to do something soon - took some herbs and then remembered Kriya for Sciatic.

I now feel 75% better having performed the exercises which I will leave here as a link. I cut down on the times to do each asana.
http://www.pinklotus.org/-%20KY%20Kriya%20for%20the%20sciatic%20nerve.htm

I will of course be careful for the rest of the day but I am simply astounded how quickly I found relief...
Sat Nam