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Meditation

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What is meditation?

It is a process to give higher perspective on your thoughts, transcend the waves of the mind, give attention to the present moment and helps you to develop a relationship with your mind. Through meditation we begin to recognise our habits, and this allows us to break those habits.
Meditation relaxes the mind and allows you to discover who you are, and how to learn not to identify with your thoughts – to just ‘be’, without judgement.

Which meditation should I do?

There are thousands of meditations that you can practice! On the right hand side of this page there are some examples of meditations that we have done in class. If none of these feel right to you, send me an email and we can find a meditation to suit your needs.

How do I set up my own practice?

Where: Chose a setting where you will not be disturbed, with the temperature not too hot or cold. It is helpful to sit on a sheepskin, a mat, or a blanket (something supportive but also soft). If you cannot sit comfortably on the floor, it is okay to sit on a chair. The idea is to be relaxed yet still alert, with a stable base.
When: The best time to meditate is before dawn (between 4 and 7am) or when the sun is setting (4 to 7pm). Meditating before going to bed can also be beneficial, as you are calming the mind and preparing for sleep.
Wear: Wear something comfortable, and ideally something made of natural fibres. You may also wish to cover your head.
Tune in: Chant ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ three times to tune in.
Exercises: We do exercises for yoga and breathing to prepare ourselves for meditation. The exercises balance our nervous system and the subtle energies of the mind and the body, which in turn facilitates meditation.

Which exercises should I do before meditating?

If you do not have time to do a full yoga set, you may wish to practice a few individual exercises. For example: spinal warm ups, hip openers, heart openers, breath techniques.

Meditation practice

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Pick a meditation and start practicing for 3 minutes, then build up to 11 minutes, then 22 or even 31 minutes. Kundalini meditations usually come with a suggested length of time for practice.

In a lecture (1) Yogi Bhajan asked his audience how they defined meditation, they responded: ‘It would be like a silencing of the mind from everyday life and allowing the free flow of thought’ and ‘It is concentration’. He replied ‘That’s part of it, anyone else?’. They said ‘It is a complete relaxation from regular hassles’, and he encouraged them further saying, ‘Come on, come on, everybody!’. The audience responded ‘It’s a new level of consciousness, a deeper level of consciousness…’, and ‘ It is becoming receptive’. He then said, ‘You all have one part or the other of meditation. Prayer is when the mind is one-pointed and man talks to Infinity. Meditation is when the mind becomes totally clean and receptive and Infinity talks to man. That is what meditation is’.

Wonderful, a totally clean and receptive mind! Sounds like a plan. However, putting it into practice is another thing all together. The following is a passage from Gurmukh (2) that provides a beautifully simple summary about meditation:

“Meditation is not about perfecting or attaining anything. People think they need to go into a trance or be in an altered state to feel they’re really meditating. That can and does happen, but meditation is actually the clearinghouse of the mind. Our minds release a thousand thoughts per wink of the eye. Just watch these thoughts as you might watch an ocean wave, not remembering or diagnosing them as they come and go. The real gift is to sit in the middle of all those thoughts, and react to not a one. Keep returning back to your breath, or maybe the sound you’re making or the positioning of the body. Kundalini Meditations usually consist of breath or sound patterns and some specific positions, so you have plenty on which to concentrate.”

Yogi Bhajan describes meditating as a process. He explained that in meditation, within a few minutes many thoughts will come – if you let those thoughts pass by, you are meditating. Keeping physically still helps the mind to become still. This is the foundation of the meditative mind. You have to concentrate. ‘It is the mind which can concentrate for you. The mind is given as a tool to you. The mind is not your master. The mind was given to serve you’ (Yogi Bhajan).

Meditation may be done silently or with mantra. Meditating with silent awareness allows you to be aware of what is happening in your mind, and to let the subconscious get rid of thoughts, feelings and processes. This is done by bringing awareness to the breath, or silently being a non-judgemental observer of our mind. Meditating with mantra acts as a focus for the mind, like a hinge which swings your thoughts, and a new model for the mind.

As the mind is generating thoughts constantly, distractions are absolutely normal. Just continue to bring yourself back to the mantra or point of focus (such as the breathing or eye focus). Do not judge or react to the thoughts. By learning to do this, you can bring about a calmness and stillness, even in the face of an ever functioning mind. Be patient with yourself and remember that it is a process. You may begin with only a few moments of focus, but this is a start.

Preparation for Meditating

Where: Chose a setting where you will not be disturbed, with the temperature not too hot or cold. It is helpful to sit on a sheepskin, a mat, or a blanket (something supportive but also soft). If you cannot sit comfortably on the floor, it is okay to sit on a chair. The idea is to be relaxed yet still alert, with a stable base.
When: The best time to meditate is before dawn (between 4 and 7am) or when the sun is setting (4 to 7pm). Meditating before going to bed can also be beneficial, as you are calming the mind and preparing for sleep.
Wear: Wear something comfortable, and ideally something made of natural fibres. You may also wish to cover your head.
Tune in: Chant ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ three times to tune in.
Exercises: We do exercises for yoga and breathing to prepare ourselves for meditation. The exercises balance our nervous system and the subtle energies of the mind and the body, which in turn facilitates meditation.

1. ‘Individual Harmony – Universal Harmony’, Yogi Bhajan PhD.
2. Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa (2000). ‘The Eight Human Talents: Restore the Balance and Serenity Within You With Kundalini Yoga’ New York: HarperCollins.

Be in Flow with your Highest Wisdom

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Meditation for Healing

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The Siri Gaitri Mantra has 8 sounds to stimulate the flow of energy in your spine and chakras. The sounds create balance in the brain.

Mudra: Elbows tucked comfortably against ribs. Extend forearms at 45 degrees out from centre of the body. Keep the palms flat and facing up, with the wrists pulled back. The fingers are together and the thumbs are spread.

Mantra: Raa Maa Daa Saa, Saa Say So Hung

Pull the Navel Point in powerfully on ‘So Hung’ (keep the ‘Hung’ sound short – clip it off forcefully as you pull the navel inward). Chat the mantra once through and then inhale deeply and repeat. Move the mouth fully, feeling the resonance of the sound in the mouth and sinuses. Concentrate your mind on the combination of sounds.

Time: 11-31 minutes

To finish: Inhale deeply and hold the breath, offering a healing prayer while visualising the person you wish to heal (it could be yourself!). Visualise them as healthy, radiant, strong – enveloped in a white light, completely healed. Then exhale and inhale deeply, keep the inhale as you offer your prayer. Finally, lift your arms up high and shake out the hands and fingers.

Meditation to Break Through Blocks

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Gobinday Mukanday

This mantra is from the Jaap Sahib, and is also known as the Guru Gaitri Mantra. It is for breaking through blockages, purifying the electromagnetic field (aura), and bringing compassion and patience to those who meditate on this mantra.

See below for directions for doing the mantra with movement.

Tune in to your meditation practice with ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ (repeat 3 times).

Posture: Easy pose, with a straight spine.

Focus and Mantra: Your eyes are closed. The mantra is:

Gobinday (elbows bent, arms by your sides, hands in fists)
Mukanday (bring arms up to 60 degrees, opening up to the sky like a V, look up)
Udaaray (circle arms overhead like a sun)
Apaaray (complete the circle, bringing hands under chin, palms up)
Hareeung (arms out straight, parallel to the floor, palms down)
Kareeung (keeping sides of hands together, transition to palms facing up, hands cupped)
Nirnaamay (arms still parallel to floor, bring palms together, fingers pointing forward)
Akaamay (move into prayer pose at your Heart Centre)

Time: 11 minutes.

Music: In class we used Gurudass Kaur’s version ‘Gobinde Mukande’ (available from iTunes). There are many other beautiful versions of this mantra to choose from!

Meditation to Experience Boundlessness

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Meditation for the Tenth Gate:

Tune in to your meditation practice with ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ (repeat 3 times).

Posture: Easy pose, with a straight spine. The chest is out and the chin is in – apply a light neck lock. The hands are resting in your lap (right hand on top of left) with the palms facing up, pads of the thumbs touching.

Focus and Mantra: Your eyes are focused upward, guiding your attention to the top of your head, your 10th Gate (7th Chakra). The mantra (chanted to yourself, not aloud) is ‘Har, Har, Mukanday’. As you mentally chant ‘Har, Har’ pull your Navel Point in. Hold Navel Point in, then press the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth as you mentally chant ‘Mukanday’. Concentrate deeply and immerse yourself. Feel yourself expand beyond time and space, into a realm of total peace and joy.

Time: 11 minutes.

Music: In class we used ‘Har Har Mukande’ from the Crimson Collection, Volumes 4&5 (available from Spirit Voyage).

Meditation for Awareness and Guidance

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The Complete Adi Mantra:

This mantra will be familiar – we use the Adi Mantra to tune in before we begin class. We chant it to tune into our higher selves. By doing the ‘Complete’ Adi Mantra, you are establishing awareness and guidance, linking your present state and your higher consciousness. It can help you gain perspective and direction.

Tune in to your meditation practice with ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ (repeat 3 times).

Posture: Easy pose, with a straight spine. Bring your chin in so you have a light neck lock. Your hands are cupped in front of your heart centre, with your palms facing up and the sides of your fingers touching (like you are receiving something). Within this postion, your fingers come into gyan mudra (thumbs and index fingers pressing together).

Focus and Mantra: Your eyes are focused on the tip of your nose. The mantra is repeated 3 times on one breath:

Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo,
Guru Dev Namo, Guru Deva.

Time: 11 minutes.

Music: In class we used the version from Satkirin Kaur Khalsa’s album ‘Ignite Your Light’. This is available on spiritvoyage.com.

Meditation for the Feminine Power

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Kundalini Bhakti Meditation:

In class we did the meditation with mudra in motion, but there are other ways in which the meditation can be practiced. If you would like to learn the movements that we did in class, leave a comment below and I’ll email the instructions.

The mantra is a devotion to the creative feminine power of the universe. Do this meditation to help rid yourself of blocks and barriers and allow the universe to flow through you.

Tune in to your meditation practice with ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ (repeat 3 times).

Posture: Easy pose, with a straight spine. Place your hands in your lap with the palms facing up. Rest your right hand in your left hand, with the thumb tips touching.

Focus and Mantra: Your eyes are closed. The mantra is:

Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Namo Namo
Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Namo Namo
Pritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati,
Namo Namo
Kundalini Mata Shakti, Mata Shakti, Namo Namo

Time: 11 minutes.

Music: In class we used the version of ‘Aadi Shakti‘ from Snatam Kaur’s album ‘Divine Birth’. There are several other wonderful versions, such as Gurudass’ single ‘Adi Shakti’. These are available on iTunes and spiritvoyage.com.

Meditation for Effective Communication

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Meditation for the Fifth Chakra:

Tune in to your meditation practice with ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ (repeat 3 times).

Posture: Easy pose, with a straight spine. The chest is out and the chin is in – apply neck lock. The hands are in gyan mudra (index finger and thumb pressed together).

Focus and Mantra: Your eyes are focused on the tip of your nose. The mantra is ‘Humee Hum, Brahm Hum’. It is chanted from the root of the tongue, and the pressure can be felt in the throat.

Time: 11 minutes.

Music: In class we used Nirinjan Kaur’s ‘Humee Hum’ from the ‘Invincible Collection’ (available on iTunes).

Meditation for Strength and Confidence

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This meditation creates a field of protection around you, giving you strength and confidence. It also works to open the heart chakra and and sends love into the universe.
(photo from Spirit Voyage)

Meditation for Protection and Projection:

Tune in to your meditation practice with ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’ (repeat 3 times).

Focus and Mantra: Your eyes are focused on your 3rd eye point. Sit in easy pose, with your chest out and your chin in (‘neck lock’). Your hands are in prayer pose at your heart centre, with your thumbs crossed (left thumb on top for women, right thumb on top for men).

Movement: Begin with hands in prayer pose. With each line of the mantra, extend your arms to 60 degrees (see photo above). Between each line, inhale and come back to prayer pose.

Mantra: Aad Guray Nameh,
Jugaad Guray Nameh,
Sat Guray Nameh,
Siri Guru Devay Nameh

Time: 11 to 31 minutes. You can start off with 3 minutes and build up to longer.

To finish: Inhale deeply, hold the breath, exhale. Repeat 2 times and relax.

Music: In class we used SatKirin Kaur Khalsa’s Meditation for a Wise Heart- Aad Guray Nameh (from the album ‘Blessings of a Woman’). Snatnam Kaur also does a wonderful version of ‘Aad Guray Nameh’.