Who is Yogi Bhajan?

What is Meditation?

Prayer is asking. Meditation is listening. Not to yourself, but to the stillness and vastness of the universe. You don't need to have any religious or special belief to gain the benefits of meditation. You just need to learn to let go of the mind.

We are ruled by our mind. It is not the best choice of ruler. The mind is a tyrant. A terrible master. It does not ever want you to discover that there is another way, that you can choose and that meditation is the best way there. What is there? That you are the Master and the mind works for you. That you decide when you want to think, to obsess, to deliberate. When you take your first step on the spiritual path you do a huge thing; you put your ego, your mind, in battle with your soul. And your ego, your mind, is determined to win. So, it will criticise your choice, the teacher, the practice, the position, the clothes, the music, the room. Anything to stop you discovering the other way. Once you can sit, focus on the elements of the meditation you have chosen, and keep that focus, even if you struggle like crazy, you are meditating. The act of refusing the mind, the act of remembering to focus on the mantra is a large part of the practice. It is like exercising a muscle. The first steps are so hard, then the building starts. After a while meditation becomes easier. It does not mean that your arms will not ache, or you can sit for hours without wriggling, but that you will attach less importance to the discomforts and enjoy the sensations and changes that come with regular practice. After a while it is something that you want to do, that you look forward to doing.

Take time to meditate, make a special place to sit. Create an altar in your room, light a candle and incense. All these moments bring us closer to our connection with the Universe. If you have made a beautiful space for your practice you will be far more likely to sit there. Having said this I have meditated in planes, taxis, fields and wastelands. There is no perfect place, it is inside you that you find the perfection. You don't have to sit on the floor. You can use a chair, and sit with your spine straight, not touching the back of the seat.

There are so many different ways to meditate. So many practices. The start can be just sitting comfortably in a chair and letting the mind pass by. Don't let it hook you into the stream. After three minutes it is easier, but sit still.

Tratakam is interesting and can be very powerful. Sit comfortably, in front of a candle. Not too close, about 7 feet away, and gaze at the candle. See the corona around the flame, see the darkness at the base of the flame. This is where light and darkness co-exist. Just see what is. Don't imagine anything more.

In Kundalini Yoga we use three things to help us; the breath, mantra and mudra or hand positions. We can use each of these tools to work on all manner of things; healing, the liver, glandular secretion, the neutral mind, and much more.

Long deep breathing is interesting to learn to work with. The majority of us to not breathe properly. Yes, we all breath, but to really become present in the moment? To leave the past behind and move into the now we need to learn to slow the breath down. If you take a long deep breath, see how many seconds it takes to fill your lungs. 3? 4?

The ideal, yogically, would be 20 seconds. During some of the practices, long deep breathing is suggested. Become aware of the breath, slow it down. Hold for a moment at the top and the bottom of each one. As you extend the breath, you move into the now. The ghosts, regrets and fears diminish. Your perspective changes and the hormonal flow is balanced.

The different breath techniques are very helpful when working with the addictive mind. Breath of fire builds heat in the belly, helping to build your projection. It is very useful for stopping cravings, and cleanes the blood.

Jap is the repetition of the holy name. Sat Nam. Wha Hey Guru. Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung. Ang Sang Wha Hey Guru.

Mantras can be used for Jap. I do Jap all the time, walking, travelling, when I wake at night. It is a way of stilling the mind, calming the thoughts, and leads to simran - constant remembrance of the Divine - which is the purpose of all these practices. Jap can be done with the breath, inhaling Sat, exhaling Nam, or it can be done walking, repeating the words in time with the steps. Another way is with a mala. Turning the mala in the hand, repeating the mantra as you move past each bead. It can be silent or spoken. You can also vibrate the mantra in your head whilst seeing the words written in your minds eye.

As you can experience, there are many ways to meditate and here are just a few. I you want to go further with you practice, there are many kundalini yoga teachers. On the links page you will find ways of contacting them and me.

Meditation for Beginners

How to teach meditation?
This has been an interesting journey for me.
I had longed to be able to meditate for years, and tried many ways, sometimes from books, sometimes just doing what I thought it should be, which was in fact sitting and thinking.

It was when I started KY that I found out what it could be, and from here was able to fulfill an ambition I had had all my adult life; to still the Mind.
To be present, here and now, in the moment, with no memories from the past and no fear of the future colouring my reality. I must confess that I am not a master, neither am I perfect, but I have come a long way from where I started and now know how to achieve a state of stillness.

Do I do it all the time?
No, half the art is in remembering that it is a tool and an option.
The mind is a terrible tyrant. The route to a peaceful life is discovering that we can become the master of our mind, that we can put it down, that we don’t need it all the time. We can learn, through meditation, to put the mind down. Stop the endless chatter. This discovery can be mind blowing, literally. It was for me.

The realisation and experience of stopping the chatter and voices was a total epiphany for me. So I now hope to teach you experiences that can open up the same possibilities within you.

In KY the meditations can take many forms. We use various techniques to separate from the thoughts. The breath, mantra and mudras or hand positions. Sometimes one of these, sometimes all.

The focus on maintaining any of them and struggling with this focus, is how we separate from the chatter. I have chosen from thousands of possible yoga kriyas and meditations and decided on the ones here because I like them, they helped me and they work. As do all the others, but these are my choice.

I suggest that you warm up, work with a set, there are two to chose from, then a meditation. The best practice is to take a meditation and experience it for 40 days. Everyday. It can be useful to keep notes on your experiences. There will be easy days, totally elevating days, and some when it is such a struggle you are amazed. And that can be with the easiest meditation.

Kundalini Yoga - Elevation a Guide to Meditation
Volumes 1 & 2

You can order these dvds in the DEVOTION store

Yogi Bhajan said:
"Amid the swirling, confusing, unfocused energies of the modern world, there is a light, a calm and a healing in the center of All things."

Boost your immunity with the warrior

The Warrior Pose

This is a very strong yoga pose that helps to strengthen the nervous system and works to increase the flow of blood to the pelvic and thigh region. This is important as the femur is the main source of white blood cell production. The thigh is also one of the largest muscles and increasing blood flow to this area helps to remove toxins and moves the flow of oxygen through the body. The pose also opens and stimulates the lymph glands in the thigh region which is an important immune system function.

Step-by-step

Position yourself on a non-slip surface, ideally a non-slip yoga mat. Stand straight facing forward and step the right foot one metre to the right and place it at a 90 degree angle to the body. The left foot should remain facing forward. Bend the right knee to almost a 45 degree angle keeping the upper torso facing forward. Extend the right arm completely, making a fist with the thumb pointing up (as though you are holding an archery bow). Bring the left arm across the body to the right arm and pull back across the body and hold. Start by holding this pose for one minute and reverse the moves.

As you hold the pose concentrate on your objective (suggestion: to cleanse toxins from the body and boost immunity)