The Gong in Kundalini Yoga

If you have never experienced the sound of a gong played to a deep relaxation, it is a real treat. Yogi bhajan used to talk about it as a tool that supercedes the mind.

When the gong is played, the mental thought process naturally relaxes. In a new book by Mehtab titled Gong Yoga, he speaks about the different effects of playing the gong.

 

Here is a clip of Mehtab speaking about playing the gong:

We carry a number of Gong CD’s that can be used for personal relaxation or use in a yoga class when carrying along a gong is just not realistic.

Here are some of them:

Therapeutic Gong

Song of the Sacred Gong

Earth Planet Gong by Sotantar

 

Echo by Devinder Kaur

Sat Kirin on her NEW CD Blessings of a Woman

BLESSINGS OF A WOMAN

by SatKirin Kaur Khalsa

After 39 years of singing and experiencing the power of Shabd and Mantra I offer this collection, BLESSINGS OF A WOMAN, to all of you to use as a map guide for your life. For women it is to inspire you to uplift yourself, your family, your surroundings. For men it is to understand how you revolve around the feminine and benefit from this support. I am deeply grateful to the Siri Singh Sahib for teaching me about the strength of the woman and for guiding me to my Guru, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

The woman contains the ability to create life and thus has many gifts and strengths associated with maintaining the values of society and the future; if she knows how to channel the sabotage of her emotional nature and live in grace.

The Sikh Gurus compiled a map guide for the human mind to be uplifted through song, called the Siri Guru Granth Sahib or SHABD GURU. Because, “Kalyug meh kirtan pardanaa”. ‘In the dark age the singing of kirtan (shabds of the Guru) is mastery.’ This basic teaching of Shabd Guru leads the way to enduring happiness and clear awareness through recitation of the Naad of the Shabd. Naad contains all the sounds of the universe in balance and the entire Shabd Guru is written in Naad.

The Kalyug, which we are now in, is the final era in the spiritual evolution of the human being. It is the ‘Age of Darkness’ and is 432,000 years long. This age is divided into two parts: Piscean and Aquarian. We are leaving the Piscean and transitioning, by the year 2012, into the Aquarian age.

It all works because Shabd Guru releases us from limiting thoughts called, ego. Each Shabd gives an inheritance, a spiritual DNA that establishes our ID and lineage with Infinity. Shabd contains words that have a sound pattern and rhythm. The pressure of the tongue on the upper palate stimulates the 84 meridian points through reciting Gurbani, (the language of the Shabd). This process of recitation creates corresponding patterns with the neurons of the brain to stimulate the hypothalamus which makes the Pineal gland radiate. The glandular system is balanced, you experience ecstasy and increased intuition. This is a human technology, not a religion.

Just as when milk is churned, it takes a lot of milk and a lot of effort to make a little butter. When you churn the tongue in the cave of the mouth the effect is manifested by a lot of repetition and some time . When you choose a Shand to work on from Blessings of a Woman is to be recited 11 times a day or sung for 31 minutes for a 40 day period. If you miss a day, your restart day becomes day #1. Same for the mantras on the CD. They are mini Shabds and should also be recited with full sensory and meditative focus for 11 minutes or 31 minutes. The 40 day period is needed to effect the change in the psyche to create a new habit and release the old habit pattern. You can continue for 90 days, 120 days, and even 1,000 days for mastery.

The CD map guide begins with “AMRIT PEEVO…” The Power of the Mother’s Prayer. Yogi Bhajan said that the greatest prayer is the power of the prayer of the mother. For those of us who are not mothers, you can focus on the ‘child within yourself’ ‘may you live long and may the meditative remembrance of God give you infinite delight”. To care for others you must first care for yourself. To teach self love you must act lovingly. Recitation of this ancient prayer,protects, heals, blesses and watches over all of this. Just listening to the words invokes a powerful blessing.

The next is the ‘Noble Woman’ which is an English song from a class of Yogi Bhajan at Women’s Camp. The trap for the woman in relationships with a man is her emotions and her insecurity. He said, ‘Never compete with nor confront a man. It will make your life miserable. Rather, he impressed upon us the power of nobility; “Nobility is such a virtue you can conquer the world with it”. And, “Build your life around nobility, not sexuality”. Sing this song to develop a grateful heart and understanding of your life.

Wahe Guru jio is a simple mantra to feed the essence of your soul and bring bliss to your day. Take the time to crowd out the suffering by moving your lips and tongue to attune to the bliss meridians of higher consciousness.

In the Meditation for a wise heart, Aad Gureh Nameh… we also sing the English translation. Each line says “I bow”. When you bow, your head is below your heart, and soon your heart energy reigns supreme and thoughts are quieted, and our wisdom can speak to us.

The combination of Akal Sahaa-ee mantra and Adi Shakti mantra are for removing fear.You stretch in the mudra of the hands over the head in prayer and the Infinte will stretch back enabling a powerful potential, while fears and phobias diminish.

Next is the meditation to feel SUPPORTED. GOBINDA, The name of God which means, the sustaining power of the Creator.

The 7th track is the Shabd ” Bhand Jamee-ai…” which is recited in every Gurdwara in the world, daily, in epic poem of Shabd Guru called ASA DIVAR. An affirmation of the creative power of the feminine, it causes indignities of life to fall away and empowers your words with grace.

The final track is for you to deeply relax. The ambient soothing, melting, space created with the Raga scale is adorned here and there with heavenly WAHE GURU.

The CD contains a mix of world rhythms and sounds for easy listening, yoga class and deep relaxation. Created for both men and women who want to transform, excel and be radiant. The ancient mantra meditations focus the mind and develop one’s compassionate heart. Thomas Barquee is the musical producer.

Teaching Yoga In Bangalore

In the 1970′s my father dropped out of medical school to work in a vegetarian restaurant and live with 9 other guys  in an ashram and study with Yogi Bhajan. He also showed up that same week and broke the news to his folks sporting a turban.  In the early 90′s, he joined a start up company that was the first to do medical transcription in Bangalore India, called Healthscribe. Transcription was  predecessor to the business process outsourcing (BPO)  industry, and was a knowledge transfer from the West to India. He then went on to work for Firstring, one of the first call centers in India that targeted western business. His career working with India would prove to be quite successful but he would often comment how he wished he could teach more yoga.

Just as yoga would forever change america, so too would technology transform India. Yesterday, my pops emailed me a flyer that I thought was quite ironic. Here is the link to the Bangalore Flyer.

“Feeling Stressed Out?? Don’t let life pass you by! The Employee Engagement Team is organising Kundalini Yoga sessions By Firstsource’s very own Expert – Satwant Singh Khalsa which will help you realise your true potential from Jan 27 – 30, 2009 for all employees at FSL Bangalore Each session will be for 1 hour. Interested employees may send in their preferred timings by Jan 23, 2009 before 5 PM Kundalini Yoga: The Yoga of Awareness Kundalini Yoga, the Yoga of Awareness, was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan in 1968. Through the practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation, your glandular and nervous systems are stimulated, your capacity for creative potential is heightened, and you gain inner vitality. Kundalini yoga classes are a dynamic blend of postures, pranayam (breathing exercises), mantra, music and meditation. You will increase your flexibility, learn the art of relaxation, and relieve tension and stress. Balancing body and mind enables you to experience the clarity and beauty of your soul.

No previous experience in yoga is required for you to achieve results with your very first class. Firstsource’s own, Vice President- Client Relationships, USA, Satwant Singh Khalsa will be leading the classes. Mr. Khalsa has been practicing and teaching Kundalini Yoga for over 30 years.”

He plans to hold classes at the centers they operate  in Manilla & Buenos Aires as well.

White Tantric Yoga Inspired Clothes

On Saturday I did about my 50th day of white tantric yoga. “Tantric,” as we call it, is a day long meditation course that uses some combination of asana, breath, mudras, mantras and music. The power of a group meditative energy is profound.  I am always so surprised at how focused, relaxed and clear my mind becomes.

For White Tantric Yoga, people are paired up and meditations are done with a partner, so you can do it with a spouse or friend, or when you arrive, you can find a partner at the event.  It can also make for a great date as long as you both can sit cross legged. You can find out the schedule at www.whitetantricyoga.com

These courses are a great display of the inspiration behind our line of clothing as everyone wears white. The idea behind the white is that it is a meditative, relaxing color and the white serves to expand your aura and radiance. As we were looking for clothing for tantric & kundalini yoga, we found a number of new great styles.

We just picked up a new line of both men’s and women’s clothes.  We did a photo shoot a few days ago which was really fun. We have been adding clothes that are great for kundalini yoga and tantric in general. check back at the site for the clothing lines as they will be added over the next few weeks.

Eurpean Yoga Festival’s Live Music – A New Release

While in France at the Eurpean Yoga Festival I had the great please of meeting a whole new set of musicians that embody the mantras and teachings of yogi bhajan. Just as summer solstice brings people from this part of the globe together, the european yoga festival attracts lovers of mantras & meditation. Two recording engineers from England micc’ed the festival in 2007 and released this double CD this summer at the festival. It features the music of Guru Dass Kaur, Mirabai Ceiba, Satya Singh, Aurora, Sat Hari Singh, sat kirin kaur, Sadasat Kaur and so many more. It is a two CD collection with the best tracks recorded from morning Sadhana and then another CD of music recorded throughout the festival.

Kara – A Band of Protection

Recently a friend asked me why people wear karas . I had to think about it for a moment and I thought I would gather a few stories, history and folklore.

When I was a kid, I was told to wear a kara to remember to always do good unto others with my hands. Karas are traditionally worn on the right hand, although Yogi Bhajan advised men to wear them on the right and women on the left for their individual energy balancing.

Karas are generally made of stainless steel.  This represents both strength and purity and is meant to fill the wearer with these qualities.  I also discovered that there is a tradition that says the kara is also worn for humility. It is a symbol of a chain to the lord.

Somewhere down the line one of my yoga teachers spoke of the kara as an energy purifier and a tool to balance the wind in the body.

One of my friends related a story to me that for many years she was ‘under attack’ from negative energy that would actually maker her physically sick.  She said that the woman who was ‘attacking’ her practiced voodoo and was a self-described voodoo practitioner.

When my friend met Yogi Bhajan, he gave her a kara and told her never to take it off.   Six months later, she started to feel the same physical effects she had felt when this woman had attacked her in the past.  Suddenly, the metal kara cracked on her arm.  She said after that, the voodoo never had an effect on her again.

My curiosity was peaked by her story, so I asked Guru Dev about it. He advised me to find new friends! On deeper inquiry, he said that he thought the energy attacks or voodoo must have had something to do with creating an imbalance of wind in my friend’s body, but I am not sure he was really taking me seriously.

In one of Yogi Bhajan’s lectures, he said “Kara reminds you, Guru reminds you that you have come from the Infinite. ‘Oh finite! You have to merge in the Infinite.’”

For all that it is made out to be, I generally wear a kara because it makes me comfortable and I think they are really cool.

Enjoy your browsing.

- Hargobind

Learn the Kundalini Yoga Mantras

I finally got my hands on a copy of the Kundalini Mantra Instruction album

Kundalini Mantra Instruction

by my good friend Gurudass Kaur. It is a great contribution to the practice of kundalini yoga. She covers most of the mantras used throughout the classes.

Yogi Bhajan often spoke of the upper palate as keys on a piano. The effects of mantra were realized through the motion of the tongue on the palate and the teeth. These points were sensitive and would then have effects on the brain. He would then stress the importance of pronunciation in realizing these experiences.

This CD is real helpful in that regard. I have hyperlinked the searches to other music on our site in case you want more music with those mantras. Unfortunately there is not uniformity in the spelling, so some things are missed. All results were found by narrowing the search to track names on spiritvoyage.com and then entering the desired mantra.

The Mantras on this CD are:

1. Ong namo guroo dayv namo

2. Aad guray nameh

3. Aad such, jugaad such, hai bhee such, Naanak hosee bhee such

4. Aad such, jugaad such, hai bhay such, Naanak hosee bhay such

5. Aade shaktee

6. Aap sahaaee hoaa sachay

7. Akaal

8. Ang sang wa-hay guroo (Also Ung Sung)

9. Ang sang wa-hay guroo (Also Ung Sung)

10. Ardaas bhaee

11. Chatra chakra vartee

12. Ek ong kaar sat gur prasaad

13. Ek ong kaar sat naam siree wa–hay guroo (Long Ek Ong Kar)

14. Ek ong kaar-UH, sat-a-nam-UH, siree wa-UH, hay guroo

15. Ek ong kaar, sat naam

16. Gobind(a) gobind(a) haree haree

17. Gobind(a) gobind(a)

18. Gobinday mukanday

19. Gobinday mukanday

20. God and me, me and God, are One

21. Guroo guroo wahay guroo guroo ram daas guroo

22. Har har…

23. Har har har har gobinday

24. Har har har har har har har haree

25. Har har har har har har haree

26. Har har mukanday

27. Har har wa-hay guroo

28. Har haray haree wa-hay guroo

29. Haree haree haree haree haree haree har

30. Haree haree haree haree haree haree haree har

31. Haree naam sat naam haree naam haree

32. Humee hum brum hum

33. Humee hum too(n) hee too(n), wa-hay guroo

34. I am happy, I am good

35. I am I am

36. Ong namo guroo dayv namo, guroo dayv namo, guroo dayvaa (Also Gurudeva)

37. Ong

38. Ong ong ong…..

39. Ong ong ong ong sohang sohang sohang sohang

40. Ong sohang

41. Pavan guroo

42. Raa maa daa saa saa say so hung

43. Raa maa daa saa saa say so hung

44. Raa maa daa saa, saa say so hang

45. Rakhay rakhanhaar aap ubaari-an

46. Raa raa raa raa, maa maa maa maa, saa saa saa sat, haree har haree har

47. Saa ray saa saa

48. Saa ray saa saa

49. Saa taa naa maa

50. Saa ray gaa maa paa

51. Sat Kar-taar

52. Saa taa naa maa Raa Maa Daa Saa

53. Sat naam

54. Sat naam

55. Sat naam for Sat Kriya

56. Sat naam

57. Sat naam wa- hay guroo

58. Sat naam wha- hay guroo

59. Sat narayan wa-hay guroo

60. Sat siree, siree akaal

61. Wa–hay guroo

62. Waa yantee kar yantee

63. Wa-hay guroo, wa-hay guroo, wa-hay wa-hay, wa-hay guroo

64. Wa wa hay hay, wa wa hay hay, wa wa hay hay guroo

65. Wa-hay guroo, wa-hay guroo, wa-hay guroo, wa-hay jeeo

66. Wa-hay wa-hay wa-hay guroo

67. Wa-hay guroo