TUNE IN - TUNE OUT

"Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo: I bow to the Divine Teacher within."
 

TUNING IN

I cannot stress enough the importance of tuning in before you begin your Kundalini Yoga  practice and tuning out as you conclude. We tune in to disconnect our Self from our current reality and plug our Self into a higher vibration. By tuning in, we open our Self to the possibility of what is: connecting with the present state of one's inner most Self while at the same time being open to the possibility of transformation and deep healing. We begin every session with the Adi Mantra: 

ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO

The translation from Gurmukhi:
I bow to the Divine Teacher within

We chant this mantra three times either on one or two breaths depending on lung capacity and preference. I prefer two breaths because I have more power in my breath and it also gives me an opportunity to vibrate the mantra from my heart center and not my throat. Remember, chanting is not singing. Listen here for the correct pronunciation and cadence of the mantra. This mantra links you to the Golden Chain of teachers that came before you while acknowledging that you are that which you seek. There is no need for a master, a teacher, a guru. They only provide the map for you to reach your destination. The true work is done by you through your daily practice. 

When one deepens one's practice, and if time permits, some yogis follow the Adi Mantra with the Mangala Charn Mantra. The Mangala Charn Mantra is said to surround the individual's electromagnetic field with protective white light.

AAD GURAY NAMEH
JUGAAD GURAY NAMEH
SAT GURAY NAMEH
SIRI GURU DEVAY NAMEH

Translation:
I bow to the Primal Wisdom.
I bow to the Wisdom through the Ages.
I bow to the True Wisdom.

I bow to the great, unseen Wisdom

TUNING OUT

After you conclude your meditation you may do a "sound bath." You can use a gong, bells, chimes, or tibetan singing bowl. You can learn how to play the gong with one of my teachers, Hari Jiwan here. I call sound meditations, "meditation from the outside...in." The gong is the sound of creation that washes over your subtle body and brings integration of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The sound vibration "washes" over your subtle body clearing it of negative energy, psychic chords, and parasitic entities.  

Now, you may close out your session "as taught by Yogi Bhajan" with the LONG TIME SUN:

May the long time sun shine upon you
All light surround you
And the pure light within you 
Guide your way on. 

This comes from a Keltic prayer that was popular during the 60's when Yogi Bhajan began to teach in the U.S. We are in different times and yoga appeals to a more culturally diverse population. So in my classes, in lieu of the Long Time Sun, we close out with The Warrior Healer's Affirmations which came to me during a meditation:

I am infinite abundance and boundless prosperity.

I have unlimited potential, at this and every moment; I am the seed of creation.

I patiently await for what is mine; My destiny is already written.

I accept everything that comes to me, light and shadow, with graciousness and humility; Every thing is an extension of my Being.

I have a healthy detachment to objects and situations because I realize the transient nature of things; Nothing is permanent.

I use my awareness to raise my own consciousness, that of my family, my community and the cosmos; My existence is not in vain.

I am protected on all sides, at all times; I walk the straight path with no fear.

I trust and surrender to the process; Divine Loving Hands move all.

However you decide to close out your session, whether with the Long Time Sun or the Warrior Healer's Affirmations, it is important to do what resonates in your soul. You may even choose to say a prayer in your own religious tradition or recite a beautiful poem. I believe we are multi-faceted hu-man be-ings. It is important to honor all of your incarnations and integrate them in this life-time. The science of Kundalini Yoga can help you to do that. No sense in getting caught up in religious dogma if it doesn't sit well in your heart.  

If you are still feeling spacey after a session, drink water and/or touch the earth with bare feet.

And there it is R & B Yogis! More tools to live by. If you have any questions, you know where to find me.

See you in the ethers,

Mama Luz  
      

Karma is a bitch...

Karma is a bitch and she will serve up the retribution accordingly. At times, she can be brutal but mostly she's a nagging bitch. The kind that is constantly reminding you that its time to make serious changes in your life...or else! We are the sum of our karma, the culmination of our deeds and works from past lives and this life time. Try to not a think of karma as a punishment but rather a debt you arrived with, forgot about, and must work off. Karma "IS." And is not good or bad. If we remain emotionally neutral towards it yet remain spiritually active in the burning of it, we will eventually be freed from it. (TAKE NOTE: Neutrality is the key to freedom. Neutrality is achieved through detachment. Detachment is achieved through meditation). Through Kundalini Yoga, we learn to accept responsibility for the current state of our life and demonstrate to the Universe (God) that we are willing to do the work to heal ourselves. It is the union of one's Self with the Most High that makes healing possible. And by healing ourselves, we heal the world around us. Through deep practice, one recognizes that one has the ability to co-create one's life with grace and conscious action. That doesn't mean life is easy and not without it's difficult lessons. Self-realization is not about getting what you want, it's about getting what you need in order to learn your lessons, evolve, and ascend. If you maintain the grace needed to see what God sees, and proceed accordingly, through the purification process of burning one's karma, one discovers one's purpose in life, dharma, which is the purpose of karma.  

We each arrive on this plane with a unique gift or mission to complete. The reason why we have incarnated is to get closer to this self-realization. Sometimes it takes a many incarnations for us to discover what our dharma actually is. But essentially, dharma is how we serve humanity and how we make the planet better than it was than when we arrived. It does not necessarily mean becoming an ascetic and/or living a life of austere religiousity or spirituality. It can be through the creation of art, music, through being a caretaker, a teacher, or even by being a social justice warrior. Ask yourself: How am I a bridge that takes humanity from one state of being to another higher state of being? How do I raise the vibration of the planet? How am I a catharsis for the healing of others? Humanity could be one person. Or it could be humanity in its entirety. The best way to get clarity in this regard is through daily meditation.

MEDITATE ON THIS: 

From the Holy Quran, Surah 5 verse 32: “...if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind.” 

Sat Nam...Shalom...Salaam.

Mama Luz
 

Be the Miracle

Kundalini is the path to becoming the miracle. - Luz Emma

Yeah...yeah...yeah, we've all heard it before: "Life is a miracle." It's cliche...it's corny...but it's true! Most of us are so wrapped up into what we are feeling, that we forget about the miracle that life is. The very fact that the same cosmic matter that is present in the universe is the same materia in the atoms of our bodies is pretty miraculous. I could go on and on presenting some scientific proof on the presence of GOD, a "Super Natural Intelligence," a "Supreme Being," or whatever you want to call it, but just the fact that you are reading this blog post means that you "believe" enough in miracles to continue reading. 

All miracles begin with faith. One must believe in the medicine in order for it to do it's healing work. And because Kundalini is spiritual alchemy, belief in "Supreme Being" is paramount. It does not matter how you define it, what it is important is to acknowledge that it exists and that believe that there is Divine order in what may seem as a chaotic existence. Kundalini is the path to becoming the miracle. It is said, that all purification is done, in fire, by fire or through fire. When one practices Kundalini Yoga, one consciously places one's self in the fire's of purification. Through asana, pranayam and meditation, we make our bodies and minds flexible so that we can bend to Divine Will as oppose to attempting to manipulate our environment to bend to our own. Often times, we do not know what our practice will yield, but we proceed with faith even though our bodies and our hearts may hurt. 

The frequency and the proximity in which we merge with the One often determines whether we will be called upon to be used directly as a vessel to transmit healing Light and Love. This takes our miracle work to a whole other level. Don't get it twisted, it isn't all sparkles, rainbows and bliss. Don't forget what happened to Jesus. The Divine is a demanding partner. Being a miracle worker isn't something one seeks, God chooses based on lifetimes of development and cultivation. If you have been chosen, it is because you have been prepared in pre-eternity. You will experience and see things that cannot be fully explained in books and texts. Things that are extra-ordinary and perhaps even para-normal. It is important to temper one's ego or else one's own "fire" will engulf you and you will go up in flames. What could have been a blessing can become a curse. It is always beneficial to have a teacher or guide that can keep you grounded and hold you accountable as you walk along The Path. But ultimately, one must walk through the fire alone, get burned and learn temperance and the lessons for one's Self. Experience is our best teacher. And at the end of the day, the miracle that you are can only be demonstrated in the your dharma, your integrity and your commitment to the service of humanity. 

In Light and Love, 
Mama Luz