OK, here's the plan.
Deciding what to do has been more difficult than I had ever thought possible. Everything I came across elicited the "yep, need some of that" reaction I was loooking for. Manual after manual brought mantra after mantra, meditation after meditation I felt I needed. I'll be frank and let you know I didn't even consider full yoga sets...too much, too much, too much. So, that made things a tad easier, but I was still facing a daunting task.
So, I pulled my old stand-by off the shelf, Gurmukh's The Eight Human Talents.
"Restore Balance and Serenity within you with Kundalini Yoga." Yep, that's just it, thank you very much. In my tried and true method, I closed my eyes ruffled the well-worn pages a bit and let things fall open where they would.
Bowing, in the section on the 6th chakra, home of intuition. Interesting. My third eye is usually my strong point, often annoyingly overactive, but something I can reliably turn to when things are awry. Since #3 came along though, it has basicly been shut down. The ghost images and colors that usually traipse across my eyes when I focus there have abandoned me to a stark field of blankness...and I simply find it impossible to focus.
Seems like a good place to start, and I simply l.o.v.e. bowing. It's something a lot of people have trouble with...bad connotations of subjugation and all...but for someone that craves connection, it hits the spot. I have stars next to this passage: "It is a humble act, but all too often people confuse humility and humiliation. Humility means understanding that you are a worthwhile and valuable person who is part of a greater whole." I think as a parent I need reminding of that every day, even as it's being shoved in my face.
I was hoping for some mantra though, I think I need some deep concentration to quiet the "monkey mind" that is running like a bad sit-com through my consciousness, so I think I'll use it as a warm-up. Nothing else in that section struck me, so on to other resources!
Snugged next to Gurmukh's book on the shelf is my other fave...The Prayer Solution.
Equally as well-worn and earmarked throughout, this gem by my friend and mentor, Helena Raghubir Eyre, has served often to unstick me when I'm definitely stuck. "Be Who You Came Here to Be." Sing it sister! What mom on earth doesn't need her some of that?!?!? Eyes closed again, randonmly flipping pages lands me in the table of contents. Odd. Scanning the page though, my eyes are riveted by the words "Kirtan Kriya"...and I instantly go all soft and gooey inside. It feels like I'm wrapped in my favorite blanket, soft and snuggly. I seriously almost said "aaawwwwwww!".
Examining the section it was in further showed it following a section on discipline and the meditation itself labeled "Healing the Subconscious". Bells and whistles going off all over when I read Helena's discussion of it's effects. Perfection. Now we've got it all, and it couldn't be more simple and basic. Again, perfection. Don't think I could handle anything complex, I have too much of that in my day to day, my brain might explode if given any more.
This will be my routine:
Tune in by chanting "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo" three times. (If you're not familiar with Kundalini Yoga, each session starts with this as a way of setting your intent for your practice. Loosely translates as "I bow to the creative power; I bow to the teacher within myself.")
3 minutes of bowing as laid out in Gurmukh's book.
7 minutes of Kirtan Kriya. (The link takes you to Gururattan Kaur Khalsa's website and a good basic description of this practice. I'll probably use the recording by Peace Family, it's my favorite.)
Closing with "the sunshine song" and long Sat Nam. (The ultimate self-affirmation, "Truth is my name." For newbies, this closes each Kundalini session.)
B.I.N.G.O. I'll get rolling on November 1. Look for possible posts before that elaborating on my links at left and some more basic info on Kundalini practices for those a bit perplexed about some of the things I'm talking about....and yes, I know no pictures makes for a boring blog, so I'll get us some of those too.
If you're out there lurking or planning to jump on board, drop me a comment, would love to hear your plans!
So, I pulled my old stand-by off the shelf, Gurmukh's The Eight Human Talents.
"Restore Balance and Serenity within you with Kundalini Yoga." Yep, that's just it, thank you very much. In my tried and true method, I closed my eyes ruffled the well-worn pages a bit and let things fall open where they would.
Bowing, in the section on the 6th chakra, home of intuition. Interesting. My third eye is usually my strong point, often annoyingly overactive, but something I can reliably turn to when things are awry. Since #3 came along though, it has basicly been shut down. The ghost images and colors that usually traipse across my eyes when I focus there have abandoned me to a stark field of blankness...and I simply find it impossible to focus.
Seems like a good place to start, and I simply l.o.v.e. bowing. It's something a lot of people have trouble with...bad connotations of subjugation and all...but for someone that craves connection, it hits the spot. I have stars next to this passage: "It is a humble act, but all too often people confuse humility and humiliation. Humility means understanding that you are a worthwhile and valuable person who is part of a greater whole." I think as a parent I need reminding of that every day, even as it's being shoved in my face.
I was hoping for some mantra though, I think I need some deep concentration to quiet the "monkey mind" that is running like a bad sit-com through my consciousness, so I think I'll use it as a warm-up. Nothing else in that section struck me, so on to other resources!
Snugged next to Gurmukh's book on the shelf is my other fave...The Prayer Solution.
Equally as well-worn and earmarked throughout, this gem by my friend and mentor, Helena Raghubir Eyre, has served often to unstick me when I'm definitely stuck. "Be Who You Came Here to Be." Sing it sister! What mom on earth doesn't need her some of that?!?!? Eyes closed again, randonmly flipping pages lands me in the table of contents. Odd. Scanning the page though, my eyes are riveted by the words "Kirtan Kriya"...and I instantly go all soft and gooey inside. It feels like I'm wrapped in my favorite blanket, soft and snuggly. I seriously almost said "aaawwwwwww!".
Examining the section it was in further showed it following a section on discipline and the meditation itself labeled "Healing the Subconscious". Bells and whistles going off all over when I read Helena's discussion of it's effects. Perfection. Now we've got it all, and it couldn't be more simple and basic. Again, perfection. Don't think I could handle anything complex, I have too much of that in my day to day, my brain might explode if given any more.
This will be my routine:
Tune in by chanting "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo" three times. (If you're not familiar with Kundalini Yoga, each session starts with this as a way of setting your intent for your practice. Loosely translates as "I bow to the creative power; I bow to the teacher within myself.")
3 minutes of bowing as laid out in Gurmukh's book.
7 minutes of Kirtan Kriya. (The link takes you to Gururattan Kaur Khalsa's website and a good basic description of this practice. I'll probably use the recording by Peace Family, it's my favorite.)
Closing with "the sunshine song" and long Sat Nam. (The ultimate self-affirmation, "Truth is my name." For newbies, this closes each Kundalini session.)
B.I.N.G.O. I'll get rolling on November 1. Look for possible posts before that elaborating on my links at left and some more basic info on Kundalini practices for those a bit perplexed about some of the things I'm talking about....and yes, I know no pictures makes for a boring blog, so I'll get us some of those too.
If you're out there lurking or planning to jump on board, drop me a comment, would love to hear your plans!
posted by Dawn at 1:07 PM
1 Comments:
Oh, life is just a big circle, isn't it? Why can I never remember that? It always comes up and smacks me from behind when I'm so not looking for it. I will say that going through Teacher Training really gave me a lot to process too, and it took months to feel on an even keel again. Then I went to see Gurmukh for a week and that REALLY took some time to level off after. And then there's Guru Dev, getting in my head even when I don't see him in person, just being in the same state lands me in chaos. I just have to remember that I end up in such a better place when I do finally work through it all. Hitting the basics and restraining myself from over committing will hopefully see me through. Let me know how things are going from time to time? The strength of your practice and commitment is always inspiring!
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