I have been a bit quiet lately as have been going through some dark night of the soul period.
Some of us are born with the glass half full, all positive and expecting the best. Some of us are born with the glass half empty, fairly pessimistic and pretty much getting ready for the worst on a regular basis. Unfortunately for me I fall into the latter. Or more specifically moving between highs and lows with extremely high speed (hello Gemini). It is my life's journey to rein this in...Yoga teaches us about balance, neutrality, to have an objective view of life and not to be involved in the circus. I like to think that a lot has changed on my journey on this aspect, but sometimes my reaction to outside circumstances can take me right back to the start.
The following meditation helps me tremendously whenever the darkness engulfs. I did it 5 years ago when we were going through a pretty rough patch in our lives and now it called to me again. I am going to do it for 40 days, as a Kundalini Sadhana (personal meditation practice) as it takes this long for a habit to be fully integrated according to Kundalini Yoga.
The meditation helps to train a negative mind to come back to neutral and from there to love. The first part is the kriya, (can be practiced on it's own as well) and the second part is a guided meditation lead by Ramdesh Kaur, a wonderful teacher, personal favorite of mine. If you struggle with a negative mind I highly recommend this set!
1. Kriya to Remove Negativity:
Mantras
Tuning in at the beginning: Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo 3x, Protection mantra 3x
Tuning out at the end: Saaaaaaat Nam
Mudras, hand positions, in the meditation, practice 1-3 minutes each:
1. Little and ring fingers folded into the palms, other fingers clasped, thumb tips touch together. Hook the left middle finger over the right ring finger and pull hard.
2. Place the base of the wrists under the cheek bones and push in and up with effort
3. Grasp the left wrist with the right hand and pull it to the right as far as possible, keep the head and the body forward
4. Clasp the hands/wrist behind your back, work the elbows towards each other, arms as straight as possible, hands touching the ground, bring the chin towards the chest
5. Shake the body or dance a few minutes (before an after as well if you like)
6. Relax on your back in Savasana if you have time
2. Ramdesh Kaur: Guided meditation for Self Love:
Namaste
Dora