you're probably tired of hearing me say it ... but here I go again ...

110810.  I have this friend … He’s a New Yorker.  But he lives in Los Angeles.  And before I left town he was telling me about his daily ritual:

He wakes up a few minutes early every day so he has time to brew himself the perfect cup of coffee.  He whips out the espresso machine.  Grinds the beans.  Steams the milk.  He’s got it down.  And he doesn’t leave home without it … even if his first meeting of the day is at a coffee shop.

 

It’s his daily practice.

His sadhana.

I’m sure he appreciates the caffeine … but I think, if you asked him, the caffeine is secondary to the process … And it’s an important part of his day because even though it’s just a few extra minutes, they are the minutes he devotes to his own meditative space.  And it prepares him to face the day.

And that’s the benefit of sadhana.

Louis’ sadhana is making his coffee.

Your sadhana is whatever your sadhana is.

Even the LO has her sadhana.

 

(relax ... she's not drinking coffee ... promise)

Mine happens to be the Aquarian Sadhana that Yogi Bhajan outlined back in the early 70s.  My sadhana is comprised of a short kriya (yoga set) and seven meditations with seven mantras to get ready for the day. 

Mantras are specific sound currents that are organized in a way that have been proven to elevate our consciousness. 

Different mantras have different effects because the sounds within each mantra have different meanings, but they also each have a specific “Naad.”  The Naad is the essence of the sound current … the vibrational harmony in the sound current that gives us access to God/The Infinite.  So each of the seven mantras we use in sadhana has a different purpose.

The first one … The ADI SHAKTI MANTRA (aka Long Ek Ong Kars), which lasts 7 minutes, initiates the kundalini … it initiates the relationship between our soul and the Universal Soul.  It’s like picking up the phone and dialing the number.  And it’s a simple one.

(NOTE:  Unless otherwise noted, sit in a comfortable meditative easy pose, with a straight spine.  Eyes rolled in an up toward the Third Eye):

            Ek Ong Kaar

            Sat Naam Siri

            Wha-hay Guroo

Then we move into 7 minutes of the WAAH YANTEE, KAR YANTEE mantra.  This mantra represents thousands of years of prayer.  With it, we call directly on the Macroself, beyond the Guna, beyond creation.  And it’s a tad more complicated than the Adi Shakti mantra:

            Waah Yantee, Kaar Yantee

            Jag Doot Pate, Aadak It Waahaa

            Brahmaadeh Traysha Guroo

            It Wha-hay Guroo

The third mantra is the MUL MANTRA (Mul = Root) and it gives an experience of the depth and consciousness of your soul.  There are 108 elements in the Universe, and 108 letters in the mul mantra (in the original Gurmukhi script).  This mantra expands creativity and projects us into action in line with the Creator, and with our destiny:

            Ek Ong Kaar

            Sat Naam

            Kartaa Purkh

            Nirbho

            Nirvair

            Akaal Moorat

            Ajoonee

            Saibung

            Gur Prasaad

            Jap!

            Aad Such

            Jugaad Such

            Hai Bhee Such

            Nanak Hosee Bhee Such

Then comes number four … SAT SIREE, SIREE AKAL.  Another seven minutes.  Yogi Bhajan called this the “Mantra for the Aquairan Age.”  With it, we declare that we are timeless, deathless beings:

          Sat Siree

            Siree Akaal

            Siree Akaal

            Mahaa Akaal

            Mahaa Akaal

            Sat Naam

            Akaal Moorat

            Wha-hay Guroo

Number five is one of my favorites (it’s also one of the more challenging ones what with all of the Gurmukhi).  RAKHAY RAKHANAHAAR.  Seven minutes.  This is a shabd (sound current) of protection against all those negative forces (inner and outer) which move against one’s walk on the path of destiny.  “It cuts like a sword through every opposing vibration, through, word and action.”

          Rakhay Rakhanahaar aap ubaaria-an

            Gur kee pairee paa-I kaaj savaari-an

            Hoaa aap da-iaal manaho na visaari-an

            Saadh janaa kai sang bhavajal taari-an

            Saakat nindak dusht khin maa-eh diaari-an

            Tis sahib kee tayk Naanak mania maa-eh

            Jis simrat such ho-I sagalay dookh jaa-eh

Number six is a big one.  It’s the WAHE GURU WAHE JIO mantra.  And it’s 22 minutes.  Chant this mantra sitting in Vir Asan: sitting on the left heel with the right knee up, right foot flat on the ground and hands in Prayer Pose.  Eyes are open and focused at the tip of the nose.  There is no direct translation for this, but we could say “Wow, God is great!”  Jio is an affectionate but still respectful variation of the word Ji which means soul.  So with this mantra, we establish ourselves for victory and the right to excel.

          Wha-hay Guroo Wha-hay Guroo

            Wha-hay Guroo Wha-hay Jeeo

And the last mantra of the Aquarian Sadhana is only 5 minutes.  It’s the Guru Ram Das Chant and invokes spiritual light, guidance and protective grace.

            Guroo Guroo Wha-hay Guroo Guroo Raam Das Guroo

I've probably said it before ... but the thing about sadhana is ...Sadhana is a conscious daily spiritual practice – a regular and daily practice that keeps the mind clear and the actions true.  It gives us the skill and awareness to recognize our own negative patterns and the strength to break those patterns and elevate ourselves.

Whatever it is YOU do to prepare for the day ... it's a good idea to do it every day. 

 

Q: What’s your sadhana?

 

P.S. Guru Shabad Singh has a CD called ILLUMINATION that has all 7 mantras on it.  It's pretty great and available on spiritvoyage.com 

 

Comments

[Lacey @ Lacey Wagner Events]

Holy cow. You do that every morning? I don't even have a sadhana... OK, something else to work on. Jeanne, the more I read your blog the longer my list gets!

[yogini cowgirl]

Hi Lacey! I have to keep working on all this stuff, too ... and man, some days it's a real challenge ... so the short answer is "no" ... I don't do it every morning. But I do SOME VERSION of it every day. Some days I do 3 minutes of yoga and listen to the mantras in the car. Some days I do the whole thing. But "the thing" is to do SOMETHING every day. So that's what I do. :)