Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Mixing the Middle Pillar and Kundalini Yoga

As a casual practioner of Western ceremonial magick and Kundalini yoga, I stumbled upon a synthesis of the Middle Pillar Ritual and a kundalini meditation that Steve Valdean taught us at Soma Yoga.

While vacationing at Arches National Park in Utah over the 4th of July weekend, I meditated for thirty minutes under the twisting branches of a gnarly tree. Its trunk sprawled above me, and offered a solid shade.

I began breathing with mindfulness (sati), and then applied the Kundalini chant the mantra "sa-ta-na-ma, wa-he-gu-ru," synchronized with breath, four inhales, four silent repetitions, and four exhales, four silent repetitions. Steve had taught me this breath rhythm in kundalini yoga. Although the words have significance (satnam waheguru), I did not focus on their meanings.

Instead, I augmented this rhythm by stressing one syllable with each breath and visualizing a chakra glowing with energy. It started with a variant of the middle pillar (5th, 4th, 3rd, 1st), then became (5th, 4th, 3rd, 1st).

      Syllable                          Chakra
        sa                                1st
        ta                                3rd
        na                                4th
        ma                                5th
        wa                                5th
        he                                4th
        gu                                3rd
        ru                                1st

during the silent repetitions that syllable whose count matches the count of the repetition is stressed and the visualized chakra is most brilliant. breath:

        sa                ta                na                ma
        1st               3rd               4th               5th

visualization while in-held (capitalization denotes the stressed syllable and chakra):

        SA                ta                na                ma
        sa                TA                na                ma
        sa                ta                NA                ma
        sa                ta                na                MA

exhale breath on each count:

        wa                he                gu                ru
        5th               4th               3rd               1st

visualization while ex-held (capitalization denotes the stressed syllable and chakra):

        WA                he                gu                ru
        wa                HE                gu                ru
        wa                he                GU                ru
        wa                he                gu                RU

I found it difficult to maintain the rhythm and by the end wanted to quit. But I also felt the exercise on my mind, body, and spirit.

I wondered, at one moment, whether visualization of a chakra affected the mind in a similar way that covert rehearsal affects the mind. Covert rehearsal is mental practice, such as of a skill (a fencing lunge), a memory (reciting a line), or any other behavior. covert rehearsal is an effective exercise.

Is spiritual practice of visualizing a chakra related to covert rehearsal? With each chakra in order, 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, does the preceding meditation rehearse security, will, compassion, and communication?

Originally, I meditated using the 1st chakra. Later, I adapted a version that replaced the 1st with the 2nd. I suspect many combinations of chakras are useful, depending on which centers one wants to energize. What is particularly nice about 3rd, 4th, and 5th, is that is easy to associate the breath with each chakra, since breath physically moves these chakras.

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