BLISSFUL AND BEAUTIFUL
I am bountiful, blissful and beautiful; bountiful, blissful andbeautiful I am (kundalini yoga mantra). “I am” is one of, if not, themost powerful mantras a yoga or spiritual practitioner can repeat. Themantra can be in Sanskrit or other Indian dialects. The power of hearinga mantra in ones’ own language creates a vibration of affirmation. Theword, sound or what is called Naad in yoga is one of the most powerfultools we have for self-healing and self-growth.
One can do every yoga pose in the book, take many types of yoga, andyet, if they are not exposed to the concept of the power of the word,their experience of bliss thru yoga practice will be short changed.While we can certainly achieve a feeling of accomplishment, strength andflexibility from our practice of physical asanas, it is often time theexperience of meditation which brings us to bliss, though not always.To quote the book Everyday Zen, real meditation is by no means a flowery,blissful process but if we really do it, in time, we begin to know whatit is we are after; we begin to see who we are.
Gopi Krishna was a government worker in India in the early 1900’s whomeditated for long hours every morning before going to his job. He wasnot an enlightened yoga master, but simply a highly disciplinedmeditator. When his practice resulted in the extreme reaction of a“kundalini rising experience,” where he lost physical, social and sexualappetite, he was unprepared for this reaction and the discomfort itbrought. His story is an interesting and amazing one of a humble manwho went much further in his experience than most of us.
As a kundalini yoga teacher sometimes people ask me if they too willexperience their “kundalini rising.” Because kundalini yoga focuses somuch on breath, sound and meditation, one certainly can experienceenergy movement and unique experiences in the mind and body. This isnot, however, a “kundalini rising” experience, but rather, a shift ofconsciousness. What is a shift of consciousness? Can it bring usbliss? A shift in consciousness is a shift in awareness. Our mind hasmany layers, including the powerful subconscious. Some people utilizedrugs in an effort to experience bliss. Our teacher Yogi Bhajan teachesthat meditation can bring similar results or experiences as drugsproduce, but the mind is altered by our own efforts at consciousnessshift utilizing poses, breath and sound rather than chemical andsynthetic means that harm the brain.
Music is another aspect of sound or vibration that can affect ourfeelings of bliss. Krishna Das has a huge following of yogapractitioners who know his music and mantras. When in a room packed withthese people, chanting from their hearts, one can easily be transformedinto a feeling of bliss. Krishna Das has become the musical father ofthe yoga movement.
And since bliss is not always our everyday experience what can we do toelevate our physical energy into the ethereal? The body offers us theexperience of earth, water, and air energy within us, but above us isthe energy of bliss and joy. The ethers.
To help alleviate depression and release our energy to join the ethers,sit cross legged (or in a chair), raise the arms straight up, palmsforward, fingers stretching wide and draw little circles inward as youbreathe long, slow and deeply through the nostrils. Do this for up to5 minutes. Let your physical body, your arms and shoulders bechallenged. Let your rectum, the earth energy, be massaged with themovement and feel the energy move upward. Go beyond the physical. Soarinto the ethers. Feel light.
Be Bountiful, Blissful and Beautiful. Remember I Am, I Am, I Am.
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Written by: Donna Davidge
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