As with any Kundalini Yoga practice, begin by tuning in, chanting the Adi Mantra (Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo) three times, each time on one breath. It is recommended that you cover your head with a natural fiber cloth which will help contain the energy you produce while chanting.

Posture:  Sit in easy pose with a light neck lock

Mudra: Hands may be in gyan mudra, touching the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb or resting in the lap

Focus: Eyes are closed or 1/10th open and focused at the brow point

Mantra:

Ek Ong Kaar       There is one Creator of all Creation

Sat Nam Siri       Truth is the Name, Great

Wahe Guru         Wow! Indescribable Wisdom

Directions:

Chant the mantra in a 2 ½ breath cycle.

Inhale deeply and completely. Chant EK ONG KAAR. Pull in the navel sharply as you chant a short, powerful EK. (Note: you needn’t chant loudly to be powerful.) ONG and KAAR are long and drawn out, completing the exhale. The time chanting ONG and KAAR should be equal and the sound continuous as you move from one syllable to the next. The tongue should not touch the roof of the mouth. The air should come out of the nose on ONG. KAAR should resonate from the back of the mouth, the throat and upper chest.

Inhale completely. Chant SAT NAM SIRI. Pull in the navel sharply as you chant SAT. NAAM is long and drawn out, nearly completing the exhale. Pull in the navel and the diaphragm as you chant a short SIRI. The sound of NAAM should vibrate in your chest and throat.

Inhale a half breath. Chant WAHE GURU.  Pull in the navel as you chant a short, sharp WAH. Keep the navel point pulled in for the rest of the chant. HE is short and runs into GURU, the two words becoming like one syllable (hayg’roo).

Pitch:

When chanting in groups, try to chant in one voice, we are not harmonizing, we are chanting in unity. The pitch should be steady but you may need to raise the pitch from time to time if it becomes unsustainably low.

To End:

Inhale deeply, suspend the breath, focus on the brow point for several seconds, then exhale and relax.

Meditating on the Chakras (optional):

In Yogi Bhajan’s own words:

Each sound vibrates and integrates a different chakra within the aura. Ek is very short, as when we split the atom, releasing a humongous amount of energy from the first chakra. Ong is vibrated from the second chakra, resonating through the nostrils to experience the conch of the third eye. Kaar is vibrated from the navel. Take another deep inhale and chant Sat Nam Siri. Sat is short, coming abruptly from the navel, pulling up the diaphragm. Nam is very long and resonates through the heart. Siri is the greatest of all powers, the Shakti, and is chanted with the last bit of breath. It is pulled from the navel and up through the neck lock. Then take a short breath and chant Wahe Guru. Wahe and Guru are released through the top of the head. –20 July 2000

Yogi Bhajan did not exclusively teach this meditation with the focus on the chakras which is why we present this additional focus as optional. However, if you chant very precisely, pulling the navel point and vibrating the sounds as instructed, you will achieve the same result. But you may find focusing on the chakras as Yogi Bhajan describes here will deepen your experience with this mediation

Time: 3 minutes- 2 ½ hours. Typical times for this meditation are 7, 11, 22, 37½ , 62 minutes or 2 ½ hours.

Comments:

The first meditation that Yogi Bhajan taught and the primary meditation he taught during his first year in the West, Long Ek Ong Kaar’s activates the Kundalini energy. Whether or not you consciously focus on the chakras, the meditation will clear and balance all seven chakras and the aura. Chanting this mantra helps you to connect your individual consciousness with universal consciousness.  You have the opportunity to experience your own divinity and liberate from the cycle of karma.