For all the times when life throws you off balance or takes you away from your routine, it is good to have some stabilizing habits to keep you centered. Kundalini Yoga offers many tools to do just that. A particular favorite meditation for establishing a sense of security within oneself is Shiv Kriya, which we practiced at Belinda Carlisle's Wilder Shores album launch in September. 

Posture: Sit cross legged in easy pose or in a chair with both feet flat against the floor, spine straight, shoulders relaxed, chin in, chest out.

Mudra: Make a fist with the left hand, with left thumb pointing straight up. Making a fist with the right hand, grasp the left thumb. Right thumb extends up. Fists are in line, one above the other. Hold the mudra and concentrate at the heart centre, hands pressed at the centre of the chest.

Breath: Make a beak of your lips and slowly sip the air in through your mouth as you inhale. Exhale through the nose. The breath is long and deep.

Mantra: Listen to the mantra Rakhe Rakhanhaar. Meditate on the sounds and, as Yogi Bhajan explained when teaching this kriya, “feel that you are a divine unit.”

Rakhay rakhanhaar aap ubaarian

Gur kee pairee paa-eh kaaj savaarian

Hoaa aap dayaal manho na visaarian

Saadh janaa kai sang bhavjal taarian

Saakat nindak dusht khin maa-eh bidaarian

Tis saahib kee tayk naanak manai maa-eh

Jis simrat sukh ho-eh sag/ay dookh jaa-eh

Focus: Eyes closed or focused at the brow point.

Time: 11 minutes

Music: There are many recordings of Rakhe Rakhanhar which you may use with this kriya. The original – used in class with Yogi Bhajan in 1986 – was a version by Singh Kaur which he asked her to create using a very particular rhythm mimicking a heartbeat. The effect can seem soothing to the soul. You can listen to the track for free at Sikhnet: http://www.sikhnet.com/gurbani/audio/rakhe-rakhan-har-31-min. Or you may purchase and download your own copy at Spirit Voyage, Sat Nam Europe, and iTunes. At the other end of the spectrum is Belinda Carlisle’s pop version, full of energy and high spirit, which we meditated with at her album launch in London in September. You can check out Belinda's version (and the rest of her album) here: https://www.spiritvoyage.com/mp3download/Wilder-Shores/Belinda-Carlisle/ALB-004825.aspx.

Yogi Bhajan originally taught this kriya on July l0, 1986. It appears on the 3HO website and is included in the Library of Teachings website. It is also published in the manual Fountain of Youth (note: that the breath is incorrectly described in the manual).