3 Most Powerful Yoga Pranayamas and Kriyas – Sodarshan Chakra Kriya – Part 1

Sodarshan Chakra Kriya – Part 1

Most Powerful Yoga Pranayama Free Video

Sodarshan Chakra Kriya Video

YouTube Direct Link –> Kundalini Yoga Kriya Video – Sodarshan Chakra Kriya

 

Pranayama, the science of breathing and breath control, is undoubtedly one of the greatest arts one can learn and practice for spiritual growth and personal development.  It holds within itself the power to transform the lowest most gross to the highest most refined.  This transforming power of pranayama can act upon any and all levels of your being, whether that be physical, emotional, mental or spiritual (energetic).  This science has been perfected over the centuries in the East and was mostly kept secret, only handed down verbally from Guru to a deserving disciple.  Now, it is much more available to those who seek it, but I still feel that the knowledge really only finds those who are deserving of it.  Having said that, life has brought you here now, so take this opportunity and discover the tremendous power of the Science of Pranayama.

Most Powerful Yoga

The 3 Pranayamas I am going to present here are typically not for beginners.  Fortunately, all 3 have modifications, which you can start out with first before building up to the advanced techniques.  I will also present these modifications here and I strongly suggest you start with them first before jumping ahead to the advanced techniques.  In moving forward sanely, gently and systematically you will prepare the system to better handle the affects of the advanced forms.  This systematic approach is not only much safer, but is also better for extracting the full benefits of the pranayamas.  Part 1 of this series is about Sodarshan Chakra Kriya.  Before I go into Sodarshan Chakra Kriya, I want to give some quick guidelines that should be followed for all 3 pranayamas in this series.

Basic Guidelines for practicing Pranayama:

  1. Do not practice any advanced pranayama if you are unwell.  Only do light easy pranayamas.
  2. Clothing should be loose and should not restrict the movement of the abdomen.  Our breathing is already very shallow, we don’t need to compound the issue further by hampering the natural movement of our diaphragm.
  3. Your stomach should be empty.  Which means you need to wait at least 2-3 hours after a meal before practicing pranayama.
  4. If possible practice in the early morning.  Early morning is the best time to practice your sadhana (spiritual work).  For more information and help on this you can read The Secret on How to Become an Early Riser.
  5. You should sit in a comfortable position, preferably in some variation of cross legged (sukh asana).  For more information on  sukh  asana or other positions you can sit in (like a chair) see Silent Mind Meditation Program: Basic Meditations – Chapter 7.
  6. Most importantly, DO NOT STRAIN.  I cannot emphasize that enough.  Take your time, you will enjoy your practice more and you will be able to establish a regular routine as you will not dread doing your daily work.
  7. One last thing.  The pranayamas being taught here, when practiced sincerely over time, can bestow great power to the practitioner.  Normally, these techniques were not transcribed and as mentioned earlier, were taught only to those held in great trust, so I ask you to respect that trust and agree to not in any way misuse the powers obtained from the practices described below.

Sodarshan Chakra Kriya:

Background:  Sodarshan Chakra Kriya (set) was taught to me by my Kundalini Yoga teacher Ravi Singh who studied it under the guidance of Yogi Bhajan.  It dates back a few thousand years and is reputed among all the known Yogas, including Kundalini Yoga, to be the most powerful Pranayama exercise there is.  You will notice that it is called a kriya, although a kriya typically is a complete set of asanas and yogic exercises (see Introduction to Kundalini Yoga for more information on kriyas and how Kundalini Yoga works in general), it also applies in some cases to a single exercise, which is very complete in and of itself.  Sodarshan Chakra Kriya is a pranayama exercise that is exactly that, very complete and also very powerful.

Benefits of Sodharshan Chakra Kriya:  The superlatives describing Sodarshan Chakra Kriya are lavish to say the least.  In Yoga terms it will give you Nao Niddhi (the nine precious virtues) and Artha Siddhi (the 18 occult powers).  These 27 facets contain all of human life and in acquiring them you perfect all that can be perfected in a human.  Given this Kriya’s reputation for bestowing Psychic and Yogic Powers, it is is often practiced by those interested in acquiring these siddhis (powers).  There is no harm in this, as long the powers are used for the benefit of others and to assist you in your spiritual progress.  This kriya, though, is equally valuable to those interested in the final goal of human life – to see and merge with the Divine Non-Dual nature of Reality.  This is because, it is very effective in dissolving the blockages (granthis) caused by frozen emotional debris in the nadis (the channels for the movement of Kundalini Energy) and as the channels are purified greater flow of kundalini is facilitated allowing for the chakras (energy vortexes) to be activated and balanced.  In turn, the activation of the chakras and this greater flow of Kundalini Shakti (energy) leads to the refinement of awareness which allows one to penetrate the veil of illusion – that Reality consists of duality.

Sodarshan  Chakra Kriya also dramatically improves your physical wellbeing.  In fact, as you practice it you will start to feel quite invincible over time.  It expands your nervous system, respiratory system and helps your digestive system.  I find that the most profound health benefit is a boost to the immune system when I practice this kriya regularly.  Overall the kriya promotes peace, joy and strength.

Description of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya:  Sit up straight, have your spine erect and bring head back slightly (not up) so your chin is subtly drawn in and back like a soldier at attention.  This aligns your spine with the back of your head and is also called Jalandhara Bandha.  Your eyes should be 1/10th open looking down at the tip of your nose.  Rest your left hand on your left knee.  Block your right nostril with your right thumb and have the remaining fingers pointing upwards.  Now breathe in deeply through the left nostril filling your lungs to capacity.  Lower your right hand now and place it on your right knee.  With your breath held in (Antar Kumbhaka) begin to pump your stomach (pulling in the abdominal muscles) to the mantra “Wahay Guru”.  You will pump your stomach 3 times for each iteration of Wahay Guru.  Once for Wa, once for Hay and once for Guru.  The mantra should be chanted mentally of course, since the breath is held in.  Chant for a total of 16 Wahay Gurus, so for a total of 48 stomach pumps with the breath held in.  Then raise your right hand, close off the left nostril with your right pinkie and breathe out of your right nostril.  This completes 1 cycle – breathe in through left nostril, hold and pump, breathe out through right nostril.  Continue to repeat this cycle for the duration of the kriya.

Duration:  There is no formal time duration for Sodarshan Chakra Kriya; it is left up to the practitioner to determine what is right for them.  Below I will give the recommendations when I discuss the modifications.

Beginners Sodarshan Chakra Kriya:  Modify kriya as follows:  Do only 1 pump for each chant of Wahay Guru.  So in total with your breath held in you will do 16 pumps per cycle.  Also, reduce the force of the pump to where you are comfortable.  Start with 3 minutes and build up to 11 minutes.  The kriya should be practiced daily.

Intermeditates Sodarshan Chakra Kriya:  Modify kriya as follows:  Do only 2 pumps for each chant of Wahay Guru.  One for Wahay and one for Guru.  So in total you will do 32 pumps with your breath held in per cycle.  Pump your stomach with a moderate force.  You should try to do 11 minutes, then go to 22 minutes and then to 31 minutes daily.

Advanced Sodarshan Chakra Kriya:  Do the kriya as described above in the description section.  You should be pumping your stomach with full force and you should do 31 minutes daily.  The commitment should be to do 40 days without missing a day, 31 minutes each day.  This was exactly the requirement by Ravi for his Kundalini Yoga teacher’s training course as well.  If you miss a day, you go back to 1 and start over till you complete 40 days.

Perfected Sodarshan Chakra Kriya:  Yes there is more, you are not done yet :-D.  To do the perfect and complete kriya and thus extract the maximum benefit and reach super human caliber, the requirement is to do 62 minutes per day and build it up to 2 1/2 hours everyday.  If you can discipline yourself to do that, the kriya will provide everything needed in all areas of your life.

Design of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya:  This kriya bestows its many blessings by taking full advantage of many important aspects of Pranayama and Yoga numerology.  Below are some of the details behind this successful design.

  1. Breathing in through the left nostril activates the right hemisphere of the brain.  This hemisphere is responsible for your meditative, creative and artistic powers.  Activating it helps unleash and grow these aspects of your nature.
  2. The number 16 is associated with the Ajna Chakra, also know as the Third Eye, Divine Eye or the Eye of Shiva.  Chanting the mantra Wahay Guru 16 times activates Ajna Chakra, which is responsible for many psychic abilities and the power of intuition and wisdom.
  3. The mantra itself, Wahay Guru, means ecstasy beyond words and represents one’s higher consciousness.  Chanting this mantra attracts this divine energy towards one.
  4. Pumping the navel helps ignite and awaken Kundalini Shakti so she can make her ascent up the primary Nadi (Shushumna) all the up to the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara Chakra) activating, rejuvenating, balancing and healing all the other Chakras and associated organs in her path.

In part 2 and 3 of this series I will describe and detail 2 more powerful Yoga Pranayamas that I hope will be of value to you in your spiritual growth and personal development.

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342 replies
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  1. KUPPUSAMAY SELVARAJ
    KUPPUSAMAY SELVARAJ says:

    DEAR ANMOL
    I really welcome the move you have taken to offer the spritual service at free of cost,it really answers my long pending question,why even this spritual service and all techniques to attain extreme state is commercialised,in this business world!
    By seeing the real dedication and teaching of yours thru mail,i am really attracted,and indeed i am following it up
    Thanks to you
    prnams
    Kuppusamy Selvaraj
    Tamilnadu
    India
    9047069000

    Reply
  2. B.SELVAM.
    B.SELVAM. says:

    JAI GURI DEV! I HAVE LEARNT MANY BREATHING TECHNIQUES THROUGH SIDDHA SAMADHI YOGA AND ART OF LIVING COURSES. BUT NOT LEARNT ABOUT THIS I AM REALLY AWE STRUCK BY YOUR DEMO SIR I AM SURE THIS IS THE MOST POWERFUL AND ULTIMATE BREATHING TECHNIQUE. MY HEARTFELT PRANAMS TO YOU GURUJI! I SHALL KEEP IN TOUCH!

    Reply
  3. Ameyatman
    Ameyatman says:

    hi , i am very happy for your sharing of the 5 new meditation tecnics. but there are no links in your post… where are they ??

    Reply
  4. chery
    chery says:

    hi, can you recommend a technique/s, course to improve one memory(visual and audiotory) whatever will help with languages. chery

    Reply
  5. Ameyatman
    Ameyatman says:

    i forgot to tell that my intestines are not as they used to be since i started five tibetan rites. i have much more gas than i used to have.

    Reply
  6. Ameyatman
    Ameyatman says:

    i am praticing the 5 tibetan rites for almost 1 year, and i have started the SCK for almost 60 days. i am on level 2 for almost 2 weeks… for about 1 week i am feeling some strange sensation on the bottom of the spine near the anus…it feels like i have blocked energy there or maybe internal hemorrhoids… and in the last 3 days i had strange sensations during sleep, it felt like something was changing in my body but i dont know what and i felt also energy pressure around 2nd and 1st chakra.
    need help on this please….is this sintoms side effects of SCK ?

    Reply
  7. Joao
    Joao says:

    hello i have done this yoga beginners level for 40days in a row, now i am on intermediate level for 9 days, but yesterday i was in a hurry and i did not the yoga. is there any problem of missing 1day. the accumulated effect that i was building every day within this 49 days will disappear ??

    Reply
  8. Vedanta
    Vedanta says:

    After one cycle is done, do you breath again throught the right nostril and perform the next cycle or do you breath through the left nostril hold and release through the right after you completed the first cycle that you demonstrated with breathing through the right nostril holding and releasing through the left.
    clarifiaction on this would be much appreciated

    Reply
  9. Elisa
    Elisa says:

    Namaste. I’ve been all out of balance with tension which has been affecting my breathing and everything – I clearly try too hard so much of the ‘time’ without being. Amazing website – thank you so much Anmol for this free love. Let the kundalini flow. Love & light x

    Reply
  10. nitin
    nitin says:

    hi anmol,

    I only get 2 hours to practise yoga a day.Can you please suggest the best techniques that i should practise as a beginner in those 2 hours daily.

    Reply
  11. Anmol Mehta
    Anmol Mehta says:

    Dear Devta,

    Thank you for your comments and proving the video.

    It is important to pump the stomach strongly when doing this Kriya. Later, when one is a master, then the “imperceptible” or psychic pump is realized.

    In Yoga and Tantra it is said that once the mind is completely perfected, anything clearly done mentally has all the physical benefits, as doing things physically.

    All Good Wishes,
    Anmol

    Reply
  12. Devta Kidd
    Devta Kidd says:

    Hello – I’m concerned that the kriya is being taught to pump the belly so much. The “naval point” is not equal to the belly button – it is lower – it is halfway between the top of the pubic bone and the belly button. The movement of the pumping is MUCH more subtle. Check out the master – Yogi Bhajan – teaching the technique Yogi Bhajan teaches Sodarshan Chakra Kriya

    Reply
  13. Anant
    Anant says:

    This is similar to kapalabhati, does kapalabhati bring similar benefits as this kriya? What are the benefits of each?
    Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Kathleen
    Kathleen says:

    Just wanted to thank you for this very informative site. I have started with your beginners meditation and plan to add on yoga. I already feel so much more relaxed and refreshed and ready to start the day in a positive way, which remains with me the entire day. I look forward to coming to this site and learning more, hopefully will be able to teach this healing way to my staff and my family.
    God’s love.

    Reply
  15. Pablo
    Pablo says:

    Anmol,
    I have a question. For this Kriya, I saw the explanation of Jogui Bhajan is to do 3 pumps per wa-hey-guru, it means 48 times per cycle (like the only option) and beginning from 31 minutes.
    He did not mencioned the beginner mode of 1 pump per wa-hey-guru (16 pumps per cycle) neither for 3 minutes (at least I did not find the source explanation for that). Could you please tell me the source or the teacher where you got the info for the beginners and intermediate levels?
    The fact is that I am beginner (2 months practicing) and I would love to do this kriya because is one of the more powerful ones but I want to check the source of the version or if it was modified who did it.
    Best regards,
    Pablo.-

    Reply
  16. pablo
    pablo says:

    Anmol,
    I have another question about the Kriya. Do you reccomend to use this meditation after some other exercises like worming ups? And what about after, how about to meditate afterwards for example doing sazen? What is reccomendable and what it is not reccomendable to do before and after? or Just to do only the meditation at mornings and nothing else?
    Also, I usually do some common abdominals and excercises with weight. It is reccomendable to not to do it inmediately before or after or is ok?
    Thanks again,
    Pablo.-

    Reply

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  1. […] In meditation lies the future of humanity.  I have no doubt that slowly but surely all of humanity is going to move towards meditation, and in meditation lies our salvation.  This is why I feel so strongly about teaching meditation and have worked so hard to creating the Meditation Teacher’s Training Program.  But here now let me give you the top 5 meditation techniques from 2009.   1. How to Do Advanced Mind Meditation (Jyana Yoga):   I finally had a chance to explain the meditation that I created and personally practice, the Silent Mind (SM) Meditation Technique.  In this 2 part video I broke down the 7 steps involved in SM for you in detail.  This technique is the most advanced form of mind meditation, and is designed to bring he thinking mind to a halt.  You can also read more about this technique here: Silent Mind Meditation Technique.   2. Gayatri Mantra Free MP3 Downloads and Video:   The Gayatri Mantra is the highest Vedic mantra, and is considered the most powerful as well.  In 2009 I was really happy to launch the Free Online Mantra MP3 Downloads collection, and the Gayatri Mantra was the first mantra I added to it.  This article not only has free MP3 download links for you, but it also has some great videos of the Gayatri Mantra.     3. Powerful Third Eye Meditation for Making Money:   Perhaps this was the most needed meditation for 2009 :-).  This meditation is a powerful visualization technique, which leverages the power of the Third Eye and the Mind to help you manifest your dreams and desires.   4. Kirtan Kriya Kundalini Yoga Meditation for Enlightenment and Peace:   This meditation produced instant results for many readers and yogis.  They were able to immediately feel the depth of this technique, and were able to have many breakthroughs in a relatively short amount of time.  This mantra meditation is the heart of Kundalini Yoga Meditation.    5. Powerful Yoga Meditation for Psychic Powers and More:   Another video I finally got a chance to make in 2009, was the video for Sodarshan Chakra Kriya.  This is considered the most powerful meditation in all of yoga, and is known for it’s ability to bestow pyschic powers, supreme excellence and kundalini awakening.  So you can understand why it is so popular :-).  This new video clarifies this important technique, and ensures you are doing it correctly. […]

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