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

Sodarshan Chakra Kriya – Part 1

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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.

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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. Ra
    Ra says:

    Dear Anmol,

    I’m enthralled by the ease and instant results from SCK and would like to ask your help in tweaking details, if you have time. The I Ching advised that i practice it, but not to become intoxicated with results….i can see this will be hard! :^O !!!

    Can i ask:

    1) Should the tip of the tongue touch the upper palate behind the teeth, to relieve heat/pressure during SCK and similar practices (Zen/Taoist way)?

    2) I have trouble counting the breaths, is it OK to count each one silently as we do them?

    3) If not, is it OK to press each finger down on the knees, in turn, to help keep count?

    4) Yogi Nanak in NZ said SCK should not be done more than 11 minutes, until Stretch Pose is mastered for 5 minutes straight. I have a lot of development (NRG/strength/breath), but after much time, i cannot progress in the Stretch (it includes Breath of Fire). The longest was 1 minute and 42 seconds….am now back to 56 seconds, though SCK is VERY easy for me at the intermediate stage. Is there another method of gaining the same effect as the Stretch as prep for longer SCK???

    5) I asked Mother Kundalini about doing the other 2 advanced Pranayamas, but she said they would be redundant. (I also use an intense form of the Kundalini prayer, aside from SCK)…..do you agree with her response at all?

    6) Thomas Ashley-Ferrand told me, that in a 40-day practice (of mantra) one must start the practice EXACTLY 24 hours after the last practice, or we must go back to the beginning and start the 40 days again…..is this practice THAT exacting of us?

    6a) If this is true (though i pray to Mother “K” for discipline)….my sleep patterns and eating schedule, daily activities (caregiver) are SO irregular, that the only way i could keep from missing practice would be to do it twice a day!

    7) On other sites, they say the final stage of SCK is only one and a half hours of practice for the thousand days….I think you say 2 and a half. Can you explain why there may be this discrepancy?

    8) If it must be two and a half hours, can half be done early and the other late?

    9) Is the best effect gotten from all at one time?

    10) Usually when i start a discipline, i stick with it a good long time. Lately, with SCK and others, despite all the beautiful results, every few days i suffer severe inertia (not long ago it lasted 2 and a half WEEKS!)….my brain refuses to impel my body to practice, despite my deep desire to do so!…Any remedy for that?

    11) Because i almost always manage to do the “K” prayer each day, would this substitute adequately for a day of missed SCK on an “inertia day”?…..I get profound results from this prayer.

    11a) If so, would it have to be at exact 24 hour intervals?……This i could handle.

    12) Alberto Villoldo has translated Yogi Patanjali’s Sutras in a book named “Patanjali the Shaman” (title may not be totally correct)….It supposedly makes the Sutras more accessible to us. Have you read it? If so, would you recommend it?

    13) Lastly, i have a long-term problem of having no thirst for fluids, and can go for days without!…..I NEED fluid for these practices, any suggestions?…I have met others like me also.

    I will give details of results in a separate post, which will hopefully inspire others!

    As usual, sorry my questions are so long, but i always hope they and the answers help others on the same road! If it is better to break them up into smaller posts, now or in the future, please let me know….hopefully there won’t BE many more!

    Blessings on you and your Family, Anmol and i hope some day to meet you and study in person….Thank you for everything!

    Sincerely,

    Ra

    Reply
  2. Ra
    Ra says:

    Dear Viraj

    See “The Eye of Revelation” (Book) for a baldness cure related to performing the 5 rites of rejuvenation, for one. Go to Jerry’s Rare Books for an overview, and to order an inexpensive download, go to The Booklocker.
    Best wishes
    Ra

    Reply
  3. Ra
    Ra says:

    Hi Prana Flow friend

    I am so glad to see your post (we spoke by e-mail once during your first shot at the practice)….I will check your site to see if you recorded your recent experiences!
    Also, i am hoping you used Wahay Guru rather than Mahay Guru???

    Peace

    Reply
  4. dan
    dan says:

    i am allready felling better coughs are almost gone. still i will wait some time until i restart with this kriya.

    Reply
  5. Anmol Mehta
    Anmol Mehta says:

    Hi Dan,

    Both these issues should resolve themselves, just take a break from this Kriya. Do gentle long deep breathing keeping the diaphragm relaxed. Let me know how it goes.

    Best,
    Anmol

    Reply
  6. Anmol Mehta
    Anmol Mehta says:

    Hi,

    The Free Online Pranayama E-book took over for this series. The third most powerful is the Advanced Version of Nadi Shrodhan Pranayama, that is not posted, but the beginner’s version which is very good too has been posted in the book above.

    Here is the link to that

    Nadi Shrodhan Pranayama

    Best,
    Anmol

    Reply
  7. dan
    dan says:

    hi anmol,
    i’ve done a mistake and overdone this kriya, and i fell something in my neck and a little lower on my chest. when i try to breath in deeply i cough. any suggestion?

    Reply
  8. Anonymous
    Anonymous says:

    Dear Anmol, Have your posted the third part of this post? I am not able to locate it in your site. If so, could you provide me the link? Dhanyavaad.

    Reply
  9. Anmol Mehta
    Anmol Mehta says:

    Sat Nam Prateek,

    The Kriya in it’s pure form is to be done with eyes 1/10th open, but if that is proving to be an obstacle early on, I feel one can do with eyes closed till one is able to address this aspect of it.

    But, yes as you have indicated the correct form of SCK is certainly with eyes 1/10th open.

    Best,
    Anmol

    Reply
  10. Prateek
    Prateek says:

    sat nam

    Anmol you replied to Krishnan’s query that eyes can be closed….whereas i have read it at many places that eyes SHOULDNOT be blosed during sck ?? and that Yogiji has said that this kriya is not to be done with closed eyes …

    Reply
  11. Anmol Mehta
    Anmol Mehta says:

    Hi Swetha,

    Many yogis go through a phase where a lot of negativity comes up during SCK, or even during silent meditation. Without it overwhelming you, it is good if you can see this uncomfortable phase through. If it gets too much, back off by reducing the length of time you do it for and then increase it again, once it becomes manageable.

    Best,
    Anmol

    Reply
  12. Anmol Mehta
    Anmol Mehta says:

    Sat Nam Prateek,

    The answer I was given by my teacher, Ravi Singh, when I asked this very same question was to do the pumps as forcefully as you can.

    I would think good firm pumps is where the answer lies.

    Best,
    Anmol

    Reply
  13. Shwetha
    Shwetha says:

    Hi Anmol,

    I have been regularly doing SCK now for 11-20 mins with just a single pump..Sometimes my mind wanders deeply into the past and uncovers thoughts and uneazy feelings of that time. It makes me uncomfortable at times. Is that the way SCK works? I hope I am doing it correctly. I am also doing kapalabhati and soham mantra meditation. Should I stop SCK for sometime? Please suggest.

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. Day 40: Completion of my Forty Day Sadhana of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya | Prana Flow NZ says:

    […] I looked forward to those eleven minutes (so achievable, barely the length of two add breaks, or two songs.) I never knew what I would experience went I sat down to do Sodarshan Chakra Kriya, which consists of silently chanting a mantra – Mahay Gury – 16 times with the breath held in, and pumping the stomach three times to each chant. Not forgetting of course the 90% closed eyes focusing on the tip of the nose… […]

  2. […] 5. Complete your daily affairs: Don’t procrastinate, don’t delay, don’t put off what needs to done. The old proverbs are very wise. “A stitch in time saves nine” and “Don’t put off till tomorrow what can be done today”. Life, the moment, provides challenges to you and when you meet them, life opens up. If they linger, they are like blockages, they prevent your life from moving forward. Your inner voice will constantly remind you what needs to be completed. Heed this suggestion and you will be surprised at the rewards. Anmol Mehta is a Yoga Teacher & Zen Expert. His extensive site, Free Guided Chakra Meditation & Kundalini Yoga Poses, offers Free Kundalini Yoga Pranayamas & Sets. Also find lively spiritual discussions on the Free Guided Chakra Meditation Practice, Kundalini Yoga Pranayamas & Zen Meditation Blog. Other posts in Advice10 Proven Steps to Defuse CriticismWhen is criticism most painful? * When you’re happily minding your own business and don’t expect it at all? * When you already know you’ve made a mistake and are trying to correct it? * When someone is "only trying to help you" by offering you "feedback" that you have not asked for … […]

  3. HowTo Project Chi. White Tantra | Kundalini Yoga Meditation | Yoga For Health says:

    […] 3 Most Powerful Yoga Pranayamas and Kriyas – Sodarshan Chakra … Share and Enjoy: […]

  4. Day 22 to 31: Forty Day Sadhana of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya | Prana Flow NZ says:

    […] This week during my eleven minute practice of sodarshan chakra kriya, I have found myself breathless far more than last week. It’s important in pranayama not to force anything, so when I feel breathless, I have a choice. Do I push on through and continue with the breathing, or do I take a break until my breathing feels calm again? I’ve been opting to walk the middle road here, continuing on with the pranayama but not doing the breath pumps or mantra until I feel calm again. It usually only takes a couple of rounds of inhaling and exhaling (through alternate nostrils) to start the pumping and mantra again. […]

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