For years I tried various types of meditation practice but ultimately abandoned them when they only seemed to exacerbate my ‘monkey mind’ challenges. Then I was guided to this post about Kirtan Kriya meditation by Dr. Kelly Brogan and decided to give it a try. And I’m so glad I did, because I’ve finally found a practice that’s a good fit for me–and bonus: it’s enhanced my energy healing skills as well as my personal healing results!
Here’s what I’ve experienced so far in 7 weeks of daily practice:
On several occasions I’ve had huge releases of long buried trauma and pain. One time it bubbled up as I sat through the whole meditation with tears streaming down my face, and on two other occasions I was full out sobbing through the entire practice. It felt as though blocks to feeling and releasing this old pain just dissolved and I was able to allow it to flow into me and then sit with it until it was transmuted. These were very cathartic experiences that ultimately helped me reintegrate some dissociated parts of self.
On another occasion, immediately following my meditation I was transported to a past life experience as an indigenous woman grieving the loss of my man. I felt a huge release of some very old, heavy energy as I allowed myself to sit with the grief and sorrow carried over from that past life, and ultimately was able to let it flow through me and be transmuted.
As someone who does healing work, of course I was thrilled to release these big chunks of old, negative energy (including the toxins washed out with all the tears) as it constituted a big step forward in my personal healing journey. However I realize the idea of purging old emotional energy may not sound like the most appealing activity to most people, but I think it's worth considering that from a big picture (energetic) perspective, all our old buried ‘gunk’ is what’s at the root of our most challenging issues: pain, chronic illness, depression, anxiety, relationship problems and so on. So clearing it is key to true healing.
Anyway, while these meditation experiences have been significant and received with utmost gratitude, most days the meditation is completely mundane and involves constantly bringing my focus back to the breathing, chanting, visualization and finger mudras (monkey mind never goes away completely, but this meditation keeps it better occupied than any other I've found).
I've learned that even when it doesn’t seem that anything is happening, clearly something is because I’ve also noticed that my intuition, insight, and clarity have increased, my connection to Higher Self is stronger, and I’m experiencing much more synchronicity and flow in life. Often during practice I get a ‘fizzing’ sensation in my brain accompanied by a sense that previously unused areas are being activated, that the 2 hemispheres are being balanced, and that everything is being upgraded and optimized.
I missed one day of practice a few weeks back and noticed a marked difference in how I felt that day physically, mentally and emotionally. So the bottom line for me........the benefits I'm experiencing are well worth the 12 minutes a day!
I invite you to share your experience of Kirtan Kriya or other types of meditation in the comments section below.
Love and Light,
Cj
Links to information and resources referenced in this post:
If you feel drawn to try Kirtan Kriya you can find free, guided meditations on YouTube. I was led to start with this slower one, and have recently switched to this much faster version. If you’re not sure what type of meditation will best fit, you can also find some online quizzes like this one that may be helpful. And of course always follow your inner guidance about what's best for you!
Kirtan Kriya Meditation Instructions
'Kundalini Yoga: Change Your Life in 12 Minutes a Day'
By Dr. Kelly Brogan
http://kellybroganmd.com/change-your-life-in-12-minutes-a-day/
Monkey Mind
'Thanks Mind. You Can Go Now'
By Dr. Kelly Brogan
http://kellybroganmd.com/the-happiness-and-freedom-option/
Kirtan Kriya Guided Meditations
Slow chant version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrdb0usAda4
Fast chant version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg9NOOM2neA
Types of Meditation
'Types of Meditation–An Overview of 23 Meditation Techniques'
By Giovanni
http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation
Benefit of Tears
'7 Good Reasons to Cry: The Healing Property of Tears'
By Therese J. Borchard
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/05/29/7-good-reasons-to-cry-the-healing-property-of-tears/
Which Type of Meditation Is Right for You Quiz
Meditation for Non Meditators
http://www.meditationfornonmeditators.com/free-stuff/meditation-quiz/