The Kirtan Kriya...

I hope that your week is already a good one and you have fun plans for the weekend ahead! We are feeling the heat of summer here in the Midwest, as we roll past the Summer Solstice and into July. My favorite season of the year - lots of sunshine, warm days to play in the pool, star-filled nights to sit with friends and talk about the cosmos... life... life after life... so many mysteries to explore in conversation!

This week I have been feeling the contrast of individuality versus community. It has also been a topic that has come up in sessions with clients, so it's obviously a vibration that is attracting others in similar inquiry! Perhaps for you also?

I have a quick story to share that illustrates the contrast. 

A couple months ago, a friend recommended trying a Kundalini yoga chant to help with breathing and moving energy. This 12-minute practice daily is recommended by the Alzheimer's Association to prevent memory loss, along with many other health benefits. I loved it because the site offered it as a "portal to transformation!" Yes, please!

The specific chant Dr. Brogan's site recommended is called Kirtan Kriya by Nirinjin Kaur. The basic steps are to close your eyes in meditation for 12 minutes, follow the music's guidance as the chimes signal when to change your chanting, and include mudras (pressing on points with your fingers). 
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What happens each time is magic! My mind moves quickly through all the stories and pieces it tries to hold on to typically when I meditate, and I drop into a deeply peaceful space within the 12 minutes (or there's a 30 minute version!). Which then allows me to flow right into my longer meditation without the music. Individuality at its finest - me, my meditation pillow, my mind - all settling into a familiar place of alignment. I have been loving this Kundalini chant, practicing it every day on my own for the past two months now.

Until today, when I showed up for my second group yoga class and the teacher ended our session with - yes, the exact same Kundalini chant! I was so excited to already be familiar with it that I settled right in and started following the steps I use each morning.

And then the beauty of everyone else's voices chanting started to surround me. It was the magic I feel on my own, but multiplied, echoing around the room, weaving in and out of all of our energy spaces, expanding and contracting, volume increasing and softening - it was incredible! This was individuality WITHIN community and I could just fall into the peaceful heart-opening joy of the moment.

Such a gift.

I left the class filled up to overflowing, energy moving through my body with such power, wanting to share it with everyone!

I have spent the day reflecting on all of the lessons from this one simple chant, rippling out in so many places in my life. Beautiful!

Which brings me to now as I write this email, sharing the parallel to Soul Shine. Yes, we should all do our own "work" to clear our blocks and allow peace to flow through our lives. And yet sometimes, falling into a community with others who are also "working" on their stuff - it can be even more magical. The ability to explore your individuality within a community and expand your awareness to even greater levels. It is exactly what I hold for each of us every Sunday.

Sighhhh... so good! And we all co-create it together. See you in community! xoxo

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"Divine Teacher, Beloved Friend, I bow to you Again and Again
Lotus sitting on the water, beyond all time and space, this is your way, this is your grace." ~ Ong Namo

Vivienne Gerard - Healer / Guide / Lover of Souls and Humanity 
Clearing Past Patterns to Co-Create an Empowered NOW
Join me on My Soul Journey on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

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