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(Editor's Note: Dev Suroop Kaur is one of the most beloved Kundalini Yoga sacred chant artists. She is a wise teacher and a prolific musician. Click HERE to listen to her albums and learn more about Dev Suroop Kaur.) (Originally published as ‘Shabd Guru’ in Aquarian Times, Fall 2003, republished on Dev Suroop Kaur's blog devsuroopkaur.wordpress.com) For nearly 30 years, Yogi Bhajan has invited women from all over the world to join together each summer in New Mexico and develop their inner strength, talent and grace at Women’s Camp. Those of us who have been blessed to attend these courses have many fond memories of gathering for summer evening lectures under a huge big top situated in a grove of cottonwood trees. We spent many precious hours at the feet of the Master as he would share innumerable gems and jewels about how to live fulfilling, satisfying and more self-realized lives. In these cherished lectures, Yogi Bhajan would often repeat the same concepts over and over again and in different ways in an effort to penetrate our years of habits, conditioning and preconceived notions about ourselves. He would tell stories, invite women to share their life experiences to the group, answer questions from the crowd or simply provide straight-on lectures. Of the many penetrating concepts he would teach and share, he often discussed the pitfalls of the human tendency to ‘go out and get’ what we believe we want. He repeatedly stressed that the way to success was not in seeking anything outside of ourselves—be it wealth, status, power, possessions or approval. Rather, through meditation and developing a deep relationship with the divine within, the key to victory is to train yourself to be still and allow things to come to you. To become truly ‘attractive’. He summed up this concept with the simple and penetrating line “Go inside and be a Master, go outside and be a victim”. Stated differently: Go deeply inside, touch your soul and vibrate at the frequency of the Divine. There you will find your victory and satisfaction—your self-mastery. On the other hand, succumbing to the seduction and illusion that answers lie outside of yourself, you will become a victim of your own expectations and illusions. True satisfaction will be fleeting. Look around you. Look at yourself. Many of us have a tendency to look for solace ‘outside’. Our active mind is ever creating schemes and machinations to gain material goods, status, affirmation, sympathy and empathy. Even though we do it all the time, we often find that there is something empty in seeking for solutions outside. Self-mastery comes from a deep relationship with the self. The Shabd Guru is a powerful tool to develop that rare relationship between the finite you and Infinite You. When you have trouble, go to the Shabd Guru. Choose a verse or chant…any one will do…to sing or recite. By reciting the words, connect with your soul. Go inside. By so doing, you will find a deep and rich state of being where lie the permanent, true answers and solutions to your troubles. The sound current of the Shabd Guru produces a pure vibratory frequency, much like a tone emitted from a tuning fork when it is struck. The essence of the sound current of the Shabd Guru is the deep, rich reality of Truth. There is no difference between that reality and the affect one achieves when they recite the Shabd Guru. Yogi Bhajan states that this technique is very powerful. The words of the Shabd Guru ‘train the brain’—the memory and the neurons—and create the means through which the brain directs the entire body.[1] Sochai Soch Na Hova-ee is the first verse or pauree of Japji Sahib following the Mool Mantra.[2] In this verse, Guru Nanak describes this very concept—that searching outside of you is illusory. In Sochai Soch Na Hova-ee, Guru Nanak lays out the secrets of how to live well. He says that you can attempt to think and think one hundred thousand times; yet thinking won’t accomplish a thing. You may try to pile up worldly goods and possessions, but that does not provide true, lasting satisfaction. And of all your wise and fantastic schemes, none of them will go with you in the end. So given that, time and time again, we experience that our thinking, acquiring, searching and maneuvering do not really work, how do we become truthful? How does the wall of falsehood fall apart? Guru Nanak says the answer lies in walking with the very command of God that is with us and within us. It is said that the total knowledge of God and ecstasy is contained in this pauree. It is an antidote to depression. It will lift you from the deepest depression, insecurity, nightmares and loss. Use the power of the Shabd Guru to go inside of yourself, touch your deepest Self, touch God and find Mastery. The First Pauree (Verse) of Japji Sahib —Guru Nanak The language of the Shabd Guru is Gurmukhi, a language similar to Sanskrit in its power to transform. The Siri Guru Granth Sahib was written in Gurmukhi script and has been translated into English. Here we provide both the transliteration and the translation. Sochai soch na hova-ee Jay sochee lakh vaar Chupai chup na hova-ee Jay laa -I rahaa liv taar Bhukhi-aa bhukh na utree Jay banana puree-aa bhaar Sehs si-aanpaa lakh ho-eh Ta ik no chalai naal Kiv sachi-aaraa ho-ee-ai Kiv Koorai tutai paal Hukum rajaa-ee chalnaa Naanak likhi-aa naal English Translation You think and think Ten-thousand thoughts,But not one thought Will give you What you seek. You sit in silence To find the silence But silence never comes.Your spirit always sings The song of the Divine. And all your troubles,And all your cares,These will never fade away Though you may hoard Every treasure in the world. And all the clever tricks You use,The countless little tricks- Not even one Will go along with you. How can we find The House of Truth? How can we break This wall of lies? Surrender yourself And walk to Way Of Spirit’s Will. Nanak,Be with what Is already written. English Translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa. Go to www.alibris.com to purchase a beautiful and inspiring complete translation of ‘Japji Sahib – The Song of the Soul’. How-tos: A Shabd should be recited 11 times a day for a minimum of 40 days to experience its power. Recite in English or in Gurmukhi transliteration, both are beneficial. However, reciting in Gurmukhi allows you to better access the power of the mantra, and as the words are recited in proper Naad or sound current, the tongue hits the meridian points on the upper palate, effecting a change in consciousness. Work carefully to pronounce the words properly. 
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Shiva Rea is one of the top Vinyasa teachers in the world and one yoga DVD class with her and you’ll see why! These top 5 yoga dvds by Shiva Rea will have you saluting the sun and your Self. 1) Flow Yoga for Beginners There’s no place like the beginning to start! This video features the beautiful scenery of Kauai, taking you on a mini-vacation with Shiva Rea. Seated meditation, pranayam and classic flow sequences make this ideal for someone new to Vinyasa flow. 
2) Radiant Heart Yoga It’s all about the heart. Opening your heart through movement and meditation will relieve shoulder and back pain in addition to smoothing out the ruffles of your personality. Bring a little more love to your body and your life. 
3) Yoga Shakti Transport yourself to India! This incredible video allows you to customize your yoga workout. Choose from a menu of options to personalize your experience. It’s like having Shiva Rea teach you in your living room! It features a great yoga music soundtrack. 
4) Sun Salutations Master this fundamental yet dynamic part of yoga…the sun salutation. Combined with mantra, this yoga dvd by Shiva Rea will teach you everything you need to know, from Ashtanga style, to Vinyasa flow, to variations on the theme. It also includes moon salutations, for balancing your energies. 
5) Prenatal Yoga with Shiva rea Specifically designed for pregnancy, with modifications for each trimester, Shiva Rea designed this flow class to help you improve strength, open the hips and prepare for the most important moment in your baby’s life. 
Challenges are a part of life. Struggles help us to become stronger and solidify our focus and resolve. It can become overwhelming though, when it feels like all of life's problems are heaped onto you at once. That's when mantra can help. By chanting a mantra you allow yourself refuge into a sacred space where problems can't touch you. The energy of the individual mantra itself can then work its particular vibratory energy into your energetic field and out into the cosmos. Things change. Obstacles lift. When you are surrounded by challenges and you feel like no one is hearing you, when you need greater wisdom and a sense of peace, reach for this mantra: Sa Re Sa Sa, Sa Re Sa Sa, Sa Re Sa Sa, Sa Rung Har Re Har Har, Har Re Har Har, Har Re Har Har, Har Rung Also called the Antar Naad Mantra, it's simple to pick up and chant, so learning this mantra won't become just another one of life's challenges. Translation? "That Infinite Totality is here, everywhere. That creativity of God is here, everywhere." Sa is the Infinite, God. It connect with the element of ether. Har is the manifestation and creativity of God. It connects with the element of Earth. "Ung" is a sound the projects outward into infinity. Adversity is said to melt before this mantra and it also connects you with your own capability for powerful communication. You will become wiser and peace and prosperity will enter into your field. Life got you down? Lift yourself up with this simple, but powerful mantra.
This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.  Even now, in this moment, is it hard to let these words go. When words hit the page, the author is revealed. You can see the inner working of my mind in an intimate way. I cannot pull them back once they are out there. It's not quite the fear that they won't be good enough; that would be too easy, too predictable. I haven't figured it out yet. It is a difficult thing for anyone...artist or not...to give all they are to the world and then let go. To deliver what they have to offer and trust it will be enough. Mothers who watch their children go off to school must feel similarly. She who was one body with that divine, young creature must trust that this now separate being will be safe without her. Letting go is part of life. Death is the only guarantee for each human, and so everyone must let someone else go. The seasons change, lives move on, the world is not the same. Our cultures do not stay stagnant, nor return to any golden days of yore despite political pressure. You cannot return to any value fashioned out of old...nothing will ever be the same. Life moves forward, never back. We let go of each breath, each heart beat. We let go of each birthday, each birth. We become very accomplished at letting go, and yet, it is so easy to fight nearly to the death to hold onto things. This does not make us weak. In fact, this is natural. We are eternal beings in bodies that die. This illusion of impermanence offends to the very core our endless nature. When we identify with the illusion, letting go wounds us. If we identify with our infinite nature, with the boundless creativity of the Universe, we begin to realize that letting go is a perfect part of constant expansion. We can't think our way into this peace. We can't reason our way into this knowing. We must experience a connection with the larger plan to know this gentle grace. We must reach out to the Infinite and ask "Are you sure?" in order for God himself to lean down and whisper in our ears "Yes!" Choose the pain you need to let go of. Choose the fear, the anger, the thing you did years ago that you can't forget. Choose the situation you are ready to leave behind. And chant this mantra: Ardas Bhaee, Amar Das Guru, Amar Das Guru, Ardas Bhaee, Ram Das Guru, Ram Das Guru, Ram Das Guru, Sachee Sahee. This is a way of calling upon Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das (who represent the Hope of the Hopeless and the Lord of Miracles). It begins by affirming that what you are saying is a prayer. You then connect with their powerful energies. And then "sachee sahee"....you release it and let it go. You know that your prayer is heard and it is done. This is the mantra of answered prayers, of moving beyond difficult situations, and gracefully letting go. Need to "Let Go and Let God"? There's a mantra for that. And an answered prayer waiting for you just around the bend. As for me, I let my words out into the world. See? It works.
This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar. Need some extra happiness, a little inner peace? Who doesn't? Ask yourself today how happy you are...if you aren't groovin' and movin' with a smile on your face, then you could stand to do this little mantra meditation to find happiness and peace within. 
Sit in Easy Pose (cross-legged) with a straight spine. Start by chanting "Ong" at a pace of about 10 seconds per "Ong". You should be chanting more in your nose than your throat. Chant like this 5 times, then begin to chant "Ong" so that you are finishing one cycle every 3-5 seconds. Do up to 2 minutes of this rapid "Ong" chanting. Yogi Bhajan said that if you start to cough, no worries! Its just your thyroid adjusting itself. He also said that doing this chant promoted your power, beauty, and youth. (Anyone not want more of those?) More happiness, more peace in only two minutes! A quick fix for the modern world from the ancient yogi archives! More tips like this one are nestled in the pages of Praana, Praanee,Praanayam! Seek and ye shall find!
The ego is a slippery creature. It is usually easy to spot out in the open in others, but hides under the shade of the Twisted Logic Tree in the forest of our own minds. Some egos are loud and arrogant, drunk with their own beauty, while others sneak and scurry in the darkness, ashamed to show their own light. They ride of the coattails of self-esteem and can, when you least suspect it, jump out in a costume designed to fool you into thinking they are their own healthy cousin...self-respect. They also, however, and this is sometimes even more tricky, can ride on the boat of despair and water-log your ship into a feeling of hopelessness. Ego is basically that which feels separation from the whole. It is a consciousness of self rather than Self. They do have a plus side (for everything in the universe has balance), in that they allow you to experience your life as an individual and have a sense of separate identity. However, they never evolved a sense of moderation, and for the vast majority of us, can build momentum and become steam locomotives of self-aggrandizement or deprecation. Luckily, there is a mantra that is the ego's kryptonite. The 33rd Pauri of Japji, written by Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs and an enlightened master, is a poem of total surrender to the Greater Consciousness and is a mantra for ego. The last line, "Nanak utam neech na ko-i" refers to the concept that all creation is equal in the eyes of God. A small field mouse is beloved. A great king is beloved, too. It is a mantra of a level playing field, and reminds the subconscious that any power we have is an extension of the power of the Divine. We are not the source of the flame, but we are all candles. This pauri, or stanza, of Japji is said to remove negativity, smooth the ruffled feathers of your ego, prevent harm to another by your hand, and bring you into a greater sense of your own divinity. You repeat this mantra 11 times for effect, and I often find myself singing it as a bedtime lullaby for my ego. "Go take a nap," I tell it, while I find something better to do with my energy than follow its wild goose chases. Try it. Sing it soothingly to yourself. It is like taking a shower in light. Not that my light is any better than your light, nor your light any better than mine. Both glimmering. Both shining. Nanak utam neech na ko-i. Aakhan Jor. Aakhan jor, Chupai neh jor, Jor na mangan dayn na jor Jor na jeevan maran neh jor Jor na raaj maal man sor Jor na surtee giaan vechaar Jor na jugatee chutai sansaar Jis hath jor kar vekhai so-i Nanak utam neech na ko-i
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