Be the Altar, Never the Alternative

“Between time and space, there is a place which is the altar of human legacy. Each individual must identify this altar and worship it. It will give personality, purpose and prosperity. Any alternative to this is to lose the gratefulness, the grace, and the glow of life.” ~Yogi Bhajan

An altar is a sacred physical space for your daily practice – simply a table or shelf with items on top – inspiring images, flowers, crystals, or whatever you feel drawn to. The meaning behind each is the energy we infuse into them. The altar becomes special, beautiful, and powerful. The same holds true for you.

Whatever you infuse yourself with – your thoughts about yourself, your actions to yourself – are what you become, what you project, and what you magnetize to you. To become the altar means that through action, thought, speech, and projection, you align yourself with absolute grace, beauty, royalty, majesty, power, self-worth, sensuality, and radiance. This is the way you naturally hold yourself as you walk, move, and serve. It is the way you hold yourself in grace in all situations, all circumstances, and all times. It is way you uphold your integrity with ease. It is the way you articulate yourself with confidence and eloquence. It is the way you maintain absolute power by inviting everything to come to you, rather than chasing everything. The way this is achieved is by holding yourself as the altar and raising yourself high on the pedestal. No one can do it for you.

“You are the master of your destiny, you are the prediction of your horoscope, you are the leader of your day, you are the light of your life.” – Yogi Bhajan

How? We strengthen the arc line.

The arc line (known as the 6th body in Kundalini Yoga) is considered the nucleus of the aura, and they both function as our protection and projection. Each of us has an arc line directly above the head from earlobe to earlobe, and women have a second arc line from breast to breast. In addition to protecting you from negativity, a strong aura and arc line may shield you from dis-ease and accidents by giving you sensitivity to your environment and alert you to incoming danger. It’s important for us to be clearing, balancing, and strengthening our arc lines and aura consistently and constantly, of which Kundalini yoga is a fast and potent tool.

Yogi Bhajan is an outspoken champion for the grace and dignity of all women. During his annual summer camp for women, which he ran until his passing, he challenged women to accept their independence as women. He educated women on the meaning of their unique identity and how it can best serve them and their relationships to their families and careers. He taught women to take responsibility to lead, uplift, and heal through their grace and power.

His uncompromising call to his contemporaries to break out of the self-limiting concept of separatism and move toward openness and love for all, had moved him always to meet with religious and spiritual leaders to promote world peace. He founded International Peace Prayer Day (1983) which has been hosted annually in June in Espanola, New Mexico.

When he arrived in the United States in December of 1968, Yogi Bhajan stated his mission: “I have come to create Teachers, not to gather disciples.” Determined to train leaders and teachers with the power to heal, uplift, and inspire humanity, he taught Kundalini Yoga openly to the public, breaking the tradition of secrecy which had surrounded it for centuries.

The daily practice of Gyan Chakra Kriya, a Kundalini exercise (kriya) combining movement and mantra will bring you prosperities abound. Practicing it daily for 40 days can begin attracting everything to you through your radiance, naturally uplift environments and circumstances around you, and tap you into your own intuition to heal your body and understand the powerful medicine it is speaking to you.

Gyan Chakra’s primary effect is that it brightens your halo and builds the aura to bring prosperity. One of its technologies is that it works with the idea that all of our Akashic records (essentially your life purpose, past lives, and soul lessons) exist in the arc line. During the exercise, the fingers cut diagonally above the head, activating the arc line which taps the knowledge from the aura and akasha.

If all of that sounds too esoteric, then just know that this exercise will make you glow—you’re commanding cosmic energy to you. Gyan Chakra meditation allows you to receive the opportunities coming in your direction. Too often we are our own worst enemy—we block things—be it because of our own self-worth, or our addiction to things being hard. Believing that things must be a struggle, that if we’re not struggling, we’re not working hard. Remember, be the altar.

Meditation is not a selfish act, it’s a practice for each other. Elevate others through your own successes, raise others to a higher vibrational frequency from the infectiousness of your overflowing, beautiful self – your radiant aura.

Gyan Chakra Kriya Instructions:

The movement of the arms literally moves the arc line; working with our receptivity so we can receive the magnificence, accept it, and then handle it. Handling our own innate magnificence is the key here. Gyan Chakra removes the blockages of self-sabotage and opens you up to your own ultimate human potential.

Always begin your Kundalini Yoga Practice with chanting the Adi Mantra “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” three times and end your practice with chanting the “Long Time Sun” song and “Sat Nam” one-three times.

Posture: Sit cross-legged with a straight spine.

Mudra (hand position): Place the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb, the rest of the fingers straight.

Movement: Alternatively move the hands in large swooping circles over the head. The right hand moves in a counter-clockwise circle over the head. The left hand moves in a clockwise circle over the head, both arms never going below the heart center (the chest). Stagger the movement of the two arms, and keep the hands circling up and around and move forcefully in rhythm with the mantra, one revolution per second. For the last 10 seconds move the arms as fast as possible.

Mantra: The mantra is “Sat Nam, Sat Nam, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru.” Chant this out loud, with reverence for your own voice and sound, as you move your arms.

Time: 11:00 minutes (set an alarm on your phone).

To Finish: Three inhales and exhales with the arms stretched straight up and fingers remaining in the mudra (hand position). Inhale and stretch the arms upward for 10 seconds each time, lengthening the spine. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale again. Exhale. Inhale one last time. This time twisting the body left and right 7 times (14 twists in total), keeping the arms straight above the head. Exhale, and relax.

Through meditation, lifestyle, yoga, prayer and love, you have the power to change your destiny. We all have the power to change the course of our lives at any moment. We all hold the key to our own freedom. The strength of the power is in our altar, our psyche, our halo.

Yogi Bhajan teaches this kriya in this video lecture from February 19, 1996

Comments by Yogi Bhajan:

“It’s called Gyan Chakra Kriya.  In the science of yoga, it is the most sacred kriya of the yogis, who can produce miracles.  The mantra is the Adi Mantra and Tresha Guru Mantra of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, so I am just explaining the context of it.  So you can enjoy it and feel good about me– when you become prosperous and rich, call me.”

“If your psyche and your halo is there, this exercise shall give you your halo as it should be; more you do it, more fast you will be you. Opportunities will come to you, you don’t have to chase after them. Am I clear?” – Yogi Bhajan

~This article is excerpted from Luminosity