A little hand gently grabs mine, a subtle ask for guidance through the busy surrounding. As we thoughtfully move in unison, the opposite little hand glides its fingertips along the way, feeling what we pass by and gracefully flowing with trust, ease, and a surrender to the guidance received.
When I found out my daughter was blind at 2 months old, I knew I was in for a profound teaching in life, and felt honored to to be chosen as her mother. To witness her exploring and navigating her environment with subtle energetic perception and light vision, and feeling into spaces she encountered with touch, sound, authentic curiosity, and fearlessness was awakening and admirable.
Years later, through kundalini yogic teachings, I began to discover the science of the subtle body – our ability to sense and perceive the infinite and universal reality within the material and physical realm. It became clearer to me what it meant to embody an intuitive essence, and how my daughter could move with such grace and flow, regardless of her limited vision.
As taught in kundalini yoga, ten bodies make up the human: the physical body, three mental bodies, and six energy bodies. The subtle body, the ninth body and one of the six energy bodies, moves beyond what we can see and feel and allows us to flow with divine guidance. Calmness, clarity, and intuition are the embodiments of a balanced subtle body.
With this subtle body balance, you gain the superhuman ability to witness your surroundings with a vivid and open-minded perspective, a deeper sense of understanding, and a trust in the flow of life. Guided by a strong inner knowing, you see the bigger picture of a situation and receive the subtle teachings of a perceived obstacle. You see beyond the immediate realities of your current life and master the nuances.
I believe, like many children, my daughter was born with a strong subtle body, which allows her to navigate the world with a developed intuitive guidance system, giving her a sense of assurance as she moves through the unknown. Most adults have underdeveloped subtle bodies, as it’s not something widely understood nor routinely strengthened. When the subtle body falls out of balance, one may find themself acting naive, becoming restless in their skin, growing easily frustrated by challenges, and feeling misunderstood. When we develop it, we can counter those tendencies and more efficiently evolve into our highest potential in this lifetime.
To be awoken by the innocence of a small child, who tuned out the noise of the modern world and learned the language of intuition to navigate through it, reminded me to embrace my own subtle body and awaken to the guidance from within.
Kundalini Kriya: Clarify the Subtle Body
This kriya works to strengthen the subtle body, which influences both your ability to receive intuitive information and the power of the information you send out. In addition, it gives you a bright and shining countenance.
Posture & Mudra: Sit in Easy Pose with a straight spine, chin in and chest out. Place your arms down by your sides, palms facing up, without touching the floor. Move your arms upward from this position, bringing your palms to overlap each other a few inches above your head, with the left palm lying flat on top of the back of the right hand. The thumbs should not touch. Your arms should make an arc around your head to match your arcline. Then return your arms to the starting position.
Mantra, Movement, & Breath: The movement of this kriya is best done to the rhythm of the Tantric Har mantra recording by Simran & GuruPrem found on music streaming services. Make an “O” of your mouth. Inhale through the mouth as you raise your hands overhead on “Har.” On the next “Har,” exhale through the “O” mouth and lower your hands back to the starting position.
Continue moving rhythmically with the chant. Use the navel point and diaphragm to powerfully exhale as you bring your arms down. Keep the inhalation and exhalation of equal force and power.
Duration: Aim to start with 11 minutes. When you can do 11 minutes correctly without spacing out, you can extend your practice to 22 minutes. After much practice, the maximum time for this meditation is 33 minutes.
To End: Interlace your hands over your head with your elbows straight. Inhale and hold your breath for 10-15 seconds as you actively stretch your body all around without letting go of the hands. Stretch as much of your body as you can. Exhale. Repeat this sequence two more times.
Shanti Krishna is a mother, actor, and voice artist turned devoted Kundalini Yogini. She is passionate about empowering others to master their mind, body, and soul through yogic practice, meditation, and self-reflection so they may walk through this ever-evolving world with grace and love. She aims to inspire others to embody their authentic truth and flourish within unique expression and mastery of their path of purpose and divine destiny. Inspired by youth, Shanti works with those most in need of enlightened support and love, helping bring them to their brightest self through her organization Earth’s Root.
