UCCHĀRA (‘ascent of the root mantra’) in Daily Tantric Yoga Sādhana *This is a much simplified, but still highly effective, version of part of the core daily Yoga practice, performed by all Tantric initiates, 7th-14th centuries *The practices and subtle body schematics (chakras, nāḍīs, etc.) of the later Haṭha Yoga Manuals (14th-19th centuries) draw from this sādhana, which first introduced yoga poses. * Tantric aṅgas (‘limbs’, ‘components’) of Yoga included herein: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
āsana/karaṇa (seated/standing poses) prāṇāyāma (breath extension/retention, i.e. kumbhaka) dhāraṇā (‘fixation’ of internal sound) dhyāna (‘visualization’) pratyāhāra (‘withdrawal’ of all prāṇa-vāyus (subtle energetic currents in the body, or ‘winds’) into the heart lotus 6. samādhi/samāveśha final ‘immersion’ into universal, Śhiva Consciousness, experienced after the final ascent of the mantra (ucchāra) into the crown center (this is the eventual goal of daily practice).
I.
Āsana (poses, standing/seated, coming into a comfortable upright seated position for the next practice). a. DIVINE POSTURE (divya-karaṇa)—with an exhale, release the jaw slightly, making sure that a space is left between the two rows of teeth and the two lips. Optimally, the tip of your tongue should gently be raised up a bit off of the bottom of your mouth (to about as high as the top of the bottom row of teeth). ***This is kept throughout the entire practice and is crucial to resonating the mantra correctly.***
II.
Prāṇāyāma, stage A: with visualization (dhyāna) a. Timing--The inhalation and exhalation are lengthened (āyāma) to 5 seconds or more, adding a few seconds to each round each week. Both breaths should be lengthened to the same duration. 5-15 minutes, which is perhaps 10-30 rounds. b. Dhyāna—envision a cool column of energy that flows down the central channel into the heart from the crown as you inhale, with the optional color of blue or white, = the descending lunar breath. For the solar-exhale, a red column of heated air rises from the heart up through the crown of head. Focus on the temperature of each breath. c. Envision a white, flowing lotus around the heart that gradually opens up during inhale, closing gradually with the exhale 1
III.
Prāṇāyāma, stage B: kumbhaka with visualization (dhyāna) a. Timing—add to stage A a pause (kumbhaka) after each inhalation, and if possible, after exhalation. The pause should gradually come to be = to the length of one extended inhalation/exhalation. So the 3 parts are equal. For example, if you perform 10 seconds of inhale, ther should be 10 seconds of pause before 10 seconds of exhale. Or 5 + 5 + 5 seconds, or 15 + 15 + 15 seconds, etc. Don’t strain!! b. Dhyāna—during kumbhaka after inhalation, envision that the cool, fully inhaled column of air, as a white or blue color, is fusing to the solar out-breath (which hasn’t risen yet), in the fully opened heart lotus. This fusion (haṭha) creats a flickering flame in the center of the heart.
IV.
Dhāraṇā: ‘Placing’ the Kuṇḍalinī mantra a. Timing—while in kumbhaka (Stage III), silently chant the syllable AUṂ (“ong”) into the flickering flame. Hold as long as possible without straining too much. b. Dhyāna—while chanting the mantra, envision that the flame, in reaction to the mantra, ‘coils’ or twists like on a candle wick. This magnetically withdraws (pratyāhāra) all of the prāṇa-vāyus, dispersed the body, into heart, increasing the heat and power of the flame.
V.
Ucchāra (“Raising” the Uttered, audible Mantra) a. After IV (kumbhaka), slowly and audibly chant, with a slow exhale, from the heart up through the crown, the mantra HAUṂ b. Dhyāna—envision that the sound rises as a column of healing flame, up through the sushumnā (central channel = the spinal column), from the heart. c. The SEED sound (Ṃ)—it is critical that the final character, Ṃ, is sounded during the last 1/3 of your exhale. It is made in the palate, just below the third eye (“NG”). So the sound of AU- (pronounced ‘Oh’), felt from the heart to the palate, is visualized as the column of rising fire, fading into resonance (-Ṃ), and then finally silence, as the fire slowly fades out while rising past the nasal cavity and through the crown of the head. d. Double Handed cin-mudrā (‘Consciousness gesture’)—for this practice, join the hands with palms facing up, thumbs and forefingers touching each other, raising them together from the navel, as you utter the mantra out-loud (V. a.). As the double-handed mudrā being raised reaches the palate as the mantra fades into Ṃ (“NG”), imagine that the hands push the energy of that resonance 2
VI.
(nāda) through the crown of the head. Maintaining the ‘DIVINE POSTURE’ throughout is crucial. Drawing in AMṚTA—inhaling the nectar of ‘immortality’ i. When the sound has dissipated through the crown center at the end of exhale, pause, allowing the nectar of Śhiva that is found at the 12-End (= top chakra, above the crown) to pool. The mudrā (both hands together) rests at the crown center at during this pause. ii. Inhale the hands straight downwards, to añjali mudrā (prayer pose) in front of the heart, envisioning that the soothing, cool, healing nectar of enlightened consciousness (whatever that means to you!) is drawn into the heart. iii. Exhale the nectar from the heart outwards, turning the hands (in añjali mudrā) away from each other during the exhale, slowly expelling the healing, cool nectar through the nāḍīs / body from the heart.
NOTES. * Stage II (prāṇāyāṃa A) is only done as preparation; Though the breath should be kept extended throughout to enhance kumbhaka, you need not begin another 5-15 minutes of prāṇāyāma (A) after each mantra utterance (ucchāra). Simply take a long breath or two between utterance cycles (V above). * Improvise your visualizations as your intuition guides you. * Ṃ. Be sure to spend time ‘resonating’ the seed sound (‘NG’) at the palate, where the most difficult knot (granthi) in the suṣhumnā lies. Feel the energy of this sound piercing upwards. *Meditation--Always sit in silent meditation, 15 minutes or more, after the final round of this practice, feeling the resounding, healing effect of the ‘Mother Mantra’ all throughout your body. ADVANCING YOUR PRACTICE: every week, as your visualizations (dhyāna) become clearer (they will!), try adding: a). longer inhale/exhale duration in prāṇāyāma stage A; b). longer kumbhaka (retention) between breaths during which the Kuṇḍalinī mantra is placed and visualized (as the increasing flame; IV above). Become aware of how energy is drawn to the heart in stronger waves, the longer the kumbhaka. c). Be conscious of raising (ucchāra) the mantra as slowly as possible. If you feel a strain, it is because you held kumbhaka too long. It is helpful to imagine an ‘H’ before the AUṂ, which symbolizes a powerful, stored up out-breath ‘un-coiling.’ QUESTIONS. Please address all questions/shares to Chris directly at: info@shaivayoga.com. 3
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