MONTCLAIR KUNDALINI YOGA
  • Home
  • About
    • What is Kundalini Yoga?
    • Teachers
    • Testimonials
  • Moon Events
  • Coaching
    • Kundalini Coaching
    • Life Coaching
  • Reiki
  • Blog

Mantra for Transitions by Cate Baily

8/30/2018

6 Comments

 
Picture
I remember packing my son Ben's lunch for his first day of preschool. I wanted it to be perfect. I put some goldfish in Tupperware. Then, I worried. What if his tiny three-year-old fingers couldn't open the container? I wouldn't be there to open it for him. What if he was too shy to ask a teacher for help? He wouldn't be able to have the comfort of his favorite snack. I cried a little as I watched this scene play out in my mind. 

Last week, I cried again, as I packed Ben up for his first year of college. I labeled everything meticulously. I wanted it to be perfect. I conformed completely to the what-to-pack and what-not-to-pack lists. Everything he needed. Nothing he didn't need. 

The day we dropped him off, we unpacked and all my planning and labeling proved worthwhile -- until something wasn't perfect. There were no hangers. We'd been told not to bring hangers. Hangers would be provided. Except they weren't. How could he embark on his college journey without hangers? 

We looked for someone to ask. We googled. Never mind the fact that Ben has about two things that need to be hung up. He's a T-shirt and gym shorts kind of guy. Never mind that the consequences of not having hangers are... non-existent? 

Ben, in his wisdom, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, "I can handle it. I'll find hangers." I looked up at him unsure, and he said, "I got it." 

Translation: "Mom, you gotta let go." 

And I did. I left him in his hanger-less dorm room to find his way. 

I know other parents out there can relate to the desire to control how our kids' lives go. Of course, we can't nor should we. Nevertheless, the impulse to clear the path stirs in the heart center.  

How can I soothe this stirring when I can't make him a meal, give him a ride, proofread his homework? As with all things, I turn to Kundalini Yoga. I've felt too unsettled over the last couple of days to sit and practice, even though I know it would help. But what I can manage from this tradition I love is mantra. 

The mantra that I gravitate toward in this transitional moment is Sat Narayan, the mantra for going with the flow.  Now, I know that the phrase "going with the flow" sounds trivial in a hippy kind of way. But going with the flow is anything but trivial. With whatever arrives on our doorstep -- sending a child to college, moving, the death of a loved one, huge success, financial difficulty, new love, divorce, any of life's ups and downs -- if we accept what is and feel peace, we are winning the game of life. 

Sat Narayan guides me with its sacred vibration into that acceptance and peace, going with the flow. When I chant Sat Narayan, I connect to an undercurrent of sustenance, rivers of teachings which bypass my intellect and go right to my soul.

Even if my mind is jumping and questioning and negative, if I stay with it and keep chanting, I begin to receive. I'm like a fussy baby protesting and squirming at first but with time the rocking brings deep comfort. Chanting is the rocking and rocker's heartbeat. With mantra, I soothe myself. I rely on my path, as I let Ben go to discover his own. 

You can find a link to samples of my favorite versions of Sat Narayan in the comments below. What mantra soothes you? Please let us know in the comments below.

May we all feel sustained through all the ups and downs of life. May the truth in you guide you.

​Sat Nam.

Picture
Cate discovered Kundalini Yoga by accident over 20 years ago and was surprised and thrilled by how engaged, energized, and inspired it made her feel. She's been practicing ever since. In 2008, Cate completed her Level 1 (200 hr) teacher training with Hari Kaur Khalsa of Hari NYC. In 2012, she broadened her knowledge with a very special Holistic Hatha Yoga training (300 hr) with Amy Witmyer of Sacred Space. Kundalini Yoga is her home, her go-to sanctuary, her point of peace and insight. She believes that it is a wonderful tool for busy times and busy minds. Join Cate on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday mornings for Kundalini Yoga & Meditation. ​

 
6 Comments

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required

    Authors

    Co-owners and Instructors of Montclair Kundalini Yoga, Cate Baily and Savitri Narayan Kaur. See their bios here.

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018

    Categories

    All
    40 Day Sadhana
    Adyashanti
    Affirmation
    Ajna
    Amrit Vela
    Anahata
    A New Earth
    Ang Sang Wahe Guru
    Anniversary
    Aquarian Mantras
    Aquarian Sadhana
    Ardas Bhaee
    Astrology
    Aura
    Autumnal Equinox
    Aykanna
    Be Impeccable With Your Word
    Blood Moon
    Body Scan
    Breast Cancer
    Breath
    Breathe
    Breath Of Fire
    Cacao
    Celestial Communication
    Chakra
    Chakras
    Change
    Chattr Chakkr Vartee
    Chi Gung
    Children
    Circadian Rhythm
    Community
    COVID 19
    Deep Breathing
    Destiny
    Deva Premal & Miten
    Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru
    Don Miguel Ruiz
    Dr. Joe Dispenza
    Eckhart Tolle
    Eclipse
    Eft
    Ego
    Ego Eradicator
    Eight Brocades
    Ek Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad
    Fear
    First Agreement
    Fountain Of Youth
    Frederick Lenz
    Full Moon
    Garrison Institute
    Geoffrey Orozco
    Glennon Doyle
    Gobinday Mukunday
    Gong
    Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
    Guru Dharam Khalsa
    Guru Ram Das
    Habits
    Happiness
    Hari Kaur Khalsa
    Healing
    Hyacinth Mills
    Identity
    Jai-jagdeesh
    Japan
    Keep Up
    Kriya
    Kriya To Experience The Original You
    Kundalini
    KundaliniYoga
    Kundalini Yoga
    Left Nostril Breathing
    Legacy
    Letting Go
    Long
    Long Ek Ong Kar
    Love
    Lucid Dreaming
    Manipura
    Mantra
    Mantras
    Meditation
    Meditation To Conquer Self Animosity
    Meditation To Experience The Original Self
    Meditation To Open The Heart
    Meditation To Reclaim Your Happiness
    Mirabai Ceiba
    Montclair
    Montclair Kundalini Yoga
    Mooji
    Moon
    Muladhara
    Mul Mantra
    Navel
    New Moon
    Nj
    Online Yoga
    Original Light
    Parenting
    Pavan Guru
    Rakhe Rakhan Har
    Reiki
    Reiki Training
    Resistance
    Resources
    Sahasrara
    Sangat
    Sa Ta Na Ma
    Sat Nam
    Sat Nam Fest
    Sat Narayan
    Sat Siree
    Seed Mantra
    Seven Wave Sat Nam Meditation
    Shabd Kriya
    Siree Akal
    Sleep
    Snatam Kaur
    Some Good News
    Soul Advice
    Spinal Flexes
    Spirit Voyage Mantrapedia
    Survivors
    Svadhisthana
    Syd
    The Four Agreements
    The Original Self
    Thesuburanmonk
    Thich Nhat Hahn
    Tibetan 5
    Tibetan Rites Of Rejuvenation
    Transition
    Tribute
    Vishuddha
    Wahe Guru
    Wahe Guru Wahe Jio
    Wah Yantee
    William E. Stafford
    Yogi Amandeep
    Yogi Bhajan
    Yogi Bhajan Birthday
    Yogi Bhajan Quote

    RSS Feed

Location

What Our Clients Are Saying

"Each student is honored and treasured. As a result, we all absorb and learn what we're ready for, and come to practice and learn again. It is always time well spent, no matter if my voice is wavering and my limbs are weak.  -Joanne K, Montclair 
​

Click here for all of our testimonials.

Contact Us

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
  • Home
  • About
    • What is Kundalini Yoga?
    • Teachers
    • Testimonials
  • Moon Events
  • Coaching
    • Kundalini Coaching
    • Life Coaching
  • Reiki
  • Blog