Preparing the body for meditation - Before attending an Atma Kriya course we recommend that students practice our Sun Salutation. Sun Salutation is a complete exercise for the whole body and is available as a low cost, separate short course if you require.

Mahavatar Babaji's Sun Salutation

The purpose behind Sun Salutation is to energise the body and to assist in creating a good meditation posture. It is preferable to practice at sunrise, but it also can be practiced at any time during the day if you wish.

The Atma Kriya institute teaches two versions - intermediate and advanced. The intermediate flow is designed for people who are new to physical yoga exercises or consider themselves unfit. The advanced flow is for those people who have practiced physical yoga techniques before or consider themselves to be fit and healthy.

Sun Salutation stimulates the cardiovascular system, helps to energise, tone and stretch all areas of the body. It helps to prevent diabetes, skin diseases, constipation, stomach problems and regulates the appetite but should not be practiced by pregnant women.

If you are unsure about your physical health, then please contact a doctor before attempting this exercise, especially if you have heart conditions or high blood pressure.

It is not essential to practice Sun Salutation before the course but it will help you perform some of the Atma Kriya techniques. *If possible, please contact a qualified Atma Kriya teacher to learn our sun Salutation. Download a printable version of Sun Salutation here

Japa - Chanting the name of the Divine

Preparing the mind for meditation - Repeating a mantra is commonly known as the practice of japa. We recommend that students practice japa before the Atma Kriya course.

A mantra is a Divine sound vibration that can be chanted out loud or repeated silently to oneself, both methods are effective but many people find chanting out loud easier if they are new to meditation. When proficient in both silent and verbal japa, you can switch between methods when needed. If the mind gets tired of silent japa, you can utilise loud repetition of the mantra to aid your concentration.

Continued repetition of a mantra creates a special vibration. It purifies the physical body and fills the mind with spiritual vitality. Constant and prolonged repetition of the mantra creates positive effects on all aspects of your mind, body and soul.

When the practice develops, every pore in the skin, every hair on the body, will repeat the mantra on its own. The mantra acts as a shield against negativity and helps us keep a calm, positive state of mind throughout the day.

Your practice - While practicing japa, you can concentrate on the sound vibrations of the mantra, on the deity of the mantra or else you can be aware that you are simply meditating. Singing the mantra to music is also acceptable. You can use chanting beads called a mala or a rosery to help your concentration if you wish. *More instruction on how to use a mala will be given on the Atma Kriya course. 

Please listen to the video above and absorb the mantra by chanting alongside it. When you have learned the mantra, you can chant it anywhere you feel comfortable, there is no restriction to the amount of japa practice you can do but you may find it helpful to build up the amount of repetitions slowly. It is also recommended to chant a consistent amount of repetitions each day if possible.

The mantra - The mantra we use for our japa practice in Atma Kriya is OM Namo Narayanaya. A more detailed explanation of the mantra will be given on the course and also a technique to deepen the effect of the mantra using the breath.
 

Atma Kriya Light

We also offer a short introductory course to Atma Kriya. This is a fantastic way to experience a variety of simple yoga and meditation techniques in preparation for the full course. This short course also includes an introduction to the values and philosophy of the Atma Kriya Institute. This half day course includes breathing exercises, short meditations and mantra yoga techniques.

The requirements for enrolment are that you are over 18 and that you do not suffer from severe high blood pressure or heart conditions. Please let the teacher know if you have any special physical or mental health needs before you enrol on the course. If you are completely new to yoga and meditation, this course is ideal and we would recommend completing this introductory course before moving on to the main Atma Kriya course which takes three full days to complete. Experience Atma Kriya Light!