Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Sat Kriya
A complete kriya in itself, chanting Sat Nam while pulling the navel, said to balance the lower triangle of chakras.
Meaning
What Sat Kriya Means
Sat Kriya is essential to the practice of Kundalini Yoga. Unlike most kriyas, which are a series of exercises that work together, Sat Kriya is one of the few exercises that is a complete action on its own, a kriya that can stand alone.
One of its primary actions is to balance the energies of the lower triangle of chakras by mixing prana and apana at the navel center. This generates heat in the system and opens the inner channels to the upward flow and rotation of energy.
In Practice
How It’s Used
Sitting in Vajrasana with the arms stretched overhead and the fingers interlaced except the index fingers, the mantra Sat Nam is chanted in a steady rhythm, about eight times every ten seconds. Sat is chanted while pulling the navel up and in toward the spine, felt as pressure from the third chakra; Nam is chanted as the belly relaxes, with the sound focused at either the Navel Point or the Brow Point.
Beginners start with three minutes and build up gradually, for example alternating three minutes of Sat Kriya with two minutes of rest, repeated three to five times, before extending toward the full 3 to 31 minutes. It is used for digestive troubles, for transcending fears, and to tone the nervous system, calm emotional disarray, and channel creative and sexual energy; it also acts as a direct stimulant to Kundalini energy at the base of the spine.
