Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Adi Mantra
The tuning-in mantra that opens every Kundalini Yoga class, connecting the practitioner with the inner teacher before practice begins.
Mantra·
Chanted 3x, usually in one breath·
Opens the class
Meaning
What the Adi Mantra Means
Ong Namo,
Guru Dev Namo
I bow before the Creator and the Divine Teacher within me.
- Ong invokes the universal spirit that moves through all of creation.
- Namo is a reverent bow: rising above the mundane to touch what matters.
- Guru is the source of eternal truth, the light that clears confusion and doubt.
- Dev is the clear, undimmed presence within, the part of us not obscured by self-image.
- Namo, repeated, seals the return to that reverence.
In Practice
How It’s Used
Adi means beginning, or from the very start. This mantra is a tool to relate with the inner Guru or teacher before each class begins.
It's usually chanted in one breath, three times, before starting the practice. Afterward, it's common to chant Aad Gure Nameh three times as well.
