I LOVE The Kriya To Balance The Mind, not merely for the pure joy of shaking my hips and waving my arms in the air for 15 minutes of Shiva dance. It also sprinkles in some singing and clapping, which are some of my favourite kundalini yoga ingredients – and ones which work absolute magic when used in a kriya.
How singing helps
Squeezing up tight into a hedgehog ball (ex. 2) is AMAZING for resetting your thyroid and clearing your throat chakra, but WOW is it uncomfortable on the neck… and for 
five and a half minutes? OW. That’s where the singing comes in very handy. Challenging exercise + hearty mantra = a whole lot easier. Belting out Sat Siri Akal makes happy work (kinda) of 7 minutes of lying on your back with your arms and legs in the air, or squeezing your thyroid for 5.5 minutes. Plus, singing at the top of your lungs supports the clearing work on your throat chakra.
What does clapping do?
Clapping has a whole kaleidoscope of benefits. In kundalini yoga teachings, the hands are directly linked to the brain’s hemispheres, so by clapping we spark awake the brain – cue the title Kriya To Balance The Mind! The sound of clapping also clears the electromagnetic field, and automatically lifts your spirits. How yay-ful do you feel when you’re clapping after an incredible show… it lifts your happy mood to dizzying heights, right?
How The Kriya To Balance Your Mind actually balances your mind…
The mental balance in this kriya comes through first balancing the body. We bring the the back, pelvis and limbs into balance in the first exercise. We balance our metabolism in the second. We shake out our body’s tensions and blocks and consequent imbalances with the Shiva dance, and reset and balance the ribs in the seated dance. Finally we clap clarity and balance into our brain, and finally pressing our hands together in prayer mudra brings the left and right brain hemispheres – the creative and practical, the feminine and masculine – into balance too.
We did this kriya in class at Evolve a few weeks ago. A great class!
Enjoy! Sat nam x