Image by Johanna Kwiat

I’ve had 40 days of 2.5 hours kirtan kriya on my bucket list for some time. This is seconded only by the ‘Bjork live in concert’ that has been on my bucket list since I was about 16 years old. Well, I now have tickets for Bjork’s Cornucopia tour next week, so I guess that leaves the 40 days of 2.5 hours kirtan kriya! On discussing my ambitions with a group of fellow yogis, the lovely and incredibly wise Indira Siri Lakshmi mentioned that practicing a 2.5 hour full moon kirtan kriya had the same effect as a 2.5 hour 40 day kirtan kriya. I still want the experience of a 40 days (it’s not so easily expunged from the bucket list), but I decided to go for it on the next full moon, and happily my friends were up for joining me.

This was my third ever 2.5 hours kirtan kriya, and I’ve come to know it as a rather lovely, satisfying experience. This time was as wonderful as ever, especially with such a lovely group of yogis alongside me… but not as wonderful as the after-effects. The day afterwards, I felt completely discombobulated, my mind replaced by that fizz of black and white rain on an old untuned television. It’s not a great feeling, but as I rested in a groggy haze of discombobulated drizzle, I realised that this was a prime opportunity to shift some old belief patterns. My brain and mind at this point were completely malleable, totally plastic, and I could shape it into anything…

And so I got to work. I did some major weeding out of some old unhelpful and stubbornly crystallised thought patterns that I’d been aware of for a while (and that had arisen to the fore with fog horns blaring during the 2.5 hour full moon Kirtan Kriya). Once I had done my best on these, I started planting a resplendent rose garden of positive affirmations. It was painstaking but satisfying work that day. Since then I’ve been diligent about tending my garden, watering it with loving kindness with a dedicated meditation each morning, and keeping a close eye on any weeds that might grow back from the old roots. So far, success! It has been quite an empowering journey.

In short, a 2.5 hour full moon kirtan kriya is a prime time to do some serious work on your mind. This goes for any 2.5 hour kundalini yoga meditation experience. Use the opportunity well – you worked so hard for it. And yes, I can attest to the full moon adding extra oomph. As for the looming 2.5 hour 40 day practice? Well, I think I’ll work my way through the remainder of 1,000 days of 31 minutes kirtan kriya first.

Ps. That beautiful image up there is by the talented Johanna Kwiat who accompanied me on my first 2.5 hour kirtan kriya. She sells her prints as limited editions, too – get in there fast!

Sat nam x