The 15th & 16th Kriyas in this series of 20 Tantric Kriyas

As you can see by the thread of kriyas, we are really tapping into cognizing the major Chakras. In the last kriya we were trying to see the “light” of each chakra.  This technique is to increase our ability to visualize the Chakras in their locations along the sushumna (spinal column). The word “darshan” means to view something holy and receive its blessing. What a lovely image that conjures up in my mind – to receive the blessing of greater understanding about my Chakras and their energy. 

In this practice, using your mind’s eye you can try to “draw” the basic yantra or mystical diagram of each Chakra. When it comes to drawing the petals around the Chakras, break them down a bit, like 3 on one side and 3 on the other. I have included the basic images for you to look at if you need to. 

Prana Ahuti, the 16th Kriya, follows the Chakra Darshan beautifully so I do them together. “Ahuti” is an offering, and in this case it is an offering of prana from the Divine.

Bring your attention to the Muladhara Chakra at the base of the spine. Think the color red and imagine drawing the yantra. Draw a circle. Within the circle, draw a square, and within the square, draw an inverted triangle. Draw four petals around the circle.

Move your awareness to the Svadhisthana Chakra in the sacral-pelvic area. Think the color orange. Draw a circle, and inside the lower half of the circle, draw a crescent moon (in the shape of a smile). Draw six petals around the circle.

Move your awareness to the Manipura Chakra, in the region of the navel, and think the color yellow. Draw a circle, and within the circle, draw an inverted triangle. Draw ten petals around the circle.

Move your awareness to the Anahata Chakra, at the region of the heart. Think the color green. Draw a circle. Within the circle, draw a triangle, and over that, draw an inverted triangle. Draw twelve petals around the circle.

Bring your awareness to the Vishuddhi Chakra, at the throat. Think the color blue. Draw a circle, and within that, draw an inverted triangle. Within the inverted triangle draw a smaller circle. Draw sixteen petals around the outer circle.

Move your awareness to the Ajña Chakra, between the eyebrows, and think the color indigo or the color of a ripe plum. Draw a circle and place an inverted triangle within the circle. Write Om within that triangle. Draw two large petals, one on either side of the circle.

Move your awareness to the Bindu, which lays above the Ajña Chakra and below the Sahasrara Chakra. Draw a circle. Within the circle near the bottom, draw a crescent moon. Draw a dot above the crescent moon (as in the Om symbol).

Move your awareness to the Sahasrara Chakra. Think the color white or violet. Draw a circle, then a triangle within the circle. Draw one thousand petals around the circle.

Now, try to “see” all the Chakras along the pathway of the sushumna. You are infused with prana.

After visualising each Chakra in its place along the sushumna, we move into Prana Ahuti. Imagine the hand of God, the Divine, resting gently on your head. Prana, the life force, rains down upon you and flows through the Chakras from the Sahasrara at the top of the head all the way down to Muladhara at the base of the spine. All sorts of sensations may be experienced here, such as a cool feeling, warmth, heat, jerking motions, or jolts of electric shudders up the spine. Simply notice these responses. Om.

You can read about these Kriyas on pages 156 – 159 in Letters from the Yoga Masters. I have recorded this Kriya for you here on the SOYA youtube site to make it easier for you to practice. 

Remember, if you have all the time in the world, classically these Kriyas are practiced progressively… Kriya 1 for 1 week, then Kriya 1 and 2 for the next week, then Kriya 1, 2 and 3 for the next week, and so on until all 20 Kriyas are done in one sitting. This can be quite a challenge to find the time to do, so practicing one at a time or a few at a time is just fine.

Marion Mugs McConnell is the author of Letters from the Yoga Masters: Teachings Revealed through Correspondence from Paramhhansa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi, Swami Sivananda, and Others, published by North Atlantic Books copyright © 2016 ISBN 978-1-62317-035-6. This excerpt from the book is reprinted by permission of North Atlantic Books. All photos are used with permission.