Embodying the Sacred Rebel | Why I Stopped Listening to Only Mantra Music in Sadhana

I grew up around music that it would only be a matter of time for me to follow suit. My uncle was the manager of Styx + was good friends with Stevie Nicks. Grandpa was Frank Sinatra's Security guard + my godfather was his BFF. Once I graduated college, I began my blog peace love EDM. It was fueled by activism. That was the first taste of media propaganda that was clear to me. As I witnessed mainstream media bashing my community, I knew I had to do something about it and speak up.

It was the day of the riots on the streets of Hollywood near Mann's Chinese Theater, the premiere of the Electric Daisy Carnival movie. Now, this was already controversial in LA after the death of an underage girl who overdosed on ecstasy. The pain in the community was real. A friend of mine by the name of Kaskade was throwing a free block party to celebrate life, love, music, and community. The streets were flooded and the turnout was far greater than expected.

Riots broke out as the police shut down the party. The news had no problem focusing on the shadow of the community rather than the light. The music is what made the people realign to love and reconnect to the Divine within. The rave community was the place for the misfits and the outsiders. My first experience at a rave forever changed my life. It pulled me out of my depression, allowed me to realize God for the first time in my life, and it showed me that I’m not alone.

When I was running peace love EDM, I was focused solely on dance music. That was detrimental to my soul. I love all music and to segregate dance music from the rest created a superiority of genres. Music is here to unite us, not divide us. It’s a global movement that allows people from all languages to be in peace. It’s the blood that unites us all.  It’s where the feeling is more powerful than words.

During my healing process, I reconnected to all genres of music again. I grew up singing and I loved it all, but when I was doing peace love, my vibrational body was imbalanced, and so were my serotonin levels.

While music is ingrained in my soul, I too have family history with Kundalini Yoga. Grandpa's sister was a devotee to Yogi Bhajan when he first arrived in New York in the 1960s. She donated tens of thousands of dollars to his pilgrimage to help bring Kundalini Yoga to the west. He was even invited to my Grandma's house for dinner one night. With 8 kids running around, Yogi Bhajan had dinner with my family. My grandma told me this story when I was in the middle of my Kundalini Yoga teacher training. She remembers him coming to the house with pointed white shoes and a big smile. It came up in conversation when we were talking about Kava Tea and how Yogi Tea offers Yogi Bhajan quotes on every teabag. Her response, "Oh, I know Yogi Bhajan. He's a lovely man." My jaw dropped. It was a full circle moment for me. While I was in the middle of my training, I knew I had a deeper connection with Yogi Bhajan, but it was more of a friendship rather than an idolatry.

Gifted with the Spiritual Name Shiv Inder Kaur, it's my dharma to help transcend negativity + to help generate a new world by embracing God's light. Nothing lights me up quite like music. I believe music saves lives <because it saved mine> and will continue to play a pivotal role in restoring humanity and the health of the planet. With the vibration and the intention behind music, we can heal ourselves on a cellular level. 

When I began studying kundalini yoga, what turned me on was the mantras. I understood the power of music as a multidimensional component of existence. The most powerful thing I learned was about the power of our tongue. When we chant mantra or even speak, the way our tongue hits the roof of the mouth allows us to tap into various meridians of our brain. This is how we can heal our subconscious mind with the power of chanting. It was the driving force behind Shamanic Dream, my 7 part alchemy of sacred smokeless smudge sprays.

During my teacher training, I got the message that I wasn’t going to teach to only mantra music as the soundtrack of my practice + of my life. I wanted to incorporate other genres of music because I refused to segregate music.

As I’ve been a diligent and devotee to Kundalini Yoga, I recognize myself as a Kundalini Rebel. I believe there is a balance we are worthy of living and I refuse to have someone define the rules of my spirituality. I have a deep connection to Yogi Bhajan and what he’s told me time and time again in meditation is to not idolize him or get trapped in the dogma of Kundalini teachings, any teachings at that. We are here to take what we need and leave the rest.

Sadhana is your daily practice and when you stay consistent for at least 40 days, you begin to change your subconscious mind. Lately, I’ve been doing a powerful Sadhana with my kriya to help Awaken to the 10 bodies. With the Sutra of the year being Vibrate the Cosmos + the Cosmos Shall clear the path, the Chinese New Year of the Rooster + the Numerology of 2017 being a 1 year with 0 as the Divine Protection, more than ever am I hearing the call for me to be real, be authentic in my daily practice. My sadhana is a reflection of my life. It’s how I honor life and how I connect to the Divine every morning.

During a recent Sadhana experience, a lightbulb hit one morning. I’m a firm believer that we continue witnessing the experiences we do until we learn the lesson. This brought forth major clarity about a lesson I’ve been working on in my life both internally + externally. I wake up every morning and hit the meditation pillow. Alongside me is A Course in Miracles, Jesus Calling, and A Year of Miracles by Marianne Williamson. All of this is accompinated by some soul food that makes me feel oh so good. This usually ranges from Pink Floyd to London Grammar. I pull from one if not two and sometimes three of my incredible decks and of course, listen to the jams. Of course, I have my spotify playlist of mantra music. While many of the tracks are beautiful and melodic, I cannot ignore the techno queen inside of me. I have a deep respect for the ancient tracks that come from India, but as an Aquarian Goddess, I love to discover Kundalini tracks that feel current. As I listen to my playlist, I choose mantras that vibrationally feel healing. What came to me the other day was something so poignant, I couldn’t ignore it.

I had a flashback to the time I was completely lost and trying to find myself. Music has always been my first love and when I was neglecting certain genres, it killed a part of my soul. That’s how I was feeling about incorporating only mantra music into my sadhana. We connect to certain songs because of the way they make us feeeel. As a Mercury girl, I’m big on words. Songwriting and lyrics are the most powerful medicine for me. As I’ve been tweaking my sadhana flow to best suit me, I’m realizing how many non-yoga tracks I’m listening to as I’m doing stretch pose + ego eradicator.

If we segregate music, we allow ourselves the opportunity to segregate groups of people. It’s the same vibrational categorizing that our ego can grasp. Yes, music is distinct, you can hear it. We too are all distinct and unique. That’s what makes this human experience exciting and fresh! Can you imagine if all music sounded the same? Woof! Our creativity is our bridge to the Divine. We cannot allow society to tell us what we should or shouldn't do with our music, our sacred practices, our way to connect with God. Music is how I heal best. When the opportunities arise for me to heal ancestral karma or wounds of my childhood, best believe I’ll be listening to some Celine Dion, Whitney Houston + some *NSYNC. That is my spiritual practice.

With that being said, if music speaks to you, don’t be afraid to use it as part of your daily practice. Just because all the other Kundalini Yoga teachers are using only mantra music doesn't mean you have to too. Your Sadhana is your journey. Pick songs that speak to your soul. God is in all things, including music that isn’t rooted in Kundalini Mantra. Music is sacred and if it lights you up, best believe it’s because it’s doing something to your energetic body that makes it feel good and supported. This is your journey. There shouldn’t be any shame because the music you want to listen to during YOUR daily practice isn’t in Gurumuki. There aren’t rules to what your daily practice should look like. All that matters is that you stay consistent and do it! So yes, I’m speaking out and breaking the rules. But you know what, this is me reclaiming my sovereignty in the most Sabrina way possible.

If you want to see what I’m listening to as part of my sadhana, check out my spotify playlist below! And if you want to cultivate your own Sadhana practice, check out my Aquarian Soul Sessions for your chance for me to create a tailor-made Kundalini Kriya flow alongside a crystal prescription to support you as you share your medicine with the world.