After I completed Inner Engineering, I was eagerly waiting to be initiated into Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya, also called Inner Engineering Completion program.
In April, 2021 I finally got an opportunity to be initiated online.
Earlier, I have shared my experience of doing Isha Kriya, which I continued doing for a year. And now I am happy to share my Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya experience with you.
Since it is best that spiritual practices give you your own experience, I will refrain from talking much about my exact experience of Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya, since it is not necessary that your experience will be same as mine.
I’d encourage you to read this sharing only to find encouragement to get initiated, or if you are already initiated, then to be consistent with the practice.
Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya Initiation Experience
It was an online program, where Sadhguru was going to do the initiation.
It was a full day program, and required total dedication to all aspects of the session.
Even though the program was online it didn’t feel awkward, and I could feel Sadhguru’s presence as much as perhaps one would feel in person.
We did the Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya twice, after which the session ended, and I remember, I was feeling different that day. Even though I hadn’t had a proper lunch, I was feeling energetic.
After the initiation, we were advised to do a 40 day mandala. Where we had to practice Shambhavi Mahamudra twice every day for 40 days.
The discipline is such that even if you miss a single day or a single session, you have to go back to day one. So even though I had completed about 15 days, when I missed a session, I had to start all over. There were several instances where this happened, where I couldn’t complete the mandala.
It can be slightly challenging to complete the 40 day mandala. And requires proper planning of your schedule.
Not to mention, you are required to keep a gap of a few hours between meals, so it requires you to make adjustments to your routine accordingly.
Let this not discourage you, as it’s not a big deal, but just something to be aware of.
The challenge is not about being able to adjust your schedule, but rather to comprehend the value of the kriya itself.
Now that you have a bit of a background of Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya initiation, let’s move to my experience since I got initiated.
Failed to Complete the Mandala for Almost a Year
Yes, in spite of multiple attempts to complete the mandala, it took me almost a year to get to that point. Until then I was kind of dabbling with the kriya.
It wasn’t because I didn’t have time. It was because I hadn’t fully realized the potential the kriya had.
The funny thing is, the more you do the kriya, the more you recognize its value. So no matter how much I tell you, or perhaps even Sadhguru tells you the value of the kriya, it won’t be of much help.
To recognize the gold in it, you have to practice it. There is no other way.
At least, by now I’ve made one thing clear, that Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya can help you in more ways than you can ever imagine.
Focusing on the Kriya and Not the Outcome
As I did the kriya, I learned that it is better to do it as if you were exploring it, rather than having any expectations from it.
This helped me enjoy doing the kriya, but not just that, it also helped me stay consistent with the practice.
I also noticed that the Hatha yoga asanas that are to be done before Shambhavi Mahamudra, help a lot. I do sometimes skip it if I am short of time, or in general, if I just want to do the kriya alone, although, I’d be happy to be more consistent with the Hatha yoga asanas as well.
Do I Recommend Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya?
After going through a phase of reviewing my own practice of Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya, I find that Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya is a gem.
You should definitely consider getting initiated, and also practice the kriya regularly.