once a day, at the opportune time
when a moment of rest is needed
invite baby to chant the long morning call
and to bathe in cosmic vibrations
Ingredients
+ an invitation to baby
+ a comfortable seat, or semi-recline
+ a readiness to chant
+ and little bit of precious time
In the kundalini tradition, it is said that the long morning call (long ek ong kar) awakens the solar plexus, clears all the chakras, engages the parasympathetic nervous system, and leads us to full liberation. I don't know to what extent all that is true (and maybe all of it is true!). But from having worked with this practice on and off for several years now, what I can say is this: it feels very nurturing yet empowering. It's very different from kirtan kriya. There is a sense of drive and motivation that I feel throughout the practice and I really notice the energetic cleanse at the end of it.
The long morning call is usually practised in the morning but it doesn't have to be. Nor does it need to be scheduled at the same time every day. And 40 is the suggested number of days (for beginners), but it could be as short as 7 days! The purpose of this ritual is to spend some time with baby, in spirit or otherwise, during fertility treatment or pregnancy and beyond. It could be your parent-and-baby time, or simply a moment to renew your commitment to the fertility path. I suggest the 11-minute version, but you can certainly challenge yourself to longer ones.
This is my take on it; feel free to tweak and make it your own. Usual disclaimer: before practising, be sure your doctor has cleared you for exercise/yoga.
Long morning call (11 min)
Invite baby to practice with you. Find a comfortable seat (or semi-recline in bed). If you like, you can rest your back against the wall. With the hands in vajrapradama mudra, take a deep inhale to begin.
ek ong kar
sat nam siri
wahe guru
Accompanying breath
This is how the breath works: take a deep breath in and powerfully chant ek ong kar. Often the belly “snaps” back on the ek but it’s not necessary. I prefer to keep the belly soft when chanting during fertility treatment. The ek is short, the ong and kar are long. Take another deep breath and chant sat nam. The sat is short, the nam is long. And when you almost run out of breath, say siri. Take one shorter breath to chant wahe guru in equal measure.
Here’s a visualisation:
ek ooooooooong kaaaaaaaaaaaaar
sat naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam siri
waaaheee guuuruuu
I highly recommend practising with an audio recording to understand the rhythm and breath. There are several available for free online, pick one you like and keep using it for the duration of your practice.
Mudra for unshakable trust
The traditional mudra is gyan mudra (thumb and index together, other fingers extended) but I’d like to suggest trying something different, vajrapradama mudra or the mudra for unshakable trust. Interlace your fingers in front of your heart with the palms facing you and the thumbs pointing towards the sky. If your arms get tired, you can lower them to your lap. You can also simply try gyan mudra.