Sat Nam Rasayan | A Healing Art From Yogi Bhajan

handsSat Nam Rasayan means “Deep Relaxation in the True Identity” in Sanskrit. It is a style of healing that is probably unlike anything that you know. In my experience of Sat Nam Rasayan, it is mind-boggling, and unlike anything that I know.

History of Sat Nam Rasayan

Sat Nam Rasayan came to the West with Yogi Bhajan. It was a traditional art taught wordlessly from one master to the student. It often took years before the transfer of wisdom would begin, and more years before the student would attain mastery of this silent art.

Yogi Bhajan passed on this art form to Guru Dev Singh Khalsa, with a job to do: bring this healing art into words. Create a language around it and teach it to people.

Why Did Yogi B Break Tradition?

Yogi B is infamous for breaking many of the Indian traditions he came from. One of the reasons why he told Guru Dev Singh Khalsa to teach it to people and create a language around it is because the transfer of knowledge from teacher to student, one at a time, was going too slow. The knowledge was on the verge of getting lost.

I feel like Yogi B was also very aware of what the world needed and where it was transitioning. So he did what was in service of humanity as best he could, including gifting this ancient art.

What is Sat Nam Rasayan Exactly?

“Look at this Sat Nam Rasayan: Does Guru Dev Singh give you a massage and all that? All he does is put his hand on you. Sometimes he doesn’t even touch you. Actually, it is the “Sat Naam” which does the healing. You don’t see God working.”
– Yogi B, Page 251, The Master’s Touch

In my experience and practice of it this is what occurs:

The setting is one on one. The client lies down on their back and relaxes. Their job is to simply be.

The practitioner takes a moment to tune into the nothinginess, or shuniya (the zero point). In this state all things occur in relation to the practitioner, nothing is separated, it all is what it is. The practitioner then touches the client and aligns them into the space of shuniya. The practitioner pays attention to what happens internally in relationship to this person.

Sat Nam Rasayan is all about what it is like to be in relationship to anything in the world, including the floor, a plant, a cup, a human being.

Somehow in this process shifts happen for the client.

“The mind of the Sat Nam Rasayan practitioner can become transcendent and in the vastness of this consciousness healing can occur. This state is a pure meditative absorption between the practitioner and the client, in the Divine.”
– Page 140 in the Aquarian Teacher Level One Instructor Textbook

Personal Experience

I first experienced Sat Nam Rasayan in the December weekend of Teacher Training. We had a chance to experience both sides of the practice – being the client and the practitioner through the guidance of Nirmal Kaur. It was such a potent experience for me. Without a doubt I wanted to know more.

I attended a few practice nights so that I could get more hands on experience and more understanding. I still cannot tell you what it is or how it works per se.

As Nirmal says, “Your conscious mind will try to make sense of Sat Nam Rasayan but it won’t be able to. Sat Nam Rasayan is beyond the mind. It is not Reiki, Pranic Healing, or any other kind of energy work. It is what it is, and this is how you hold the space of Sat Nam Rasayan”.

It’s a very individualized experience of this work. For me when I tune into the frequency of it, there is a high-pitched noise I can hear. The more I practised Sat Nam Rasayan the more that frequency was there.

This healing art intrigues me. I’m not sure my conscious mind will ever understand it. And that’s okay with me.

Further Links
Guru Dev Singhs Website
Sat Nam Rasayan Website