The Meaning Of Ang Sang Wahe Guru Mantra in Kundalini Yoga

We all go through hard times. Maybe you find yourself in one now?

Invite Ang Sang Wahe Guru to be your balm.

This mantra from the Kundalini yoga tradition re-connects and synchronizes your finite sense of self to your sacred essence as part of the Infinite Oneness. You don’t have to carry your troubles alone. 

Ang Sang Wahe Guru Meaning

The Kundalini yoga mantra Ang Sang Wahe Guru is commonly translated as, “The dynamic, loving energy of the Infinite is dancing in every limb and every cell of my being.”

While you chant this Gurmukhi mantra, visualize every cell in your body filled with light and love. You exist, no effort is made to be anything but yourself. You are always in a state of being that is individual consciousness merged with Universal Consciousness. Ang Sang Wahe Guru serves as a reminder that you are not a single entity, but rather part of infinite source.

Uplifted Translaton of Ang Sang Wahe Guru

Ang Sang Wahe Guru builds off of another mantra that you may be familiar with, Wahe Guru. Wahe Guru commonly translates as “Wonderous Lord” or “Divine Creative Being”.

Here at Uplifted we have a slightly different interpretation of this mantra that I think makes it easier to work with in your daily life. Guru Singh, my mentor and co-teacher in 200-Hour Kundalini Teacher Training, approaches the Wahe Guru translation as:

Wah = WOW! (the biggest sensation of awe)

Gu = darkness

Ru = light

Translated in this way, the word Guru signifies the light that comes forth from a previous state of darkness. In your daily life this could look like an experience when a teacher introduces new information and knowledge. All of the sudden, a light bulb turns on and you start to view a situation or an issue in a new way.

We internalize Wahe Guru as meaning “Wow! Light!” So when you use this mantra, you feed and instill all the cells of your body with the image and idea of “Wow!” the knowledge is coming through you, the universe vibrates through you. In a way you supercharge your cells with this new information and assimilate it.

Ok, back to our Ang Sang Wahe Guru Uplifted translation. 

Ang translates to “a part of me” and Sang translates to “with every or in every.”

Combined with the Uplifted translation of Wahe Guru, you can begin to sense this mantra expresses, “Wow! The Universe is always surrounding me and leading me from the darkness into the light – protecting, loving, embracing – to transform my essence.”

Wahe Guru on its own is a great mantra to work with to clear darkness, fear, or worry from your psyche.

Ang Sang Wahe Guru goes a step farther in reinforcing your connection to the universal truth that you are an infinite being supported by the loving energy of infinite source.

Benefits Of Chanting Ang Sang Wahe Guru

There has not been much academic or scientific study to quantify the benefits of chanting Ang Sang Wahe Guru. 

We do know that the ideal breath ratio is 5.5 second inhales and exhales. This ratio helps you relax and calm down. Many mantras (including Ang Sang Wahe Guru) are chanted at a speed that requires a breath pattern like this one. The more you chant mantras, the more your body becomes familiar with this ideal ratio and you are able to breathe efficiently, remain in a calm state, and slow down your thoughts. 

Benefits of Working with the 7th & 8th Chakras

Ang Sang Wahe Guru is also known as the Meditation for the 7th & 8th Chakras.

Did you know there are actually more than the 7 Chakras commonly referenced in modern yoga classes? In one traditional chakra system, it is believed that there are actually 12 chakras!

When you work with the additional chakras that exist outside of your physical body it is believed that you foster connection with your higher self and the divine energy of the universe.

The 7th Chakra (Sahasrara and the Crown Chakra) is located on the very top of your head. This energy center is your bridge to a higher power. It can symbolize the realization that we are all manifestations of universal consciousness. It often represents unity, humility, transcendence, and connection to your highest self. Recognition of this chakra may become more apparent to you as you’ve worked with the energy through your other 6 chakras. Now that energy flows more freely and your nervous system is more balanced, the clarity of the 7th chakra becomes more accessible.

The 8th Chakra (Viyapini and the Star Chakra) exists a few inches above the crown of your head. It is the first of the chakras that exist outside of your physical body. Many believe that it is a spiritual chakra that cannot be “blocked” or “unblocked.” Rather, your goal in working with the 8th chakra is to simply “tap into” universal energy. To engage with and benefit from divine love through this form of energy healing. The 8th chakra is about recognizing and connecting to your higher self and heightening your spiritual compassion. It often represents auric radiance, connectedness, vastness, and protection.

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Benefits of a Personalized Mantra Practice

Conscious Energy Shifts

It is believed that mantra helps you to change your energetic frequency. It can act like a magic key that helps you access an elevator to shift up or down your chakra system or access different energetic states.

Maybe you can’t figure out how to deal with a situation, or you feel caught in a very low vibration. You could use a mantra to shift out of that vibration. If you’re stuck in an emotion like jealousy, which is associated with your first chakra, you could choose to chant a mantra associated with the sixth chakra that gradually guides your energy up.

This is why mantras like Ang Sang Wahe Guru can help when you have feelings of distress or isolation.

Whole Body Intelligence – The Three Brains

Manta also activates our whole body intelligence. Guru Singh teaches about how we have three brains. Not just our head brain, but a heart and gut brain as well. The heart and gut brain are intuitive centers and sources of wisdom and inspiration.

It doesn’t matter so much what the mantra phrase means so much as what the whole phrase does. What parts of the body is the mantra stimulating? What parts of your body are you using to physically manifest these sounds and what feels like it is being massaged as you chant?

More specifically, ask yourself, “When I chant this, am I feeling the word coming from my gut, my heart or my head?”

Take a moment now to close your eyes and chant each word of Ang Sang Wahe Guru a few times. Take notice of where you feel it in your body.

As an example, these are the areas where I felt each word the most:

Ang – Throat + Heart Brain

Sang – Third Eye + Head Brain

Wahe – Heart + Heart Brain

Guru – Solar Plexus + Gut Brain

An analogy I like to use for mantras is that they are like playing drums. Only with mantra, you are playing your body drum! Just like every song utilizes a drum set in a different way or pattern so does each mantra. In this Ang Sang Wahe Guru example, you’re tapping the pattern heart, head, heart, gut.

Analyzing Ang Sang Wahe Guru in this way you may start to notice a story in this tapping pattern. More action takes place in the higher chakras but the final word, the darkness to light action is billowed from below in the Solar Plexus, the chakra aligned with inner balance and personal power.

Remember that we’re all different. You may feel these words differently in your body than I do, and that’s ok! You don’t need to agree with what I’m feeling.

I invite you to begin to work with Ang Sang Wahe Guru, and mantra in general, as a personal, empowering, special tonic that’s just for you to restore balance and equilibrium to you as an individual. It truly works from the inside out.

Benefits of Working With Sacred Sound

Let’s break down the word mantra: man means “mind” and tra means “wave or pattern”. Mantra can be defined as a wave of the mind.

Think of mantras as formulas that alter the pattern of the mind and the chemistry of the brain.

A yoga term associated with the practice of mantra is naad which means songs or melodies that have vibrational harmony. They connect you to the sacredness of life. Naad is often thought of as sacred sound.

Shabd is a more specific type of sound in your yoga practice. It is sound that dissolves your ego and connects you with your universal and most authentic self. This sound both merges you with the infinite and dissolves the blockages that are preventing you from being your full, authentic, biggest self. 

Finally, Shabd Guru is the use of naad to alter your consciousness. Sound as a teacher that removes your limited perceptions about who you are and what you’re able to do.

It’s important to note that the infinite Higher Self already exists inside of all of us. It’s already who we really are. The existence of our Infinite Higher Self, in the Kundalini tradition, is what is called Sat Naam. 

Alas, we forget, we get blocked. This is why mantra is such a powerful, self healing tool. 

When you work with mantra that has naad (and most mantra presented in Kundalini yoga, like Ang Sang Wahe Guru, is chock full of naad) you are immersed in sacred sound from the inside out. You’re connecting with Shabd and you’re using sound as a teacher (Shabd Guru).

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When To Chant This Mantra

Ang Sang Wahe Guru is great to practice when you feel alone, sad, disheartened, fearful or dismayed with the current state of affairs in your personal life or with the world at large.

Yogi Bhajan first introduced this mantra during the war in Iraq as a practice for inner peacefulness and a way to deal with the mental anguish of war time. 

Through practice of this mantra, Yogi Bhajan taught that your individual consciousness merges with universal consciousness, reaffirming the sense that none of us are alone. We are all part of one whole and that whole is also part of every cell of our being. In this way, Ang Sang Wahe Guru is said to bring healing energy, peace of mind, and increases courage to face challenges.

When you feel called to practice Ang Sang Wahe Guru, I recommend it as a great opportunity for your 40 day practice.

How To Chant Ang Sang Wahe Guru

1. Posture: Sit comfortably, spine tall. If on the floor, I suggest you sit with your legs crossed in easy pose (Sukhasana). If in a chair, place feet flat on the ground.
2. Take three deep inhales and exhales to settle into your space.
3. Tune In: Tune In with the Adi Mantra and optional Mangala Charan Mantra.
4. Mudra: Rest your hands on your thighs. Bring both hands into Gyan Mudra, one of the most commonly used Kundalini mudras.
5. Eye Focus: Close your eyes and focus your eyes on the tip of your nose.
6. Mantra: Begin to repeat the mantra Ang Sang Wahe Guru out loud at a steady pace.
7. Duration: Any amount of time in this practice is great. You can start with 3 minutes. A practice of 11 minutes is recommended and you can extend your session up to 31 minutes.

Options for time keeping:

1. Use a timer: After you sit, set your timer for the amount of time you’d like to chant in your session. 
2. Music: There are many musical recordings available for this chant. Feel free to locate one that resonates with you and chant along with it for your meditation practice.

Extra Tune In Help:

If you are new to Kundalini yoga and unsure about how to Tune In, I’ve created a free workshop for you! Meet me in my Refine Your Tune In workshop to hear all my best advice and tips to make your Tune In a potent piece of your practice. 

Closing Thoughts

Every person experiences mantras differently in their body. If Ang Sang Wahe Guru doesn’t resonate with you, consider experimenting with The Aquarian Mantras, Ra Ma Da Sa (Siri Gaitri Mantra), Ek Ong Kar, or Adi Shakti mantra.

Has learning about Ang Sang Wahe Guru mantra made you curious about Kundalini yoga? I’d love for you to join me in Kundalini Demystified! I created this course for you based off of my own research and study of Kundalini yoga. Your personal practice will benefit immensely from all the questions I dug into about this yoga lineage.