Yogi Bhajan pointed to me and said to the class he was teaching at Claremont College, "See, Shakti's doing it; if she can do it, anybody can do it!"

That was in 1969. I still consider myself one of the least physically coordinated people on the planet, and yet, here I am, twenty-seven years later, not only doing Kundalini Yoga, but teaching it, and writing a book about it, because I sincerely believe, if I can do it, anybody can do it!

The physical exercise part of Kundalini Yoga is just one aspect of this Yoga of Awareness. Among the many outrageous quotes from Yogi Bhajan is, "If flexibility of the body is the only yoga, then clowns in the circus are the best yogis." Important as the physical body is, and as desirable as flexibility is, there is much more to be gained from yoga, there is your entire happiness and success in life.

When you buy a new automobile, a toaster, or a VCR (almost anything with moving parts) the manufacturer provides a book of instructions. The owner's manual recommends procedures to get maximum efficiency. It lists checkpoints and times for periodic maintenance. It tells you what to look for if it's not working properly and it suggests how to avoid future problems.

So where are the instructions for your care and maintenance? When you were born you didn't come neatly packaged with a tag tied around your big toe, labeled "Care and Feeding." Though a human being is surely one of the most complicated mechanisms ever created, still an instruction manual isn't provided with each newborn baby. Perhaps the Manufacturer assumed that mothers would study directly with the experts to learn how to care for the new arrival. And who are these "experts"? Not the psychologists and pediatricians, not well-meaning friends and neighbors, mothers and grandmothers (though the latter probably have learned a lot through trial and error).

The trained experts, the people who developed the finest methods to care for, maintain, and get maximum mileage out of this human mechanism (not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually), were the yogis.

Detailed information on the care and feeding, maintenance and preservation of a human being was revealed to the yogis thousands of years ago. They have been custodians of this technology ever since. They are the expert mechanics, scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers for the intricate human machine in all its aspects: body, mind, and soul.

The Science of Kundalini Yoga

For thousands of years this yogic knowledge was carefully handed down by oral tradition from Master to disciple. The Master spoke, the student memorized and practiced. Eventually a portion of this vast body of knowledge leading to enlightenment, or self-mastery, was written down. Some of these sacred teachings can be found in ancient Vedic texts1.

There's a yogic art and science to all aspects of human life. There's a yogic way to get up in the morning; there's a yogic way to go to sleep at night. A way to eat, and a way to breathe! Virtually every aspect of human existence has an enlightened, efficient, and effective way to do it. This legacy of technical and spiritual knowledge that Yogi Bhajan studied and mastered in India is the gift he brought to the West.

The Yogi's Gift

Kundalini Yoga was always kept very secret. It was never taught publicly until 1969, when Yogi Bhajan challenged the ages-old tradition of secrecy.

He spent many years in India learning, mastering and perfecting the habits and practices of Kundalini Yoga. It sometimes took months of waiting patiently and being tested in many ways before a Teacher would reveal anything at all to him. Yet he has offered to share these ancient secrets with us, openly and honestly. His motive? Compassion. He wants us to stop suffering. He sees the reality of our inner beauty, power, and potential and he wants us to discover it for ourselves!

Yogi Bhajan started teaching Kundalini Yoga in easy-to-digest yogic "tidbits." We want to share these teachings with you that same way. We want to make it as simple and easy as I can for you to apply them in your daily life so you can feel better, look better and be a happier person.

It is the Birthright of every Human Being to be Healthy, Happy and Holy

Of all the technology and wisdom that Yogi Bhajan could have taught from his vast storehouse of mastery, he chose to teach Kundalini Yoga because it is so effective, comprehensive, and "do-able."

This is a yoga for householders, for people who have to cope with the daily challenges and stresses of holding jobs, raising families, managing businesses. It gives results in the shortest possible time. It does not require you to leave your home, become an ascetic or sit in a cave. Kundalini Yoga is for everyone who wants the skills to cope successfully with the challenges of living in this day and age.2 (And you don't have to be a pretzel. For the physical exercises, if you can breathe, and just lean in the right direction, you'll be benefited. I told you, if I can do it, anybody can do it.).

What does Kundalini Yoga do?

The practice of Kundalini Yoga balances the glandular system, strengthens the nervous system and enables us to harness the energy of the mind and the emotions, so we can be in control of ourselves, rather than being controlled by our thoughts and feelings.

Another purpose of this book is to dispel the mystery, the myths and misunderstanding, that exist about Kundalini Yoga. It is a precious gem of sacred knowledge and power. I am going to show you some of its many brilliant facets. It can make your life shine. It is like a magic jewel that I can give to you and still keep for myself. In fact, sharing it makes it brighter for me!

The Goal

Kundalini Yoga is designed to give you "hands on" experience of your highest consciousness. It teaches a method by which you can achieve the sacred purpose of your life. This can be described in many ways, such as:

• Experience your inner light of consciousness.

• Experience your own highest consciousness

• Discover your real Identity

The practices enable you to merge with or "yoke" with the universal Self. This merging of individual consciousness with universal consciousness creates a “divine union” called "YOGA."

The practice that leads to this state of self-mastery is also called "yoga." So the road and the destination have the same name, "yoga." There are many different kinds, or schools of yoga3. See "Many Paths, One Goal." Those who practice yoga are called "yogis" and those who master yoga are also called "yogis."

The technology of Kundalini Yoga applies its science to our bodies and minds, and is aimed at spirit which has no boundaries, no discrimination. Therefore it is for everyone. It is universal and nondenominational.

Is Yoga a Religion?

Kundalini Yoga is not a religion. Kundalini Yoga is a Sacred Science. It is sacred because it deals with the GOD4 in you. It is scientific because it provides a technology, a method by which anyone who practices it can experience that divine identity within. The way you choose to worship that God is your religion.

Yes, Kundalini Yoga does requires FAITH (not belief), just as a course in chemistry requires the faith of the student to do the laboratory experiments so he can prove the validity of the formulas for himself.

Long Term Gain / Short Term Gain

As you work toward achieving the goal of "Yoga" or liberation, you become more capable, more confident and more efficient in whatever you're doing in your external life. Simultaneously, you become progressively more aware of yourself on all levels. It's a win/win situation!

Secrets of Power

To fully appreciate the value of this great gift Yogi Bhajan has brought us, we need to understand why, for thousands of years, the Yogis kept it secret. They preserved and carefully guarded the knowledge of the inner and outer workings of a human being, very cautiously revealing the technology, selectively passing it down verbally from Master to chosen disciple. They were selective because knowledge gives power, and power can corrupt. Traditionally, disciples had to spend many years proving their trustworthiness and ethical purity to receive the sacred science of Kundalini Yoga. Only after the student demonstrated humility, self-discipline, and obedience would the Teacher reveal the secret Kriyas.

Yet Yogi Bhajan has taken it upon himself5to share his knowledge openly with everyone. He has done this in order to prepare humanity for the major changes that the planet is going through. The world we knew even ten years ago has totally changed - geographically, socially, economically, morally. We have already crossed from the Piscean Age into the Age of Aquarius6. As he has said, "What used to work, won't work anymore!" It's a new Age already, and this ancient technology of Kundalini Yoga can give us the awareness and the strength to make our transition smoother.

The Power of Prana

Kundalini Yoga deals specifically with the most powerful thing in the universe, the basic life energy, prana. Prana is the sub-atomic energy, the life force. It was known to yogis for thousands of years, long before the scientists split the atom. It is prana that you receive with every breath. It's mighty powerful stuff! Kundalini Yoga is the path of discovery of the source of the prana in us and teaches us how to use it.

Why practice Kundalini Yoga?

People decide to practice Kundalini Yoga for many reasons. Possibly your chiropractor suggested it. Or your psychologist, physician, or next-door neighbor recommended it to help you relax, cope with stress, and find peace of mind. Or, perhaps you're simply curious. It doesn't matter what your reason, you are welcome! But be warned: If you genuinely practice it, you will find yourself and your life changing. If you don't want to change, if you're totally content with yourself and your life as it is now, then don't go any further. But if you want to explore the possibilities of your highest potential, then keep reading.

Kundalini Yoga is much more than just a system of physical exercises. It is a dynamic, powerful tool for expanding awareness. Approach it with respect, with reverence, and with openness.

"DOING IS BELIEVING."

Let the words on these pages help you take the next step on your personal journey of self-discovery. You are, indeed, a unique and wonderful being with a very special destiny. Let Kundalini Yoga, the Yoga of Awareness, help you achieve your personal best!

5 & 10:  5 Sutras, 10 Bodies

with Joginder Singh & Dhanwant Kaur

Radiant Life Holistic Center

Certified and Registered Kundalini Yoga Teachers

 

Yes! Kundalini Yoga IS Dangerous!!!

If you are interested in the magnificent benefits of Kundalini Yoga read this first!!! 

Sat Nam/Namaste dear friends in yoga!   Welcome to the opening article, ‘Yes!! Kundalini Yoga IS dangerous!’    

As teachers of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, and having a personal yoga  practice and teaching experience of close to 25 years, it is important to address this concern at the very front of the ‘consciousness’ education experience.   Yoga teachers are ‘consciousness educators’, whether we know it or not.  The students are ‘raising their awareness’ of themselves, their place in the big game of life, and of the ‘True Guru’, the inner teacher connected to all that is(the voice inside).  All of the yoga’s have this opportunity, and the teachers have the honor and privilege to serve these growing ‘yogi’s’, to raise ‘awareness’ and ‘consciousness’,  as better health on all levels comes in practicing the yoga. 

The title of the program of articles we will travel through over the next year is 5 Sutras and 10 Bodies.  Each month we will focus on a ‘Sutra’, a thread of timeless wisdom, as taught by Yogi Bhajan*. 

The 5 Sutras for the Aquarian Age* are as follows:

1)     Recognize that the other person is you

2)     There is a way through every block

3)     When time or pressure is upon take a positive action and time and pressure will be relieved

4)     Understand with compassion or you will misunderstand the times

5)     Vibrate the cosmos and the cosmos will lead the way. 

We will begin today with Sutra #5 since this is the sutra that we participate in when we do our yoga and meditation practices. 

The 10 bodies should briefly be touched upon today so you may understand the language of the rest of this topic.  If you thought you had 1 body you were almost fully correct! Yes, the physical body is present and we work it, for better or worse, with our yoga and our conflicting lifestyles which break us down faster than nature would naturally do over an otherwise active, viril, healthy, mindful 120-140 years of life.  The other bodies are the soul body, the negative mind, the positive mind, the neutral mind, the pranic* body, the auric body, the radiant body, the arcline(s) and the ‘subtle’ body. 

Kundalini Yoga has a negative thought out there, and mostly by yoga teachers, not the students.  In a very dear friend’s yoga studio, there was a teacher who was with them for years before moving on, continued to berade Kundalini Yoga as ‘dangerous and it will make you crazy’ as this person taught with  another style of yoga, never opening themselves to attending a few classes and learning more about it.  We all attended this persons classes, respected the lineage this person studied under, and still this teacher does share this misinformation about Kundalini Yoga with students in our friend’s center, yet not to us. And yet another experience where a client of ours had aspiration to teach yoga and studied mostly at home.  This person created a yoga teaching position for themselves at a nearby studio, named the class Kundalini Yoga, with no formal training, as she was completely unfamiliar with the yoga.  This is where the danger comes for all students. See IKYTA(International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association www.IKYTA.com) for list of properly trained Kundalini Yoga teachers!

“Condemnation without investigation will always be the first sign of ignorance” for all of us. So the idea is not about these teachers, yet all teachers of yoga you will study with.   Why does this happen?  There are many people teaching Kundalini Yoga, yet how many are teaching from the correct source, without alteration or adding their personal style to it? As teachers we are responsible to deliver ‘the teachings’ to the student, not ourselves, so that the ‘True Guru’, the inner Guru, can talk and you can listen(sunia)*, as well as get and stay healthy….eternally!!! 

Kundalini Yoga was brought to west in 1969 by a man named Yogi Bhajan. A once secretly passed on science was held ‘sacred and secret’ for thousands of years being passed down from Master to student, unaltered, unchanged.  Now the teachings are ‘Sacred and not a secret’.  Yogiji broke the code, and the world is better for it. His contributions to our country, and the world spiritual community are rivaled by very few in recent world history.  Our government went so far as to publicly announce his contributions to our country and the world on spiritual unity*, in the company of only 3 other people our country has recognized, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King.  That’s very special company.

So when ‘E.F. Hutton speaks…..’!!!  

Here is why Kundalini Yoga is dangerous!!! And it’s good.  With a certified and properly trained teacher(in any yoga for that matter), who is registered with the International Yoga Alliance, then the yoga is dangerous on the positive side. We carefully watch our students(Kundalini Yoga teachers do not do the yoga with the students—they deliver the teachings and carefully watch over the students welfare without distracting themselves by participating in the yoga. Teachers practice for 2+ hours before the sun rises each day, ‘sadhana-daily spiritual yogic practice’, to prepare themselves for the day and the students.) Yoga has a limb that includes a practice of ‘ahimsa’, non harming to yourself and anything else on the planet. This is fully honored in the teachings and the teacher to the student.

Yes, truly Kundalini Yoga is dangerous and now is when we share with you why!!

Yogi Bhajan explained this carefully and thoroughly.  A well-educated man, who has over 8000 lectures and classes on audio and video/DVD, he stated that Kundalini Yoga is dangerous because it removes man’s/woman’s ability to be exploited by others, in every area of life, with dignity, divinity and most of the times grace!  Through the regular practice of this yoga (‘as taught by Yogi Bhajan’), the 10 bodies begin to coordinate and stimulate the ability of your totality of energy to expand itself, build a stronger and more sensitive electromagnetic field, bringing your ‘subtle body’ to a sensitivity that changes your life for the better!!! 

Yogi Bhajan also said that this ancient 5000 year old scientific method of yoga can not nearly be explained, even by the most eloquent and simple orator/writer.  It must be experienced.  Through the experience of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan your ‘True Teacher’(True Guru) emerges and your life changes and although the circumstances in life may continue to be challenging, you become different, and therefore the circumstances are handled differently.  One of my teachers, about 30 years ago, my collegiate swim coach said, “The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is our view, our thoughts, our consciousness”.  

We raise consciousness through the teachings of Kundalini Yoga as taught Yogi Bhajan, and it is safe and productive and fun and loving.  The challenge is that you may not be ready for an ‘awakened consciousness’ so then it will take more time to slowly grow into it.  The yoga, not our or my yoga, has a definite class structure and beginners can start anytime with all levels of students. Our studios classically do not have mirrors, it is deeply inner reflective experience attended by all ages, shapes and sizes!!! 

Many people talk about a ‘kundalini’ experience.  This can, and does, happen in all yoga, since ‘kundalini’ literally means, coil, which is where the generative impulse of energy begins in the navel point and travels very interestingly through and up the spinal channel creating a sense of euphoria and epiphany, in some.  In all the years I have been teaching, I have witnessed a handful of these experiences in group classes, some not Kundalini.  They do not happen so easily, and on a personal note, I have only experienced that state once in 25 plus years, and it was blissful, godly, loving and had a positive impact.  Most of those experiences happen privately in the comfort of your own personal practice.  Their timing is a very personal matter, they are gentle lifts in ‘consciousness’, rather than dangerous experiences.  As a doctor of 21 years, a Reiki Master, a yoga teacher with a daily practice for just under 10 years now, the Kundalini Yoga will help you build balance in your 10 bodies, your 11 moon centers(women), your energy currents, your life!  And to that we say ‘Jai. Jai, Jai.”  

 

Dhanwant Kaur & Joginder Singh teach Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, as well as Hatha based yoga, at Radiant Life Holistic Center along with Sarjeet Kaur,the Jaideeps, Harpreet Kaur and Margie Johnson.

We welcome you to study in the timeless wisdom of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, as well as join us for our Hatha based yoga with great pieces of the 'timeless wisdom' of all the great Yoga Masters and traditions!

Sat Nam

Namaste

Om Shanti

   

Trinity Roots-  Onion, Ginger and Garlic: Potent Healing Foods For All, Especially Men!!

It has long been recorded that Garlic is a very Sacred and powerful herb.  Egyptians used to swear by it when taking a solemn vow. Roman physicians claimed that it cured 61 ailments. Modern science continues to reveal its marvelous healing properties. Since the turn of the century garlic and its extracts have been used against gastrointestinal disorders, septic poisoning, typhus, cholera, bacterial infections and cancer. Russian scientists have made garlic oil so popular it is known as ‘Russian penicillin’. Garlic acts to increase and stimulate reproductive energy being great for the male and female hormone systems.

The onion was considered by Egyptians to be a symbol of the universe. Through the centuries onion and onion juice  were recommended to cure earache, colds, fever, laryngitis, warts and cancer. They stimulate the production of blood, to purify the blood and keep blood sugar balance.

Ginger has been used by man(woman) since before the days of Rome. At one time it was literally worth its weight in gold! It is said that it cured the troubles of love and a prolonged life.  King Henry VIII recommended it as a prevention against the plague. It has always been considered a medicine as well as a spice. To women, especially helpful, relieving cramps, menstrual tensions and providing energy. Gingerroot nourishes the nerves of the body and allow thenm to carry more energy!! It works to keep the spine and cerebrospinal fluid healthy.

Any one of these three roots is beneficial to overall health, yet together, cooked or raw, causes them to interact and amplify their effects.

My teacher taught me that one finger of ginger root, 6 cloves of garlic(we can neutralize the great smell with a little parsley a natural breath freshener) and 1-2 small onions daily are ‘medicine’ for great ‘potency’ and ‘overall well-being’!

Used abundantly in the daily diet as well as during times of illness, these roots can benefit one more than one imagines. When looking at the long history of their used and benefits to mankind, it is easy to understand why they have been referred to as the “Divine Trinity”, medicinally as foods.

This information was made available from, “The Golden Temple Vegetarian Cookbook” by Yogi Bhajan.

For men, especially since this is a Men’s Health issue, we see great calming and peace come to people who respect, regard, handle, prepare, bless and eat these foods regularly.  Prostate, blood and circulation, energy and potency, healing of psychological stress and PTSS(also through regular yoga practice) are some of the benefits to men.

Next issue: ‘Uncommon Uses For Common Foods’!!

Potent Potatoes- After a winter of using most of our grown food supply through early February, us vegetarians rely on a lot of potatoes(all kinds) for our diet until spring brings new food from the garden.  Cooking onion, ginger and garlic into our potato dishes makes them ‘potent’ and ‘medicinal’.  You can only imagine how many ways there are to prepare!  My suggestions is to pick up a copy of The Golden Temple Vegetarian Cookbook and begin to do some yoga and begin, or support further, your journey to better health, naturally.

Sat Nam

 

Dr. Joginder Singh is a Chiropractor, Neuromuscular Deep Tissue Healing Practitioner, Reiki Master and Kundalini Yoga teacher(IKYTA) practicing and teaching at Radiant Life Holistic Center in Island Park, N.Y.. www.rlhc.org. 516.889.4280.