Below you can find all of the issues of the KRI Newsletter published to date. If you are looking for a specific issue, please contact customer service. In the mean time, please feel free to browse through the newsletter issues below.
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund
Sat Nam.
Greetings from sunny New Mexico. Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration and the 50th Anniversary of 3HO is here!
On July 7, 1977, Yogi Bhajan talked about Summer Solstice Sadhana. I have used this quotation before, but it really captures the essence of Solstice for me.
“The purpose of a human being is to release oneself from this earth so that one can go to the heavens. That's why they say, heavens are above, earth is below. Whosoever is bound to the earth shall remain bound to the earth and remain bound to earth for infinity. You shall be nothing, your destiny is decided. There is no hell for you, there is no heaven for you, all there is for you is ghost, ghost, ghost, and ghost. That's why, when we do White Tantric Yoga at the summer solstice time, the entire land is filled with souls begging to hear you chant. It is amazing! There were six hundred people one day chanting [during White Tantric Yoga]. We were in ecstasy, and there was so much fighting above us! Those souls were trying to come deeper and deeper, the magnetic field expanding to go over and over, and in that hassle… I couldn't explain it. I wish you could all have those eyes. You should have watched what was going on. They were your ancestors who were hung in this earth-bound circuit for thousands, hundreds of thousands of millions and zillion years seeking liberation. It was an amazing sight to see. It was a wonder of God. That is why this time, when we wanted to let God speak to us, we heard a huge thunder clap. God spoke to us from mercy, not because we were very wonderful human beings, but because those thousands and hundred-thousand souls got relieved and released. That's called yagna, that's what we do.
“People do not understand summer solstice. These Americans do not understand it at all. That is the time when the sun’s energy and the earth’s magnetic field are at the peak. Aah, that is the most wonderful combination, to meditate, recite, and chant [during this time]. And in that openness, in the wilderness of the Mother Nature, we call upon the Heavenly Father.”
There is a lot of activity and opportunity to use the sun energy of the summer to accelerate our yogic and spiritual practices. Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration in New Mexico and the July European Yoga Festival in France are very special events. You get to be with a large group of Kundalini Yogis, study with excellent teachers, and practice three Days of White Tantric Yoga®. Solstice and Yoga Festival will rejuvenate and uplift you for months to come. Yogi Bhajan often said to plan the year around our Solstice celebrations.
I will be teaching at the special 50th Anniversary of 3HO at Summer Solstice Sadhana this year. Join me for a physical and a meditative kriya Friday June 14th under the Tantric Shelter at 10:15 AM. See you there!
Come by KRI’s booth in the bazaar to see and buy new books and DVD’s. We are excited to present a new book in The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan series entitled Your Own Infinity. In this latest collection of curated quotes, Hargopal Kaur explores the concept of God as presented by Yogi Bhajan. It is an amazing read, drawing you deeper and deeper into the concept of Infinity. Here is an excerpt from the introduction:
“In virtually every lecture, Yogi Bhajan steered us to God, to the Infinite, and to ourselves. Sometimes, he dropped a pearl of wisdom that shattered our misconceptions, our preconceptions, and exposed our astounding lack of perception. He found the angles that could penetrate our consciousness and clear a path to awareness.”
Does practicing Kundalini Yoga inspire you to want to teach? Now is the time for Teachers! I just was teaching at our Spring Immersion in Bali. We had students from 22 different countries. I can’t say enough about the greatness of the KRI Immersions. Not only do you truly learn how to deliver a class in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® but it is a deep and profound experience of spiritual community!
The Aquarian Age is here, and it is calling you! We still have space available in our International Teacher Training Level One Immersion in Espanola, New Mexico. Become a Teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan this summer at the ashram and ranch of Yogi Bhajan. I really look forward to this training program; it is a truly incredible experience for the students as well as the teachers.
In the Name of God, I serve. Nirvair Singh Khalsa CEO KRI
Hacienda de Guru Ram Das, affectionately known as “The Ranch,” was the home of Yogi Bhajan and his family in Espanola, New Mexico. It was here, on October 6, 2004, that he breathed his last breath and merged with Infinity. He loved his Ranch, and the spirit of Yogi Bhajan vibrates in every tree and rock still today. One of the very special parts of KRI Level One Immersion in Espanola is that you have the opportunity to experience the Ranch and make a physical connection to the place where Yogi Bhajan lived.
The Ranch started as a small adobe home on a country road, when Yogi Bhajan purchased it in 1974. They expanded over time and beautified the land to match his vision. He and his wife Bibiji worked tirelessly to make their home a place to welcome students and guests from around the world. The Ranch was always open to visitors for spiritual conversation and a delicious meal.
The Dome was Yogi Bhajan’s private meditation room, built by his students in 1975 as a gift of love and dedication to their teacher. Once asked about why the shape of a dome was chosen, Yogi Bhajan said, “If you take the globe and cut it in half, it is the shape of a dome. Because of this, a dome contains the energy of the earth.” Here, in this simple structure, he spent many long hours. It was his place of peace and solitude, where he meditated and worked.
Yogi Bhajan taught the first summer course in 1975 at the Ranch, a lecture series now known as “Under the Blue Sky of New Mexico.” Students came and sat in the garden courtyard and listened every day throughout the month of July as Yogi Bhajan lectured on how to walk the spiritual path as a conscious human being. Over the next 30 years, people came from around the world to visit and learn from Yogi Bhajan at the Ranch.
Once, a student asked, “Sir, we have met you and know who you are, but what about the children who are yet to be born and the yoga students who did not get to meet you? How will they understand who you are?” Yogi Bhajan replied, “Take a stone as tall as I am (he was 6’2½”) and engrave it, ‘Born Zero, Died at One’.” This is the memory stone that now stands at the Ranch. Born at Zero means he came from the Infinite, as symbolized by the circle. Died at One means he died when his consciousness was at One with God, the One Creator of everyone.
As you experience the Ranch, take a moment of silent stillness and feel the subtle energy. That is the energy of Yogi Bhajan, the Mahan Tantric, the Siri Singh Sahib. It is potent, powerful, and yet comforting and calming. It is something you will remember and reconnect with many times on your journey as a teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®.
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level One Teacher Training Program
August 3 - August 30, 2019
Espanola, New Mexico, USA
http://immersion.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org
Important Note: Fulfillment of the program certification requirements continues through February 2020
More images from the ranch:
Historically, yoga has been fundamentally a spiritual practice to attain unitive states of consciousness or the samadhi state. However, given the fact that yoga employs both physical (asana, pranayama, relaxation) and cognitive (meditation) practices to foster self-regulation and optimize human functioning, its relevance to restoring optimal functioning in disease states has been an obvious possibility. Even in the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika are statements attesting to the benefits of specific yogic practices in reducing obesity, removing abdominal disorders, fatigue, and edema and generally “destroying all diseases” including leprosy.
By the beginning of the 20th century, we see the systematic application of yoga as a treatment for therapeutic conditions in India. The Yoga Institute in Mumbai documented the application of yoga as therapy to 124 patients in 1918-19, reporting “Symptom relief in most cases. Occasional verification by physician.” In a two-year period from 1920-22, 2,000 patients were treated with the identical claim of clinical improvement. Similarly, the Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, founded in 1924 and also in Mumbai, was reporting in its 1930 volume of its research journal Yoga Mimamsa that “nearly two thousand people have been treated…as…patients. People suffering from constipation, dyspepsia, auto-intoxication, nervous debility, asthma, piles, seminal weakness, heart troubles and a variety of other diseases have found great relief from Yogic Therapy.” Unfortunately, such vague descriptions of clinical benefit clearly failed to meet any kind of acceptable scientific or clinical criteria that provide confidence in attesting to the safety and efficacy of yoga therapy.
Even as late as 1964 in a four-paragraph report by Higashi in the prestigious medical journal Lancet we are still provided with minimal documentation of specific quantitative details of clinical improvement. In a Tokyo sanatorium, they applied a daily 10-minute pranayama practice over a year to 50 male schizophrenic patients. The clinical outcome is marginally and vaguely described with the text: “About the beginning of the third month, we noticed that the patients gathered spontaneously at the usual place. When the session ended a quiet atmosphere prevailed for some time. Moreover the average number of patients participating was 81% as against 56% in the previous year.” It’s conclusion stated, “An exercise which controls breathing favourably influences the psychiatric regimen.”
Given the proliferation of yoga therapy in India, yet conducted without adequate research and clinical documentation, the Ministry of Health of the Government of India created a committee in 1960 led by well-known leading yoga researcher Dr. B.K. Anand to evaluate yoga therapy claims. It collected information from 71 institutions across India, visiting 19 select institutions, and yielded the 1962 Ministry of Education 72-page document entitled “Report of the Committee on Evaluation of Therapeutical Claims of Yogic Practices.” It concluded that for lack of proper data and the personnel adequately trained to collect such data, it was not possible for it to evaluate Yogic therapy claims. It further stated, “Unless a scientific assessment of the patient treated by Yogic therapy is organized under controlled conditions, it will not be possible to evaluate the important therapeutic claims of Yoga."
Finally, in 1966 we see the publication of perhaps the first acceptably-reported biomedical research evaluation of yoga therapy by Vahia, Vinekar and Doongaji in an 8-page paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry. In this case series study conducted with the Kaivalyadhama Institute they describe results of 4 to 6-week yoga therapy sessions with patients at the K.E.M. Hospital in Mumbai. A table in the report describes multiple characteristics including demographics, diagnoses, treatment durations, and quantitative percent improvements for 30 patients with psychosomatic conditions such as anxiety, depression, headache, insomnia, cognitive difficulties and other stress-related symptoms. They further included 3 detailed case reports that were presented in the format and with the amount of detail that would be viewed as reasonable from a modern clinical research presentation perspective.
It was not long after this that we see the first humble clinical trial publication in yoga therapy published in Yoga Mimamsa in 1967, to be followed by the first randomized controlled trials on yoga for hypertension by yoga researcher Chandra Patel in the U.K. in the early 70’s. From that first 1967 trial of yoga for asthma through to 2003, there were approximately 150 clinical trials published, a number which tripled to about 450 publications 10 years later by 2013. We are now fortunately in the position in this field in that we are experiencing an exponentially increasing growth in the number of clinical yoga research studies and publications with more and more of the rigorous randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses necessary to justify recommendation of continued yoga therapy research and implementation of yoga interventions in modern medicine.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
Pranam Mudra – Prayer Pose
Pranam Mudra, or Prayer Pose, is one of the most frequently used mudras in Kundalini Yoga. Each class begins with hands in Prayer Pose, chanting the Adi Mantra, and closes with the “Long Time Sun” song, hands in Pranam.
Pranam Mudra balances and neutralizes the positive side of the body (right, sun, masculine) with the negative side (left, moon, feminine). It is a perfect way to bring the human system into harmony and prepare to receive the benefits of Kundalini Yoga. It is a graceful and humble mudra of supplication, acknowledging and opening the heart to the One.
Many students tend to hold the mudra a little low or let the fingers angle out away from the body. Take a moment in your next class to bring their attention to Pranam Mudra and help your students perfect the angles.
Palms are together with the bracelet lines of the wrist (where the palm and wrist join) placed at the heart center. The fingers are at 90 degrees, pointing straight up under the bottom of the chin. Apply an even and constant pressure on all 10 fingers and the palms as well as against the sternum (the breastbone).
“Now, please fold your hands. Watch, some people do not know how fold their hands… [Hold it at] exactly 90 degrees, all fingers together, thumbs together. And this is a 'V' shape, victory shape, between your thumbs and your fingers. It has to be at the heart center. Base of the three rings, [the bracelet lines of the wrist] health, wealth and happiness, must be at the heart center, understood?” Yogi Bhajan, April 22, 1997
- Simply enter the topic into the search-bar on our homepage (see Example [1] below searching for the topic "Love")
- Next look for the 'Filters' to the left of your search results and select the plus sign next to 'Media.'
- Under 'Media' you will see the option 'Historical Notes.' It will note the number of lectures that contain Historical Notes (in the sample below it shows there are 12). Click on 'Historical Notes' and it will take you to the results of this search.
- Once you select the lecture and you want to view the Historical Notes, click on this icon:
The student notes will pop-up in the document. (See Example [2] below.)
Example (1)
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Click image to view larger versionExample (2)
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Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
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The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
- SUMMER SOLSTICE: Hacienda de Guru Ram Das, Espanola, New Mexico New Times! June 12, 8:30a – 5:30p & June 13, 8:30a – 12:30p Register Here - Featured Summer Solstice Trainer Forum workshops – Consciously Leading Rebirthing Workshops with Dr. Krishna Kaur and Sant Kaur I AM with You – Facilitating the Flow of Collaboration in Community with Puranjot Kaur and Jai Gopal Kaur The Hidden Challenges of Mentoring with Siri Neel Kaur, Tarn Taran Kaur, and Awtar Kaur Level Two: Vitality & Stress with Deva Kaur All Forum Workshop: Global Racial Inclusion to support Diversity & Inclusivity in the Academy with Dr. Japa Kaur, Vedya Amrita, DukhNiwaran Kaur, and Awtar Kaur All Forum Workshop: The Legacy of Kundalini Yoga with Nirvair Singh and Krishna Kaur
- EUROPE: Chateau Anand, Saint Pierre de Maille, France New Times! July 25, 8:30a – 5:30p & July 26, 8:30am – 12:30p Register Here - Featured European Trainer Forum workshops – Psychology & Kundalini Yoga with Haridevta Kaur How to Lead a Rebirthing class with Sukhdev Kaur Mentoring Skills presenters TBA Skill Building in Content Credits for Philosophy and/or Anatomy & Physiology presenters TBA All Forum Workshop: Economic Diversity in Kundalini Yoga – Coming Together to Share Resources presenters TBA All Forum Workshop: The Legacy of Kundalini Yoga presenters TBA
- AUSTRALIA: Australia Kundalini Yoga Festival October 7, 6:00p – 9:00p & October 8, 9:00a – 6:00p
- CHINA October 26 – 27, times and location TBA
- WINTER SOLSTICE: Hampton Inn, Lake Wales, Florida, December 14, 8:30a – 5:30p & December 15, 8:30a – 12:30p
The Chakras
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
The chakras are the keys to being human and being happy. In this collection, Yogi Bhajan, the Master of Kundalini Yoga, defines the nature of the chakras, how they work, their interaction, projection and potency with both humor and subtlety, and often surprising candor.
Regular Retail: $29.95
Promo: $25.46
Ebook: $13.49 (10% off)
Art & Yoga
Kundalini Awakening in Everyday Life
by Hari Kirin Kaur Khalsa
“The sole purpose of life is the soul.” — Yogi Bhajan
Learn to express your soul’s longing, delve into images that awaken your imagination and speak of a truth yet unexplored. Allow Art & Yoga to take you on a journey to your intuitive, creative and authentic self—the True Being, awakened!
This book is for anyone interested in yoga and the arts. It explains how to create a daily Art and Yoga practice. It provides step-by-step guidelines for producing art and doing yoga as complementary practices individually, in a group, or in community. Yogis will find creative exercises to deepen their experience of yoga, while artists will discover simple, yet profound yoga and meditation practices that will help their creative flow, focus, and intuition. Along the way, we will draw inspiration from the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, nature, artists of the past, and recent developments in healing and spirituality.
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The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund
Sat Nam.
Greetings from New Mexico where spring is in full swing!
May is a great month – two celebrations in the United States are very much in alignment with Yogi Bhajan’s teachings and mission - Mother’s Day and Teachers’ Day. Yogi Bhajan talks about the innate compassion of the mother in this July 5th, 1976 lecture.
“Many exploit this human creature, so much insult this human creature is going through, and so much abuse this human creature is going through. Still, this human creature maintains radiance and the grace because this human creature, known as a woman, is actually the fountain of the Divine Spirit.
“Now, I challenge the entirety of science. I challenge those who think that the whole world is in their hand. What I say to them is, ‘You can produce anything, but you cannot produce a system that has the intelligence of a mother's compassion.’ It's impossible. Because the day they can produce the intelligence of a mother’s compassion, they can produce God. Actually, there is no difference between the two.”
And this is what Yogi Bhajan said on August 2nd, 1997 about the faculty, beauty, and character of a Teacher.
“The greatest faculty of a teacher is they may look like kings, but they live like fakirs (ascetic monks). There is no harm in showing riches and grace and all that. For a commoner, that is fine. But in his heart, the teacher is the humblest of the humblest humble. That is the beauty of the teacher. A teacher is direct, commanding on the problem. A teacher speaks direct, confronting the student and elevating the student. A teacher speaks very personally, but himself or herself remain impersonal.
“The character of the teacher is that if they can honor their master if they can honor their teacher, they will be a very honorable teacher. If they don’t, they will be S…H…*…T. I don't want to pronounce that word but ultimately, they have to eat it themselves - there is no one else. Because when you cannot trust the one who taught you, you cannot trust what you have learned. And when you cannot trust what you have learned, that is a tragedy!
“So, that is why we say, it is not in God we trust, it is in God we dwell. A teacher of the Aquarian Age will not say, ‘In God I trust,” he shall say, ‘In God, I dwell.’”
If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, please come and share with us in the experience of beautiful New Mexico this summer. The KRI Immersion program will be in Espanola on August 3rd through August 30th, 2019. This is the Aquarian Teacher International Teacher Training Level One program in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. I really look forward to this every summer. Students come from all over the world, and it is great fun for me to get to know our new teachers personally.
With spring here, it is natural to think about renewing yourself. If you are already a Level One certified instructor, consider coming to KRI Level Two Vitality and Stress in Espanola. The program has been updated, wonderfully revised, and completely renewed. Spend the week with us at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das this summer and revitalize yourself. Deva Kaur from Florida USA, Ravi Kaur of South Africa, Devinder Kaur from Canada, and I will present this Level Two module June 23rd through June 30th. The kriyas, processes, and lectures by Yogi Bhajan are magnificent, and it is just what we all need to navigate through all this challenging time of life.
Many blessings to all the Mothers and Teachers on this planet!
In God I dwell, Nirvair Singh Khalsa CEO KRI
Kundalini Yoga Level Two Teacher Training module Vitality and Stress has undergone a complete renewal with fresh new classes, lectures, and meditations. Years of preparation, hard work, and research led to something quite amazing! Even if you have taken Vitality and Stress in the past, this exciting new information and presentation will broaden your awareness and improve your ability to guide others. Do not miss this change to be part of the inaugural class of the new Vitality and Stress in New Mexico this summer, June 23-30th.
This is your time to dive deep into the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and revitalize your spirit. Vitality and Stress is six days with 50 hours of yoga, meditation, and deep, interactive discussion. It is an advanced and intensive training where you profoundly connect to your own strength and discover that consciousness is the core of your vitality. You will work to identify and remove your own sources of stress that deplete your energy and learn ways to heal emotional fatigue and cold depression in yourself and others.
The KRI Level Two Transformation program is a five-module, 310-hour program that takes a minimum of two years to complete. Level One certification is a prerequisite to Level Two training. You will cultivate the practice of self-assessment, clear subconscious blocks, and develops personal and spiritual maturity throughout the Level Two training program. By honestly applying yourself to the study and practice of these five modules, you will undoubtedly be deeply transformed.
You can take each of the modules with a different training team if you want or take all five from the same team – it is up to you. There are over 150 Level Two programs around the world! Completion of the five modules of Level Two, which you can take in any order, opens the doors of consciousness and earns the student the certification of Practitioner. Start your journey to Level Two certification this summer with the all-new Vitality and Stress at the Mother Ashram in Espanola, NM.
“After the first 30 days of the 90-day meditation and practice, I noticed a number of subtle shifts in my physical and energetic bodies, including needing less sleep, having more physical and mental energy, and being relaxed in my body while bright and attentive in my mind. This training program taught me to recognize what I need in my diet, rest, yoga practice, and meditation, to successfully change habits for vitality and victory.
“Yogi Bhajan said ‘your subconscious personality persuades you to many actions by sixty percent.’ This Level 2 Transformation module has moved the dial for me, into greater consciousness. I recommend this training program to anyone who is ready to change stress-energy to vital-energy. Sat Nam.”
Nam Hari Kaur, New York City and Berkeley, CA
The KRI Level Three program is a personal journey to self-realization through deep meditation, selfless service to others, and participation with peers in self-reflection. If you have completed your Level Two certification, beginning your Level Three journey is the path ahead of you. Take a moment and listen to these brief testimonials about the Level Three experience. Isn’t it time you experienced the growth of Level Three for yourself?
“In Level Three, one becomes a teacher, a teacher of truth and spirit. You develop the ability to penetrate and communicate through your presence alone and uplift the students through your subtle body. This is the teacher of the Aquarian Age, the Aquarian Teacher. Students experience the truth within them through your intention, projection, and purity.” - Yogi Bhajan, 1996.
Successful completion of the Level Three program earns you the highly respected certification of Teacher.
Pregnancy may be accompanied by several uncomfortable symptoms, which vary from woman to woman. Some common discomforts include backache, sciatica, and hip aches which could be caused by weight-gain, changes in center of gravity, and a loosening of the pelvic joints. Another common challenge is the development of varicose veins due to the increased pressure on the legs, the pelvic veins, and the increased blood volume. In addition, due to the increased pressure on the rectum and perineum and the increased likelihood of becoming constipated in later stages of pregnancy, it is common for women to develop hemorrhoids. Heartburn is another common pathology caused by pressure on the intestines and stomach. Finally, other prevalent challenges in pregnancy include nausea and vomiting, edema, incontinence, and headaches. Apart from physical discomfort, women may also experience psychological changes, with between 14-23% of women struggling with depression during pregnancy. While quality of life scores during pregnancy tend to be very good, some risky areas include partner life satisfaction, the limitations of physical changes, and fears surrounding labor.
Pregnant women are increasingly turning to yoga as a complementary and integrative modality to manage the physiological and psychological challenges of pregnancy. Yoga helps to tone the deep muscles of the spine along with the abdominal muscles that support the spine (these muscles are known as the “core”), which facilitates the recruitment of these deep muscle fibers for stabilization. As a result, yoga may be effective in alleviating leg cramps, backache, and strengthening the pelvic floor. In addition, yoga exercises may help with venous blood return thereby mitigating varicose veins and improve fluid circulation to prevent edema. It appears that yoga may also improve placental perfusion and alleviate endothelial dysfunction thereby reducing the risk of pregnancy-related disorders such as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), and preeclampsia. Yoga also encourages relaxation, internal focus, and slowed breathing patterns, which are useful to manage fears, anxiety, and depression as well as prepare the practitioner for childbirth. Yoga classes may also provide a supportive environment where women can share their experiences, which may relieve feelings of loneliness and improve quality of life.
Several qualitative reports support the benefits of prenatal yoga, such as a 2017 study from the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at Saint Louis University, MO. Over six months, fifty-two (52) women were randomized into either a yoga group engaged in a one-hour yoga class or a control group that received a presentation on exercise, nutrition, and obesity in pregnancy. The study highlighted a shift in attitude whereby women who participated in yoga reported a more positive attitude towards exercise and yoga. For example, yoga participants felt that yoga was a low intensity exercise that would not hurt their baby and gained self-efficacy by agreeing that they could impact their weight gain in pregnancy with regular exercise. A more recent 2019 study also found that prenatal yoga increases self-efficacy for labor by building confidence and competence by positive story-telling, affirmative language, pain management strategies, and a lower somatic response to stress. The stress management benefits were found to be of particular benefit to pregnant, urban, African-American adolescents who have high rates of stress and depression during pregnancy as well as higher rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Indeed, a 2015 community-based qualitative study found that focus groups of low-income pregnant African-American teenagers were interested in yoga classes for stress/depression management and relationship building. Health care providers should focus on these needs when designing future intervention strategies.
There is currently a growing body of evidence supporting the use of yoga interventions in pregnancy. A 2015 review of the literature examined 15 articles from the USA, India, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand published from 2008 to December 2013. The researchers concluded that 10 of those studies showed positive changes in maternal psychological or birth outcomes. Another review of Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) from 2004 to 2014 concluded that yoga interventions presented with lower incidences of prenatal disorders, lower levels of pain and stress, and higher scores in relationship. In addition, the researchers found that yoga was more effective than walking or standard prenatal exercises. Furthermore in 2017 after a systematic review of interventions targeting pregnancy-related low back and pelvic pain (PR-LBPP), the authors concluded that yoga may provide pain relief for PR-LBPP as well as some meaningful functional improvements.
Indeed, yoga may contribute to a reduction of pregnancy discomfort and so researchers in Taiwan set out to measure the impact of yoga on women in the third trimester of pregnancy. The experimental subjects took part in a 12-14-week prenatal yoga program of 3 sessions per week and reported significantly fewer pregnancy discomforts than a control group. A 2014 study from Brazil also found yoga to be effective at reducing pain in pregnant women, specifically lumbopelvic pain, which is a major problem for the majority of pregnant women. In this study, pregnant women were randomized to either a yoga group or a postural orientation group based on an instructional pamphlet for a 10-week intervention. The yoga sessions consisted of traditional Hatha yoga poses as well as focused breathing patterns, introspection, meditation, and relaxation. Pain intensity was assessed at the beginning and end of each session and researchers found that the median pain score was lower in the yoga group. The experimental group also had a decreased response to lumbar and posterior pelvic pain provocation tests.
In addition to the physical benefits highlighted above, yoga may also be an effective strategy to address the stress experienced during pregnancy. The natural bio-physio-psycho-social changes of pregnancy may cause increases in stress and researchers from the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation in India aimed to ascertain whether an integrated yoga practice could decrease the stress response in healthy pregnant women. The researchers found that, not only did perceived stress decrease by 31.57% in the yoga group, it actually increased by 6.60% in the control group. In addition, the guided relaxation period in the yoga group correlated with increased parasympathetic activity and decreased sympathetic activity as measured by frequency bands on the heart rate variability spectrum. In a landmark study, researchers examined the effect of prenatal yoga on the stress and immunity salivary biomarkers from 16 to 36 weeks of gestation. Ninety-four healthy pregnant women were randomized to either the yoga intervention or a routine prenatal care. The intervention consisted of two weekly 70-min yoga sessions. Salivary cortisol (stress marker) and immunoglobulin A (immunity marker) levels were collected before and after yoga every 4 weeks. The results revealed that the intervention group had lower salivary cortisol and higher immunoglobulin levels, and infants born to women in the intervention group weighed more than those born to the control group. These findings indicate that prenatal yoga can significantly reduce pregnant women’s stress and enhance their immune function thereby suggesting it is a viable therapy for this population.
Another common psychological challenge of pregnancy is depression with up to 20% of pregnant women in the US experiencing depressive symptoms. The numbers are similar in Korea where researchers set out to determine the effectiveness of yoga in the management of prenatal depression. Their review of the literature included six RCTs, and the authors determined that integrated yoga interventions, including relaxation, visualization, breathing patterns or meditation, were associated with a significant decrease in depression levels. However, purely physical-exercise-based interventions did not achieve statistical significance in their improvement of depression scores. A more recent metanalysis from 2019 by the National University Hospital in Singapore included six (6) studies with a total of 405 pregnant women. Researchers found a statistically significant improvement in mood associated with yoga interventions. Despite the promise of yoga as a complement or alternative to pharmacological options, the authors note that the evidence is preliminary and participants only had mild depression. Nonetheless, these improvements are significant since a prompt and effective treatment of maternal depression during pregnancy is important, as depression is an independent predictor of negative maternal and fetal outcomes.
Despite the limitations of small sample sizes, lack of consistent randomization, different outcome measures and varying intervention lengths, the current body of evidence highlights that yoga is a promising modality to address a variety of physical and psychological health challenges in pregnancy. Although yoga is generally considered safe in pregnancy, pregnant women are advised to avoid hot yoga due to the increased risk of neural tube defects and other malformations among fetuses exposed to excessive heat as well as the risk of overstretching due to muscle and ligament laxity in pregnancy. Finally, researchers in Taiwan are experimenting with social media to deliver mindful yoga programs for pregnant women and finding that this new approach, using technology, may be a feasible way to reach women in the comfort of their own homes.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
The Neutral Mind – Quick! You have Nine Seconds
The Neutral Mind, the 4th body, is the abode of your intuition. From here, you look at the whole play of life with insight and compassion. The Neutral Mind evaluates the input of your Negative and Positive Minds (and the rest of the Ten Bodies as well) and gives you guidance within a frame of nine seconds. It has a very intuitive vantage point.
If your Neutral Mind is weak, you may have a hard time making decisions. You'll have the habit of feeling victimized by life because you don't know how to integrate your experiences and find meaning in them. You may have a hard time seeing beyond the polarities of life on Earth and tuning into the great cosmic scheme of things. As explained by Yogi Bhajan on December 14, 1988.
"Let me tell you something - as a human being, whether you are religious or non-religious, whether you are rich or you are poor, whether you are good or you are bad, it does not make any difference in the secret of success. The secret of success is that you must develop yourself to answer anything in nine seconds. Your free will, the gap period in life, is nine seconds. Beyond nine seconds in your life, exists nothing. Not only in nine seconds should you answer anything, in nine seconds you should answer everything, and it has to be a hundred percent correct. There is no chance in your life except for nine seconds. Can you believe it? In nine seconds, you should give a correct answer to any challenge and that is how the human brain is made. Human brains are not made the way you use them. You use your human brain for shallow things and use your life energy for shallow things. When your life energy is used for shallow things, you have no energy to create the answer when deep questions, deep crisis, deep confrontations come. Period. That's how you suffer in your life."
How does one develop the ability to answer anything within nine seconds? Develop your stillness and intuition through meditation. Try this one for 40 days. "Meditation for Self-Blessing Guidance by Intuition."
This month, we celebrate Teacher’s Day in the United States on May 7 - a big shout out to teachers, everywhere, including all of our wonderful Kundalini Yoga teachers. One thing I love about working for the Library of Teachings is that the KRI staff are all dedicated practitioners, and many are teachers, of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®.
From May 4th to May 10th, we are hosting the annual Spring Fund Drive for the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® to raise funds to support the maintenance and development of the Library. Beginning with the May new moon, we will be exploring the Library of Teachings through the eyes of the people who work here at KRI, showing you the ways they use the Library. Maybe you will see something new and be inspired to expand how you use the Library of Teachings. I think you will find their perspective interesting and motivating in your own journey with © the teachings of Yogi Bhajan.
For those of you who have already contributed to our Spring Fund Drive, thank you! As many of you know, even though the searchable database is incredible, there is more work to do! The focus of The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings continues to center on archiving, digitizing, transcribing, and editing the thousands more lectures, kriyas, and yoga sets by Yogi Bhajan. The Library of Teachings is funded by donations from you, the global community of students, teachers, and practitioners. We rely on your donations to make possible our ongoing programs and to undertake important new initiatives. Donors like you have built this database resource over the past 15 years, and we sincerely hope you will be able to donate again this year.
Tune-in to your inbox for our emails or if you have missed any of the emails, visit our The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Facebook page to catch up!
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
Merging with the Infinite
Merging with the Infinite
Teachings of Death & Dying
Preparation, Process & Prayers
The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan
Edited by Hargopal Kaur Khalsa
Life poses many questions. Dying is one of them: What do we do at the moment of death? For the most part, we deny death. We never really look into the nature of death as a cycle of life. We never examine our reactions; therefore, we never give ourselves the chance to practice how to die as Warrior Saints, gracefully and courageously.
Our denial produces either fantasy or fear in the subconscious, which blocks prosperity and creates dis-ease in our lives and our relationships. We must learn how to confront the moment of death and determine our Self within it so that we can ‘cross over’.
“If a person doesn’t know how to die and doesn’t know where the grace is or how to confront that last moment, what is the purpose of life?” - Yogi Bhajan
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Physical Training
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
5-DVD Box Set
This 5-DVD set follows Yogi Bhajan’s teaching Physical Training, commonly called “PT,” at the Ranch in Espanola on five consecutive days in the summer of ’94. Perfect for establishing a weekly workout with Kundalini Yoga. New inset video demonstrates the posture and timing for each exercise so you can follow along with ease. Original videos have been color corrected and audio has been remastered to help bring the experience alive. Keep up and keep fit!
Retail: $39.95
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SUPPORT THE KUNDALINI RESEARCH INSTITUTE
& THE LIBRARY OF TEACHINGS
Happy Earth Day!
❁ A Note From Nirvair ❁ Top Reasons ❁ Cover Your Head for Kundalini Yoga ❁ Camp Miri Piri ❁ Celebrating Krishan Kaur's Birthday ❁ Yoga Research ❁ The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings ❁ Source Specials ❁ Recipe of the Month: Yogi Bhajan’s Gobi Tamaatar—Spicy Cauliflower & Tomato Curry ❁ Trainer’s Corner
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund
Sat Nam.
Greetings from New Mexico!
April 22 is Earth Day, and Yogi Bhajan frequently spoke of our relationship to Mother Earth and Mother Nature. He was very concerned about what was happening to the planet. On the day after the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, he was reflecting on the small number of people, only about 2%, that cared about the planet. He went on to say on April 23, 1990, “According to all bylaws of the rules of Earth, if this rate continues, in fifty years the planet Earth will not be habitable for humans. Period. That is not an emotional calculation, that's very, very factual.” He urged the students in the class to take action for recycling and conservation of energy and resources.
Personally, I always appreciated how Yogi Bhajan would relate a concept, like consciously taking care of the Earth or recognizing the laws of nature, to a practical and spiritually uplifting instruction.
“If you call, this entire universe around you is at your service. If you know who you are and what your relationship is with the universe, you can always call. Sometimes, you have no faith and you do not even believe that nature can help you. Nature is a woman, that’s why they call her ‘Mother Nature’. Nature is a giver, a helper, a true friend, a sustainer, and nothing but constant harmony. So, if you are an aware person, then you must learn an attitude, which you can do very systematically. Sometimes, you do not know what to do. All right, just relax and say, ‘What should I do?’ You immediately will find that Mother Nature, in the form of consciousness and awareness, will start talking to you.” 6/30/77
My feeling is that it is time to start consciously talking to our Mother, the natural world. This awareness of our life on Earth can be aided by taking care of our internal and external environments, with small and large actions. So, on this Earth Day, join me in making a resolution to be kind to our own nature and to our natural Mother - the beloved Earth.
All the best with blessings, Nirvair Singh Khalsa CEO KRI
Have you decided to become an instructor of Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan®? If so, congratulations on making one of the most impactful decisions of your life. For Kundalini Yoga teacher training, KRI is the place to be.
• The Only Official Authority
KRI is THE ONLY institution commissioned and approved by Yogi Bhajan himself to provide Kundalini Yoga teacher trainings.
• Personal Transformation
More than a certificate and set of techniques, KRI training will evoke the positive transformation of your personal lifestyle and spiritual journey.
• Authentic Community
KRI is a diverse and inclusive community devoted to connecting, supporting, and co-creating. The 3HO International Kundalini Teachers Association (IKYTA) membership provides professional support, development, and networking.
• Portal to Advancement
An official KRI Level One teacher training is your starting point and prerequisite for advancement to the depths of the Level Two and Level Three training programs.
• Individual Support
Support is available each step of the way from dedicated, experienced, and spiritually mature teachers.
• Safe & Ethical
KRI upholds high standards in its CODE OF ETHICS and a zero tolerance policy. Any violation is reviewed and enforced by a third-party governing body.
• Global Consistency
You will find a consistent, top quality curriculum at any official KRI training, anywhere in the world. With a KRI licensed trainer, you can be sure that the program is aligned with Yogi Bhajan’s teachings.
KRI Teacher Training programs can be found all over the world. Find a KRI Teacher Training near you!
When practicing Kundalini Yoga, we always cover our head with a natural cloth, such as cotton. It can be a bandana, a cap, a wrap, a turban, or any style that covers the hair and head. This is done in reverence for the teachings but it is also a tradition that is rooted deeply in yogic technology.
Through Kundalini Yoga, the practitioner trains to become aware of and master the subtle energies. Yogi Bhajan taught that the hair is alive and has an important energetic function, regulating the sun energy in the body system. By covering the head, the energy generated by the practice is contained within. It stabilizes the energy and allows it to collect in the region of the sixth and seventh chakras. The sixth chakra is at the third eye point, the point between the eyebrows, which is the seat of intuition. The seventh chakra is at the top of the head, and it is the connection to higher consciousness. By containing the energy generated during practice, it stabilizes the nervous system and opens the intuition.
Here is what Yogi Bhajan said in 1997: "We are not asking everybody to tie a turban, what we are asking is for teachers to at least cover their heads. In old times, in any spiritual [tradition], Christianity, Judaism, Islam, they covered their heads. God has given the human hair on their heads for a purpose. Hair is a pure protein, a pure, heavy protein. Your gray matter and this pure, heavy protein is connected. This bunch of hair protects the solar centers in your skull. If you don't have any value for it, go and get them cut, it's okay. You shave your head, it's fine; but the caliber of your intuition will change. So what we want, when a person invokes the Divine, is that they should cover their head. Somebody asked, ‘What should I do? I am in a ski place. Can I put on a ski cap?’ I am not telling you to cover your head with a wood block, I am telling you to cover your head with anything available to you that can cover. It is fine with me."
Covering the head provides a sense of containment and focus while doing any practice or work that requires clarity of thought. It literally helps "keep your head” together!
Sikh Dharma is still a mystery for many people who practice Kundalini Yoga. If you have been yearning for a deep experience of Sikhism, Camp Miri Piri is for you. Camp Miri Piri is for and about Sikhs – five days of sharing the spiritual warrior experience. The camp is a celebration and a dedication to Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, who started the warrior tradition in Sikhism. He wore two swords, naming them “Miri” and “Piri”. These swords represented the balance between spiritual and worldly powers. This concept of the warrior-saint has permeated the Sikh philosophy and lifestyle ever since.
The goal of Camp Miri Piri is to challenge you to connect to your soul in a deep way. Here, you will find recitation of the five morning Banis, a powerful group Sadhana, challenging physical training, and inspiring Sikh stories and meditation. You will gain an in-depth experience of Sikh values by balancing the mind, body, and spirit through the practice of Gurbani Kirtan, Kundalini Yoga, meditation, and warrior workouts, as well as classes to build healthy relationships.
Inflammation is a disordered physiological response or consequence of immune reactions to acute injury or a chronic condition and has been associated with a number of diseases. Inflammation involves local or global changes in blood vessels, nerves, and tissues with symptoms including pain, redness, immobility, swelling, and heat of the affected area. Additionally, inflammation of internal organs, often associated with chronic conditions, may also occur and could include fatigue, nausea, mouth sores, chest pain, abdominal pain, fever, rash, joint pain, sleep disturbance, depressive mood, irritability, and mild cognitive difficulties with attention and memory. Chronic inflammatory diseases are the most significant cause of death in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks chronic inflammatory diseases as the greatest threat to human health. Worldwide, three of five people die due to chronic inflammatory diseases like stroke, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.
Inflammation is actually a defence mechanism in the body and a part of the body’s normal immune response. Infections, wounds, and any tissue damage would not be able to heal without an inflammatory response. In cases where harmful stimuli have not been removed and the inflammatory response has been maintained for a long period of time, the body develops chronic inflammation, which itself can eventually lead to disease conditions, including allergies, skin problems, and some cancers. Inflammation can also affect organs in so-called autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system attacks its own tissues as if they are threats to health. Examples of some autoimmune chronic inflammatory conditions include inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), kidney (nephritis), large intestine (colitis), and joints (rheumatoid arthritis).
Diagnosis of acute or chronic inflammation involves blood examination to evaluate the increased level of several inflammatory biomarker molecules including gamma globulins, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen. Additionally, patients with chronic conditions would have additional biomarkers assessed, including pro-inflammatory cell-to-cell signalling cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor alfa (TNF alfa), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8). In several research studies, up or down regulation of the expression level of several pro and anti-inflammatory transcription factors have also been assayed. Recently, the possibility of detecting salivary cytokines was assayed in several randomized controlled trails (RCTs), which provided promising results on non-invasive sampling among yoga practitioners even during practice (before and after breathing exercises, for instance).
There are several lifestyle-related risk factors associated with the development of chronic inflammation, such as obesity, unhealthy diet, smoking, stress, and sleep disorders. Altogether these factors induce accumulation of chemically aggressive free radical molecules, an increase in visceral body fat, and higher production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. There are several conventional drugs currently available to treat both acute and chronic inflammatory conditions and/or reduce accompanied symptoms. Depending on the type and severity of symptoms, patients might be prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen, ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophens (paracetamol), and Tylenol (even though these only reduce pain without affecting the inflammation itself). In more severe cases corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS), and biological response modifiers (BRMs) might be administered. Anti-inflammatory treatments are prevalent in all known schools of traditional medicine, such as Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and Russian herbal medicine. Known remedies include a root known as devils claw, the wood spider or grapple plant (Harpagophytum procumnens), the Hyssop plant, ginger, turmeric, and, in some cultures, cannabis.
Behavioural strategies, including lifestyle and dietary changes and mind-body practices, provide another useful tool for treating inflammation. Recent reviews have summarized the research on the benefits of mind-body interventions (MBIs) such as yoga for reducing inflammation in acute and chronic conditions. Even though it is not completely clear how MBIs work at the molecular or cellular level, several hypotheses have been proposed based on recent research advances. First, it has been shown that MBIs reduce expression of gene activity involved in the inflammatory response that are induced by stress. Several studies indicate that these practices are associated with downregulation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) pathway, reduced signalling through the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-jB, increased activity of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) family transcription factors, and upregulation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene. Potential mechanisms for these effects include alterations in neuroendocrine, neural, psychological, and behavioural processes. Second, yoga breathing exercises and meditation have been demonstrated to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alfa and have a positive impact on depression, anxiety, cognition, and pain. Lastly, yoga and other practices are well known to directly stimulate the vagus nerve. It was found that an increase in vagal tone is correlated with the capacity to regulate the stress response and likely contribute to resilience and the mitigation of mood and anxiety symptoms, which ultimately might reduce inflammation symptoms.
A significant number of RCTs have been conducted to address possible benefits of MBIs on inflammation status of both healthy and diseased individuals. A positive effect of a yoga-based lifestyle intervention was demonstrated in RCTs on groups of healthy individuals exposed to occupational hazards by three independent groups of researchers in India. There was only slight induction of pro-inflammatory factors observed after 12 weeks of regular yoga training as compared with a control group of non-yoga practitioners, in which the induction of proinflammatory factors was significantly higher. This suggests that regular practice of yoga can protect against inflammatory diseases and metabolic risk factors.
Another example of the prophylactic role of yoga is from studies on metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is a well-known precondition associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, defined by increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body weight, and an increased level of numerous biochemical proinflammatory factors. In several recent RCTs conducted independently in Hong Kong and India, it was shown that MetS symptoms were decreased after 12 weeks of regular yoga practices in the study in India and after one year in Hong Kong. In India, healthier choices in diet (dietary interventions) were also included in the intervention. In both cases, it was concluded that yoga and dietary interventions may have an important role in prevention of inflammatory conditions.
In the case of already developed pathologies, yoga might help to reduce post-treatment inflammation conditions and thereby expedite the healing process. In two independent yoga studies on breast cancer survivors (at Ohio State University (OSU) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)), it was reported that there was reduced activity of NF-kB, increased anti-inflammatory transcription factors, increased proinflammatory cytokines and also improvements in symptoms such as persistent fatigue and vitality in the group assigned to 12 weeks of 90-minute twice weekly hatha (OSU) or Iyengar (UCLA) restorative yoga classes, as compared with the control group. Such improvements are valuable for this population, since cancer survivors are known to be more than twice as likely as individuals without a cancer history to have these symptoms associated with poor health and disability.
Another example of yoga-based complementary/adjunct therapy is research on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a severe chronic inflammatory system disease affecting both psychological and physical health. Comorbid depression is an important psychosomatic factor in this condition, which negatively interferes with the process of recovery. In a recent study from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi comparing yoga plus RA medication versus RA medications only, the addition of yoga practice to conventional RA treatment re-established immunological tolerance, shown at the molecular and cellular level, along with a significant reduction in depression score. Significant improvements were observed in RA patients after just eight weeks of yoga practice that included, exercises, breathing, and meditation practices as compared with a control group.
In summary, there is an increasing body of research evidence on the positive effect of yoga, other mind-body practices, yogic healthy lifestyle and diet on inflammatory conditions. Long-term yoga and meditation practitioners have been shown to exhibit stronger immediate gene expression changes as compared to short-term practitioners, which in turn evokes the downstream health benefits. However, the “Achilles’s heel” of any behavioural approach is its need for discipline, commitment, and active participation from the patient, in contrast with much of conventional allopathic medicine where drugs and treatments are usually administered to the patient. In this respect, the role of patient self-care and behavioural strategies is very important for success in addressing the widespread occurrence of inflammation and inflammatory conditions.
Naila Omar Khayyam Alieva (Raj Kaur), PhD, is yogi and scientist. She is a certified Kundalini yoga instructor and Gong sound therapy practitioner. Naila teaches Kundalini Yoga and organizes yoga events and workshops in Singapore. She is also an active research scientist at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
April brings very beautiful but windy weather here in New Mexico, a reminder that winter has passed and spring is here! April also brings Earth Day, a celebration of our beloved Mother Earth. As many of you know, Yogi Bhajan advocated for the environment at every opportunity. He encouraged everyone to take care of themselves and the earth in a conscientious way. Here’s an excerpt from Earth Day (April 22nd) in 1990.
“Start looking at His creation as part of him. Start respecting it, and loving it, and start to be gentle and kind. You don't have to do any other exercise, you will be fine. Start seeing the spirit and soul of every human being. Look bright and beautiful and saintly - you represent God…
Now, you are trying not to pollute yourself and not to pollute the earth. A consciousness has set in, a time has started, and there shall be growth. Mankind will live in nobility, peace, and tranquility and that's a reality. It's not anybody's affair, it is everybody's affair. We are all part of One and One is part of all. It's my prayer that we guide ourselves to that righteousness. My prayer and my request is that you have an obligation to create a lot of joy, a lot of happiness, and elevate yourself so that the pollution can be counteracted with a joy in the body and in beings, so that you can feel wonderful and healthy. With this blessing and these prayers, may your life be very fulfilled and noble. I wish you the best of luck. Be prosperous, be generous, be kind, and be compassionate. Walk like angels, complete and perfect, pure in your psyche, and God shall walk with you. Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa. Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh.”
Read the original lecture for more teachings on how to uplift our consciousness and better care for this precious earth. I love the reminder that our earth is an extension of God, just as we are a representation of God.
To all of you who support this important work of preserving the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, we cannot thank you enough! Your endless support and generous gifts are keeping this resource growing and improving all the time.
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
KRIYA
Yoga Sets, Meditations & Classic Kriyas
From the Early Years of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
• Challenging physical kriyas from the 1970s and 1980s
• More than 100 Meditations, including Visualisations, Pranayams, Silent Meditations, and Meditations with Mantra
• Includes Material from the “Intermediate Manual”, K.R.I.Y.A., Under the Blue Skies and More!
Retail:
Formerly $44.95
New lower everyday price: $39.95
Promo: $33.96
News From KRI - March
❁ A Note From Nirvair
❁ Level One
❁ Level Two
❁ Level Three
❁ TNT
❁ Back to Kundalini Basics
❁ Yoga Research
❁ Source Specials
❁ Recipe of the Month: Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Orzo with Chick Peas
❁ Trainer’s Corner
❁ Level One
❁ Level Two
❁ Level Three
❁ TNT
❁ Back to Kundalini Basics
❁ Yoga Research
❁ Source Specials
❁ Recipe of the Month: Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Orzo with Chick Peas
❁ Trainer’s Corner
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund
Sat Nam. Greetings from New Mexico! Spring will bloom for us in a few weeks when the vernal equinox balances light and dark. It is a time of renewal, realizing the strength in optimism, and an opportunity to leave the winter behind.
With the sun getting warmer and the days getting longer, we at KRI® get excited because it means summer is coming! June, July, and August is when we welcome you into our home and host the summer programs in Espanola at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das once again. Don’t miss out – this could be your summer in New Mexico!
This is the Summer Issue of our KRI newsletter, and it is devoted to giving you a sneak-peek into our summer programs and trainings. The summer starts with Camp Miri Piri on June 7th – 11th followed by the incredible Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration at Ram Das Puri, June 13th -22nd.
June 8th – 11th is the Level Three Mela, an inspiring personal journey to Self-Realization. For Level Two Practitioners, it is the next step in refining and evolving your identity as a Teacher. June 12th and 13th will be the Summer Solstice Trainer Forum, an exciting meeting of trainers from all over the world to discuss current issues and share insights. Immediately after Summer Solstice Sadhana, the KRI programs continue. June 23rd – June 30th is Level Two Vitality & Stress, one of the five modules of Level Two. And in August, we host the Level One Teacher Training Immersion program August 3rd – 30th, 28 amazing days of growth, expansion, and inspiration.
At whatever level you join, you will be challenged, inspired, and given the opportunity to gain the experience and tools you need to keep yourself in balance and help those around you. Dive in the deep-end and be the person you want to be - become a teacher. If you are already KRI-certified, support your growth and continue to expand!
KRI Seal of Approval for qualified Specialty Courses
KRI supports your ability to spread of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan® and Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan® in as many ways as possible. There is a system in place to request approval of yoga manuals, books, CDs, DVDs, research articles, website content, on-line products, and translations of existing KRI products. Now, qualified Specialty Courses can earn the KRI Seal of Approval. Find out how to get your course approved here, and check out the courses that have already been approved.
All the best in all ways. Happy Spring, and I look forward to seeing you this summer!
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Finding connections with kindred spirits is one of the greatest blessings of life. Becoming a Kundalini Yoga instructor opens the door of awareness and connects you to a vibrant community of consciousness. It will transform your life and impact everyone around you. Join KRI this summer and become a Certified Instructor of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®.
If you have ever felt the urge to be a teacher, this is your summer to finally dive in the deep-end. Whether you wish to deepen your personal practice of Kundalini Yoga or long to become a certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor, your journey begins here.
This 28-day residential program in beautiful New Mexico is an amazing opportunity to study with Trainers who learned directly from Yogi Bhajan. Following the residential portion, you will continue your training for five months – studying, collaborating with a small group, and practicing a daily meditation. It is a life-changing experience! Here are some powerful things you’ll take away from Teacher Training Immersion this summer:
- A solid foundation in the technology of kriya and meditation – You will study the theory and practice of Kundalini Yoga kriyas (yoga sets), asanas, and mudras. You will learn Kundalini Yoga meditations, mantras, and pranayam (breathing techniques) and experience the power of this technology.
- An experience of the yogic lifestyle – Living for 28 days in an ashram will give you a deep connection to the teachings and the experience of yogic life. You will learn the history and tradition of Kundalini Yoga, as well as the underlying philosophy behind all yogic practices. Living a clean and simple lifestyle - meditating in the early morning and eating a vegetarian diet of wholesome and delicious food - will make a big impact on your consciousness.
- A practical grasp of basic anatomy and physiology – We study traditional Western anatomy, its purpose and function, as well as Yogic anatomy and the energy systems of the body. This essential knowledge will build your proficiency as a yoga instructor and help you fully understand how yoga affects the human body.
- An understanding of the skills and techniques to become a successful yoga instructor – You learn the business side of yoga, preparing you for your next steps in life. The topics including practical strategies for teaching beginners, ethical guidelines, curriculum development, and the transformational role of the teacher in developing a successful yoga practice.
- An authentic connection to the source of the teachings – You experience the Master’s Touch through DVD classes led by Yogi Bhajan and a personal connection with teachers who studied directly from him. Although Yogi Bhajan left this earth in 2004, at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das, his energy is still strong and felt by those who come here to learn.
- And finally, the skill and confidence to teach your own Kundalini Yoga class – There is a lot to learn before you can sit before a class of students and guide them through a Kundalini Yoga class. As you connect deeply to the teachings, day-by-day, you gain the understanding and knowledge to teach and serve others. During the Immersion, you will practice teaching your peers, and you will learn from each other’s classes until you are ready to teach on your own. Experience the personal healing that comes when you explore the depths of this amazing technology. Together, with others who share your lifestyle and your passion for yoga and meditation, you will grow in ways you cannot imagine. This summer, leave nothing to chance. Come to New Mexico, and become a Certified Instructor of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level One Teacher Training Program
August 3 - August 30, 2019
Espanola, New Mexico, USA
http://immersion.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org
Important Note: Fulfillment of the program certification requirements continues through February 2020
by Ravi Kaur AKYTTSA Lead Trainer, South Africa
After the experience of Level One training, you inevitably start to change and evolve as a person and as a teacher. That is the power of this amazing technology! Level Two Teacher Training will deliver you to the next step in your personal development.
Level 2 programs are transformational; the depth and breadth of the teachings combined with the wisdom and experience of the trainers create experiences that always leave students wanting more. This Level 2 module, Vitality & Stress, given by Yogi Bhajan, is particularly applicable to these Aquarian times. It gives you vital tools with which to soothe your soul and create in you a calm, vitalized strength to live your life with courage, as a Spiritual Warrior. The vibration of Hacienda de Guru Ram Das holds you, as a mother's embrace, as you traverse the paths of your karmas and find the answers to your soul's quest of how to live your life as a legacy.
Join us June 23 - June 30, 2019, in Espanola to learn the tools of creative living. This program is an opportunity for you to explore and uplift your internal energy and come to the realization that your own higher consciousness is actually the core and source of vitality.
Give yourself seven empowering days immersed in Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. Experience the beauty of morning sadhana at Hacienda de Gur Ram Das, delicious yogic meals, and the special energy of this unique place. Surrounded with the peaceful environments of sacred community, you will:
- Explore your own vitality and the importance this energy holds in your life.
- Identify your stress points, understand how this decreases your vitality, and learn ways to mitigate stress.
- Heal cold depression and emotional fatigue in yourself and others.
- Understand the path of the Spiritual Warrior and claim the victory!
- Be confident to teach and incorporate these ideas in your classes.
Experience this powerful training in Espanola, where Yogi Bhajan lived and taught. Join Lead Trainer Deva Kaur from Florida USA, Devinder Kaur from Canada, Ravi Kaur from South Africa, and Nirvair Singh from KRI for what promises to be a wonderful transformational experience.
Ravi Kaur is a Kundalini Yoga Therapist and healer in South Africa. She is a Family Constellations facilitator and uses this method to reveal states of illness in the individual and family lineage. She works in rehabilitation centers for recovery from substance abuse as a counselor, and in counseling centers that address violence towards women and HIV/AIDS. Ravi is an internationally certified systems coach and works with couples and families. As a doula, she accompanies women from conception to weaning in their journey of motherhood. Ravi is currently writing a dissertation on the experiences of pregnant women with PTSD who do yoga therapy.
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level Two Teacher Training ProgramTransformation: Vitality & Stress
June 23 - June 30, 2019
Espanola, New Mexico, USA
http://transformation.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org
KRI Level One Certification is a prerequisite for Level Two.
Vitality & Stress is one of five modules required for KRI Level Two Practitioner certification.
The KRI Level Three Program is a 1,000-day personal journey to Self-Realization in which we refine our identity as a Teacher and deepen our unique relationship to the Sacred. Level Three focuses on the three qualities of a Teacher: Spiritual Maturity, Meditative Mind, and Seva.
"...You get a really deep experience of yourself as reflected through your peer group, and you get a deep reflection of yourself through your own thousand-day meditation practice... And then you get to express yourself through your Seva legacy and it really gets to be something that's you, that you didn't even know was you when you began the legacy Seva."
Level Three participants have said that this program was just what they were looking for in their development as a teacher. The commitment of Level Three, and the support from a community of peers, propels you in your inner evolution. Here are ten good reasons to consider Level Three: 1. Expand Yourself. You teach and serve others every day. Now, it is your turn to work on yourself and expand your spirit.
2. Revitalize your Spirit. Rejuvenate yourself and fill your cup with light, love, and good energy.
3. Nurture your Heart. Grow your capacity to love though meditation and self-assessment.
4. Cultivate your Spiritual Maturity. Commit to a 1,000-day journey of self-realization and spiritual growth that will expand your consciousness and deepen your self-mastery.
5. Develop your Meditative Mind. Dive deeply into inner awareness and self-reflection, expanding your capacity for meditation to new heights.
6. Serve your World. Align your individual passion and purpose with a higher destiny to build communities and serve the greater good.
7. Discover the Power of Spiritual Support. Experience positive support and genuine trust with a group of your peers who walk with you each step of the 1,000-day sadhana.
8. Connect to your Teacher. Immerse yourself in the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and discover new ways that this wisdom can penetrate and change your life.
9. Intensify your Teaching. Deepen your teaching ability and learn a wealth of knowledge and inspiration that can be shared with all your students.
10. Answer your Soul’s Calling. Be the teacher that you are destined to be, and make this your summer to start the journey towards being a Level Three teacher.
"In KRI's Level Three program, one becomes a teacher, a teacher of truth and spirit. You develop the ability to penetrate and communicate through your presence alone and uplift students through your subtle body. This is the teacher of the Aquarian Age, the Aquarian Teacher. Students experience the truth within themselves through your intention, projection, and purity. ...Remember - as a Teacher, anything and everything you do must upgrade the other person." Yogi Bhajan, 1996
New applications to start the Level Three journey will be accepted beginning this fall.
Already enrolled in Level Three? Revitalize your spirit, expand your heart, and join us this summer for the Mela!
REGISTER FOR THE US MELA: June 8 - 11, 2019
Hacienda de Guru Ram Das, Espanola, New Mexico
REGISTER FOR THE EU MELA: July 21 - 24, 2019
Chateau Anand, France
“All aspects of my L3 experience have been personally beneficial and affirming, as well as useful in creating connection with people from many places and spaces."
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level Three Teacher Training Program
2019 MELA Dates & Locations
The annual gathering for Level Three participants
June 8th – 11th in Espanola, New Mexico, USA
July 21st – 24th in Chateau Anand, France
For more information: LevelThree.KundaliniResearchInstitute.org
Email: LevelThree@kriteachings.org
Are you in the process of becoming a trainer? Are you available to immerse yourself in the process of personal growth as a trainer? Then, the Trainer in Training Program (TNT) in Espanola this summer will be perfect for you!
At the Immersion, TNTs support students through their development into a Level One Kundalini Yoga Instructor, while receiving training themselves from KRI Senior Trainers such as Sat Siri Kaur, Siri Neel Kaur, Adarsh Kaur, Dev Suroop Kaur, and Nirvair Singh. Join us this summer in New Mexico, the land of enchantment that Yogi Bhajan called “God’s true home.”
During the program, TNTs participate in all aspects of Level One including:
- Attending a 5-day Training Week with the staff, concentrating on developing individual and team growth,
- Meeting each morning with the TNT Coordinator for support and coaching,
- Facilitating a group of students from the beginning of the training through certification,
- Participating in the 2.5 hour “Long Ek Ong Kaar” meditation in honor or Yogi Bhajan’s birthday,
- Gathering with people from around the world as we celebrate the Life and Legacy of Yogi Bhajanat the Ranch on Yogi Bhajan’s birthday,
- Practicing Aquarian Group Sadhana with the students and the sangat of Hacienda de Guru Ram Das, and
- Being a part of the diverse and experienced Immersion Program Team.
Many TNTs go on to become Lead Trainers and bring Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training to their respective countries. Are you next?!
Click here for more information on the Trainer in Training Program.
This is a wonderful opportunity – don’t miss it!
More on the Mangala Charan Mantra – Chant Before you Drive!
As we covered last month, the Mangala Charan mantra, the open lines of the Sukhmani Sahib written by Guru Arjan Dev ji, are an important part of our spiritual practice - Aad Guray Nameh, Jugad Guray Nameh, Sat Guray Nameh, Siri Guru Devay Nameh. Yogi Bhajan described the Mangala Charan as a kavach bund. “Kavach” is the suit of armor that the warriors of old wore in battle, and “bund” is a yogic energy lock.
In 1989 at Khalsa Women’s Training Camp, he explained:
“Kavach bund is what protects you from four sides. Kavach is the most powerful defensive thing you can wear around your body so that you cannot be [hurt in an] attack, and this [Mangala Charan mantra] is a kavach bund. It can conquer death.”
What better time to use this mantra then before driving a car! On May 28, 1981, Yogi Bhajan said in a Los Angeles lecture, “When you start a car, you should chant, 'Aad Guray Nameh, Jugad Guray Nameh, Sat Guray Nameh, Siri Guru Devay Nameh. Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh.'
“It takes about twelve seconds, between twelve and fifteen. You can chant it quick or you can chant it slow. Now, what are these fifteen seconds for? Why is it obligatory to chant? First, it is so you remember the four Gurus; it's a protection, you salute them, and you ask for their protection. So, it is called kavach. It is called a kavach mantra. A kavach mantra surrounds you with the radiance of protection.
“There was a time in the world when everything was healed by mantra, everything was created by mantra, and everything was destroyed by mantra. Ultimately, our science will reach that point, again. I am saying it today. It looks very odd to you, but it is going to be that way again one day. There was a time on this earth when mantra ruled. So, we say a mantra to protect ourselves, a kavach mantra. It means that we are protected. There is a radiance around us, and we are covered by it…
“[If you chant the Mangala Charan mantra before driving,] according to time, you are fifteen seconds later. Now, what is the science behind this mantra? Scientifically, if you want to explain it, [chanting that mantra] makes you fifteen seconds late from the spot of an accident.” What a powerful and beautiful mantra of protection! Remember the Mangala Charan mantra, and use it to safeguard yourself and those you love.
Laughter is a physical reaction seen in humans and some other primates, usually consisting of rhythmic, often audible, contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to an external or internal stimulus and involves different neurological mechanisms than talking, with laughter being under weaker voluntary control than speech. Recently, several physiological and psychological benefits of so-called laughter therapy have been discovered. It appears that laughter reduces the level of stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine, while on the other hand, increases endogenous endorphins which activate the body’s opiate receptors for positive euphoric feelings and health-promoting effects. Laughter also improves immune function as shown by increases in the number of T-lymphocytes and white blood cells in the body. In addition, laughing reduces blood pressure by controlling vasoconstriction and relaxing blood vessels. On the psychological level, laughter therapy helps reduce mood disturbance including unpleasant feelings of tension, anxiety, hatred, and anger while alleviating stress and depression possibly through altering dopamine and serotonin activity. Laughter can also enhance interpersonal relationships and reduce insomnia, memory failure, and dementia.
It seems humor and laughter may prove to be useful as a clinical intervention. As a behavioral strategy, laughter therapy does not require specialized facilities or equipment and is easily accessible to patients who may have severe restrictions due to illness. In an attempt to better understand the role of humor in improving wellbeing amongst patients suffering from life-limiting illness, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany conducted a systematic review of 13 humor interventions or assessments in palliative care. Despite limitations in both quantity and quality of studies, the evidence suggests that humor is indeed an appropriate and useful resource in palliative care with one of the key benefits being an increased pain tolerance, which results in a reduced need for pain medication and its negative consequences and side effects.
Laughter yoga is a modification of laughter therapy. The key pioneer of laugher yoga, Dr. Madan Kataria, recognized the potential behavioral and clinical benefits of laughter and started a laughter club in Mumbai, India during his time there as a medical student. Dr. Kataria was aware of the potential of yoga to facilitate laughter, including the similarities between yogic breathing (pranayama) exercises and laughter. He is largely responsible for spreading laughter yoga (LY) across the globe into general public and health care settings. A recent systematic review of the literature, evaluating studies published from 1995 to 2017, aimed to assess the mental health outcomes of LY. The researchers analyzed six experimental studies, all delivered in a group format with warm-up exercises, deep breathing exercises, a childlike playfulness, and laughter exercises. This systematic approach mirrors LY. The findings revealed that the most promising effect of laughter yoga was the improvement in depressive symptoms. Unfortunately, the relatively lower quality of research in this new field is at present insufficient to allow for the evidence to justify drawing strong conclusions in support of LY’s impact on mental health when compared to other group interventions.
Nonetheless, several newer studies have shown encouraging psychophysiological changes after LY practice. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study, one hundred and twenty (120) healthy university students were allocated to either LY, watching a comedy movie (which elicited spontaneous laughter), or reading a book. The LY program lasted thirty (30) minutes and was conducted in a group setting where a laughter leader assisted the subjects in simulated laughter and yogic breathing. Researchers found that cortisol levels (a stress hormone) and the cortisol / dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) ratios (a counterbalancing hormone to cortisol) significantly decreased in both the LY and comedy movie groups suggesting decreased stress levels and positive psychophysiological benefits. However, the effect of spontaneous laughter (movie group) on the cortisol dynamics lasted longer than that of LY suggesting greater psychophysiological benefits from spontaneous laughter than the laughter in LY. In another recent study of longer duration, participants took part in a 45-minute LY session once per month for six months. Repeated sessions appeared to have many psychological benefits as measured by a Profile of Mood States questionnaire. The participants reported less anxiety and more vigor, and their blood samples (drawn at each session) showed decreased adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol values, which related to the participants’ significant decrease in stress after the fourth LY session.
Another study of thirty-eight (38) male nursing students from the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran found that LY was associated with improvement in sleep disorders, reduced anxiety and depression, and increased social function. Apart from the psychological benefits noted previously, studies also indicated that LY has physical benefits, such as the increased demand on trunk muscles which play a key role in stabilizing the spine. One study compared the activation of trunk muscles in LY with crunch and back lifting exercises. Researchers measured surface electromyography of five trunk muscles and found that LY resulted in greater activation of the internal oblique muscle, and the external oblique activation was comparable with crunch and back lifting exercises. Overall, laughter seems to be a good activator of trunk muscles but further research is required to determine whether LY exercises can improve neuromuscular recruitment and improve spine stability, a faculty which can deteriorate with age.
In elderly populations, LY practice may provide several benefits in addition to trunk muscle engagement. Older adults in residential care commonly face elevated risks of depression. Researchers from the Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran, Iran set out to determine how LY and exercise therapy could impact depression scores. Seventy (70) depressed elderly women were randomized into LY, exercise or a control group. The LY group received a brief talk about something delightful like national and religious ceremonies and having positive attitudes to everyday life affairs before participating in the LY exercises. The results of the study revealed a significant decrease in depression scores of both the LY and exercise groups in comparison to the control group. In addition, the LY group showed a significant increase in life satisfaction compared to the control group, whereas the exercise group showed no such improvement. Despite the encouraging findings, this study has come under criticism for eliciting positive emotions at the outset of the program, even before the laughter exercises began. A more recent study from the La Trobe University in Melbourne found physiological benefits in twenty-eight (28) elderly residents in residential care homes. In that study, LY was associated with lower blood pressure and improved mood, both of which can have positive downstream effects on cardiovascular health.
Finally, LY may prove to be a useful complementary therapy for cancer patients. Since cancer is usually accompanied by considerable stress, it is conceivable that LY could relieve the cancer patients’ stress before chemotherapy. Indeed, researchers found that LY was able to decrease stress in thirty-seven (37) cancer patients at the Shohada Tajrish Hospital in Iran before their chemotherapy. Since stress meaningfully increases cancerous cell activity and causes the involved cells to resist chemotherapy, LY may prove an important complement in the treatment of cancer.
In summary, the current body of research evidence suggests that LY is effective and scientifically supported as a stand-alone or complementary therapy. Although, further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underpinning the somewhat forced laughter in LY and its physiological differences to spontaneous laughter. Future research should avoid combining positive-emotion-inducing factors such as prompts about a positive attitude with LY and measure mood at baseline and post intervention in larger population sizes. An upcoming RCT by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University aims to determine the feasibility of using an LY intervention on patients with major depressive disorder, in which seventy-two (72) community dwelling people with co-morbid symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress will be recruited into the study and randomized into either the LY group or a treatment-as-usual group. Undoubtedly, such research studies will continue and hopefully add to the positive findings to date.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
Kundalini Yoga Sadhana Guidelines
2nd Edition
Create Your Daily Spiritual Practice
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan
In this 2nd Edition of Kundalini Yoga Sadhana Guidelines, you’ll find steps toward cultivating the consciousness available by practicing in a group as well as suggestions for developing your own personal sadhana. Open these pages and begin the journey of a lifetime.
New to this edition:
• A comprehensive history of the sadhanas Yogi Bhajan gave over the years
• The Aquarian Sadhana: the core of our practice
• New illustrations by Harijot Kaur
• Several new meditations and kriyas
Retail: $29.95
Promo: $25.46
The Master’s Touch
On Being a Sacred Teacher for the New Age
Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga
This book is for every student of Truth. Whatever path you have chosen, it will give you an understanding of the true meaning of mastery. In this superb collection of teachings from his “Master’s Touch” teacher training program, Yogi Bhajan, one of the most pragmatic spiritual Teachers of our time, explains the path of the Teacher. He does it with wit, compassion, and a practical sense of the challenges of daily life.
Retail: $49.95
Promo: $42.46
The Master’s Touch
Video and Lecture DVD Series
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
On Being a Sacred Teacher for the New Age
This is for every teacher of Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan® and for anyone on the spiritual path. In July of 1996 and April of 1997, Yogi Bhajan did what he loved best - trained Kundalini Yoga teachers - in Master's Touch programs in Española, New Mexico and Assisi, Italy.
His enthusiasm for this, his stated mission, is apparent in the compelling lectures from these lectures, which make up this masterpiece of instructive wisdom.
Yogi Bhajan told the student-teachers, "You are born to be a Teacher and shall teach, but in His Name, and to all, big and small." The class meditated daily with Yogi Bhajan to develop these attributes and more: Tuning into Your Aura, Meditate on Your Self as a Yogi, Discover the Beauty & Heaven Within, Experience the Essence of a Teacher, Develop the Guidance of the Soul, Healing Breath Formula, Elevated Caliber of a Spiritual Teacher, and Opening the Lock of the Heart Center.
Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga
Volume One: The Golden Rules of a Teacher
Volume Two: Overcoming the Complexes of Life
Volume Three: The Grace of Kundalini Yoga
Volume Four: The Teacher & the Student
Volume Five: Descending God & Ascending Human
Volume Six: Projecting as a Teacher
Volume Seven: A Self Surrender to the Higher Self
Volume Eight: Trouble Comes into Your Life When You Ask for It
Regular Price per DVD: $19.95
Promo per DVD: $16.96
You can also get the entire 8 Volume Set for the everyday discounted price of $119.70!
Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Orzo with Chick Peas
From Sat Kartar Singh, KRI Head Chef for the Espanola Level One Immersion
Makes 6-8 Servings
The Vegetables1 small eggplant, peeled and ¾-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 fennel bulb
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, fennel, onion, and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula. The Orzo 1 medium red onion
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ pound orzo pasta
Sautee one red onion and 2 tablespoons fennel seed in 3 tablespoons olive oil – slow and low, developing a caramelized flavor. Boil ½ pound orzo separately until al dente, then toss with onion and fennel seed sauté mixture.
The Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 can (15 oz.) cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon tahini paste (sesame seed paste)
Slow roast garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 16 oz cooked chickpeas and stir in 1 tablespoon tahini.
Mediterranean Flavor Layer Mix
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
¼ cup pinole (pine nuts), toasted
¾ pound good feta, ½-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne
The Dressing
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk all ingredients together.
To the Plate
First layer the orzo, then chickpeas, next vegetables, then the flavor layer. Repeat, ending with the flavor layer. Decorate the plate with dressing in a circle. Garnish with fennel frawns.
Sat’s Secrets –
Many people are sensitive to the alkaloids in nightshades, like the peppers and eggplant in this recipe. Their bodies react with inflammation or allergy-like symptoms. Avoid these vegetables in this recipe if you think you are sensitive. Replacements could be butternut squash, okra, or halved baby artichokes.
Fennel seeds and bulbs are great digestive aids.
News From KRI - February
❁ A Note From Nirvair
❁ Yoga Research - Making a Better Athlete
❁ Back to Kundalini Basics
❁ Yoga for Immigrants in Greece
❁ The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings
❁ Source Specials
❁ Recipe of the Month: Black Channa with Mustard Oil
❁ Trainer’s Corner
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund
Sat Nam. Greetings from New Mexico. Wow, it is cold here – I know that many of you think of New Mexico as sunny and warm, but this winter has been full of snowfall. And how about that blood moon in late January! It was a beautiful sight in the clear skies, an other-worldly shade of red caused by the eclipse.
And speaking of the color red, February means Valentine’s Day, and that brings us the topic of “love”. Yogi Bhajan, in his years of teaching, had some wonderful perspectives on love. His message always boiled down to one concept. He said on June 15, 1994, “Don’t forget, human love is only for one thing, to love your soul. Then, the infinite world around you will be in love with you.”
On Valentine’s Day, 1996 he said, “Today is a Valentine’s Day. It has a lot of story behind it, but basically, it is a day of love. Somebody became a saint [because his] love was infinite. [So now,] we send each other cards, ‘Be my Valentine’ [or] ‘I am your Valentine.’ [In truth,] we are the Valentine. Why can't we be a Valentine of each other every day? Why don’t we have a fixed frequency? Why not? We are actually Valentines of each other.” During this lecture, there was a fantastic Kriya. Practice this Kriya directly from this lecture with Yogi Bhajan in the Library of Teachings. It is great for “breaking your fatigue!”
Even though it is winter now, at KRI we know that summer is coming! (No dragons and no white-walkers, here.) Registration is open for our Level One Teacher Training Immersion in New Mexico and Level Two Vitality and Stress. These are great programs that will lift your spirits and open your heart! I really hope that if you are considering becoming a teacher In Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®, that you will join us this August. And if you are already a Level One certified instructor, consider staying after Summer Solstice Sadhana for the new and revised Level Two “Vitality and Stress” program. A lot of work has gone into the V&S 2.0 revision, and we are really excited about its debut this summer.
We have a new column starting this month – Back to Basics with Kundalini Yoga. It is a look at some of our foundational skills and principles to help sharpen and focus your teaching skills and daily practice. If there is a subject that you’d like us to cover, reach out and let us know. I hope you enjoy revisiting these essentials and that it serves you.
All the best with blessings,
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that is characterized by tremors, stiffness, or slow movement, although symptoms may vary greatly in patients. Symptoms may begin on one side of the body and worsen on that side, even when the symptoms are bilateral. Risk factors for the disease include exposure to certain environmental toxins, old age and having a relative with PD. In fact, researchers have identified specific genetic mutations that cause PD, but these are uncommon except in the rare cases of family members affected by the disease. Nearly one million Americans will be living with PD by 2020, and men are 1.5 times more likely to have PD than women. In PD, certain neurons in the brain gradually break down or die and many symptoms are due to the loss of those neurons, which are responsible for the production of a chemical messenger called dopamine. Clumps of microscopic substances within brain cells called Lewy bodies are also an important marker of the disease. Conventional pharmacotherapy treatment is symptomatic and either increases or substitutes for dopamine. Although medications help patients manage their problems with movement and control the tremors, the efficacy of the drugs diminish over time, and side effects include hallucinations, swelling, impaired urination, and compulsive behaviors.
Since there is currently no proven pharmacological therapy that can modify or halt the progression of PD, physical exercise may be a viable complement to manage the inherent decline of the disease. Recent evidence suggests that patients with PD who exercise might experience motor benefits such as improved mobility, balance, and gait velocity as well as non-motor improvements in mood, sleep, cognition, and quality of life. Other complementary therapies such as massage, acupuncture, deep brain stimulation, gene therapy, and herbal treatments may offer similar motor and non-motor benefits and alleviate some drug-induced side effects. In fact, over 50 percent of PD patients in the US use complementary or alternative therapies in addition to, or instead of, conventional treatment. Yoga and meditation rank amongst the most highly used modalities. Notably, the perceived efficacy of meditation is striking, with 85 percent of patients finding this practice helpful in reducing symptoms of stress, tremor, muscle tightness, anxiety, and improving clarity of thought. Since yoga combines meditation and physical benefits of exercise and breath regulation, it may prove to be an effective complementary treatment to PD, certain to be at least as effective as meditation alone.
In an early pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) at the University of Kansas, thirteen patients with mild and moderate stages of PD were randomly assigned to either a yoga intervention or a control group. The intervention consisted of twice-weekly sessions for 12 weeks. Researchers found that in as little as 6 weeks, the patients’ scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), a clinical measure of health-¬related Quality of Life (QOL), was significantly improved. This improvement in UPDRS scores could be explained by improved motor symptoms such as decreased falls and improved balance as well as non-motor symptoms such as decreased anxiety and stress. Given the progressive nature of PD, the absence of deterioration of self-reported symptoms and improvements in clinical outcome scores suggest that yoga may be an effective intervention.
Researchers from Joseph Signorile’s lab at the University of Miami set out to determine how yoga would compare to exercise. Forty-one (41) patients with PD were randomly assigned to a power training (PWT) intervention, a high-speed yoga program, or a non-exercise control group. The yoga group practiced for one hour, twice per week for 12 weeks, and participants held a static pose for one breath before quickly transitioning to the subsequent poses in the series. The researchers found no differences between the yoga and the PWT group, but both programs significantly improved physical performance on a variety of outcome measures such as balance, walking speeds, and fall risks in older (60-90 years) PD patients. Another study from Signorile’s lab also found that three months of a Power Vinyasa yoga program was associated with increased speed of movement, less joint rigidity, increased muscle strength, and improved QOL scores. Given these findings and the exceptional level of exercise adherence, this form of power yoga could be a viable intervention to increase physical function in PD patients.
Additional studies support the therapeutic use of yoga as a rehabilitation intervention for individuals with PD. In a 2018 pilot RCT, patients received an eight-week Hatha Yoga intervention which included postures, yogic breathing (pranayama), and meditation. In contrast to the previously mentioned research, the breathing in this intervention was slow and focused, and the postures were held for multiple breaths. The quantitative findings are consistent with previous studies such as improved balance, motor function, and gait. Furthermore, the additional qualitative reports acquired suggest improved home and community mobility, formation of new supportive relationships, and increased ease in dressing themselves. This study further supports including a yoga intervention as community-based rehabilitation for individuals with PD.
Recent studies by Cheung et al. at the University of Minnesota focused on determining the safety and feasibility of yoga interventions for PD patients. Since increased risk of falling often accompany the progression of PD, Cheung et al. devised a 12-week intervention of twice-weekly yoga classes to address the unique concerns of the PD population. For example, postures focused on increasing the range of motion in the spine, hips, and shoulder girdles, which are particularly affected by the motor symptoms of PD. In addition, to improve balance and safety, all mats were positioned around the edges of the room next to the walls of the studio so that patients had an additional support for transitions and standing poses. The researchers deemed the program feasible with 90 percent of participants attending more than 75 percent of the classes and four out of 19 participants attended all the classes. Also, since no adverse events were reported, yoga therapists who seek to implement yoga for PD patients can consider the safety precautions employed in this intervention. In another study, they set out to determine the effect of yoga on oxidative stress since the latter plays an important role in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in PD. Although the participants in the 12-week yoga intervention had good adherence and the participants reported that they “definitely enjoyed” the classes, there was no major difference in oxidative stress markers between the intervention and the control group.
Despite these encouraging findings, further research with larger sample sizes is needed to uncover the underpinning mechanisms of the action of yoga and to determine the impact of yoga on oxidative stress in PD patients. An upcoming trial comparing yoga with stretching and resistance training was recently completed in March 2018. The primary outcome measure from this study will be the level of psychological distress measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and therefore help us broaden our understanding of yoga’s ability to address psychological distress among patients with chronic neurodegenerative illness.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
Kundalini Yoga is a powerful practice for personal transformation. It works swiftly to energize your whole system and, through you, impact your total environment. This feature is dedicated to highlighting the essential skills and fundamental principles of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. It will serve to focus and refine your daily practice and align your teaching with the master.Chanting the Mangala Charan Mantra
The “mangala charan” is a term used for the opening portion of a prayer or sacred text. It is an introduction and so much more! It is a blessing that prepares the mind and opens the spirit to receive prayer. It is a beautiful and powerful form of Shabad Guru, the teacher in Naad form. There are many beautiful mangala charans in Sikh sacred texts to be explored.
When we refer to the Mangala Charan mantra in Kundalini Yoga, we mean the mangala charan of the Sukhmani Sahib written by Guru Arjan Dev ji around the year 1602. It is the opening lines of the Bani – Aad Guray Nameh, Jugad Guray Nameh, Sat Guray Nameh, Siri Guru Devay Nameh.
Although not required, at the beginning of a Kundalini Yoga class, you will often hear the Mangala Charan recited after chanting the Adi Mantra - Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. It is also chanted in devotion by itself for protection. The mantra translates: I bow to the primal wisdom, I bow to the wisdom that is true through the ages, I bow to the true wisdom, I bow to the great unseen wisdom.
Here is a quotation where Yogi Bhajan gives instructions on how to chant the mantra as well as a sweet conceptual visualization to accompany the four parts of the mantra.
"Now listen, when you chant [the Mangala Charan], this is how it happens; Aad Guray Nameh; the Infinite stands on the left side of you, that is the heart side. Jugad Guray Nameh; the Lord of time stands behind you, so time supports you. Sat Guray Nameh; the Truth of the now stands on your right side, it means your actions stand approved. Siri Guru Devay Nameh; the great Infinite Guru stand before you. So, what could go wrong with you? Just imagine what a powerful mantra it is. If you properly maneuver your mind and channel the energy, you can see how this is happening around you, and you are sitting in the center. That is how you chant this mantra, in the light as it was first sung.
“This mantra was the first mantra Guru Arjun [wrote when he] started writing Sukhmani Sahib, the “Lagoon of the Peace”, the Giver of the Infinite Peace. This was the first mantra he chanted. Whenever you chant it, you will be guarded from all four projections of your personality. Just think about it, think in that light. Your guiding star becomes the infinite transparent Guru, the Infinite stands on your left side, the time-Guru stands on the back of you, righteousness stands on the right side of you, and in front is that One who is one with all One. Is there anything more a man could want?” October 16, 1973
All the best with blessings,
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Today, I want to shout-out a big Thank You! to Snatam Kaur and all the Kundalini Yoga musicians worldwide. Your music has made all the difference for me and many of the people I teach.
In November, I started teaching yoga at Skaramagas, one of the biggest refugee camps in Greece. I first got involved in the refugee situation back in 2015 when I went to Lesvos for a weekend. In 2016, I briefly taught at another refugee organization in Athens, but then I got busy writing my book, and since that time, I hadn’t been involved at all. Last fall, when I saw a post for volunteers to teach yoga at Skaramagas, I thought it was a good opportunity to see if I could be useful.
Teaching yoga in these environments is always tough. The students are a mix of nationalities and cultures. Some speak Farsi, some speak Arabic, some speak other languages, and they can’t necessarily understand each other, much less me. I teach women, and they almost always have children so there are usually lots of toddlers running around. Most of the women have never done yoga so I am teaching a room full of beginners who can’t always understand what I am saying and who have to mind their children while they are taking the class. I’ve always felt safe, and the environment has always been clean, but the classes can be chaotic and unpredictable. I’ve had moments when I’ve questioned if I was offering any actual value. But the reason that I think the classes are helpful is not because of me, rather because of the Kundalini Yoga music I play during class.
Kundalini Yoga music is very specific. It is based on Kundalini Yoga mantra and is designed to benefit your psychology, raise your energetic frequency, and soothe your mind. It works, and I see the results time and time again, especially in these environments. The class starts off chaotic but at some point–usually about 30 minutes into it–the energy settles, the kids start to calm down, and everyone becomes more relaxed and focused.
The beauty of Kundalini Yoga music is you don’t need to participate much—you just need to have it playing in the background. I’ve had students later come to tell me they were having a really bad day and then suddenly the music from a class the day before popped into their heads, and they began to feel better. It’s soothing. I’ve noticed it myself and have started playing it in my bedroom while I sleep. I swear, it makes a huge difference.
The path of a musician isn’t an easy one, and I imagine the path of a Kundalini Yoga musician must be even harder. It’s a tiny, niche audience in a difficult and competitive professional field. I wonder if as a musician, you sometimes think of quitting. But they say music is one of the few things that can unite and connect the whole world. Live Aid, a benefit concert organized to raise funds for relief of the Ethiopian famine, broadcasted globally with over 1 billion people watching back in 1985 – almost 40 percent of the world population at the time. So, while it’s a hard path, it’s also an extremely powerful gift.
So, to Snatam Kaur, Hari Rai Kaur, Siri Sadhana, and all the other Kundalini musicians out there, if you read this, you probably didn’t know your music was being played in refugee camps in Greece. But it is. And it’s making a big difference. So, thank you.
Lynn Roulo is an American Kundalini Yoga and Enneagram instructor living in Athens, Greece. She teaches a unique combination of the two systems, combining the physical benefits of Kundalini Yoga with the psychological growth tools of the Enneagram. She has written two KRI approved books combining Kundalini Yoga and the Enneagram. She blogs about living in Greece and about her journey from being a San Francisco CFO to an Athens Yoga instructor. You can learn more about Lynn and her journey here.
We hope you have had a wonderful start to 2019! It is hard to believe we have arrived in February already, a month when some celebrate love and romance with Valentine’s Day. Instead of only expressing love to those around you, we invite you to take it to a deeper level. Yogi Bhajan taught about love and often highlighted the importance of self-love as the first step to experiencing the love at all. He explains in this lecture from 1989:
First learn to love yourself; an empty glass doesn't quench anyone’s thirst. First love yourself and show how much you love yourself. You can let people bask in your radiance and shine. Then love someone and you always will live in heavens while on earth.
He continues: I hope and pray that you will wake up. Awakening the Kundalini is opening the third eye. It means seeing the unseen; it means being practical and calculating; imaginative and realistic; truthful and self-loving. ~Yogi Bhajan, August 9, 1989. Ram Das Puri, New Mexico
This lecture from August 9, 1989 is accompanied by the original video lecture. Take some time to watch the entire lecture that he gave at teen summer camp at Ram Das Puri. May you continue to celebrate this New Year with self-love because what he said is true, “an empty glass doesn’t quench anyone’s thirst!”
As always, we cannot thank you enough for your continued support and monthly gifts. We are so grateful for all that you do for The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings. Keep up, and you will be kept up!
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
Enlightened Bodies
Exploring Physical and Subtle Human Anatomy
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
Nirmal Lumpkin, LMT and Japa Kaur Khalsa, DOM
Enlightened Bodies inspires and elevates the approach and study of the human body, interconnecting anatomy, physiology and ancient yogic teachings. Enlightened Bodies presents the complexities of the body in a refreshing and approachable style, integrating multiple perspectives including:
- Human Anatomy
- Ayurveda
- Kundalini Yoga
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Self-Care
- Other lifestyle traditions
Praana, Praanee, Praanayam
Exploring the Breath Technology of Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan®
Compiled from the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan and illustrated by Harijot Kaur Khalsa
Praana, Praanee, Praanayam is a collection of Yogi Bhajan's quotes and kriyas gathered from lectures throughout his 35-year teaching career in the West. Yogi Bhajan was a Master of praanic energy, and these quotes and kriyas can help you to understand and experience who you truly are in the universe of praana.
Regular Retail: $35.00
Promo: $29.75
These are also sold in 3 sets of 8 each for $120.00 per set, which is 25% off regular retail!
Kundalini Yoga with the Master DVD Series
The Kundalini Yoga with the Master DVD Series is your chance to practice demanding physical kriyas with Yogi Bhajan. The all new picture-in-picture guide shows the proper posture and timing while you are challenged to "Keep Up!" by the Master himself.
Volume 1: Energize Your System
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
Among other benefits, this kriya contains exercises to:
- energize the heart chakra and stomach
- give power to the immune system
- adjust the spine
- cleanse the liver and purify the blood
Volume 2: Balance the Vayus
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
There are five principal Vayus: Praana moving in the heart area; Udaana in the throat; Samaana in the navel region; Apaana in the pelvic floor; and Vyaana which circulates throughout the whole body. This set moves all five Vayus of the body and brings equilibrium to the glandular system.
Volume 3: For Mental Balance
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
Concludes with Yogi Bhajan playing the gong while you nap. Yogi Bhajan said that by regularly practicing the first and second exercise in this kriya for three minutes each and then repeating frog pose 108 times you can achieve physical and mental health.
Volume 4: Optimum Health
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
Refine your radiance with Optimum Health. This physically demanding set is balanced with great moments of relaxation including an 11-minute nap to Guru Ram Das Lullybye and a gong meditation.
Volume 5: Automatic Endurance
featured in the manual Owner's Manual for the Human Body
Let this DVD show you:
- Conscious breath for total self-purification
- The Power of baby pose
- How to develop tolerance, grit and nerves of steel
Volume 6: Wake Up the Body to Handle Stress and Strain
Featured in the manual Owner's Manual for the Human Body
This video contains ideal exercises to do in bed or just out of bed first thing in the morning!
Volume 7: Yogic Salutations
Featured in the manual Self Knowledge
This kriya incorporates a variety of salutations including:
- Narda Pranaam
- Hans Pranaam
- Guru Pranaam
Volume 8: Massage for the Lymphatic System
Featured in the manual Physical Wisdom
Stimulating eliminative movement in the lymphatic system is essential to a strong body and healthy immune system. Give your lymphatic system a massage with this original kriya taught by Yogi Bhajan!
All DVDs in this series:
Regular Retail: $19.95 per DVD
Promo: $16.96 per DVD
Or get the entire set for the everyday low “set price” of $119.70 (25% off full retail)
News From KRI - January
❁ A Note From Nirvair ❁ Raising Children with Values – Let Them Go ❁ We are KRI - The Seal of Approval for Specialty Courses
❁ Yoga Research - Making a Better Athlete
❁ The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings
❁ Source Specials
❁ Recipe of the Month: Black Channa with Mustard Oil
❁ Trainer’s Corner
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund
Sat Nam. Greetings and Happy New Year from New Mexico!
In a 1987 New Year’s Eve lecture, Yogi Bhajan gives a great reminder. He said,
-
“The greatest human folly is a very simple mistake of not feeling grateful - not counting the pluses. I was talking to somebody on the telephone to wish her a Happy New Year and she told me, ‘Oh my God this year was terrible.’
“I said, ‘How come? You have eyes you can see through, you have ears you can hear with, your tongue is speaking, what else do you want? Twenty percent of people do not have eyes. There are thousands and hundreds of thousands of people who do not have ears.’
“Sometimes, for very minor things, we become so obnoxious, so rude, so crude, that we say things that are not understandable. We want to close the year 1987 with the idea that we are here, we want to rejoice, we want to be happy. We understand the tragedies, we understand bad things happen to us. But we also understand that, in spite of all the bad things, we are here and being here is a triumph over tragedy. We want to start the new year with a simple idea that our anchor with the Guru and God shall come through. That is what actually Ang Sang Wahe Guru means….
“Happiness lies in compassion. When you are willing to give and you give without expecting any intake or reward, only then are you happy. Happy is not because of money. If money or jewelry or clothes can buy you happiness, or Italian food or French food or Swedish cheese can buy you happiness, then those people who have all that should be happy and everybody else should be unhappy. Two-thirds of rich people are unhappy and [only] one-third of poor people are unhappy. The standard of unhappiness is based on a one factual fact - People who do not count their pluses and do not live in gratitude are unhappy. People who just count their pluses and live in gratitude are always happy.”
Speaking of greatness, KRI is honoring an individual and group in 2019. The KRI Board has selected Jagat Guru Singh Khalsa and the TOGO West African Teachers and Trainers for their many years of service, steadiness, and dedication to Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. I am very happy that we can honor them on our web site for all of 2019. Read more about the KRI 2019 Honors.
Start the New Year with a great product for your health and well-being from KRI. Original Classic Yogi Tea in bulk is available at the Source. We buy the bulk organic Yogi Tea mix directly from our Yogi Tea plant in Imola, Italy. It is said that when you travel the world and you find someone from our community, you will hear the words “Sat Nam” and you will get a cup of Yogi Tea. Make sure you have a pot of Yogi Tea always on the stove!
May we live in gratitude and service in 2019,
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Raising Children with Values and Virtues
10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
It started with love, as all good things do. But this type of love is not love for a possession, rather it is love for the sovereign inner being within the being. That love begins with the recognition that our children do not belong to us. They are like birds resting on our branches for a short while. If we truly love them, we lot go even from the beginning. We let go of our projections, attachments, expectations, needs, and desires. We nurture their bodies and minds with conscious care. We give them the time, space, and opportunities to develop self-confidence, wisdom, and self-awareness. We serve as their teachers, and we allow them to experience their own grace. Now, there is nothing left but prayer.
“There is no power nor worship in this Universe greater than prayer; there is no love other than prayer.” - Yogi Bhajan 7/14/82
The truth is that there really is no choice! They are going to follow their own path, whether we release them willingly or not. The test of our love is whether we feel joy in watching them fly or create tragedy in our own attachment.
On June 30, 1991, Yogi Bhajan made this heart-felt request to parents:
"I am just asking you, ‘please, give your children a chance. Don't let them walk on the same rough road on which you have walked. Give them the chance of encouragement and endurance. Let them stand on their own feet. Let them walk tall. Let them go through it now so they can have a bright tomorrow. Let them face it today. Give them a chance to handle today, whatever it is.’ You are alive and well today, and you can protect their today if there is a serious problem. But they have to protect their own tomorrow, with their own will and their own grit. Give them the chance to build that grit.”
At Miri Piri Academy, we have been working for more than 20 years to understand and apply Yogi Bhajan’s model of education. We carefully design and systematically apply the guidance that he gave: teach our students values and virtues, show them their vastness, and give them a love for seva. It has been a journey with many challenges, and we continue to learn and strive towards excellence every day.
Becoming a teacher or a parent is very much a journey, rather than a destination. Miri Piri Academy is pleased to announce that in January we will be launching a newsletter devoted to exploring the application of Yogi Bhajan’s teachings to the challenges of modern-day parenting. If you would like to subscribe to this new project, please visit our website.
Thank you, and best wishes for you and your children in 2019.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan, including local performances at the Golden Temple.
As the teachings of Yogi Bhajan grow and spread across the world, fantastic training courses that focus on specific needs are being developed by sensitive and talented teachers and trainers. KRI supports these efforts and encourages the diverse application of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®.
Here at KRI, it is our job to ensure that the teachings are conveyed with accuracy and portrayed with integrity. We have a system in place for the approval of yoga manuals, books, CDs, DVDs, research articles, website content, on-line products, or translations of existing KRI publications. After a thorough content and technology review, KRI awards the KRI Seal of Approval to all products that faithfully portray the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. When you see the KRI Seal of Approval, you know that you can trust the content.
Now, KRI has expanded these efforts to allow Specialty Courses to earn the KRI Seal of Approval. The KRI Seal of Approval honors those Kundalini Yoga Specialty Courses that successfully meet the strict standards of KRI review, a sign to students that the teachings of Yogi Bhajan that are included in the course materials have been thoroughly reviewed for accuracy and integrity.
Are you developing a course that includes the teachings of Yogi Bhajan? We encourage you to validate your material and earn the prestigious KRI Seal of Approval. The best time to contact KRI is early in your course development process. Working hand in hand with KRI minimizes the need for costly after-the-fact changes. We understand that you may already have developed and been teaching your course. Either way, we are here to work closely with you to help you obtain the KRI Seal of Approval. Contact Sadhu at sadhu@kriteachings.org for more information and for an initial consultation.
Learn more: about KRI Specialty Courses that have already been approved and are being successfully delivered. It may inspire you to launch your own course!
Nine Min Max
Total Man Training
Waldzell Leadership
Athletes get plenty of strength training and often do their stretching, so why would they need yoga? The postural, exercise and breath-regulation aspects of yoga provide a unique opportunity for core strength training by engaging the entire midsection in order to support one’s body weight. Other physical benefits include improved coordination, proprioception, flexibility, relaxation, deeper respiration, and decreased recovery time from heavy workouts. In addition, the meditative, mindfulness aspects of yoga provide substantive psychological benefits that include improved stress and emotion regulation, improved mindful awareness, enhanced cognition and concentration, and the ability to achieve a flow state. “Flow” refers to an optimal psychological state involving a complete absorption in the task or activity at hand - a state generally coveted by athletes because it is associated with strong positive emotions, including a deep experience of peace, harmony, and unity. Since self-regulation and performance enhancement are critical to athletic performance, it is not surprising that an increasing number of professional sports teams are implementing yoga as standard training practice.
Specific studies have been supportive of the benefits of yoga for athletes since the 1990s. An early study correlated the benefits of Transcendental Meditation with the improved pistol shooting performance of 30 undergraduate students. Similar improvements were observed in 25 elite shooters by a team of researchers at the Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo, Norway. The researchers observed a greater improvement in competition results among the group that received meditation training when compared to a control group. Another early study from the University of Nevada, observed significant improvements in the running performance of high school long-distance runners after yoga exercises when compared to a control group of a “motivational shouting” exercise intervention.
Some studies have focused on specific physiological benefits that underlie the global improvements with yoga, such as a 2004 study, which was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The researchers observed the effects of a single yoga set on muscle soreness. 24 yoga-trained individuals were compared to a control group of 12 non-yoga-trained volunteers. All participants were female, and the researchers observed that both yoga training and the single yoga session appeared to attenuate peak muscle soreness after a session of eccentric exercise. These findings have significant implications for facilitating faster recovery from muscle soreness in athletes. A 2016 study published in the International Journal of Yoga examined the impact of 10 weeks of yoga on the flexibility and balance of college athletes. 14 soccer players took part in bi-weekly yoga sessions, whereas the control group, which was comprised of baseball players, did not receive any additional yoga activity. The researchers observed significant gains in flexibility and balance in the yoga group whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. Another landmark study evaluated the influence of yoga on the postural skills of the Italian short-track speed skating team. Eight men and seven women were given a total of 36 yoga sessions over eight weeks of high volume pre-season training. The researchers observed improvements in 11 of the 14 postural angles analyzed. In addition, no skaters suffered injury from the training volume, and coaches even reported improvements in the efficiency of skating technique.
Apart from the improvements in physical performance, yoga also confers the additional cognitive benefits of the meditative, mindfulness aspect of yoga. Applied sport psychology, in its efforts to enhance the competitive performance of athletes, has traditionally emphasized self-control and the elimination of negative thoughts and emotions. Recent evidence suggests, however, that this suppression may actually have the opposite effect of aggravating these thoughts and emotions. Rather, it is suggested that interventions that emphasize acceptance rather than direct change or suppression of cognitive and affective experiences may lead to enhanced athletic performance. A 2017 meta-analysis conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport and the University of Basel in Switzerland reviewed nine trials with 290 athletes of various disciplines including track athletes, cyclists, dart throwers, rugby players, and hockey players, to name a few. The athletes received a mindfulness intervention that varied from 4 weeks to over 2 years and researchers found that mindfulness scores consistently improved across the various sport disciplines. In addition, researchers concluded that mindfulness practice can be considered a performance-enhancing training approach in precision sports such as shooting and dart throwing.
A recent study published in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation in 2017 also found sufficient evidence to support the use of mindfulness with student-athletes to aid in managing negative emotions and perceived stress. There is also preliminary evidence that mindfulness-based interventions may reduce injury in the same student-athlete populations. One of the theoretical models that may explain these observed benefits is the effect of mindfulness on rumination and sport-specific coping skills. Researchers from the Center of Research on Welfare, Health, and Sports in Sweden, observed that athletes who are more mindful in daily life tend to regulate their negative emotions and not engage in excessive rumination, which may in turn, improve their coping skills in a variety of sport-related challenges.
A preliminary investigation into the effect of mindfulness and flow in elite youth swimmers included a 10-week yoga intervention. Although no statistically significant changes in mindfulness and flow were identified, participants did report perceived improvements in those aspects. Moreover, qualitative data suggested that the yoga intervention resulted in positive improvements on a range of cognitive and physiological aspects. It is possible that study weaknesses of small sample size and yoga practice compliance may have contributed to the nonsignificant quantitative findings. Other studies on higher level psychological benefits have been conducted, such as a pilot project conducted at George Mason University in Virginia. It found that five weeks of hatha yoga sessions resulted in an increase of self-reported mindfulness and greater goal-directed energy when compared to a nonrandomized control group.
In summary, studies to date have demonstrated the beneficial effects of yoga on specific components of athletic performance including both physical and cognitive characteristics. Future research should address the previous limitations of small sample sizes, lack of longer-term studies, and in some cases the absence of randomization. Dose response characteristics and the relative contribution to efficacy of the different components of yoga such as physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation are worthy of additional study. These future trials would further improve our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of how yoga practice enhances the specific components of athletic performance, which of course has relevance for human performance in the general population.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
So many generous donations came through last month in our Year End Fund Drive! We cannot thank you enough! Thank you!! Your gifts fuel the growth of this incredible resource of Yogi Bhajan’s teachings. Your support is such a blessing.
We hope you are having a wonderful start to your new year. For many of us, this time of year brings a renewed sense of commitment to our daily practice and commitment to health, wellness, or anything we want to shift in our lives. In this lecture, Yogi Bhajan wishes his students a prosperous year and reminds them about the importance of daily Sadhana and trusting their Dharma. He says;
“Do not worry. The key word for this year, which can give you all the life you need, is your sadhana. Sadhana is such a beautiful companion. She will pull you from nothing to everything. But it requires a discipline on your part, and it requires a continuity. We have become Dharma within ourselves - complete and desirable. Some of us, under some circumstances, doubt that very much. Doubt is natural. But when you don't doubt, you have dharma. When you doubt, you don't have dharma. Doubt is an individual faculty to see that we require this doubt. No, my friends, that is not the right mental stage. The correct mental stage is when you let your mind watch what God wills, without doubt. How beautiful you will look. How saintly you will look. How radiant you will look. Many people will love you and experience you with calmness, tranquility, and quietness. And from your strength, they will grow - that is also the Shabad. You emit light that touches the boundary of other people’s arc line and aura. They enrich themselves, and this grace is called the best of the human race. I wish you a prosperous, prosperous, prosperous New Year … Bless all, bless the Khalsa in this coming year with prosperity and with success, with happiness and with unity. Bless the world with peace. May all have their dreams come true.” Yogi Bhajan, December 31st, 1998.
Read or listen to the original lecture here on The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®. What a beautiful reminder at the start of the New Year focusing on Sadhana and Dharma, two elements that affect every aspect of our lives. May this year be one of prosperity and joy for all. May your Sadhana strengthen and your Dharma be ever-present in your mind.
Thank you for continuing to support the preservation of these teachings!
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
Rebirthing
Breath, Vitality & Strength
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
The idea of rebirthing is to release the subconscious, the storehouse of misery. - Yogi Bhajan
Heal the pain and overcome the obstacles which keep you from living your best life: awakened, rejuvenated and present to your purpose.
Rebirthing Courses by Yogi Bhajan have long been some of the most talked about classes he offered in his 35 years of teaching in the United States and abroad. For the first time, these kriyas are now available in a single manual along with the lectures that accompanied them.
All 32 courses are represented in this manual, and 24 are available in the accompanying DVD Series.
Courses include:
• Clearing the Magnetic Block from the Womb
• Removing the Fears from the Fifth Month in the Womb
• Unloading the Pain of Perpetual Memories
• Ghost Kriya: Clearing the Ghosts and Opening Intuition
• Forgiveness and Unloading the Subconscious Garbage
Regular Retail: $39.95
Promo: $33.96
Rebirthing, DVD Lecture Series
Includes 24 classes from the Rebirthing courses, which Yogi Bhajan taught from the fall of 1988 through the spring of 1989.
The idea of rebirthing is to release the subconscious, the storehouse of misery. - Yogi Bhajan
1. Rebirthing l
2. Rebirthing ll
3. Rebirthing lll
4. Rebirthing lV
5. Unloading Your Pain & Fear l
6. Unloading Your Pain & Fear ll
7. Unloading the Pain of Perpetual Memories l
8. Unloading the Pain of Perpetual Memories ll
9. Release Your Garbage
10. Ardh Kechari Kriya
11. Getting Rid of Transit Memories l
12. Getting Rid of Transit Memories ll
13. Removing the Fears from the Fifth Month in the Womb l
14. Removing the Fears from the Fifth Month in the Womb ll
15. Clearing the Magnetic Block from the Womb l
16. Clearing the Magnetic Block from the Womb ll
17. Cleaning the Clutter of the Mind l
18. Cleaning the Clutter of the Mind ll
19. Cleaning the Mind l
20. Cleaning the Mind ll
21. Cleaning the Mind for Deep Meditation
22. Letting Go of the Pain of the Seventh Year
23. Clearing the Subconscious Stories
24. Dropping Your Personal Pain plus Bonus DVD: Prosperity Lecture & Meditation
Regular Price: $19.95 per DVD
Promo: $16.96
These are also sold in 3 sets of 8 each for $120.00 per set, which is 25% off regular retail!
New Book!
Mantra, Personal Guidance through the Power of the Word
by Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa, PhD, Bhai Sahiba of Sikh Dharma International
Clarity-Healing-Intuition-Peace
Self Esteem-Stability-Trust-Wisdom
This book contains hundreds of beautiful mantras to recite and repeat for these and other personal needs you face in your life.
The Mantras in this book have been lovingly collected, translated and commented upon by the devoted wife of Yogi Bhajan, the spiritual teacher who brought Kundalini Yoga to the United States in 1969 and built the extensive 3HO (Happy, Healthy, Holy Organization) worldwide community.
Mantra is an important component of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. Kundalini Yoga teachers follow a variety of spiritual paths, and the mantras in Kundalini Yoga are of a universal nature. They transcend religious belief and embody universal truths that every human being can experience.
Retail: $39.95
Promo: $33.96
❁ A Note From Nirvair
❁ Immersion Training in Bali
❁ Kundalini Yoga and Quantum Physics
❁ The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings
❁ Raising Children with Values – Love of learning
❁ Yoga Research - Aging
❁ Source Specials
❁ Recipe of the Month: Pumpkin Barta
❁ Trainer’s Corner
News From KRI - December
Sat Nam and Greetings from New Mexico.
It has been a remarkable, challenging, and uplifting year. On November 11, 1991, Yogi Bhajan gave valuable insight into this time we are living. He said,
“Aquarian age has set in. Piscean Age is – 'I want to know'. Aquarian Age is – 'I know it all, I will serve'. Piscean age is – 'Learn and pay your karma'. Aquarian is – 'I am the karma, no payment'. Now, you are not going to fit in, in that, that is the tragedy. You can swim in a lake, but now you are in an ocean. Action and reaction now will be simultaneous. If somebody now tells you, ‘Wake up!’, it will be a waste of time. The only thing one can say is, ‘Are you awakened?’ If the answer is ‘yes’, fine. If the answer is ‘no’, wrong. That’s it.
“The first fundamental mistake in your own existence is when you think you have to run the show. Now, how many of you had an opportunity to live as a guest in friend’s house? Please raise your hands. Almost everybody must have had a chance, correct? How many of you were foolish enough to go into a friend’s house and start running the household?....... Why you are selling yourself? Don’t sell, just be and just go through it. Go through the environments, that’s practical. Be practical, come to the root level, understand your own value at your own root level. Then, you will understand your spirit.”
Be a teacher, serve your world! It is a wonderful thing to uplift yourself and stay balanced in challenging times. It is another, grander, thing altogether to dedicate yourself to teach others.
Join me in our Level One Teacher Training in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® Immersion program in Bali this spring. It is time to be you and to work together to embody the values of this new age on Earth. It is time to come together, to learn together, and to work together to enjoy life in group consciousness so you can serve your highest self and serve all you meet. Yogi Bhajan, talking to Master’s Touch Immersion students in 1999 said,
“All right, you want to be teachers, right?
“Students: Yes sir.
“First you have to lose, if you are woman, all your faculty of woman. Secondly, you have to lose all faculty of man, if you are a man. Thirdly, you have to lose all faculty of a person and lastly you have to lose yourself, to become teacher. That's why we take that oath 'I am not a woman, I am not a man, I am not a person, I am not myself, I am a teacher.' You know what that means? That means, whatever the circumstances are, you are above it. No matter how much personal, you are impersonal and anything you say, do, or indulge in should be basic on one fact: I am the representative of that Infinity and I am here to elevate the excellence of another person. You can't, you can't say this person is rotten or this person is wonderful. No. Rotten and wonderful are just two sides of the polarity, and you will avoid judgement at all cost. This is how it works. If you have a habit of judgement, you will be never rich. If you let judgement go, you will never be poor. And a teacher has to be rich, because he has to help those who need help. He has to give money those who do not have it; he has to come through for those who have weakness. There are one hundred thousand things he must do from morning until night. He is the hope, he is the help, and he is the happiness. If [teacher] is a ‘she’, she has the same qualities, hope, help, and happiness.”
And thanks so much for your year-end donations to the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®! Your love and dedication keep the Library growing.
May you have a blessed Winter Solstice celebration, and may your holidays be filled with happiness, grace, and fun with family and friends!
All love in Divine,Nirvair Singh Khalsa
KRI CEO
April 21 – May 18, 2019
The decision to become a Kundalini Yoga instructor is a big one. Everyone’s reasons to commit to this training are different, but it is always a point of transformation in their lives. For many, that powerful transformation is what students are seeking. After going through Level One Immersion Training, one’s perspective on life changes and nothing is the same again.
Join KRI in the spring of 2019 on the blessed tropical island of Bali for 28 days of Level One training among the indigenous beauty of the culture and the people, steeped in spiritual and ceremonial tradition. Our training home is the Ananda Cottages in the village of Ubud.
In the 11th century, the great Hindu priest Markandya Rsi, was on pilgrimage from Ubud to the great Mother Temple of Bersakih, on Mount Agung. On the way, he noted some sacred places, one of which was the hill where Ananda Cottages now stand, a happy and holy place. Ananda means “bliss’ in the ancient Sanskrit language. It is a perfect location for KRI Level One training.
The Teacher Training team for the Bali Immersion is Sat Siri Kaur, Nirvair Singh, Sat Purkh Kaur, and Amrit Singh. These senior Teacher Trainers will guide you in how to build your grace and character. They will lead you through this program with inspirational and challenging lectures, kriyas, and meditations that will confront your self-imposed limits. You will discover how to live and teach from your highest and purest consciousness.
We would be delighted to have you join us in Bali for this amazing 28-day journey of self-discovery and transformation.
“You want to be Teachers. Then, you have to rise above all people. You have to rise above yourself also, and then everything becomes minor. What becomes major is the answer to the call of duty.”
– Yogi Bhajan, April 21, 1997
My Friday morning Kundalini Yoga class, the one I’ve been teaching for years, just came to the end of its recent session. The pause in rhythm has me thinking about this practice, its fundamental nature, and what it does for people. What other yogic science combines rapid breath with rapid movement? And in what other yoga practice do we find ourselves maintaining the most challenging, and often absurd, physical postures while breathing rapidly, or chanting, or both? If someone completely unfamiliar with the practice were to walk into a random class mid-stream, they would likely stand speechless for a second, wearing a look of confusion as unspoken thoughts scream the question, “Now why would anyone want to do that!?”
Everyone in the yoga tribe would say the answer is simple: because it works. While most of earth’s humans would acknowledge that yoga has benefits, there is an ever-growing planetary tribe that has come to depend on the practice for stress relief, strength, flexibility, and… sanity. If life were like a river, as the mystics often say, then yoga is the flotation device that allows us to flow with the current a bit more calmly.
What then do we say about kundalini yoga? Perhaps we say that it is a bit like passing over a stretch of rapids, the kind that make you feel really good when you’ve gotten through. After a series of active postures, that final pause for stillness can feel like a momentary landing in some tranquil, sun-bedazzled pool. Kundalini Yoga is designed to turn things up. Conceptualized as fire, the practice stimulates the life force energy located within every human body, allowing it to rise in frequency, providing more attunement and resolve as we embrace the challenges of life. The term “raising kundalini” describes the process of igniting the inner fire and purity of energy, not unlike the fundamental laws of nature explained in quantum physics.
We float in a universe made up of waves and particles, according to quantum physics. These particles and waves move through a universe that is ever-expanding in a pulsating rhythm likened to breath. Matthew Fox, the great radical catholic priest, philosopher, and social activist, said that “we too, are both waves and particles- not just individuals but also the expression of the Cosmic Christ (or Buddha Nature) in all things.”
The atomic body also contains photons of light. When the particle containing these photons increases in temperature, it emits more energy. Planck's Law explains that not only do they increase in energy but overall, a larger proportion of the energy tends towards the violet end of the spectrum. Now, to the modern physicist, the “violet end of the spectrum” means an entirely different thing than it does to the modern yogi. When we think violet, we think chakra, and we think auric field. Still, the parallel is remarkable. Would it not stand to reason that when we practice a yoga that combines “breath of fire” with the rapid movements of temperature-raising postures, we’re not only increasing our energy force, but also aligning ourselves more fully with the violet light of high chakra consciousness- cultivating the divine within?!
Yoga tribe members know the descent into self that occurs at that nascent point during a mighty flow class or after a series of intense kundalini poses. It may come in during that 8th downward dog or seated cross-legged, pausing to integrate after holding bow pose with breath of fire. Whatever the path to arrival, we discover what it’s like to find ourselves and lose ourselves all in an instant. Our auric fields pulsate at a higher frequency, and those who can view colors often report seeing a rose-violet light.
The river never stops running, and the universe will always take its next breath. If we are part of the dance of life, why not experience that arrival, that alivedness- why not experience what it’s like to be that small particle, hitchhiking on the wave of the Divine?
Amy Carpenter, LCSW, CYI is a psychotherapist, Kundalini Yoga instructor and writer living in Rockport, Maine. She graduated from the Kundalini Research Institute in Espanola, New Mexico in June of 2007. Outside of a recent writing sabbatical, she has taught local KY classes ever since. Amy has two completed books; Glen Stone, a middle-grade novel, and Channel Crossing: The Challenge and Success of Solo Parenting, a self-help book. She has contributed articles to PsychCentral.com and her own blog, Singlehandedly.me, where she is managing partner. Amy’s writing passion is broad, and includes subjects such as: human connection, mindfulness, and accessing personal joy. She can be found at Amycarpenter.net.
Join us this month as we explore “Move your Body – Lift your Spirits” with The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®. In the darkening December days as we approach the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, we will be exploring the ways that Kundalini Yoga can be benefit your fitness regimen and, at the same time, launch our Year End Fund Drive for the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings.
As told to us by Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Director of Research at KRI:
"Athletes get plenty of strength training and often do their stretching, so why would they need yoga? The postural, exercise, and breath-regulation aspects of yoga provide a unique opportunity for core strength training by engaging the entire midsection in order to support one’s body weight. Other physical benefits include improved coordination, flexibility, relaxation, deeper respiration, and decreased recovery time from heavy workouts.
"The meditative aspects of Kundalini Yoga provide substantive psychological benefits for athletes that include improved stress and emotion regulation, enhanced cognition and concentration, and the ability to achieve a flow state. 'Flow' refers to an optimal psychological state involving a complete absorption in the task or activity at hand; a state generally coveted by athletes because it is associated with strong positive emotions, including a deep experience of peace, harmony, and unity."
Watch your email inbox for the fund drive in December to learn more about the way that Kundalini Yoga can benefit your workout.
As you dive in to the holiday season and turn your attention to coming together with family and friends, buying gifts, and traveling, let these words remind you of the simple gifts you can give yourselves and each other:
Gift yourself grace and honor,
Gift yourself a few moments of prayer,
to purify yourself
Yogi Bhajan December 26, 1997
As always, thank you so much for your continued support. People like you are keeping this resource evolving and growing into an online resource of precious teachings. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to improve your experience with the database!
In Gratitude,
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising CoordinatorThe Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
By Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa and Saraswati Kaur Khalsa, Miri Piri Academy.
"Recognize that the other person is you,” this is one of Yogi Bhajan’s most widely known teachings. To be community-minded is to understand the inextricable connection between ourselves and the people around us.
Individual consciousness has to go into a group consciousness to find the universal consciousness. It's simple law of consciousness. (Yogi Bhajan, UCLA Advanced Class - American Way of Life, October 12, 1972, Los Angeles, CA)
When I first started my work at Miri Piri Academy, I was tasked with supporting the graduating students in making plans for their future life. Being in their teenage years, most were anxious to go out, become independent, and explore their identity within the wider world. I always asked them to remember the concept of "Sangat." In the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, we are constantly reminded to be in the company of the "Sadh Sangat", the congregation of disciplined ones. Why?
"Why do we meet here constantly? Just to practice group consciousness, share the knowledge, go through it, practice it, feel it, and experience it. Why is it better than individual consciousness? We help each other, and we support each other. Our very existence together is helpful. Aristotle, the father of political science, said one thing, ‘Man is by nature a social animal.’ His higher nature will only come up when the social impact of his personality is fulfilled.” (Yogi Bhajan, Los Angeles Lecture, May 2, 1972, Los Angeles, CA)
As the strings on an instrument will vibrate sympathetically to the notes being played around them, so we human beings vibrate with the same consciousness as the people around us. No matter how much we believe something, how much we want something, or how strongly we feel about something, we are social beings and we are deeply affected by the community around us. As parents and teachers, it is important that we understand this and make sure that our children recognize the power of group consciousness as they make important decisions in their lives. If we value discipline, awareness, and spiritual consciousness, then our choice of congregation must take that into account. Choosing a community of love is an act of wisdom.
Group consciousness is not just being aware of how the people around us are influencing us, but also about how we are influencing them. What can we do to serve? What can we do to elevate? What can we say to inspire, bring a smile, and motivate each other? Being community-minded is both an awareness of the impact others have on us as well as the impact we have on them.
So, the question is, how do we ingrain this community consciousness into our children? How do we teach them to recognize how the people around them are influencing them, and in turn, how their own words, thoughts, choices, and actions can have an impact on everyone else in their community? Many young children show compassion and empathy very early, but we often model the very opposite as parents. Though they struggle to balance their own needs and desires with this natural instinct towards kindness, they learn from us where and when to prioritize individual needs above those of the group. With this in mind, give yourself a deep introspection. Where do you balance the needs of self with the needs of others? How do you prioritize your time, energy, money, and attention between family, your community, and others you don’t know? Do you participate in the community and involve yourself where you are needed? Your example is the first and most important teacher of community consciousness to your children.
A powerful way to guide them in discovering their identity in relationship to community is to put them into an environment where their success or failure depends on a group. Let them experience situations where selfish needs and desires have to be constantly balanced against the needs of others. Be available to counsel them how to navigate this rough terrain, but let them try to work things out themselves. Whether its teamwork, dorm living, or the power of music and chanting together, give them a visceral experience of the power of a group working together. Above all, give them the experience of teaching and leading others, so that they understand through experience how their attitude and example influence everyone around them.
Last year one of our 11th grade students at Miri Piri Academy was doing his KRI Level One Teacher Training practicum and taught a Kundalini Yoga class for the first time. When we asked him what he had learned, he told us that he finally understood how challenging it is to teach when students in the class are spacing out, tired, or distracted and that he would make a better effort to participate fully when he was in a class from here forward. Often, it is only when our children have the opportunity to lead and to teach that they begin to understand how much impact their own attitude has on everyone around them. This is the seed of community consciousness.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan, including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Raising Children with Values and Virtues10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
Between 1960 and 1994, the population of those 85 years and older in the United States grew 274 percent and this fact, coupled with increased longevity, is significant since the elderly spend three times more on healthcare than their working counterparts. Therefore, it is important to understand better the pathophysiology of aging and possible therapies to slow its negative effects. The normal aging process results in several physiological changes. For example, there is alteration of pulmonary mechanics, respiratory muscle strength, gas exchange, and ventilatory control, which are the collective outcome of degradation to anatomical structures such as the bronchioles, alveoli, and intercostal muscles. The renal system is similarly affected by aging since the loss of the kidneys’ cortical tissue directly affects the filtration rate, which results in fluid and electrolyte abnormalities and eventual renal insufficiency. While specific pathological features have not been identified for gastrointestinal tract senescence, changes in neuromuscular function, changes in the structure of the gastrointestinal tract itself, and changes in the absorptive and secretory functions all alter normal gastrointestinal processes. Likewise, the size of the liver decreases after the age of 50, leading to decreases in protein synthesis, such as clotting factors. Common endocrine changes include menopause in women and a slow decline of testosterone in men. T-lymphocyte-mediated immunity is also impaired and the elderly are more susceptible to infections and communicable diseases. As far as neural changes, the elderly lose 6 percent to 11 percent of their brain cortex, which can lead to a decline in cognitive functioning and may also facilitate neurodegenerative processes such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases.
As to the underlying mechanisms and contributors, genetics are estimated to explain only 35 percent of lifespan and the physical and cognitive declines of old age. Aging is in fact a multifactorial process that which includes lifestyle factors such as diet and stress. It is interesting that the only kind of diet so far associated with longevity is a plant-based diet as seen in epidemiological studies in Okinawa, Japan and Loma Linda in California amongst other so-called “blue zones” of long-lived populations. Social, family, and community support has also been a significant factor in determining health and mortality. Managing stress, maintaining a healthy weight, and regular physical activity can all promote longevity. Yoga may provide many of the benefits of exercise such as maintaining cardiovascular and respiratory function but can also lengthen telomeres, which are the ends of the chromosomes important for genomic integrity that are known to deteriorate with chronic stress and aging that are, therefore, genetic markers of cellular health and aging. Both healthy behaviors and mind-body interventions positively influence telomere integrity.
Given that mind-body practices, such as yoga, have positive influences on stress, resilience, and health-related behaviors, there is good evidence that yoga has a positive influence on aging. For example, certain meditative forms of yoga, such as Kundalini Yoga (Kirtan Kriya meditation specifically), have been found to increase cerebral blood flow in areas of the prefrontal cortex associated with attention and has been shown to enhance memory through increased connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain, an area commonly involved in neurodegenerative disorders. Yoga breathing practices (pranayama) may also contribute to longevity by reducing stress through increasing activity of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and down-regulating the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Indeed, yogic breathing stimulates the afferent vagus nerves, which are the primary peripheral pathway of the PNS.
Yoga research has shown improvements in physical functioning in the elderly. In a recent meta-analysis, Australian and Swedish researchers reviewed six trials of relatively high methodological quality, totaling 307 participants, and found that yoga-based exercises resulted in small improvements in balance and medium improvements in physical mobility in people aged 60+ years old. Therefore, yoga may counteract immobility and fractures from falls which are both associated with senescence. A 2017 study at the Picardie Jules Verne University in France also found improvements in physical functioning, specifically proprioception. With aging, gait initiation is impacted due to functional degradation, but the researchers found that a group of elderly yoga practitioners had more lower leg muscle activation and a more stable gait initiation pattern when compared with a physically active group of elderly walkers. Lastly, a 32-week study from the University of Southern California (USC) compared twenty older adults averaging 70 years old who attended 60-minute Hatha yoga classes. The program incorporated physical postures as well as pranayama, and the results revealed significant improvements in physical function and lower-extremity strength, which correspond to the biomechanical improvements noted previously.
In addition, numerous cognitive benefits were found in the elderly who yoga practice. In a 2005 study conducted at the Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program of the Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to assess cortical thickness in 20 participants with extensive meditation experience. The participants were not monks, rather typical western meditation practitioners. While some were meditation teachers, others pursued traditional careers in fields such as law and healthcare. The researchers found that meditation may be associated with structural changes in areas of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive, and emotional processing. These findings are significant, because they suggest that meditation may impact age-related declines in cortical structure. A subsequent study from the Israelita Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil was the first study to examine the brain cortical thickness (CT) in elderly female yoga practitioners relative to controls. Twenty-one female elderly hatha yoga practitioners were recruited from the local yoga studios, and their brain CT was compared to 21 yoga-naive women of the same age, and physical activity. The study found significantly greater CT in the left prefrontal lobe in the women who had trained in yoga for a minimum of 8 years. These findings, once again, suggest that yoga practice may have a positive impact on mental health among the elderly through its neuroprotective effects.
Researchers have also investigated the impact of long-term yoga or meditation practice on fluid intelligence, a cognitive function involving the ability to solve new problems, use logic in new ways, and identify patterns. This capacity tends to peak early in life and decline as we enter old age. With the rapidly shifting technological landscape, the capacity to maintain fluid intelligence into old age will be critical in order to remain relevant and adaptive. In this study, fluid intelligence declined slower in long-term yoga practitioners and meditators relative to controls. The functional neural networks of yoga practitioners and meditators were also more resilient to damage compared to those of control subjects that did not practice. Furthermore, a study from the University of Illinois found that eight weeks of regular yoga practice resulted in improved working memory performance in sedentary older adults when compared to a stretching control group, thereby indicating that the mindfulness component of yoga is critical in its efficacy. These improvements were mediated by a decreased stress response as measured by salivary cortisol measurements (a biomarker of stress) and suggest that yoga may restore the balance in the stress-regulating systems in older adults, thereby preventing cognitive decline.
Studies in the field of molecular biology have shown that there are quantifiable changes with aging, specifically in genomic expression, in which changes in the activity of specific genes can be quantified as well as changes in the integrity of genes and telomeres. Since yoga can decrease oxidative damage to DNA and reduce cellular aging, researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the premier medical research and clinical institution in India set out to determine whether yoga can impact telomere stability. Their 2018 review of the literature revealed that yoga may have a protective effect on telomere length and the telomerase enzyme responsible for maintaining the telomeres. Indeed, yoga may upregulate enzymes that degrade reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby preventing oxidative damage to telomeric DNA sequences, which may explain these findings. In another study, AIIMS researchers set out to explore cellular aging through a prospective single-arm study. After just 12 weeks of a yoga and meditation-based lifestyle intervention, 96 healthy individuals had significant improvements in biomarkers of cellular aging compared to baseline values. ROS and cortisol were significantly lower and telomerase activity significantly increased, suggesting a reduced rate of cellular aging in yoga practitioners.
In summary, these encouraging findings suggest that yoga may be a viable strategy to slow down the aging process and maintain both physical and cognitive health into old age. Future trials with larger cohorts and long-term follow-ups will help us better understand the mechanisms underlying the beneficial biochemical changes induced by yoga practices.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
*Please Note that some exclusions may apply.
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From Vegetables with Love:
Recipes and Tales from a Yogi’s Kitchen
Revised and Expanded Second Edition
Siri-Ved Kaur Khalsa
Pumpkin Bharta — Pumpkin Stew with Ginger and Tamarind
Yield: 6 servings
2½ pounds pumpkin or kabocha squash
3 tablespoons oil or ghee
2 onions, chopped
2–3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3 small serrano chiles, chopped finely
2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup water
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Cut squash in half. Scoop out strings and seeds and place the halves cut side down on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 425° until quite soft. Scoop out all the soft pulp and set aside. Discard remaining pumpkin shell.
Meanwhile, heat oil or ghee in a wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat and fry onions and ginger until browned (about 8 minutes). Add spices and green chiles and cook another 5–10 minutes, adding water as needed. Add cooked mashed pumpkin and reduce heat to medium. Add up to 1 cup of water for desired consistency. Add tamarind and honey and cook another 5–10 minutes. Use cilantro as garnish or mix into bharta and serve.
How To Sauté Without Oil It’s easy to sauté without oil, and most recipes in this book that call for oil or ghee to sauté ingredients can be adapted by using water instead. As the water will evaporate while cooking, it must be replenished every few minutes. The cooking time will also be longer. I recommend using a well-seasoned iron skillet for its naturally nonstick surface.
What is a Trainer Forum?
A Trainer Forum is a meeting place for open dialogue amongst members and applicants of the Aquarian Trainer Academy. It is an opportunity for professional development as a trainer. It is a time to come together as a community of trainers to refresh our spirit and revisit our values, build skills and share best practices, create new relationships and deepen existing ones. Key elements of every Trainer Forum include:
Peer to Peer Meetings – network and connect with your peers around the world
Global Decision Making – have your voice heard and participate in hot topic discussions
Workshops – interactive presentations on specialty areas led by both KRI and local trainers
We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming Forum! For more information visit:
http://trainersupport.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org/trainer-forum/
2018 – 2019 Trainer Forums
Theme: Culture, Communication, Community
Winter Solstice 2018: Hampton Inn, Lake Wales, Florida,
Sunday, December 16, 8:30am – 5:30pm
Register Here for Winter Solstice Trainer Forum
Chile 2019: Narayan Yoga, Providencia, Chile – NEW DAYS!
Sunday, January 27, 10:00am – 6:00pm & Monday, January 28, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Mexico 2019: Rama Yoga, Mexico City, Mexico
Tuesday, February 12, 9:30am – 6:30pm & Wednesday, February 13 9:30am – 1:30pm
Summer Solstice 2019: Hacienda de Guru Ram Das, Espanola, New Mexico
Wednesday, June 12, 8:30 – 5:30pm & Thursday, June 13, 8:30am – 12:30pm
Registration Coming Soon!
Europe 2019: Chateau Anand, Saint Pierre de Maille, France
Thursday, July 25, 8:30pm – 5:30pm & Friday, July 26, 8:30am – 12:30pm
Registration Coming Soon!
Australia 2019: TBA
China 2019: TBA
❁ A Note From Nirvair ❁ A Crash of Thunder and All Things Change ❁ Make God Part of Your Child’s Life ❁ The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings ❁ Research on Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention for Prostate Cancer ❁ Source Specials ❁ Recipe of the Month: Potent Potato Soup
News From KRI - October
Sat Nam and Greetings from New Mexico.
We celebrate Guru Ram Das’ birthday this month. Guru Ram Das was a humble man and a great saint and healer. Although he was born a poor child and was orphaned at a young age, he became the leader of the Sikhs and sat on the throne of Raj Yoga. Here is what Yogi Bhajan said about him in a lecture dated October 30, 1985:
“The highest gift of this birthday of Guru Ram Das you can give to him is to be forgiving. That's how he was, very forgiving, very loving, the most compassionate. God took centuries and centuries and centuries, millions and millions and millions, zillions and zillions, zillions of year to create this whole cosmos. And out of all that, He figured out one self of Himself to produce in a human body – a personality, a psyche, a grace of His own representation. And we call it Ram Das, the servant of God. And that's what Guru Ram Das is – the most compassionate, the most creative, ever smiling in extreme... That's why we call on him [by chanting],
-
‘Dhan Dhan Ram Das Gur Jin Siriaa Tinai Savariaa,
Pooree Hoee Karamat Aap Sirjan Haarai Dhaariya’
Blessed, Blessed is Guru Ram Das. He who created you has also exalted you.
Perfect is your miracle. The Creator Lord Himself has installed you on the throne.
All love in Divine,
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Fourteen years ago in the afternoon of October 6th, Yogi Bhajan breathed his last breath. At home on his Ranch, surrounded by family and students, he made that final journey and crossed into the subtle realm of spirit. For as long as I live, I will not forget the sounds, sights and sensations of that day.
Yogi Bhajan had been ill for a long time and was bedridden. The week before, he had his students push his wheelchair around the ashram to look at and touch each and every thing along the way. And although he then pronounced to all that he would live another six years, this rare excursion from his Dome had the joyous feeling of a blessing and the somber weight of a last goodbye.
On Monday, October 4th he started the process of withdrawing into that state of consciousness between life and death. Dark clouds gathered, and the afternoon was battered with thunderstorms. While that is a normal occurrence in summer monsoon season, by fall, New Mexico is usually graced with clear skies. But those three days in October, the sky roared and boomed like I had never seen before. On Wednesday afternoon, there was a wild, whooshing wind that ripped through the ashram with crashing thunder. I was not surprised when the phone call came that Yogi Bhajan had passed.
When I arrived at the Ranch, Yogi Bhajan’s wife, Bibiji, was sitting in the living room with a tear-stained face. “Call everyone, Shanti,” she said. “Let them come say goodbye.” At such a time when the heart was crushed, it was a measure of her compassion that Bibiji thought of the sangat and the feelings of others over herself.
Within the hour, the whole ashram gathered at the Ranch. Friends, family, students, and visitors alike sat together and chanted, “Guru Guru Wahe Guru, Guru Ram Das Guru.” In small groups of two or three, everyone had the chance to come into the Dome and say their personal farewell to their teacher.
Finally, when everything was ready, we opened the Dome door to bring his still body to the waiting ambulance. The sangat opened a path, and he was brought through the chanting crowd. As we shut the ambulance doors and it began its slow crunching roll over the gravel parking lot, I was struck with the reality that all things had suddenly changed. The chanting to Guru Ram Das rang in my ears and floated around me and carried my heart through the days ahead.
Although Yogi Bhajan has been gone from this realm for 14 years, I still feel his presence in each Kundalini Yoga class, no matter where it is taught. His legacy flows through his teachings and these are a gift to us. I am grateful to the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings for preserving his voice and his message, not only for me but for all his students and the generations of seekers and students to come.
Shanti Kaur Khalsa is a wife, mother, grandmother and professional writer who brings Khalsa values to every aspect of life. She is an engaging Sikh teacher who brings the wisdom of Sikh history into modern life. Shanti spent more than twenty years studying with Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji who inspired her on the path of Sikhism. She is an inspired kirtania who travels worldwide giving inspirational kirtan and lecture programs.
Yogi Bhajan told us that we should make “God” a part of our child’s life, but what does that mean? For some people, the concept of God is rooted deep in the dogmatic instruction of their youth. And while many have rejected that simplistic view, it is sometimes difficult to give voice to exactly what we think God is.
The concept of God, as Yogi Bhajan shared with us, is not the concept of a magical-man in the sky. It is a Generating, Organizing, and Destroying energy that pervades the universe and all creation, including you and me. It is not something outside of us, but inside and all around us.
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“There is no God outside of you. Neither was, nor is, nor shall be. It is all in you. The very breath of life is divine.” – Yogi Bhajan, 8/22/1986
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“Guru says raise your caliber, raise your altitude, go higher, look at things from the heavens. From up high, when you look at the world... you'll find that things are very small, and they are not worth the attention [you give it].” – Yogi Bhajan, Gurdwara Lecture, 10/15/1995, Espanola, NM
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“I was with the children in New Mexico and one child asked me ‘Where is God? How can I meet Him? And what is the best and the easiest way?’ Now, when a child asks you this, you have to come out with an answer whether you like it or not, and you cannot tell the small little children who trust you to wait one month... I said, ‘Son, it's very easy. When you breathe in, God comes in you. When you breathe out, you go into God. And if there is anything more than this, then there is no God and neither there is you.’” – Yogi Bhajan, Gurdwara Lecture, 2/12/1989, Espanola, NM
When my daughter was two years old, she made up a song and repeated it constantly in the interminable hours we spent together at the swing-set. “1,2,3, God is with me, 1,2,3 God is with me” she used to chant over and over again. This is still my fondest memory of her childhood. This simple mantra wasn’t a reflection of her advanced understanding, or of my exceptional parenting; it was just a product of her surroundings. At Miri Piri Academy (MPA), God - the Divine Energy, is a tangible part of everyday life. We experience it in seva at the Golden Temple, Japji Sahib in the morning, Ardas (prayer) before school, Kundalini Yoga in the afternoon, meditation and chanting together in the evenings, and stories before bedtime. This is our life at MPA, and you can create this simple routine no matter where you are.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Make God a part of your life together.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan, including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Raising Children with Values and Virtues
10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
Sat Nam from The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings!
October brings beautiful fall weather here in New Mexico, a reminder of the changing of the season and the slowing down from the busy summer months. October also brings the remembrance of Yogi Bhajan’s life as we honor his passing on October 6th and the celebration of Guru Ram Das’s Birthday on October 9th.
Guru Ram Das Ji is known to many as the “Lord of Miracles,” and he held a special place in Yogi Bhajan’s heart. Over the years, Yogi Bhajan taught us of Guru Ram Das Ji’s ability to manifest miracles, emphasizing Guru Ji’s qualities of selfless service, humility, grace, healing, kindness, and protection. In 1995, Yogi Bhajan shared how we can live Guru Ram Das’s teachings:
“Nothing matters, whether you are one or you are one million. It doesn't matter if you are pure or you are the ugliest human creature. It doesn't matter if you are fire and flamboyant and beautiful and your features are excellent or you are not worth looking at, let us put it that way. But whenever time and place, desh and kaal, confronts you and your compassion doesn't win - you are a dead man. And whenever there is a temptation and your value doesn't win - you are a rotten person. These are two practical things. Let me tell you the third. Whenever you are not you and your words couldn't come out divine, compassionate, sweet, uplifting, and elevating, you have lost the game of life. All that is what is put together as Guru Ram Das. Where man can excel, you don't have to control the whole world. You don't have to rule the universe. You don't have to show people you are rich or you are poor, you are great or you are small. All you have to show is to yourself. You have to win yourself, you have to conquer yourself, and you have to live yourself. That is what Guru Ram Das tells us. Let compassion win and let yourself win...”
© The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, October 30th, 1985
Treat yourself, and watch or listen to this entire lecture. As always, it is full of inspiring gems from Yogi Bhajan. This is a powerful time to make your prayers! If you need a miracle in your life right now, focus your prayer/mediation on the generous spirit of Guru Ram Das Ji.
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
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The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system and is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Cancer of the prostate manifests as an abnormal proliferation of cells. Although some men do not have any symptoms, prostate cancer is typically associated with painful or burning urination, blood in the urine or semen, difficulty emptying the bladder, and painful ejaculation. While researchers do not know the exact causes of prostate cancer, they have determined that certain genetic changes, whether inherited or acquired during a person’s lifetime, contribute to the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, a high consumption of red meat or high fat dairy products slightly increases the risk, while other risk factors include radiation or chemical exposure, older age (typically over 40), and a family history of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men after skin cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer death with about 1 in 41 men predicted to die from this disease.
Although there are now a variety of conventional treatments for prostate cancer including surgeries, radiation, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy among others, reports suggest that 25-50 percent of prostate cancer patients use at least one complementary and integrative medicine modality. Acupuncture is popular and effective among patients who experience hot flashes as a side-effect of androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. A 2013 review of the literature on exercise and cancer found that populations who were more active had less side effects from anticancer therapy and greater chances of recovery. Yoga offers many of the benefits of exercise, but in addition, yoga is likely to also better improve stress, mood, pain perception, and self-efficacy in patients with cancer. Indeed, research has shown that yoga can improve quality of life and sleep-related outcomes in patients with lymphoma and breast cancer.
The 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, which incorporates meditation, body scan, and gentle yoga, in an early pilot study on 10 patients with early stage prostate cancer and 59 patients with breast cancer, showed significant improvements in overall quality of life scores, symptoms of stress, and sleep quality. The improvements in quality of life were associated with a decrease in activation of the stress hormone – cortisol. A follow-up study reported significant improvements at 6 and 12 months, showing that improvements in stress were maintained and that cortisol levels continued to decrease systematically over the course of the follow-up. The patients’ immune systems were likewise improved with a reduction in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
In addition to stress, epidemiological data suggests that lifestyle choices such as diet may play an important role in cancer prevention. In 2003, in order to elucidate the effect of diet on prostate cancer, the lab of Dr. Dean Ornish (a pioneer of plant-based dietary intervention) conducted the Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial (PCLT), a randomized controlled trial (RCT), in which 93 men were assigned to either a control group or a vegan diet intervention group. The diet consisted of low-fat foods, legumes (including soy), whole grains, fruits and vegetables. In addition, the patients participated in stress management, psychosocial group support, and exercise programs including gentle yoga-based stretching, breathing, and meditation – this could therefore be considered a yoga lifestyle program. Adherence by intervention group participants was excellent at greater than 80 percent. They had a 4 percent decrease in prostate specific antigen (PSA, a measure of disease severity) whereas the non-intervention control patients had a 6 percent increase in PSA and 6 of those patients had to resort to conventional cancer treatment. Furthermore, no patients in the lifestyle intervention group needed radiation, surgery, or androgen deprivation therapy. Finally, when researchers exposed in vitro cancer cells to the serum of the lifestyle group patients, they observed 8 times more cancer growth inhibition than the control group serum, suggesting that this treatment approach had significant effects at the cellular and molecular level.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment is associated with significant psychosocial problems including stress, anxiety, denial, and exacerbated conflict with partners that needs to be addressed. Interviews with 44 of the participants in the PCLT group of the study after one year found that the lifestyle change intervention resulted in greater overall optimism and hope. In addition, patients experienced greater emotional availability and decreased conflict with their partners. Subsequent follow-up data also revealed significantly improved lifestyle behaviors compared with controls resulting in enhanced health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) scores and decreased stress. After 2 years, 27 percent of control group patients had reverted to conventional cancer treatment compared to less than 5 percent of the lifestyle group patients. These encouraging findings suggest that early-stage prostate cancer patients may be able to avoid or delay conventional treatment for at least 2 years by making changes in their diet and lifestyle.
Although the PCLT improvements in quality of life and mood and in the inhibition of cancer growth are important, molecular and biological outcomes, as strong objective outcome measures, are very worthy of analysis. Telomeres, which are protective DNA–protein complexes at the end chromosomes tend to shorten with disease and serve as a prognostic marker of risk, progression, and mortality in many types of cancer. In a pilot study funded by the US Department of Defense, Dr. Ornish and colleagues looked at the effects of a 3-month comprehensive lifestyle modification (with similar dietary and yoga-related practices to the PCLT) on 30 men with early stage prostate cancer. They found significantly increased levels of telomerase (the enzyme that counteracts telomere shortening). The researchers also identified significant modulation of biological processes that have critical roles in tumor growth and concluded that the intervention may change gene expression in the prostate. Remarkably, in the 5-year follow-up to this study, the relative telomere length in the experimental group continued increasing from baseline but decreased in the control group, therefore suggesting that long-term adherence to lifestyle changes can reverse damage to chromosomes.
The first study to examine the feasibility and benefit of a yoga program for prostate cancer survivors and their support persons was conducted by researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada. The yoga sessions ran weekly for 7 weeks and were 75 minutes in length. Participants were guided through gentle breathing, increasingly challenging yoga postures (as their flexibility improved over the 7 weeks) and 15 minutes of final relaxation in Shavasana pose. All the study participants, including their care-givers, reported significant improvements with regard to stress, fatigue, and mood after yoga. The researchers concluded that yoga therapy for prostate cancer survivors is a feasible intervention due to the high program adherence rate and the acute benefits for all participants.
In another landmark study, researchers from Neha Vapiwala’s lab at the University of Pennsylvania looked at the feasibility of an intensive yoga intervention for prostate cancer patients receiving outpatient radiotherapy. Although 18 of the 45 patients who started the program were unable to attend the requisite minimum number of yoga classes due to conflict with their radiation treatment times and the yoga class schedule, 12 of the remaining 27 participants attended over 50 percent of the classes. The results revealed reassuringly stable scores in erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and quality of life. This prompted the researchers to conclude that a structured yoga intervention of twice-weekly classes was feasible for the cancer patients during a 6-9 week course of outpatient radiotherapy. They then conducted an RCT in which experimental group participants received twice-weekly yoga interventions over the 6- to 9-week courses of radiation therapy. Throughout the treatment, the yoga cohort reported significantly less fatigue than the controls. The sexual health scores and QOL emotional scores were also significantly higher in the yoga group.
In summary, these encouraging albeit preliminary findings suggest that yoga may be a viable complementary treatment for prostate cancer patients. The findings support the need for validation with larger cohorts and methods such as electronic activity tracking to better understand the underlying biochemical changes induced by the yoga practices. Future studies should address the previous limitations of attrition, unaccounted comorbid factors, bias, and small sample sizes. Future trials can also help us better understand the barriers to continued participation in yoga for prostate cancer survivors.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
I Am a Woman: Creative, Sacred & Invincible
Selected Lectures from the Women's Teachings
Yogi Bhajan, PhD, Master of Kundalini Yoga
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I Am a Woman: Creative, Sacred & Invincible
Essential Kriyas for Women in the Aquarian Age
Yogi Bhajan, PhD, Master of Kundalini Yoga
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❁ A Note From Nirvair ❁ Level Two – Mind and Meditation ❁ Level Two – Save the Date Vitality and Stress ❁ Raising Children with Values and Virtues - Limit Them ❁ Yoga Research – The History of Self-Regulation ❁ The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings ❁ Source Specials ❁ Recipe of the Month: Raita — Two Ways
Sat Nam and Greetings from New Mexico.
We just completed our 2018 Level One Teacher Training Immersion in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® in New Mexico USA. What a wonderful training program and great group of trainers! Our Lead Trainer, Sat Siri Kaur, was an exceptional leader and an inspiration for all. The experience the students and teachers had was one of the best ever! The deep bonds that this international group of students created with each other, and the profound inspiration of Yogi Bhajan’s teachings, was very special. Please join us in 2019 as a student, or if you are in the Aquarian Trainer Academy, as a Trainer in Training. Become a teacher and serve your world. It is a rich and deep experience.
Fall is the time of the equinox and the beginning of the school session in the Northern Hemisphere. Many Kundalini Yoga teacher trainings also start this time of year. You can sign up for Level One Teacher Training almost anywhere in the world and learn the technology of Kundalini Yoga, meditation, and lifestyle.
The core of all Level One KRI Certified Trainings is that the students have a wonderful experience that prepares them to teach Kundalini Yoga and serve in the Aquarian Age. No matter where you train, you will find a consistent quality of expertise, love, care, and attention. Yogi Bhajan’s impact on the world has been truly amazing. We have trainings in over 50 countries listed in the KRI Trainer and Program Directory.
I get deeply immersed in the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® on a daily basis, searching for topics, concepts, and wisdom. What an amazing resource! I always like to share some technology or insight with you that has inspired me. Here, Yogi Bhajan talks about the importance of the equinoxes:
“Today is the most important day in every human’s life. It's the equinox. We who have become civilized are the most uncivilized people. Over time, we have forgotten everything about the heavens. Through our scientific mind, we feel Jupiter just hangs there [in space]. The moon just hangs there — they are there, and we are here. Religion didn't help us either— Why [do you think] the Muslims have Ramadan? Why do people have seasonal celebrations? We were much better when we were simple. Then, we understood nature. Now, we conquer nature, harness nature and the resources, [and as a result] we have become weaker, vague. We thought through philosophies, through beliefs, through faith, that we would earn happiness. We didn't want to do the research and that is why, at certain times in the centuries, religion became most important. Religion became our reality and guidance for us, but we forgot there is a universe and we are part of the universe — and there is an inter-exchange which will never change.” Yogi Bhajan, 3/20/91
“So dear friends, this evening we were feeling the presence of those who brought us, through their spirit, the possibility of celebrating this beautiful day. Today, the equinox, light and darkness meet on equal footing. Nobody is high today — nobody is low. We are all one. There is one God of all gods, and there is one humanity. We are all beings, that is the spirit of man, and this spirit has to be held up. Do as much yoga as you like to do. You may have occult powers, the whole world may worship you, but if you do not know the oneness of you, you are useless.” Yogi Bhajan, 9/22/73
KRI has many resources for student and teachers. Last summer I was studying the manual entitled, “Man to Man” for a class I co-taught at Summer Solstice Sadhana. It was really fun to rediscover those classes. The book has lectures and technologies from Yogi Bhajan’s classes for men. Visit our online store, The Source, or The Source E-book Store for this book and other great books and manuals on Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
This summer I had the blessing of taking the KRI Level Two Mind & Meditation module in Espanola, NM. I had taken Lifestyles & Lifecycles eons ago but had not participated as a learner with a “beginner’s mind” for a very long time. Whereas the Level One program gives the Foundations of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, the Level Two modules are about Transformation and deepening your core capacities, character, and consciousness. In the words of Yogi Bhajan, “I am just trying to make you change, because you want to change but you don’t change. I know you. It is very difficult for you to leave your habits. First we create habits and then our habits create us.” Six days of intensive study with our four extraordinary trainers from South Africa, Canada, and the United States, along with the Master himself through daily video classes, answered a personal prayer — to have the time and opportunity to delve more deeply into my Self after decades of “doing” in the world. Over fifty students from around the world came to do the hard work, as described by Guru Nanak, of “Conquer your own mind and you will conquer the world”. I observed and experienced unique qualities in this group, even as we were all working on ourselves. There was always kindness, generosity, compassion, humor, and love in the room. A key component of the training program is ongoing personal meditations, journaling, and small group meetings for ninety days – transformation doesn’t happen in a New York minute! A few members of my small group offered to share their experience for this article. “I would recommend “Mind and Meditation” Level Two Teacher Training to every teacher. The level of teaching went beyond my expectation. The content of the program is rich, illuminating, and expanding. It has accelerated my spiritual growth and development and catalyzed a new depth in my own practice. In this training I achieved a level of depth and understanding of the mind that I have not been able to reach before. I am deeply grateful for these teachings and these teachers.” Liv Amrita Kaur “As always, the precise curation of the teachings – the commitment of time and devoted labor by all who serve this work of Love – awakens my heart. The program design conveys a wealth of information in a short time, while inviting compassion and personal depth. The leaders are clear, purpose-full…and fun! Mind & Meditation set me on a whole new course with my practice and my teaching.” Dharam Inder Kaur “My psychic fields were cleared out, my personal sadhana was deeply strengthened, and I received wisdom and practices that I know will support me and the students I share them with for many years to come. Creating the space in my life to take this training, surrounded and supported by other Kundalini Yoga teachers, was one of the best investments of time, energy, and money I’ve made this year. The gift that keeps on giving. Mind & Meditation was my second Level Two module, after taking Vitality & Stress. Together they are super powerful!” Christine Arylo, Feminine Leadership Advisor and Author We hope to see you next summer for Vitality & Stress! Blessings to all, Sangeet Kaur Khalsa (Espanola)
Sangeet Kaur discovered her singing voice at the age of 8, and studied music performance at the University of Toronto. After several years of singing with Canada’s first professional chamber choir, she became a longtime student/teacher of Yogi Bhajan in 1978. Sangeet Kaur is well-known as an accomplished singer and recording artist. She serves tirelessly in her local Sikh community, in her home studio, and via the internet --mentoring others to find their own true voices.
A child wants to be strong to face tomorrow. That's what a child wants, but the child is not trained that way. They are protected – not prepared. So naturally, children have to revolt and they can't take their parents' proclamation, “I want to protect you.” What for? What are you protecting them from? Prepare him, prepare her. -Yogi Bhajan April 17, 1993
Today I dropped my daughter off at the airport for another year at Miri Piri Academy. She was not happy about going to school this year and it was a difficult morning with tears and silence and anger. We had been discussing all summer the reasons I have made the decision for her to return to MPA again, but despite hearing and understanding my reasons, she wanted to try something different. She felt that she was missing-out on some alternate experience of teenage life that she desperately wanted to try.
As a parent, these are some of the hardest moments. The moments when we put our foot down, when we limit our children’s choices, when they cry or scream or protest repeatedly, and we have to stick to our decisions regardless of their anger or sadness. These are the moments when we have to remind ourselves that we are here not just to protect our children, but to prepare them. Setting limits is an important part of that preparation.
Ultimately, we want our children to recognize that they are part of the Infinite, that their spirit is vast and they have the capacity to transcend the limitations imposed by their communities, environments, and especially their own fears and mental patterns. The purpose of setting limits on our children’s environments and choices is to give them an opportunity to build their confidence, skills, and awareness for that moment when it is time to transcend those limits, even those limits that we have set for them.
So first, a person learns only in limited environments. And when they become perfect in the perfection of their own confidence in limited environments, then they can tackle unlimited environments. Yogi Bhajan, March 11, 1974
By setting limits we teach them how to navigate life where every choice has constraints and consequences. We teach them the skill of recognizing how to work within limits when necessary and how to overcome limits when circumstances demand it. Whether it’s a uniform, a schedule, limited screen-time, curfew, or school choice, as parents we set limits not only to protect our children but to prepare them to successfully navigate the maze of life. Every situation presents choices, positive and negative, and challenges to our beliefs about what we want to do or are capable of doing. Children will question and challenge every limitation, discovering within themselves new capacities and skills to work within those boundaries or the acumen to decide to transcend them.
Ultimately, as they gain confidence in themselves, they will discover ways around the limitations that are no longer serving them and respect for those limits that are valuable. For example, our younger and newer students protest bitterly about the daily one-hour screen-time limit at MPA. However, by the time they graduate they nearly always express appreciation for the opportunity to really be present with each other.
When my daughter inevitably grows in confidence, knowledge, discipline, and self-awareness, she will one day be ready for that alternate experience she is looking for. In a thousand ways, large and small, we prepare our children for life by setting boundaries so that they can grow strong enough to stand tall and transcend any limitation, real or imagined, that is holding them back.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan, including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Raising Children with Values and Virtues
10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
The ability to self-regulate internal states, either physical, mental, or emotional, is a fundamental construct underlying not only the field of mind-body medicine (which includes yoga), but also much of what is in the broader field of behavioral medicine. The practices in this realm include cognitive and meditation skills, relaxation techniques, and the contemplative mind-body practices of yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. Through these practices, one acquires the skills of regulating functions including physical movement, respiratory activity, cardiovascular functions, and cognitive and emotional activity and reactivity. Research studies have confirmed that yoga practice can lead to significant improvements in muscular tension, neuro-muscular activity and coordination, basal respiratory rate, blood pressure, heart rate, cognitive performance, meta-cognition, and management of mental stress and reactivity of emotion.
The control of some of these functions is mediated through the direct command of the central nervous system including the ability to consciously relax muscles and change respiration rate – this is somewhat self-evident. What has been of more interest scientifically, with respect to self-regulation, is the ability to exert control over processes believed to be automatically regulated, such as the autonomic nervous system, which can affect changes in the activity of internal organs and functions including heart activity, blood pressure, and metabolic rate. This is because historically, and even currently, in the field of medicine these activities have been believed to be out of the control of conscious will. One of the most well-known measures of this self-regulation of autonomic function is heart rate. Historically, what is of particular interest, are the early descriptions of instances/cases in the West that have suggested the feasibility of this kind of self-regulation.
William James was a very notable philosopher, psychologist, medical doctor, and Harvard faculty in the late 19th century. In fact, the Department of Psychology on the Harvard University campus now bears his name, William James Hall. He was a pioneer in the field of psychology who gained widespread recognition from his seminal 1890 textbook The Principles of Psychology, a tome of 1,200 pages taking 12 years to complete. He also had the opportunity to interact personally with yoga master and proponent Swami Vivekananda during his visits to Boston in the late 1800’s. This influenced his work in research on contemplative states and practices, and meditation specifically, culminating in his landmark 1902 book The Varieties of Religious Experience. He was one of the early academics to recognize and describe the mind-body interaction and the capacity for self-regulation. In his 1890 text he wrote a clear statement of the mind-body connection: “Mental states occasion also changes in the calibre of blood-vessels, or alteration in the heart-beats, or processes more subtle still, in glands and viscera. …it will be safe to lay down the general law that no mental modification ever occurs which is not accompanied or followed by a bodily change.” He then cites cases of “exceptional individuals” reporting direct effects on the heart rate at will –a famous medical anecdote of a Colonel Townsend who could stop his heart at will and a 1889 report on voluntary control of the heart by a Dr. S.A. Pease.
The case of Colonel Townsend can be traced back to its first description by George Cheyne M.D. in his 1733 book A Treatise of Diseases of all Kinds. He recounts being called to examine Townsend with two medical colleagues near the end of his life, as he was on his death bed suffering from a terminal disease. It was Townsend’s wish to convey to them an experience/phenomenon in which “…composing himself, he could die or expire when he pleased, and yet by an effort or somehow, he could come to life again.” Despite cautions by the doctors not to do a demonstration given his condition, the Colonel insisted, and Cheyne describes the event of that morning.
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“We all three felt his pulse first: it was distinct, tho small and [weak]: and his heart had its usual beating. He composed himself on his back, and lay in a still posture some time: while I held his right hand, Dr. Baynard laid his hand on his heart, and Mr. Skrine held a clean [mirror] to his mouth. I found his pulse sink gradually, till at last I could not feel any, by the most exact and nice touch. Dr. Baynard could not feel the least motion in his heart nor Mr. Skrine the least soil of breath on the bright mirror he held to his mouth; then each of us by turns examined his arm, heart and breath but could not by the nicest scrutiny discover the least symptom of life in him.”
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“As we were going away, we observed some motion about the body, and upon examination, found his pulse and the motion of his heart gradually returning: he began to breath gently and speak softly: we were all astonished to the last degree at this unexpected change, and after some further conversation with him, and among ourselves, went away fully satisfied as to all the particulars of this fact, but confounded and puzzled, and not able to form any rational scheme that might account for it.”.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
Sat Nam from The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings!
We have just completed this year’s Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund campaign. Your contributions, big and small, are all an important part of our success. Building the Endowment Fund will be a project for many years to come, Thank you!
Our prayer is that over time we can raise enough funds to create an endowment fund of $11 million to support the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings in perpetuity. This may sound like a lofty goal, but as Yogi Bhajan said;
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
Praana, Praanee, Praanayam
Exploring the Breath Technology of Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan®
Compiled from the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan and illustrated by Harijot Kaur Khalsa
Praana, Praanee, Praanayam is a collection of Yogi Bhajan's quotes and kriyas gathered from lectures throughout his 35-year teaching career in the West. Yogi Bhajan was a Master of praanic energy, and these quotes and kriyas can help you to understand and experience who you truly are in the universe of praana.
Regular Retail: $35.00
Promo: $29.75
Art & Yoga
Kundalini Awakening in Everyday Life
by Hari Kirin Kaur Khalsa
“The sole purpose of life is the soul.” —Yogi Bhajan
Learn to express your soul’s longing, delve into images that awaken your imagination and speak of a truth yet explored. Allow Art & Yoga to take you on a journey to your intuitive, creative, and authentic self—the True Being, awakened!
This book is for anyone interested in yoga and the arts. It explains how to create a daily Art and Yoga practice. It provides step-by-step guidelines for producing art and doing yoga as complementary practices individually, in a group, or in community. Yogis will find creative exercises to deepen their experience of yoga, while artists will discover simple, yet profound yoga and meditation practices that will help their creative flow, focus, and intuition. Along the way, we will draw inspiration from the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, nature, artists of the past, and recent developments in healing and spirituality.
Retail: $29.95
Promo: $25.46
Timeless Wisdom from Yogi Bhajan DVD Series 3 Kundalini Yoga Class DVDs and 3 Kundalini Yoga Lecture and Meditation DVDs in two complementary mini series Kundalini Yoga Class Series (These all have yoga sets)
Eliminating Inner Anger DVD
Refining the Spirit DVD
Angular Body Energy DVD
Kundalini Yoga Lecture and Meditation Series
(These are lectures followed by meditation)
Winning Through Trust DVD
Reaching the Real You DVD
Discover Your Soul DVD
Retail: $19.95 per DVD
Promo: $16.96
Sat Nam.
Greetings from New Mexico!
Our friends and neighbors are joining us to celebrate the birthday, life, and legacy of Yogi Bhajan at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das. If you can get to New Mexico for the evening of August 25th, please come and enjoy the party! We also will be chanting the 2.5 cycle Adi Shakti Mantra, “Ek Ong Kar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru,” and the Guru Mantra, “Guru Guru Wahe Guru, Guru Ram Das Guru,” on Yogi Bhajan’s actual birthday which is August 26th. These two mantras are chanted all over the world on Yogi Bhajan’s birthday. If you have not done it before, it is a wonderful experience not to be missed. Check with your local Kundalini Yoga Teacher about the time and place that it will be chanted in your locale.
Yogi Bhajan’s teachings are so magnificent that it is easy to forget that he was an actual human being. In many ways, he was just like us - living life as it presented itself to him every day. Here is a story he told about himself, on his birthday, August 26th, 1989.
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“In Amritsar a very perfect scene happened. I was meditating in Harmandir Sahib [the Golden Temple], you know out of reverence you call it that. Out of chance, because we used to go early, we were sitting in the first row. And I felt there was something in my lap, but I didn't move. I didn't care, I was meditating. But there was something warmer on my lap than anything else. That, I understood.
The kirtan finished, Ardas [the Sikh prayer], happened and I didn’t stand up [like I should have]. I think they forgave me with the idea that, because I am Siri Singh Sahib and I am a yogi, perhaps I have gone far away so I did not care like a normal person to get up. They forgave me. Finally, it came time for prashad [the sweet food distributed at the end of the Sikh service], and I didn’t move my hands. Now that is something very challenging - that somebody wants to give you prashad, but you don't accept it. Finally he gave the prashad to the person at my side and I slowly start slipping back [to consciousness].
I looked down and there was a beautiful kitten sitting in my lap! I don't know how it came in. I don't know why he selected me, but I was sitting right there with the kitten. I slowly put it to the side. The man who was giving prashad offered me a very big handful of prashad and I took it. Then he said, ‘It must have disturbed you. Sometimes these cats come in and we do not know from where.’ But to me the kitten came to listen to the kirtan. It came to listen to the Ardas. And I had an obligation to my little guest. I was the host.
The next day, in the evening … we came back and the head Granthi [clergyman] called to me and said, ‘Yogiji, these days you really have reached God and beyond. I was watching you that day and you never got up, you never even took prashad. You were gone. What a state of ecstasy!’
I said, ‘Thank you, little cat.’”
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Epilepsy is a disorder in which recurrent seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. A person is diagnosed with epilepsy if they have two unprovoked seizures (or one unprovoked seizure with the likelihood of more) that were not caused by some known and reversible medical condition. There are different types of seizures. Generalized onset seizures affect both sides of the brain or groups of cells on both sides of the brain at the same time. On the other hand, focal onset seizures can start in one area or group of cells in one side of the brain. Epileptic seizures are the result of excessive and abnormal neuronal activity in the cortex of the brain and often brought on by factors such as stress, alcohol abuse, flickering light, or a lack of sleep, among others. An electroencephalogram (EEG) to look for abnormal patterns of brain waves and neuroimaging (CT scan or MRI) to look at the structure of the brain are also usually part of the diagnostic evaluation. In the United States, epilepsy affects an estimated 2.2 to 2.3 million people. The key driver of direct costs in epilepsy is medical service expenditures, which are substantial. However, the overwhelming majority of total costs are attributable to indirect costs such as job absenteeism. For general epilepsy populations, total annual direct healthcare costs per person ranged from $10,192 to $47,862 and epilepsy‐specific costs ranged from $1,022 to $19,749. These costs are a healthcare burden that needs to be addressed.
Epilepsy cannot usually be cured outright, but pharmaceutical medications can control seizures effectively in about 70 percent of the cases. The mainstay treatment of epilepsy is anticonvulsant medications, possibly for the person's entire lifespan. Trials of single medications are recommended initially. However, if this is not effective, two medications simultaneously may be prescribed. Medications available include older antiepileptic drugs such as phenytoin, carbamazepine, and valproate and newer ones which include lamotrigine, levetiracetam, zonisamide, etc. Adverse effects from medications are reported in 10 to 90 percent of people. Most adverse effects are dose-related and mild and can include mood changes, sleepiness, or unsteadiness in gait. Certain medications have side effects that are not related to dose such as rashes, liver toxicity, or suppression of the bone marrow. Importantly, up to a quarter of people stop treatment due to adverse effects and some medications are not appropriate during pregnancy. Therefore, there is a need for alternative, nonpharmacological interventions.
There is credible and mounting evidence that yoga and meditation practices can improve stress, psychophysiological hyperarousal, and psychological well-being, and may be helpful in treating clinical problems such as depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. The relationship between stress and epilepsy is well known. Stress leads to release of glucocorticoids, neuropeptides, and corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), which can excite immature hippocampal neurons and cause seizures, resulting in a vicious cycle. A majority of adult patients with medically refractory epilepsies have mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Yoga and meditation interventions may modulate the disturbed limbic system activity in such patients and may help to maintain normal homeostatic conditions. Stress reduction and subjective feelings of well-being may be important factors contributing to seizure reduction and EEG changes ascribed to some forms of meditation. Yoga is thought to achieve seizure control through experience-related plasticity or through a shift in autonomic output toward relative parasympathetic dominance. Other proposed mechanisms of yoga benefit include EEG desynchronization and activation of inhibitory circuits through vagal nerve stimulation. One study has suggested that yoga training stimulates the vagus nerve, which may be relevant because electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve has been shown to decrease seizure frequency by 28 to 38 percent. There is therefore a positive rationale for the therapeutic role of yoga and meditation practices.
However, there has been controversy about the link between meditation practice and the neurological disorder of epilepsy. Some have suggested the concern that brain states induced by meditation could be conducive to triggering seizures in epileptics or could trigger epilepsy with patients with no known history or risk factors for epilepsy. The proposed epileptogenic influence of meditation is based on observed meditation-induced alterations in neurophysiology (hypersynchrony and increased coherence of brain activity) and neurochemistry (release of glutamate and serotonin). A study in 1993 found a significantly large incidence of complex partial epilepsy-like signs and experiences in meditators compared to controls. The study presented data of 221 meditators who displayed these signs compared to 860 non-meditators. However, several studies on patients with epilepsy practicing meditation have actually demonstrated improvement in seizure frequency and duration and EEG profile. A study published in 1995 has shown that experiences of unbounded awareness (transcendental consciousness) during meditation are correlated with specific physiological changes, e.g., global increase in EEG coherence, slowing of respiration and heart rate, and increased basal skin resistance. These changes are not epileptic-like and are not pathological but are positively correlated with intelligence, creativity, and mental health.
A number of studies have further attested to the safety and efficacy of yoga practices in epilepsy. Two unblinded randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in 1996 and 2008, recruited a total of 50 adults with refractory epilepsy and compared any type of classical Indian yoga to control conditions with no intervention or interventions such as yoga-mimicking exercises or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Results of the overall efficacy analysis showed that yoga treatment was better when compared with no intervention or interventions other than yoga. These data also suggested that yoga may have a role as an adjuvant therapy in the management of autonomic dysfunction in patients with refractory epilepsy.
A recent review paper on mindfulness-based interventions for epilepsy published in 2017 described three RCTs with a total of 231 participants in the USA (n = 171) and Hong Kong (n = 60). Significant improvements were reported in depression symptoms, quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Despite positive findings, the authors noted significant design limitations including unclear or high risk of bias, low statistical power, lack of measurement of longer-term effects, limited accounting for confounding factors, no measures of home practice, and poor reporting of randomization procedures, adverse events, and reasons for subject drop-outs. This systematic review concluded that there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in epilepsy, however preliminary evidence suggests it may lead to some improvement in anxiety, depression, and quality of life.
In summary, yoga interventions may contribute positively to the treatment of epilepsy by enhancing quality of life and by decreasing seizure activity. Yoga interventions can be integrated into an outpatient clinic with good results, are noninvasive and low cost, and can be conducted even in the presence of language barriers and cultural differences. However, much more rigorous research needs to be conducted in this field and yoga can only be justified as an adjunctive treatment to antiepileptic drugs at the present time and should not generally be used as the sole treatment method.
Ishpreet Singh is a medical doctor and researcher from the Dayanand Medical College in India. He has worked extensively in India and USA with individuals with mental health and neurological disorders and is inclined towards integrating eastern yogic and meditation methods into mainstream medicine. He is an avid practitioner of Kundalini Yoga and meditation and brings this as a tool to help people heal, addressing deeper causes of illness and disease.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
As many of you know, August is a special time of year for us. Yogi Bhajan’s birthday brings an opportunity to celebrate and remember our beloved teacher. His words and wisdom have given us a technology that transcends time. Here at the at The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings we are working hard to preserve his words in their original form.
We are gearing up for our Summer Fundraiser in honor of the birthday of Yogi Bhajan. From August 22nd to 26th, we will be raising money for The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund. Our endowment is a savings account for the future of the library that, when full funded, will pay for the expenses of preserving the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. It will allow us to continue offering this precious resource, for free, to the future generations of yogis. Stay tuned as we will be sharing the easy ways that you can contribute to the Endowment Fund.
“I hope you will give a chance to your future and see your future, and you will put every negative, positive, neutral, nothing, everything into it. So that when your children become people tomorrow, they should pray for you.” Yogi Bhajan, January 7th,1990
As we celebrate his life and the legacy of Yogi Bhajan, remember the infinite ways in which your life has been impacted by these priceless teachings and how they have profoundly changed who you are as a person. As you feel the depth of their impact and see their presence in each day, please consider giving back to the teachings! Your gifts will help build the Endowment Fund to support the Library of Teachings being offered to the world for free… for generations to come.
“Guru has laid the path, let us walk it. Let us not serve the lineage, let us serve the legacy” Yogi Bhajan, January 31st, 1993
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
Make this your year to experience India – The Guru Ram Das Chetna Yatra
Have you longed to travel to India and see the Golden Temple? Make this your year to celebrate the birthday of Guru Ram Das in Amritsar. Join us October 23rd to 28th for the Guru Ram Das Chetna Yatra. Chetna is a beautiful word that means to “awaken.” This yatra will be a trip of seva and devotion to awaken the love of Guru Ram Das in the sangat and in ourselves.
“Yatra is a holy journey. We must go into the center, the heart center. It is a journey on earth to one’s ‘Isht’ - one’s higher self, one’s altar. It is a self-purification. So, we go from here to designated holy places and we have no other work but to get up in the morning, to meditate, to go to those beautiful surroundings. Sometimes our mind hassles us, but we do conquer it. This is the purpose of Yatra.” –Yogi Bhajan
The schedule of the Yatra will be:
- On October 23rd and 24th, together with our Kirtan jathas (musical groups), the Yatra will attend programs around Amritsar, the home of Guru Ram Das. Most mornings will be at your leisure for meditating at the beautiful Golden Temple, fantastic shopping, and exploring the city Amritsar.
- On October 25th, we will join Miri Piri Academy and the huge sangat of Amritsar in the streets for a procession in honor of Guru Ram Das ji. That night, we will attend the famous Raag Kirtan Darbar to hear classical Kirtan, including our own Chardi Kala Jatha.
- On October 26th, we will celebrate Guru Ram Das’ birthday with tens of thousands of devotees at the Golden Temple. The crowds will be big, and our spirits will be soaring!
- On October 28th, we will complete the Yatra with Sunday Gurdwara at Miri Piri Academy, tour the campus, and enjoy langar at the school.
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“Guru Nanak said, ‘Sat Nam.’ You don't understand Sat Nam. Sat Nam means my name, my identity, my personality, my existence is True. It's a pure truth. He leaves no room for duality, for any reason, for any purpose, whatever that is. His personality was straightforwardly clear that ‘Ek Ong Kar,’ ‘you are the creation of that One.’ One by one, every individual has to be respected. Every existence has to be respected. Every life has to be respected. If you refer to something, you should have not only reference, you should have reverence also.” – Yogi Bhajan, November 8, 1992, Espanola, NM
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"Project yourself in one way only. That in God you dwell - you are God's people. Forget about that you are American, forget about that you are even Sikh, forget about that you are a woman, forget about that you are a man, forget about that you are rich, forget about that you are poor, forget about everything about you. But remember one thing about you - that you are purely and basically God's people...Tell all the world, all the living world, that you are God's being. If your children know that you are a divine person, you do not understand how much love, reverence, and respect they will give you." – Yogi Bhajan, July 8, 1981, Espanola, NM
The following meditation, which can be found in the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings, is a powerful tool in building your own self-reverence and projecting that out to the world. Through the power of our own self-respect, we build the possibility of expecting respect from our children.
Meditation: Projection of the Divine in the Self
Time: 1 hours and 2 mins.
Eyes: Open and focused at the tip of the nose
Mantra: Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Se So Hung
Date: Jan 20, 1977
This meditation is a powerful projector of the Divine in the Self and originates from a great Mahan Yogi. It may be done with a group of eleven people, which builds a beautiful group energy.
Instructions
- 1. Sit in a comfortable meditative posture with a straight spine.
- 2. Bring the hands palm up in front of the Heart Center.
- 3. Cross the right wrist over the left wrist.
- 4. Hook the thumbs and fold the fingertips up to meet each other.
- 5. The mudra will create a bud-like shape with the thumbs inside the folded fingers.
- 6. Eyes are open; focused on the tip of the nose.
- 7. Deeply inhale and chant the mantra Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Se So Hung, in a monotone, 3 times on the exhale.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan, including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Raising Children with Values and Virtues
10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
The Master’s Touch
On Being a Sacred Teacher for the New Age
Yogi Bhajan, PhD.
Master of Kundalini Yoga
This book is for every student of Truth. Whatever path you have chosen, it will give you an understanding of the true meaning of mastery. In this superb collection of teachings from his “Master’s Touch” courses, Yogi Bhajan, one of the most pragmatic spiritual Teachers of our time, explains the path of the Teacher. He does it with wit, compassion, and a practical sense of the challenges of daily life.
Retail: $49.95
Promo: $42.46
The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan
The Power of the Spoken Word
Yogi Bhajan, PhD
This is a book of timeless wisdom transmitted by one of the great teachers of the age. It has the power to make people happy in moments of sadness and to lift their spirits in times of depression. It is a powerful tool to clean the subconscious mind and to replace negative thought patterns with positive ones. Its inner secret is the power of the spoken word.
Retail: $15.95
PROMO: $13.56
Laws of Life
The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan
Edited by Hargopal Kaur Khalsa
Over the years, Yogi Bhajan outlined hundreds of Laws to live by. This book is a small gem, a collection of Yogi Bhajan quotations and meditations for living a life of joy, kindness and compassion.
The law of happiness is, “Let things come to you.” What comes to you will make you happy. What you go after shall make you miserable.
-Yogi Bhajan
Retail: $14.95
Promo: $12.71
Kundalini Yoga with the Master
DVD Series
The Kundalini Yoga with the Master DVD Series is your chance to practice a demanding physical kriya with Yogi Bhajan. The all new picture-in-picture guide shows the proper posture and timing while you are challenged to "Keep Up!" by the Master himself.
Volume 1: Energize Your System
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
Among other benefits, this kriya contains exercises to:
-energize the heart chakra and stomach
-give power to the immune system
-adjust the spine
-cleanse the liver and purify the blood
Volume 2: Balance the Vayus
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
There are five principal Vayus: Praana moving in the heart area; Udaana in the throat; Samaana in the navel region; Apaana in the pelvic floor; and Vyaana which circulates throughout the whole body. This set moves all five Vayus of the body and brings equilibrium to the glandular system.
Volume 3: For Mental Balance
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
Concludes with Yogi Bhajan playing the gong while you nap. Yogi Bhajan said that by regularly practicing the first and second exercise in this kriya for three minutes each and then repeating frog pose 108 times you can achieve physical and mental health.
Volume 4: Optimum Health
Featured in Owner’s Manual for the Human Body
Refine your radiance with Optimum Health. This physically demanding set is balanced with great moments of relaxation including an 11-minute nap to Guru Ram Das Lullaby and a gong meditation.
Volume 5: Automatic Endurance
featured in the manual Owner's Manual for the Human Body
Let this DVD show you:
- Conscious breath for total self-purification
- The Power of baby pose
- How to develop tolerance, grit and nerves of steel
Volume 6: Wake Up the Body to Handle Stress and Strain
Featured in the manual Owner's Manual for the Human Body
This video contains ideal exercises to do in bed or just out of bed first thing in the morning!
Volume 7: Yogic Salutations
Featured in the manual Self Knowledge
This kriya incorporates a variety of salutations including:
- Narda Pranaam
- Hans Pranaam
- Guru Pranaam
Volume 8: Massage for the Lymphatic System
Featured in the manual Physical Wisdom
Stimulating eliminative movement in the lymphatic system is essential to a strong body and healthy immune system. Give your lymphatic system a massage with this original kriya taught by Yogi Bhajan!
All DVDs in this series:
Regular Retail: $19.95 per DVD
Promo: $16.96 per DVD
Or get the entire set for the everyday low “set price” of $119.70 (25% off full retail)
Sat Nam and warm greetings from New Mexico. Our June KRI Aquarian Trainer Academy Forum was fantastic! Our theme was “Culture, Community, and Communication”. Over 108 trainers attended the workshops and participated in robust discussions. It was inspiring and productive, setting the agenda for the Trainer Forums that will be happening around the world. Look for an Aquarian Trainer Academy Forum near you.
3HO’s Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration in New Mexico was also a wonderful event. The hot days of White Tantric Yoga and cool evenings filled with stars, music, and friends - there is nothing quite like Summer Solstice! I really enjoyed attending and teaching, seeing the teachers and students who come from around the globe.
Are you a teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®? Have you ever wondered what inspired some of our Legacy teachers and what they practiced? There is a manual that contains many of the kriyas that Yogi Bhajan taught in the 70’s and 80’s. The manual is called Kriya - Yoga Sets, Meditations, and Classic Kriyas from the early years of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. I have been re-discovering them and teaching these kriyas wherever I have been traveling. Use this tool and combine it with something from the book Blessings – the Power of Prayer, a selection of Yogi Bhajan’s end-of-class prayers, and you have some really great classes to share.
Now is the time for Teachers! We still have space available in our International Teacher Training Level One Immersion Program. This challenging time is calling you to serve humanity, and there is no better way to do this than becoming a teacher of Kundalini Yoga. It encourages me to know that a lifetime of service and uplifting students is available to you as an Aquarian teacher. If you are considering that path or you know a student who is considering teaching Kundalini Yoga, there is still time to register for Level One Teacher Training here in New Mexico. If you are in the Aquarian Academy, consider serving as a Trainer In Training. You will find details of the TNT program in this newsletter. Come be with us this August! It is an amazing experience for students and trainers alike.
We are diligently working on the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings searchable database website. Here are two new videos to inspire you to get started with your journey into the library. “Getting to Know Us” and “2018 Current Features Update”
All the best with divine blessings,
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO Kundalini Research Institute
Are you in the process of becoming a trainer? Are you available to immerse yourself in the process of personal growth as a trainer? Then the Trainer in Training Program in Espanola this summer will be perfect for you. We want you to join us this summer!
In July and August each year, KRI provides a Level One Immersion Teacher Training program in Espanola, NM USA and offers a parallel program in trainer development, fondly called the “TNT Program.” This program is a good opportunity to completely immerse yourself in the process of developing as a trainer. TNTs come from all over the globe to form a community of support for the student teachers. TNTs have come from South Africa, Cambodia, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, Poland, Canada, Thailand, China, Japan, Israel, Argentina, Germany, Australia, and from across the US. Many TNTs go on to become Lead Trainers and bring Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training to their respective countries. Are you next?!
At the Immersion, the TNTs support students through their development into a Level One Kundalini Yoga Instructor while receiving training themselves from KRI Senior Trainers such as Sat Siri Kaur, Siri Neel Kaur, Sat Purkh Kaur, Dev Suroop Kaur, and Nirvair Singh. All of this in New Mexico, the land of enchantment that Yogi Bhajan called “God’s true home.”
During the program TNTs participate in all aspects of the training including:
- Attending a 5-day Training Week with the staff concentrating on developing individual and team growth,
- Meeting each morning with the TNT Coordinator for support and coaching,
- Facilitating a group of students from the beginning of the training through certification,
- Participating in the 2.5 hour “Long Ek Ong Kaar” meditation in honor or Yogi Bhajan’s birthday,
- Joining people from around the world as we celebrate the Life and Legacy of Yogi Bhajan at the Ranch on Yogi Bhajan’s birthday,
- Practicing Aquarian Group Sadhana with the students and the sangat of Hacienda de Guru Ram Das, and
- Being a part of the diverse and experienced Immersion Program Team.
The experience of anxiety, as clinically defined, is a feeling of dread and/or worry that may also be associated with continuing rumination and physical symptoms of the stress response such as rapid heartbeat, perspiration, and muscle tension. When this becomes persistent and heightened in intensity it may begin to meet the criterion of one of the anxiety disorders. Symptoms in anxiety disorders may manifest as panic attacks, feeling overwhelmed and uneasy in social situations, and a variety of possible phobias about specific places or future events. Anxiety is clinically significant if a patient suffers from anxiety symptoms for at least 6 months in any given year, as is the case for 6.8 million adults in the U.S. who suffer from one of the more common forms known as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Patients with GAD have persistent and excessive worry about a range of different things such as money, health, family, or anticipated disaster when there is no apparent reason for concern. Individuals find it difficult to control their worry. This may be related to past emotional traumas leading to an enlarged and overactive brain region called the amygdala, responsible for emotion and the stress response. When the over-sensitive amygdala is excessively activated, the basal ganglion region of the brain along with the frontal lobe, which are normally responsible for self-regulation, are unable to put the brakes on the amygdala. It is believed that a combination of biological and social factors, particularly stressful life events, play a role in the development of GAD.
Although pharmacotherapy is available for GAD patients, many patients remain untreated or are medicated but would prefer alternatives to pharmacotherapy. Prescription drugs that treat anxiety may only be effective at treating the physical symptoms and often carry a high risk for addiction and may severely impair mood, judgment, and cognition. Fortunately, for those patients with the knowledge and access to it, there is a credible behavioral alternative. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) addresses negative thought patterns and cognitive distortions in the way we look at the world and ourselves. The efficacy of CBT for anxiety disorders has strong support from a good body of clinical research trial literature including meta analytic review studies.
A growing body of evidence suggests that contemplative practices such as yoga and meditation may also be effective at treating GAD. Indeed, yoga and meditation, through engaging the activity of the attention networks in the frontal lobe, is a form of self-regulation that can inhibit and regulate activity in brain areas, including the amygdala, that are associated with fear and stress-responses. This regulation thereby decreases emotional intensity and perceived stress levels and improves ability to manage everyday stressors and emotional reactions. During mindfulness meditation practices, such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), individuals become less reactive to unpleasant feelings and more reflective, which then leads to positive psychological outcomes. When researchers recently evaluated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of MBSR interventions, they found that the practice is moderately to largely effective at reducing anxiety and depression symptom severity among individuals with a range of psychiatric conditions. The most comprehensive review to date examined the effects of 209 trials of mind body interventions (MBIs) which included 12,145 patients and found MBIs to be more effective in reducing psychological and medical symptom severity than a number of control conditions.
Yoga is one of the MBIs that may offer some advantages to the benefits conferred by meditation alone. Indeed, physical yoga exercises and breathing practices may induce the positive changes in brain neurochemistry that is linked to a more positive mood and affect. Specifically, yoga has been found to increase thalamic GABA levels (a brain neurotransmitter), in a similar fashion to pharmacologic agents acting on GABA levels to alleviate anxiety. Pranayama or yogic breathing may also contribute to the shift towards a dominance of the parasympathetic nervous system (associated with relaxation). Indeed, a recent meta-analysis of eight RCTs of yoga interventions with 319 participants revealed evidence for small, short-term benefits of yoga on anxiety compared to controls. However, in that review, there were no effects found for anxiety disorders that were formally diagnosed. The researchers concluded that “yoga might be an effective and safe intervention for individuals with elevated levels of anxiety” but that “there was inconclusive evidence for effects of yoga in anxiety disorders”.
A preliminary clinical evaluation of yoga for GAD was conducted at the outpatient center of Riverside Community Care in the Boston area, in collaboration with Boston University and Harvard Medical School researchers. The results were published in a 2015 paper in the journal Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. Thirty-two treatment-resistant GAD patients participated in an intervention (Y-CBT) consisting of CBT enriched with Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®, a yoga style which is adaptable for therapeutic populations (the Guru Ram Das Center for Medicine and Humanology specializes in such applications). The classes in this study included 30 minutes of yoga, meditation, breathing practices (especially long, slow abdominal breathing), and deep relaxation practices. The participants’ post-intervention scores showed statistically significant improvements in anxiety, depression, panic, sleep, and quality of life. The study’s lead author, psychologist Manjit Kaur Khalsa and her colleague Dr. Greiner-Ferris, have recently published a book, The Yoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety, detailing their strategy to reduce anxiety with a step-by-step six-week program of yoga, meditation, and CBT strategies. The results from this preliminary study suggest that Y-CBT may have potential as a promising treatment for those suffering from GAD.
Another more recent publication of a Kundalini Yoga-based study for GAD is currently in press in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy. In that study, forty-nine female participants meeting the DSM-IV criteria for GAD were recruited from the community near the Sundari Satnam Kundalini Yoga Center in Grafton, VT. Both Boston University and Harvard Medical School researchers were part of the study team. The subjects were randomized to either an 8-week Kundalini Yoga intervention or a group receiving treatment as usual. The experimental subjects met for 8 consecutive weeks for 1.25 hours in a group format and received intensive training in Kundalini Yoga kriyas incorporating yoga postures, breathing, mantra, meditation, and relaxation. Results revealed that the participants of the yoga group had lower levels of anxiety relative to control subjects and had a decrease in somatic symptoms. These new findings further support the potential role for the use of Kundalini Yoga as a therapy, in this case for patients with a formal diagnosis of GAD.
In summary, there is encouraging preliminary evidence suggesting efficacy of yoga for treating GAD patients, particularly for Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. However, much research remains to be done and so there is still insufficient evidence to make definitive recommendations about yoga therapy for this condition. More high-quality studies are warranted with larger sample sizes, and the mechanism of action for yoga’s therapeutic benefits in GAD patients needs further investigation. In fact, a ground-breaking NIH-funded, 5-year, multi-site trial that will be concluding soon, is evaluating the efficacy of Kundalini Yoga for GAD as compared to CBT and a psychological attention control condition (see the article: Yoga for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Design of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. The sample consists of 230 individuals with a primary DSM-5 diagnosis of GAD, 95 of which are receiving a manualized Kundalini Yoga group intervention delivered by local certified Kundalini Yoga instructors supervised by Dr. Sat Bir Khalsa, one of the co-investigators.
Stay tuned for future results of this work.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
Yogi Bhajan gave us 10 gifts to give our children and the fourth one is to listen to them. Listening sounds simple, but it is not. Listening requires your own intuition, patience, and parenting skills. At its most basic level, active listening requires focus. In a stressful, fast paced world surrounded by phones, computers, and televisions, even this most basic pre-requisite for listening has become difficult in many homes. This is not something to feel guilty about. We have legitimate reasons for using our phones and computers throughout the day. We have work, emails, schedules, research, shopping, mapping, calls to make, and planning to do. But conscious parenting requires being aware of the impact of all that activity. When we establish healthy boundaries and habits for ourselves, we can be focused and present in our children’s lives. It is not always possible, but if we make listening our priority we can develop the habit of stepping away from work and other distractions to be fully present when our children are trying to communicate. This is the first and most basic step.
“Parents teach their children everything, but they do not teach them three main things. Listen - how to listen. Speak - how to speak. Patience - how to be patient. And a person who doesn't know how to listen, a person who doesn't know how to speak, and a person who doesn't know how to be patient will always suffer. These are three criteria of any success that you want to have in your life.” -Yogi Bhajan, January 20, 1989, Espanola, NM
We need to be willing to focus and have the patience to listen actively, waiting to formulate our own thoughts and responses until after our children are done speaking. We then can reflect back to them what they are saying and ask them thoughtful questions that will help them understand themselves in a deeper way. We are not trying to solve their problems, we are opening a space for them to understand themselves more and to discover their own strength and wisdom. This fits right in with the third gift that Yogi Bhajan recommended, to challenge your children. By opening the space for them to understand and solve their own problems, they are discovering how wise and strong they themselves are. They discover their own intuitive power to recognize the truth and see the way forward.Children need intuition. To create intuition we should have the patience to listen to them. -Yogi Bhajan, December 28, 2003, Espanola, NM
As every parent knows, children (and adults, also) do not always communicate with words, especially when they are young. And even when they are using words to express their thoughts, emotions, and fears, they may not be clear or conscious of what is truly at the heart of what they are saying or feeling. Active listening, in the classic sense, is the art of waiting to think about our response until the other person is done speaking, reflecting back to them what we heard and checking if we understood them correctly. Yogi Bhajan advocated a deeper level of listening, a patience and consciousness that allows you to reflect back not only what your child is saying, but the frequency of their communication so that you can get to the core of what they are trying to express at the soul level.How you can relate to your soul? Through your head? No. Through your heart? No. Through you? No. Through your consciousness? Yes, if you are intelligent enough to balance yourself. If you are conscious enough, you will know what chakra a person is talking from, what chakra his frequency is coming through, and as you talk to the other person what chakra frequency you are talking from. If you have the conscious availability of knowing your own frequency through your own chakras, then you are on the path. - Yogi Bhajan Lecture, March 31, 1986 Los Angeles, CA
Very recently I was caring for a 10-year-old girl who often struggled to verbally express herself. She was hurt by something another child had said to her and ran away to the dirt road outside, where she sat silently. It was getting dark, and obviously I was concerned for her safety. I was also tired and ready to relax in bed, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to rush her. I made little headway asking her questions about what she was feeling because she was just not a talker. I made less headway explaining to her the other girl's motivations and reassuring her about how much she was loved. She actually lay down in the dirt and prepared to spend the night on the road! Finally, after an hour, I gave up trying to explain things to her. I didn’t know what to do, so I just sat quietly and decided to recite Kirtan Sohila, the evening Sikh prayer that celebrates the union of the soul with the Infinite. She had never heard the words, and even I didn’t understand the meaning, but as soon as the prayer was done she got up quietly and went to bed. Sometimes listening is a mental exercise, but true listening comes from the soul. Whether you are a parent at home, or a teacher at MPA, you will have hundreds of opportunities every day to model how to listen, how to be patient, how to truly feel and relate to the frequency of another being. Listen to them, and who knows, your child may reflect back and surprise you with intuition and wisdom beyond their young years.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan, including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Raising Children with Values and Virtues
10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
Thank you to so many of you who were able to stop by our KRI booth at Summer Solstice last month! We were happy to meet you face-to-face and hear your ideas and appreciation. We are truly humbled. You continue to support the evolution of this resource and we can’t thank you enough!
In the month of July we celebrate Independence Day in the United States, a wonderful opportunity for all of us to appreciate the many freedoms we are privileged to live with. Yogi Bhajan gave a lecture July 3rd, 1991 he said;
“4th of July is a wonderful day. It brought us our sovereignty, our independence, our basic values, and we pray that we should not go off-track as humanity. Americans are very unique people. Normally they are a mess, but when they face a message they get together very fast. This is very unique character of Americans. Why? We are from everywhere and we are from nowhere, therefore we love our liberty, our sovereignty, and our land very much..”
He continues,“Tomorrow is our independence day, by virtue of which we are free, to a certain extent. But I hope the best thing is, we feel free. Still it's a wonderful land compared to other areas and we hope to keep that way. So enjoy your tomorrow, feel good as Americans. Do something nice tomorrow. Do something graceful tomorrow, in gratitude. God gave you freedom, gave you sovereignty, and gave you a great country that you can call home. “
Watch the video of the full lecture to hear more! Another example of how Yogiji’s teachings are timeless, he calls on us to be thoughtful about the next generation, to “not go off track as humanity”. In this time, perhaps more importantly than ever, we must remember our freedoms, our sovereignty, and our ability to effect change for those we are not afforded the same privileges. Thank you again to all of you who give so generously and who have supported this resource from its initial launch just four years ago. There is still so much work to be done to make it a complete resource of all of Yogi Bhajan’s lectures. Thank you for all that you do to support it!
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
If you are reading this, chances are you are already walking on the path of consciousness and working to improve yourself. You must be serious about your spiritual growth or you wouldn’t be practicing Kundalini Yoga. I mean really, why else would you get up in the early morning to meditate?
We have been blessed to receive these teachings from Yogi Bhajan, and for this gift we are grateful. But he often said, “I have not come to collect students, I have come to create teachers.” For the privilege of experiencing the joys of this path, it is our obligation to pass it on to others. As we practice Kundalini Yoga, everyone evolves eventually into a teacher in some form.
But what does that mean, to be a teacher? Beyond sitting in front of a yoga class, you are a teacher any time you apply what you have learned to help or sooth the pain of others. No doubt, this is true. But now, through the development of KRI Level Three Teacher Training, we have road-map on how to serve as teacher to the very best of our ability. KRI Level Three is a 1000-day commitment to the process of discovering and refining our authentic identity as a Teacher. It is an amazing and enlightening personal journey to Self-Realization.
What are the qualities of a true Teacher in the realm of consciousness? This question was discussed and deliberated by a group of senior Kundalini Yoga teachers in the creation of the Level Three program and they described a Teacher as having these qualities:
- Ability to penetrate through presence.
- Well-cultivated wisdom that is beyond knowledge or intellect.
- Humility to recognize that God is the doer.
- Spiritual discipline that is in service to our own sacredness.
- Courage to pursue our highest destiny.
- Continuous self-improvement through self-reflection.
- Balance of Shakti and Bhakti.
- Presence of consciousness in all aspects of our life.
- Love, kindness, and compassion, seeing God in all.
- Recognition that we are continually growing and ever evolving.
From Vegetables, With Love
Recipes & Tales from a Yogi’s Kitchen
Rewritten and expanded second edition from Siri-Ved Kaur Khalsa
In this completely rewritten and expanded second edition of From Vegetables with Love, you will find over 300 mouthwatering recipes and a wealth of information about the yogic approach to food and diet. You will learn the healing properties of natural foods and herbs, helpful “yogic kitchen tips”, and stories from Siri Ved’s years serving as Yogi Bhajan’s personal chef.
Retail: $44.95
PROMO: $38.21
Blessings
The Power of Prayer
Spoken by Yogi Bhajan
The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan
This powerful book of blessings and prayers, shared by Yogi Bhajan, provides daily inspirations and guidance for all people of spirit. Read and feel these blessings! They are uplifting, timeless, and universal.
Oh Designer, Oh Maker, Oh Guide, Oh Guardian, Oh Energy, Oh Infinite: Give this existence the peace, tranquility, honor and grace to understand and then to live in that understanding for happiness. Sat Nam
-Yogi Bhajan
Regular Retail: $14.95
Promo: $12.71
Physical Training With Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
5 DVD Box Set
This 5 DVD set follows Yogi Bhajan teaching Physical Training, (commonly called “PT”) at the Ranch in Espanola on five consecutive days in the summer of ’94. Perfect for establishing a weekly workout with Kundalini Yoga. New inset video demonstrates the posture and timing for each exercise so you can follow along with ease. Original videos have been color corrected and audio has been remastered to help bring the experience alive. Keep up and keep fit!
Retail: $39.95
Promo: $33.96
Original photo by Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa
Sat Nam and greetings from sunny New Mexico. I am getting excited about this summer. There is a lot of activity and opportunity to use the sun energy of these long days to accelerate our yogic and spiritual practices. It really is about having an experience of consciousness.
I was just asked by the new ad agency for Yogi Tea about my first class with Yogi Bhajan in 1971. I am very grateful to Yogi Tea, as that company has been a major contributor for helping KRI build the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®. I remember the experience of my first class so clearly, feeling more elevated and peaceful than I ever had before. I knew right then that I would spend the rest of my life practicing Kundalini Yoga because my experience was so profound. I decided to become a Kundalini Yoga teacher after my very first class.
In a class on April 15th, 1997, right at the conclusion of the kriya, Yogi Bhajan said this….
“You are pretty good these days. You get into it so fast, it's fun! If you desire it, you will have an experience - that's not something I am worried about. Continue to develop the Aquarian person in you. A Piscean person is like this, 'I want to know, take me there.' An Aquarian person is, 'I know. Give me the experience.' You are born by breath, you live by breath, you die by breath, and you experience by breath. There is nothing in you except the breath of life.”
Summer Solstice Sadhana in New Mexico is coming June 14th to June 23rd! White Tantric Yoga is a fantastic experience, and there is the unique opportunity to practice three consecutive days of White Tantric Yoga at Summer Solstice.
Besides White Tantric Yoga, there are many great classes to attend at Summer Solstice Sadhana. We have KRI staff members as well as many KRI certified teachers and trainers giving classes this year. I will be teaching on June 15th at 1:30 PM. Come say “Sat Nam” to me!
Now is the time for Teachers! The planet needs you now more than ever. We still have space available in our International Teacher Training Level One Immersion Program. The Aquarian Age is calling, and you can become a Teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® this summer.
Did you see the Spring Fund drive for the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings? It was all about the gong with lots of information about technique and clips of Yogi Bhajan playing the gong in class. It was a big success, and I offer a sincere “Thank You” to all of our donors. We will keep making this invaluable resource better and better with your help.
Wishing you all the best and a very Happy Solstice!
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
The Trainers Forum at Summer Solstice is almost upon us! It will be held at the Langar Hall at beautiful Hacienda de Guru Ram Das. We have a spectacular line-up of presenters and workshops just for you! Members of the Aquarian Trainer Academy, applicants, those considering applying, and all contract administrators are invited and encouraged to attend.
This is an exciting event and is the beginning of the annual cycle of Forums around the world. The discussions are always engaging and illuminating.
The Academy has over 700 members from 50 countries. Come meet your fellow trainers and participate in the ongoing evolution of the Academy and all three levels of The Aquarian Teacher®.
Wednesday, June 13th (12:30pm – 5:30pm)
Thursday, June 14th (8:30am – 5:30pm)
Register Here for the Summer Solstice Sadhana 2018 Trainers Forum. Don’t miss it!
Do you want to immerse yourself in Sikh Dharma? Camp Miri Piri is for you!
As a practitioner of Kundalini Yoga, are you interested in learning about and having a deep experience of Sikh Dharma? If so, Camp Miri Piri is for you! Camp Miri Piri is for and about Sikhs – four days of sharing the spiritual warrior experience. The camp is a celebration and a dedication to Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, who started the warrior tradition in Sikhism. He wore two swords, naming them “Miri” and “Piri”. These swords represented the balance between spiritual and worldly powers. This concept of the warrior-saint has permeated the Sikh philosophy and lifestyle ever since. The goal of Camp Miri Piri is to challenge you to connect to your soul in a deep way. Here you will find recitation of the five morning Banis, a powerful group Sadhana, challenging physical training, and inspiring Sikh stories and meditation. You will gain an in-depth experience of Sikh values by balancing the mind, body, and spirit through the practice of Gurbani Kirtan, Kundalini Yoga, meditation, and warrior workouts, as well as classes to build healthy relationships. Two Camp Miri Piri experiences are coming. Click the links for more information about these camps. June 8-12, 2018 at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das in Espanola, NM, USA Join us in the midst of the mountains and blue skies of New Mexico where you and your family will have a chance to take a deep journey within to experience the identity of the spiritual warrior. October 15-19, 2018 at Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India Join the students of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India. Immerse yourself in the spiritual warrior experience and feel your spirit ignite. This is the first time the sangat is being invited to join the MPA students on campus for an authentic experience of the many facets of Sikhism. Don’t miss out! These camps are for adults, age 18 and older, however children are welcome and attend free when accompanied by a parent.
“When you are challenged, you show your strength and grit. It is the fastest way to grow and be courageous. Nobody has become a leader without a challenge, it goes with the territory. And no carbon has become a diamond without the pressure of crystallization of time and space. … These are the laws that shall never change”. Yogi Bhajan, the founder of Miri Piri Academy, December 29, 1987, while addressing the youth at Winter Solstice.
In today’s world, the 24-hour news cycle has pushed a narrative of fear and suspicion so effectively that parents no longer let their children out of their sight. Gone are the days when children walked to school independently or played unsupervised in the neighborhood. Many children are so used to the constant presence of adults that they become fearful or anxious when they are left alone. In its annual survey of students, the American College Health Association found a significant increase — to 62 percent in 2016 from 50 percent in 2011 — of undergraduates reporting “overwhelming anxiety” in the previous year. These are young adults at college, on their own for the first time in their lives, and they are struggling.
When our children are young, we do whatever we can to protect them from getting hurt. We cut their food into the right-sized pieces, watch over them as they crawl and toddle, install childproof locks and foam strips on the edges of furniture, and strap them securely into car seats when we drive. We manage their interactions with others, negotiate their playground disagreements on their behalf, and constantly warn them to be careful. As babies, they need this protection, and it is our job as parents to give it. But as they grow older, we as parents must begin the process of letting go by allowing our children to face their challenges independently. Without a doubt, life will present them with plenty of obstacles, and it is our job as teacher-parents to prepare them to climb.
A child who is not allowed to struggle will never know their own strength. They will doubt their abilities, feel anxious when they are confronted, and look to others to resolve problems. Intellectually, most parents understand this, but letting them go is easier said than done. Letting children learn for themselves requires suppressing a basic parental instinct to do it for them. Because of this, Yogi Bhajan often advocated “distance therapy.”
"You are temporary, you are momentary, you are the channel, and then you have to go away. The child has to live without you. Make them strong enough that without you that they can always feel you within them.” - Yogi Bhajan July 20, 1977
It is difficult as a parent to see our children in pain and do nothing. Even those of us who can tolerate a higher level of risk will feel the urge to defend our children if a teacher is admonishing them or another child is hurting them. And in turn, our children have become so used to the constant presence of their parents that they automatically turn to us to resolve any situation.
When my daughter was 10 years old, she decided that she wanted to move into the dorms and become a full-fledged MPA student. I was enthusiastic, but I knew that she had very little knowledge of what that would entail. Because I am a principal, she had grown up at MPA but always in the protective cocoon of a small child who doesn’t have to do the hard things. The first morning of her dorm life, I went out to jog at my usual time, and the students were still on the sports field doing physical training. They were doing laps together around the field. There was my daughter, a 10-year old girl, struggling to keep up with 100 kids, some of them tall, 12th grade boys who had already been running together for several months. I saw her struggling in the back, and the staff were jogging along with her, encouraging her. She was keeping up, but just barely. In that moment, she caught sight of me across the field and fell to the ground crying, her courage dissolving into tears. All of her brave resolve had crumbled as soon as she saw me. That was the last time I went out for a morning jog for a long time. I knew I had to give her space, because there is nothing more empowering than finding out for yourself that you are strong enough! Now, two years later, my brave 12-year-old runs every day by her own choice and desire.
Distance therapy, as Yogi Bhajan called it, is a simple remedy. As our children grow older, we still want to protect them, but it becomes our primary responsibility to step back and manage all the risks behind the scenes. For teenagers, in particular, a parent’s most important role is guiding them towards communities that will challenge them and inspire them in a positive direction. We can prepare them with the tools to be safety conscious, to be self-aware, and to listen to their own intuition about the people around them. But then we must let them go, showing them the trust and confidence that we have in them so that they can feel it for themselves. We must choose environments for them that we know will both support them AND challenge them to ensure they will succeed.
Children can be stretched beyond their comfort-zone in a myriad of ways, including:
- Sending them to overnight camps.
- Signing them up for team sports.
- Encouraging them to deal directly and personally with any conflicts involving friends or teachers.
- Encouraging them to work when they want money, rather than providing an allowance.
- Allowing them to participate in contests or competitions that stretch their abilities.
- Challenging them to improve their standards and aim higher in everything that they do.
We must give our children space to navigate obstacles through their own skills and strength, while ensuring that the people and places they are interacting with will not damage them in the long-run. Giving your child independence happens in stages, from deliberately allowing your child to range far at the park, to allowing them to ride their bike through the neighborhood, to sending them away to summer camp or boarding school. Give them training, and then give them space. Let them stumble a little under a protective umbrella so that they can experience the self-empowerment of picking themselves up. It will give them the strength to meet the more serious challenges that come later in life. Let them learn to shine in their own right, and they will shine brighter than you can imagine.
The greatest progress in life is when you know your limitations and then you have the courage to drop them. – Yogi Bhajan
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan, including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Raising Children with Values and Virtues
10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
Headache refers to any pain in the region of the head and/or neck. Headaches can be classified into two broad categories: primary, which include tension headache, migraine, and cluster headache, or secondary, which are symptoms due to the presence of another condition or disorder. According to the National Institutes of Health, the tension-type headache is the most common form of primary headache. Emotional stress at work or at school, physical tension, and neck or back strain due to poor posture are among some of the most common causes of tension-type headache. According to the published prevalence estimates of tension-type headache, the episodic form is affecting 38.3 percent of the U.S. population and the chronic form is affecting 2.2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population, while migraine affects 29.5 million Americans with higher prevalence among women (17 percent) compared to men (6 percent).
Migraine is characterized by severe pain intensity on one or both sides with a pulsating sensation and is often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and/or sound. Migraines are classified as either "with aura" or "without aura.” It is strongly believed that changes in blood vessels, disruption in the endocrine system, and some aspects of metabolism can create a dysfunction in brain blood flow that is the cause of migraine or primary headaches. The most commonly used treatment for headaches continues to be pharmaceutical. The pharmaceuticals for tension-type headaches consist of analgesic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and opiate medications. Medications for migraine sufferers are divided into two categories: drugs to treat acute attacks, and other daily drugs to reduce frequency and severity of attacks preventively in addition to botulinum toxin (Botox) type A injections which work as a potent inhibitor of muscle tone.
There is a good deal of existing knowledge regarding the causes of headache. For migraine, certain factors like depression/anxiety, medication overuse, poor sleep, and high stress are associated with worse outcomes. Stress is considered to be one of the most common triggers for migraine headache and a major factor in the progression of headaches from episodic to chronic. Chronic stress involves a hyperarousal of the autonomic nervous system and creates an imbalance between its two branches by increasing activity of the sympathetic nervous system, thus contributing to the interruption of the normal balanced state that is essential for health and well-being. As we know, stress and anxiety are modifiable risk factors and conventional psychological relaxation-related behavioral interventions targeting these factors in people living with chronic headache have been introduced.
As a well-known and efficacious strategy for stress management, yoga is obviously well-positioned as a promising candidate treatment. Yoga therapy for migraine generally focuses on the prevention of the episodes of occurrence, which includes not only addressing stress reduction but also avoidance of the various causes of the attacks. The physical movement with enhanced body awareness in yoga practice can reduce the habits of adopting problematic and maladaptive physical postures. Pain perception and regulation in general is also known to be modulated more effectively in yoga practitioners. There is also evidence of reduction in physiological markers of both inflammation and stress. Specifically relevant to benefits for addressing headache symptoms, yoga-based interventions have been associated with decreased blood pressure and heart rate. By decreasing both of these cardiovascular variables, yoga-based interventions potentially allow the heart to work more efficiently thus contributing to a more efficient blood supply to the brain and lowered sympathetic nervous system activity. Yoga may also contribute to some behavioral changes that positively affect headaches. These may include an increased social network or an increase in regular physical activity. Psychological changes, such as increased positive mental state, can also contribute to more effective coping mechanisms and increased pain acceptance/tolerance. Given the scientific rationale above, it is not too surprising that there have been a number of clinical trials reporting on the efficacy of yoga to treat headaches.
Perhaps the earliest yoga-related study in 1981 compared savasana (corpse pose) alone with a biofeedback intervention and found that the yoga posture was equivalent to the biofeedback intervention, consistent with prior research that found the similar practice of progressive relaxation to also be somewhat effective. This was followed a decade later by a Journal of Neurology India publication in 1991 of a well-conducted randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which 47 patients were assigned to yoga therapy and 38 to drug therapy for tension headache. The results of the study indicated that the yoga and drug treatment were both equally effective in significantly reducing the duration, intensity, and frequency of headaches. Depression and anxiety also showed a significant decline in both treatments. However, the magnitude of improvement was significantly more in the yoga group in comparison to the drug group. One year later, yoga researcher Dr. Latha in Chennai published a small RCT with 20 patients suffering from migraine and tension headache in which the yoga therapy group reported reductions in headache characteristics (e.g. intensity, duration, and frequency) and medication intake. In comparison, the control group reported an increase in symptoms. Both of these latter 2 studies were encouraging not only with respect to headache symptoms but also noted important factors related to mechanism and lifestyle relevant to yoga for headache.
Other notable and more recent studies include a large study of migraine sufferers published in 2007 in the journal Headache, in which 72 patients were randomly assigned to either yoga therapy, which included yoga postures, pranayama, and neti kriyas (nasal water cleansing) or a self-care group for three months. The yoga therapy group demonstrated lower headache frequency and lower pain rating compared to the self-care group. Furthermore, anxiety and depression scores were significantly lower in the yoga group. The journal Pain Management Nursing in 2014 published one of the very few U.S. yoga-for-headache studies. This was done in a pediatric population with 7 participants aged 11-18 using alignment-based yoga. It reported improved quality of life (parent-reported), daily functioning scores (self-/parent-reported), and decreased state anxiety scores (self-reported). In addition to providing positive support for the efficacy of yoga, a few studies have additionally evaluated potential mechanisms involved. For example, a 2007 controlled study at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi conducted an efficacy trial demonstrating the involvement of muscle spasm in tension headache showing that the yoga intervention reduced both pain scores and muscle activity as measured by the electromyogram. Another Indian study demonstrated changes in both headache frequency and intensity with a yoga treatment, while also showing changes in vagal tone and sympathetic activity consistent with the downregulation of autonomic activation. A more recent study by an Iranian research team reported improvements in headache with yoga but did not observe hypothesized changes in nitric oxide levels. Overall these studies have all provided support and preliminary evidence for the potential use of yoga for headache and possible mechanisms involved in yoga’s benefit.
Limitations of the research literature in this field include the absence of control groups and provisions for reducing potential bias in the research design, relatively few RCTs, inadequate description of methods and yoga practice within the RCTs, and small sample sizes. The outcome measures were also mostly subjective patient evaluations. As with much of the preliminary research in yoga, there is also a lack of long-term follow-up data which would test the durability of the treatment effect. There is also a need for information about the duration of yoga participation, or ‘‘dose,’’ required for benefit. However, despite these limitations, the preliminary evidence that yoga therapy can be an effective treatment for migraine and tension type headache is encouraging.
Ishpreet Singh is a medical doctor and researcher from the Dayanand Medical College in India. He has worked extensively in India and USA with individuals with mental health and neurological disorders and is inclined towards integrating eastern yogic and meditation methods into mainstream medicine. He is an avid practitioner of Kundalini Yoga and meditation and brings this as a tool to help people heal, addressing deeper causes of illness and disease.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Spring Fund Drive in May, Experiencing the Gong with the Master. We are so grateful to all of you for your consistent, generous support, making this the most successful fund drive yet! It’s what keeps this work moving forward.
June brings a wonderful time of gathering together during the Summer Solstice Sadhana in the beautiful Jemez Mountains of Northern New Mexico. I hope you have a chance to stop by the KRI booth and speak with myself or our CEO, Nirvair Singh. We will be available to answer all your questions about The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings or The Endowment Fund. Just stop by, we would love to meet you and, as always, we want to hear your feedback! We will be at Ram Das Puri to meet with you at two times:
Saturday, June 16th, on Peace Prayer Day, at the KRI booth from 5:00-8:00pm, and
Sunday, June 17th, after Gurdwara, at the KRI booth 2:00-5:00pm.
We are also celebrating Father’s Day on June 17th in the United States. A warm Happy Father’s Day shout-out to all the wonderful dads in the world!
We look forward to seeing some of you in just a couple weeks in New Mexico. Thank you again for continuing to support this invaluable work of preserving these teachings!
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
TRANSFORMATION
VOLUME ONE
MASTERING THE SELF
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
91 Transformational Kriyas & Meditations
These Kriyas and meditations, drawn from Transformation Level Two Teacher Training, are organized to facilitate your personal practice and deepen your experience of the Self. Many of these kriyas were selected specifically for Level Two and have never been available before. Practice something new or master something familiar with this wonderful collection.
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TRANSFORMATION
VOLUME TWO
SERVING THE INFINITE
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
86 Transformational Kriyas & Meditations
This volume continues and completes the Kriyas and meditations from the five Level Two Teacher Training. Organized not only for personal practice but also for Kundalini Yoga Teachers. Develop workshops or 6 week themed courses, using each chapter individually, or combining topics gives you limitless possibilities.
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Extra Special:
Both Volumes together: $44.93! (25% off retail)
The 21 Stages of Meditation
Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, PhD
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan
Defined by Yogi Bhajan and elucidated by Gurucharan Singh, The 21 Stages of Meditation is a key work in deepening your understanding and experience of meditation. Ranging from Upset and Boredom, to Humility, Graceful Enlightenment, and the Sage, explore these stages and more; explore three distinct meditative journeys, which culminate in the pinnacle of contemplative awareness-Stage 21-The Infinite Pulse.
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Foundations DVD Series Create a firm foundation for your yogic practice and gain insight into what it takes to live as a Teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan with these essential lectures and meditations.
Volume 1: The Purity and Power of a Teacher
Volume 2: Get Rid of Anger and Fear
Volume 3: Balance & the Law of Equality
Volume 4: Use Your Body for Higher Living
Volume 5: The Change of the Age
Volume 6: Becoming a Sage in the Aquarian Age
Volume 7: Emotional Compensation
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Or take advantage of our regular full set discount of all 7 DVDs for $108.00!
Sat Nam. Greetings from New Mexico! I attended Sat Nam Fest West last month. It was a wonderful event. Krishna Kaur and I guided an international group of students in the 21 Stages of Meditation course. The community of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan™ students, teachers, and musicians that gathered at the event created a powerful and harmonious vibration. It was great fun and very inspiring .
In the USA we celebrate Mother’s day in May. I think of my mother often and I appreciate that there is a special day to remember our mothers. No matter what country or culture you are from, it is always a good idea to remember and give thanks to your mother.
May is also Teachers' Month. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, please come and share in a fantastic experience with us. Recognize your most beautiful Self in New Mexico this summer. Sign up now for the Aquarian Teacher International Teacher Training Level One program in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. I really look forward to this program every summer. Students come from all over the world for twenty eight days of an immersed study of Yogi Bhajan’s teachings. Learning the skills and consciousness of being a teacher is a truly noble endeavor. And it is great fun for me to get to know everyone personally during the training! Visit our Level One webpage for more information.
As a teacher and student of Yogi Bhajan’s teachings, visit and use the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®! The spring fund drive is going on now, so please donate generously.
Blessing to all the Mothers and Teachers on this planet!
All the best with blessings,
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
Dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menstrual cramps originating from the uterus. The condition is commonly divided into two categories, namely primary dysmenorrhea, which is menstrual pain without an identifiable disease, and secondary dysmenorrhea, which has an identifiable cause such as endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, and the use of intrauterine contraceptive devices. The risk factors for dysmenorrhea include the duration of menstrual flow, younger age at onset of menstruation (menarche), smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption. High levels of stress, depression, and anxiety can also greatly increase the incidence of dysmenorrhea. The disruption of social networks also appears to be a contributing factor to the condition. Although prevalence estimates vary from 45 percent to 95 percent, dysmenorrhea seems to be the most common women’s health condition regardless of age and nationality. Despite this high prevalence, conventional treatment most commonly includes birth control pills and painkillers such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; e.g. ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.). Many women also choose behavioral therapy for pain management such as relaxation and positive imagery although the evidence is limited as to their efficacy.
Yoga may prove to be a valuable complementary behavioral approach that does not carry the same health risks as conventional pharmacotherapy. Indeed, NSAIDs can induce stomach ulcers and birth control pills have been associated with an increased risk of thrombosis. Yoga may be an efficacious alternative since the practice can increase muscular strength and flexibility, thereby relieving congestion in organs, especially the uterus. Yoga can also reduce pain by helping the brain’s pain center regulate the pain mechanisms located in the spinal cord and moderate the secretion of natural painkillers in the body. Since yoga has been associated with enhanced self-regulation and a reduction in sympathetic activation and stress dominance, the practice may help an individual better cope with stress, anxiety, and depression which are risk factors for dysmenorrhea. Slow yogic breathing exercises may also reduce pain since focused exhalation reduces tension and stress. Finally, yoga may help reestablish a balance between the endocrine and reproductive systems.
There is growing research trial evidence supporting the practice of yoga to alleviate menstrual pain. A recent review of the literature included fifteen studies evaluating the impact of yoga on menstrual disorders. Of these, nine were randomized controlled trials (RCTs; the gold standard of scientific study design), and six were single group or single case intervention studies. The majority of the studies were conducted in India and the rest in other Asian countries and Iran (curiously, although researchers in the U.S. have been major contributors to research on yoga, to our knowledge, there is no U.S.-based research on this topic). The studies in this review focused on the impact of yoga on premenstrual symptoms and menstrual distress. Participants ranged between 13 and 45 years and were administered a range of yoga interventions including physical yoga, breathing, meditation, and two studies even measured the sole impact of progressive muscle relaxation techniques called Yoga Nidra. All the studies reported beneficial outcomes such as lower self-reported menstrual distress, lower serum homocysteine (which is an amino acid associated with vascular stress and blood clots), and reduced pain scores. It would be interesting to study the effects of yoga on menstruation in regular yoga practitioners, however, such a study has not yet been done.
A 2011 study conducted in the Department of Midwifery at the Islamic Azad University in Iran found that yoga reduced the severity and duration of primary dysmenorrhea. The trial participants consisted of 92 female students, 18-22 years old who were randomly assigned to the experimental yoga group or a control group. The experimental group practiced cobra, cat, and fish poses (common Hatha Yoga poses) during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and each group was evaluated for three menstrual cycles. The researchers found a significant improvement in pain intensity and duration in the yoga group when compared to both the baseline scores and the control group subjects. These preliminary findings suggest that yoga poses may be a safe and effective treatment for primary dysmenorrhea.
A study of 113 medical students from the Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences in India also measured the effect of yoga on primary dysmenorrhea. The 60 experimental group participants attended 40 minutes of yoga class every day for three months. In addition, they practiced 10 minutes of pranayama and meditation daily. The researchers observed that students who had the highest menstrual pain scores also scored higher on the stress scale. The results revealed that the yoga intervention group had pronounced and significant improvements in perceived stress and 82 percent of the subjects in this group reported complete stress relief. Furthermore, menstrual pain was significantly reduced after the yoga intervention when compared both to baseline and the control group.
Another recent study which investigated the effects of yoga on menstrual distress in undergraduate students was conducted at the nursing college of Konyang University in South Korea. Forty students were randomized to either the yoga intervention or the control group. The experimental group practiced yoga for 60 minutes weekly for 12 weeks and the program consisted of physical exercise, relaxation, and meditation. Once again, the researchers observed a significant decrease in menstrual pain intensity in yoga participants when compared to the control group.
Finally, a study from the School of Physical Therapy at Khon Kaen University in Thailand examined the effects of a specific set of yoga exercises on menstrual pain. 34 subjects, aged 18-22 years were randomized into either a yoga group or control group. The experimental group practiced yoga for 30 minutes twice a week over a 12-week period. The specific sequence started with a relaxation pose (Shavasana) followed by an active Sun Salutation series (Surya Namaskara) and ended with a series of poses targeting the lower legs and pelvis. The researchers noted significant improvements in menstrual pain, physical fitness, and quality of life in the yoga group when compared to baseline and to the control group.
Despite the growing body of evidence supporting the use of yoga to alleviate dysmenorrhea symptoms, the mechanisms underlying yoga’s efficacy are still not fully understood. One study focusing on Yoga Nidra found that the practice modulated the autonomic nervous system to decrease sympathetic dominance and this was correlated with a decrease in menstrual pain. Another possible mechanism is the reduction in serum homocysteine levels observed after an 8-week yoga intervention in one study. The reduction in this particular amino-acid may point to a restoration of the endothelial function of the uterus. Other research was able to rule out the role of the hormone progesterone in accounting for yoga’s therapeutic benefits. It is known that a progesterone decrease can lead to excessive uterine contraction during menses, however, after a 3-month yoga intervention, no difference was noted in the premenstrual progesterone levels of participants despite positive improvements in self-reported pain relief. However, ground-breaking evidence after yet another Yoga Nidra intervention suggests that yoga may modulate the neuroendocrine system and effectively change the hormonal profile of women with menstrual irregularities by reducing the thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin.
In summary, these encouraging albeit preliminary findings suggest that yoga therapy may be a viable complementary treatment for dysmenorrhea in reducing menstrual cramps and additionally lessening psychosocial stress levels that aggravate dysmenorrhea. Several studies to date have clearly presented their research methods and had replicable aims. However, the variability of yoga interventions across the studies conducted to date limits analysis of the results. Future studies should address the previous limitations of bias, high attrition rates, lack of randomization, lack of long-term follow-up, and self-reported methods to measure outcomes. In addition, by studying a broader segment of the population, the findings may be generalized. Finally, additional trials should further address the mechanisms behind yoga’s effectiveness for dysmenorrhea.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
Raising conscious children is a commitment that we, as Kundalini Yoga teachers, students, and parents, embrace wholeheartedly. In the previous newsletter we introduced the ten things that Yogi Bhajan said every parent should give their children. It begins with love and continues with the second gift of self-esteem. Self-esteem begins with self-control.
Self-esteem is generally defined as the extent to which we approve of and respect ourselves. It can be interpreted as a trite, individualistic Western concept with little basis in reality, exemplified by ubiquitous inspirational quotes like ‘Believe in yourself and anything is possible.' However, Yogi Bhajan was clear that true self-esteem stems from mastery of the self. Regardless of our circumstances or physical abilities, when we have gained the ability to control our mental and emotional reactions, we earn true self-approval and self-respect.
Once you have self-control, self-esteem and self-excellence will come. They never remain separate. Waste no time on other things. Self-control is all that there is. Once there is a self-control, then self-confidence, self-esteem, self-excellence, self-knowledge, all becomes yours. Yogi Bhajan (Dancing with Your Soul, August 26, 1994, Monterey, CA)How can we teach our children self-control? Self-control is a matter of practice. We do not gain self-control through willpower alone. Willpower is a weak and limited resource that is compromised any time we are tired, hungry, or cold. Self-control is a training of the mind and the nervous system, a habit developed through repetitive practice, so that our immediate emotional reaction to a situation is recognized and transformed into something that can serve the situation. This habit comes more easily to some children than others, but the practice remains the same in principle. Teach Your Children to Observe the Monkey-Mind The beginning of self-control is the recognition that our thoughts and feelings are temporary and changeable. Yogi Bhajan reminded us often that in the blink of an eye the unconscious mind produces thousands of thoughts. We respond to stimuli in our environment and the firing of multiple neural connections in an unbroken "stream of consciousness" reaction to our inner and outer environments. This is the monkey-mind. Self-control stems from the ability to observe the play. As he put it,
"You are not body. You are not mind. You are not spirit. You are the combining force of these three. You are the commandant in charge of the trinity. You are not the trinity." - Yogi Bhajan. (Winter Solstice Meditation, December 20, 1999, Altamonte Springs, FL)Before a child can develop self-control, they have to first understand fundamentally that they can observe their thoughts and emotions from the outside, and that they can choose to give energy to those thoughts or not. There are many ways to help your children understand this reality, but it comes down to repetitive practice. At Miri Piri Academy our program was developed directly by Yogi Bhajan, and he set the amount of time the students should meditate and do yoga each day as part of the program. Even if meditation every day is not possible, teaching children meditation well before their teenage years begin can help them understand their command of the mind. In those countless moments of reaction and emotion throughout childhood, you can remind them:
- Sit still for a moment. Your mind is bouncing around, telling you all kinds of things. Watch it for a minute and then choose a thought that helps you feel better and focus on that one.
- Take a deep breath and listen to it. Try to look at your thoughts as they pass through your mind.
- Right now, you are sad because you are thinking of what you have lost. Now think about what you will gain. The way you feel depends on what you are focusing on.
- You are in control of your reaction right now. You can pay attention to your angry thoughts or choose to pay attention to other thoughts.
Teach Them How to Switch Gears
"But the strength of the mind that we are very proud of, is not in the body, not in the knowledge. It is not what we know, it is not what we have. Then what is it? It is in switching gear from a negative mind to a positive mind to a neutral mind. It's a very simple process. If person does not train himself or herself in those gears, life is lost.” - Yogi Bhajan (Los Angeles Lecture, September 12, 1989 Los Angeles, CA)Once a child understands the monkey-mind, they can learn to use many different kinds of tools to help them switch mental gears so that they can act consciously instead of reacting. Yoga is fundamentally based upon the connection between the mind and body. Through breath, posture, and movement we have a direct impact on our thoughts and emotions. In Kundalini Yoga we transform the energy of our entire body and through our body, our mind. Using breath, mantra, and mudra we can switch gears in a matter of moments. Yoga is one tool, stillness is another. Any time a child has to be still, they practice impulse control in the face of distractions, discomfort, and temptations. For example, at MPA students also stand at attention instead of detention and wait in silence for latecomers at formation. They practice stillness not only in meditation, but also in life. In many ways throughout the day, children can be challenged to sit still. They can also be taught to consciously disrupt negative thoughts and emotions in active ways:
- Drinking a glass of water when they are upset,
- Singing or putting on music that changes their emotional state,
- Taking a cold shower,
- Going for a walk or even better, a run,
- Doing something that makes them laugh out loud,
- Socializing instead of stewing,
- Choosing to go out and do something for others rather than focusing on themselves.
Raising Children with Values and Virtues
10 Things to Give Your Children
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan,including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Anandpur Sahib
Sorry to Say it is Canceled!
Because of circumstance beyond our control, we are sorry to say that our Level One Immersion Training in India has been canceled for 2018. Thank you, everyone, for your positive feedback and enthusiasm for this training and you will certainly see this offered again sometime in the future. And in the meantime, KRI has many other wonderful Immersion Trainings, one that is just right for you. See you in class!
Have you ever longed to have a deep experience of a spiritual community? If so, the 40-day Seva Sadhana - Rise and meditate before dawn, practice Kundalini Yoga with students of Yogi Bhajan.
- Earn the blessing of seva each week by working in the langar garden, preparing ashram meals, and serving the under-privileged in the Espanola area.
- Experience the blessings of the 3HO lifestyle, deepen your practice and understanding of Kundalini Yoga and Sikh Dharma, and understand your role in the unfolding living legacy left by Yogi Bhajan.
Merging with the Infinite
Teachings of Death & Dying
Preparation, Process & Prayers
The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan
Edited by Hargopal Kaur Khalsa
Life poses many questions. Dying is one of them: What do we do at the moment of death? For the most part, we deny death. We never really look into the nature of death as a cycle of life. We never examine our reactions; therefore, we never give ourselves the chance to practice how to die; as Warrior Saints, gracefully and courageously.
Our denial produces either fantasy or fear in the subconscious, which blocks prosperity and creates dis-ease in our lives and our relationships. We must learn how to confront the moment of death and determine our Self within it so that we can ‘cross over’.
“If a person doesn’t know how to die and doesn’t know where the grace is or how to confront that last moment, what is the purpose of life?” -Yogi Bhajan
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Crossing The Hour
2 DVD Set
VIDEO LECTURES AND KRIYAS ON DEATH & DYING BY THE MASTER OF KUNDALINI YOGA, YOGI BHAJAN
New Package at a new Lower Price
Life poses many questions. Dying is one of them: What do we do at the moment of death? For the most part, we deny death. We never really look into the nature of death as a cycle of life. We never examine our reactions; therefore, we never give ourselves the chance to practice how to die-as Warrior Saints-gracefully and courageously.
“If a person doesn’t know how to die and doesn’t know the grace is or how to confront that last moment, what is the purpose of life?” -Yogi Bhajan
Two DVD Set includes:
Living Weightlessly and Breaking the Bonds of Earth
In this meditation Yogi Bhajan guides you toward living weightlessly, lightly. What are the thoughts that weigh us down, tie us to our karmas? How do we break through them at the moment of death? Practice now! Live Now! And die with face and grace
Crossing the Hour of Death
This beautiful meditation guides you through a conscious death-leading you into the pranayama of dying; journeying toward the light, the icy realms, floating free of Earthly concerns; and cousciously releasing your Self-die into life.
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Or get the new Merging with the Infinite book and Crossing the Hour DVD Combo for an everyday low price of $35.95!
Man to Man
A Journal of Discovery for the Conscious Man
The Men’s Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, PhD
Master of Kundalini Yoga
"You can be what you want to be, but you can’t be what you wish to be. The time has come. We want to be, we should be, and we have to be—men.” –Yogi Bhajan
No one has ever talked to men—about men—like this before! These no-holds-barred lectures tell a man how to master being a man. Everything you’ve always wanted to know is here: how to succeed as a man, how to communicate as a man, how to make love to the woman in your life, the relationship between sex and spirituality, potency and projection, consciousness and creativity... plus special foods, diets and exercises especially for men.
Retail: $49.95
PROMO: $42.46
❁ A Note From Nirvair ❁ We Are KRI - Immersion in Anandpur Sahib ❁ Yoga Research – Making a Better Athlete ❁ The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings ❁ Raising Children with Values ❁ Level Two ❁ Level Three ❁ New Directors ❁ Source Specials ❁ Recipe of the Month - BBQ Tempeh Spinach Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
News From KRI - April
Sat Nam and greetings from New Mexico! April 22nd is Earth Day. Yogi Bhajan frequently spoke about our sacred relationship to Mother Earth and Mother Nature. Personally, I always appreciated how Yogi Bhajan would relate a concept, like consciously taking care of the earth or recognizing the laws of nature, to a spiritually uplifting instruction. On March 28th, 1978 he said, “If you let your life flow through you, you will not find any pain in your life. This is the universal law. It is a law of Mother Nature; it cannot betray you. Let it be so, so be it. Question is ‘To be, to be’. It is not ‘To be or not to be’. That is the question. If you want to be, let it be and it shall be.” My feeling is that this flow of life can be aided by taking care of your internal and external environments with small or large actions. So, on this Earth Day, join me in making a resolution to be kind to our own nature and our primal mother, the beautiful Earth.
Are you called to become an Instructor in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®? If so, you will find many great training programs all over the world. KRI has three Level One Immersion programs coming up pretty soon, and one of them may be right for you. April 14th to May 11th on the beautiful island of Bali, August 4th to August 31st at the source in Espanola, New Mexico USA, and October 20th to November 16th Level One Immersion Training in India, where it all began. See our feature below to read more about this exciting new opportunity in India. Let this be your year to dive into the deep end and become an Instructor. It will transform your life.
This year, I have been traveling and participating in Teacher Training programs in Los Angeles, California; Coral Springs, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Berlin, Germany. I really enjoy being with everyone and have been using some of the kriyas from our great KRI book, KRIYA in those classes. The students have really enjoyed practicing some of the 70’s and 80’s kriyas that Yogi Bhajan taught. You can find it here in print-book, and here in convenient eBook format.
Wishing you and your loved ones health and happiness during the change of the season. All blessings, all ways,
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
KRI is excited to offer Level One Immersion training in Anandpur Sahib, India, this year October 20th to November 16th. Anandpur Sahib, which means “the city of bliss,” is a small town in northern India where Yogi Bhajan built an elegant home. We are excited to have this beautiful setting for the Immersion program.
Anandpur Sahib is a spiritual and historic center for the Sikhs, and it will give you the opportunity to learn first-hand the link between the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and Sikh Dharma. This is an authentic experience of India, living and studying in sacred surroundings. Anandpur Sahib is a holy place where the lives of the villagers revolve around their spiritual practice. Here you will experience India not as a tourist, but as a seeker of knowledge and spiritual awakening.
The program will take place at Yogi Bhajan’s home in Anandpur Sahib – Dashmesh Sadan. When you wake up in the early morning, you can hear prayers echoing over the rolling hills, broadcast from a dozen Sikh Gurdwaras and Hindu temples. It is enchanting and an experience of a lifetime.
Students will stay for the 28-day residential program in graceful ashram accommodations directly on the site, complete with cotton bedding, hot-water, and western bathrooms. The food is cooked in strict cleanliness, ensuring your health and wellbeing. Excellent cooks prepare a delicious vegetarian diet that supports a deep spiritual practice and keeps you healthy during the training. Vegan and gluten free options are always offered.
Historical temples abound on this holy land, and students will have the opportunity to visit sites in the surrounding area. Weekly tours will be offered to places such as Takht Keshgarh Sahib, the fort of Qila Anandgarh Sahib, the fort of Qila Taragarh Sahib, and the ancient Hindu temple of Naina Devi.
Do not miss this exciting opportunity to experience Level One Immersion training in India. Registration is now open, and spaces are limited. Make this your year to be a teacher and serve your world.
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level One Teacher Training Program
October 20th to November 16th
Anandpur Sahib, India
http://immersion.kriteachings.org/anandpur/
Athletes get plenty of strength training and often do their stretching, so why would they need yoga? The postural, exercise, and breath-regulation aspects of yoga provide a unique opportunity for core strength training by engaging the entire midsection in order to support one’s body weight. Other physical benefits include improved coordination, proprioception, flexibility, relaxation, deeper respiration, and decreased recovery time from heavy workouts. In addition, the meditative/mindfulness aspects of yoga provide substantive psychological benefits that include improved stress and emotion regulation, improved mindful awareness, enhanced cognition and concentration, and the ability to achieve a flow state. “Flow” refers to an optimal psychological state involving a complete absorption in the task or activity at hand; a state generally coveted by athletes because it is associated with strong positive emotions, including a deep experience of peace, harmony, and unity. Self-regulation and performance enhancement being critical to athletic performance, it is not surprising that an increasing number of professional sports teams are implementing yoga as standard training practice.
Specific studies have been supportive of the benefits of yoga for athletes since the 1990s. An early study correlated the benefits of Transcendental Meditation with the improved pistol shooting performance of 30 undergraduate students. Similar improvements were observed in 25 elite shooters by a team of researchers at the Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo, Norway. The researchers observed a greater improvement in competition results among the group that received meditation training when compared to a control group. Another early study from the University of Nevada, observed significant improvements in the running performance of high school long-distance runners after yoga exercises when compared to a control group of a “motivational shouting” exercise intervention.
Some studies have focused in on specific physiological benefits that underlie the global improvements with yoga, such as a 2004 study, which was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The researchers observed the effects of a single yoga set on muscle soreness. 24 yoga-trained individuals were compared to a control group of 12 non-yoga-trained volunteers. All participants were female, and the researchers observed that both yoga training and the single yoga session appeared to attenuate peak muscle soreness after a session of eccentric exercise. These findings have significant implications for facilitating faster recovery from muscle soreness in athletes. A 2016 study published in the International Journal of Yoga examined the impact of 10 weeks of yoga on the flexibility and balance of college athletes. 14 soccer players took part in the bi-weekly yoga sessions, whereas the control group, which was comprised of baseball players, did not receive any additional yoga activity. The researchers observed significant gains in flexibility and balance in the yoga group whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. Another landmark study evaluated the influence of yoga on the postural skills of the Italian short-track speed skating team. Eight men and seven women were given a total of 36 yoga sessions over eight weeks of high volume pre-season training. The researchers observed improvements in 11 of the 14 postural angles analyzed. In addition, no skaters suffered injury from the training volume, and coaches even reported improvements in the efficiency of skating technique.
Apart from the improvements in physical performance, yoga also confers the additional cognitive benefits of the meditative/mindfulness aspect of yoga. Applied sport psychology, in its efforts to enhance the competitive performance of athletes, has traditionally emphasized self-control and the elimination of negative thoughts and emotions. Recent evidence suggests, however, that this suppression may actually have the opposite effect of aggravating these thoughts and emotions. Rather, it is suggested that interventions that emphasize acceptance rather than direct change or suppression of cognitive and affective experiences may lead to enhanced athletic performance. A 2017 meta-analysis conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport and the University of Basel in Switzerland reviewed nine trials with 290 athletes of various disciplines including track athletes, cyclists, dart throwers, rugby players, and hockey players, to name a few. The athletes received a mindfulness intervention that varied from 4 weeks to over 2 years, and researchers found that mindfulness scores consistently improved across the various sport disciplines. In addition, researchers concluded that mindfulness practice can be considered a performance-enhancing training approach in precision sports such as shooting and dart throwing.
A recent study published in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation in 2017 also found sufficient evidence to support the use of mindfulness with student-athletes to aid in managing negative emotions and perceived stress. There is also preliminary evidence that mindfulness-based interventions may reduce injury in the same student-athlete populations. One of the theoretical models that may explain these observed benefits is the effect of mindfulness on rumination and sport-specific coping skills. Researchers from the Center of Research on Welfare, Health, and Sports in Sweden, observed that athletes who are more mindful in daily life tend to regulate their negative emotions and not engage in excessive rumination, which may in turn, improve their coping skills in a variety of sport-related challenges.
A preliminary investigation into the effect of mindfulness and flow in elite youth swimmers included a 10-week yoga intervention. Although no statistically significant changes in mindfulness and flow were identified, participants did report perceived improvements in those aspects. Moreover, qualitative data suggested that the yoga intervention resulted in positive improvements on a range of cognitive and physiological aspects. It is possible that study weaknesses of small sample size and yoga practice compliance may have contributed to the nonsignificant quantitative findings. Other studies on higher level psychological benefits have been conducted, such as a pilot project conducted at George Mason University in Virginia, and found that five weeks of hatha yoga sessions resulted in an increase of self-reported mindfulness and greater goal-directed energy when compared to a nonrandomized control group.
In summary, studies to date have demonstrated the beneficial effects of yoga on specific components of athletic performance including both physical and cognitive characteristics. Future research should address the previous limitations of small sample sizes, lack of longer-term studies, and in some cases the absence of randomization. Dose response characteristics and the relative contribution to efficacy of the different components of yoga such as physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation are worthy of additional study. These future trials would further improve our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of how yoga practice enhances the specific components of athletic performance, which of course has relevance for human performance in the general population.
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.
This month we are celebrating the brilliant advent of spring in the southwest! It is a time of life and renewal, and one of my favorite times. In May, we are hosting our Spring Fund Drive for the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings. This year we will be offering “Study the Gong,” six amazing recordings of Yogi Bhajan playing the gong during his classes. Join us May 2nd - May 8th and hear that penetrating vibratory frequency of Yogi Bhajan playing the gong as only he could do.
He said on July 5th, 1984, “The gong is very simple. It is an inter-vibratory system. It is the sound of Creativity itself. The gong is nothing more, nothing less. One who plays the gong plays the universe. The gong is not an ordinary thing to play. Out of it came all music, all sounds, and all words. The sound of the gong is the nucleus of the Word.”
As a special gift, we will be giving away the e-book, “The Art of the Gong in Kundalini Yoga,” to celebrate the success of the fund drive on May 8th, which is National Teachers’ Day.
Even though the searchable database is incredible, the work is not done yet! The focus of The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings continues to center on archiving, digitizing, transcribing, and editing the thousands more lectures, kriyas, and yoga sets left to us by Yogi Bhajan. The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings is funded by donations from you, the global community of students, teachers, and practitioners. We rely on your donations to make possible our ongoing programs and to undertake important and new initiatives. Donors like you have built this database resource over the past 15 years, and we sincerely hope you will be able to donate again this year.
Shabd Simran Kaur Adeniji, Fundraising Coordinator
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings®
Kundalini Research Institute
Email: donations@kriteachings.org
Find us on Facebook “The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings”
www.libraryofteachings.com
The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings® is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501(c)(3).
IT BEGINS WITH LOVE
A parent’s relationship with their child begins long before birth. A mother intuitively feels her child’s identity floating within her womb, embedded within her own subtle body as soon as the soul arrives and introduces itself to her. But even before conception, she opened herself, calling to the soul's awaiting rebirth. A father’s projection in the conception and birth of his child is no less real. He has set an intention and planted a seed, and he waits and watches to see what it will become. We parents have so much invested in the outcome.
Yogi Bhajan stated very clearly ten things that are important for you to give your children:
- Love them.
- Build their self-esteem.
- Challenge them.
- Listen to them.
- Expect respect.
- Limit them.
- Make God a part of their lives.
- Develop a sense of learning in them.
- Help them to be community-minded.
- Let them go.
“Parents are nothing, they are teachers. They are God given teachers. Beyond that, they have no personality because when a child is going to grow up, they are going to go on their own way. Why are you dragging yourself with them? You have to “pay the rent” as parents. Pay the rent. Let the tenants go. When they find their own house give them a blessing, send them a gift, don't create a rift.” Yogi Bhajan KWTC, July 2,1992The consciousness of a parent is beautifully illustrated in a story from Bibiji Inderjit Kaur’s book, Stories to Win the World, entitled “All things come from God and All things go to God.” In this story, a wise man decides to test the King and his wife, who are rumored to be very spiritual and unattached. He brings them their son’s turban and claims that he has found him dead in the jungle. When he delivers this news, the Queen’s reaction was simple and clear:
“Oh Saint, children are like birds on the branches of a tree. The birds come and rest on the branches in the daytime and when it gets dark, they leave and we don’t know where they go or end up. Life is like day and night. My son came as a bird to rest on the branch of my tree and now that the time has come, he has gone. It is God’s will and his destiny."
It is tempting to feel that this child we have conceived, birthed, loved, protected, and nurtured, belongs to us. But these strings of attachment are the greatest betrayal a parent can commit. That beautiful bird, that soul which you have birthed, has its own destiny, and it is your job as a parent only to nurture, protect, teach, and then let them go.
The act of letting your children go does not begin at 18 when they set off for university. It begins before that moment of conception, when they were just a thought that had not yet taken the form of a name. From that moment, your relationship with them, soul to soul, has been defined by your choice to bring them into the world for the purpose of either fulfilling your own needs, or serving theirs. Your consciousness about this relationship will shape every interaction with them, every decision you make, and every communication from the first moment they look into your eyes until the day of your death.
It all begins with love. But what is love?
The highest stage of love is love for the inner being and love with the highest being within the being. – Yogi Bhajan KWTC, July 22, 1987
The word “love” has many meanings, many interpretations, and many facets. When Yogi Bhajan said “love them,” he didn’t mean spoil them, cater to them, or hover over them. He meant that parents should serve and relate to the divine being within their being. You are your child’s first teacher. When you relate to your child’s inner being, when you love and serve their divinity, they begin to develop a relationship with their own soul. This is the beginning of self-love.
In practical terms, what does this look like?
This means investing in the development of their own self-awareness and their own divinity.
- Meditate with your children, and teach them to listen to their breath.
- Take them out in nature to appreciate the beauty of creation. Let them discover the fact that they are a part of that beauty.
- Teach them to be kind and forgiving to themselves as well as others.
- Take care to surround them with environments that will serve their highest selves.
- Teach them to relate to their divine selves, beyond thought or emotion.
Saraswati Kaur Khalsa is the Assistant Principal of Miri Piri Academy and has been serving there since 2007. She has been a student of Yogi Bhajan since birth and completed her Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training under his guidance. Saraswati holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has been working with children and schools since 1998. Her daughter also attends Miri Piri Academy as a student.
Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa is the Principal of Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India and a KRI Certified Lead Teacher Trainer. From his childhood, he was guided by Yogi Bhajan and has dedicated his life to serving the mission of Yogi Bhajan by helping to shape the next generation into leaders and teachers of this amazing technology. Jugat Guru Singh is a member of the Chardi Kala Jetha, which travels around the world teaching and performing Gurbani Kirtan,including local performances at the Golden Temple.
Identify habits, cycles and practices that help and hinder your life in the present, past and future. Deepen your practice of meditation, clarify the relationship between you and your mind, and explore the basic nature and dynamics of the mind. Our relationship to our own mind is pivotal in effectively realizing our true nature and fulfilling our potential. Yogi Bhajan often reminded us that we come to Earth to experience our humanity and recognize the One Infinite being that creates all and which is in all. The greatest power is the ability to act with a Neutral Mind, to use intuition along with applied intelligence and to lean on the Infinite through the sacred science known as prayer.
Join Lead Trainer Deva Kaur and Trainers Nirvair Singh, Devinder Kaur, and Ravi Kaur in Espanola, NM from June 24 to July 1, 2018.
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level Two Teacher Training Program
Mind and Meditation
June 24- July 1, 2018
Espanola, New Mexico
http://transformation.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org
KRI Level One Certification is a prerequisite for this course.
Mind and Meditation is one of five required courses for KRI Level Two Practitioner certification.
Are You Ready for Level Three?
Begin Your Journey this Summer at the Annual Level Three Mela
2018 MELA Dates & Locations
The annual gathering for Level Three participants
June 10th – 13th 2018 in Espanola, New Mexico, USA
July 22nd – 26th 2018 in Chateau Anand, France
For more information: LevelThree.KundaliniResearchInstitute.org
Email: LevelThree@kriteachings.org
KRI is looking to fill vacancies on its Board of Directors. KRI’s mission is to uphold and preserve the authenticity of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan through training programs, research, and publishing. If you have the drive, energy, and passion to see that these teachings pass on to our future generations, please consider serving on the KRI Board.
We are looking for people who love the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, based on personal experience, and have a burning desire to see them available to all people throughout the world. Enthusiasm is the most important characteristic. In addition, some or all of the following skills would contribute to the success of KRI and would be a positive aspect in our board member evaluation and selection:
- Intellectual capacity to understand the business governed by the board.
- Interpersonal skills to work well with the other board members.
- Instinct and good judgment for making strategic decisions.
- Financial ability to attend meetings- this is a totally voluntary position.
- Time availability to spend on phone meetings (3-6 per year), travel to our in-person meetings (1-2 per year), and work/study outside of meetings.
- Prosperity consciousness to be a personal donor to KRI.
- Fundraising skills to help bring prosperity to KRI.
- Integrity to do what is right for KRI and our constituents.
- Historical perspective on KRI’s past and future development.
- Kundalini Yoga teaching experience, having achieved your teacher training certification through KRI.
- Familiarity with the business of yoga, such as teaching workshops, running a center, producing and/or selling products.
- Prior board experience on large or small boards, for profit or nonprofit.
- Broad geographical representation so that we represent KRI in all parts of the world.
- Ability to see the business as a whole, from a board perspective, without getting lost in operational detail.
- Experience in legal or corporate compliance matters.
- Financial skills and analysis – ability and experience in understanding and analyzing financial reports.
If you are interested, please send a request for more information and an application to Gurusahay Singh Khalsa, Board Chair, Kundalini Research Institute Gurusahay@gmail.com
KRIYA
Yoga Sets, Meditations & Classic Kriyas
From the Early Years of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
- Challenging physical kriyas from the 1970’s and 1980’s
- More than 100 Meditations, including Visualiations, Pranayams, Silent Meditations, and Meditations with Mantra
- Includes Material from the “Intermediate Manual”, K.R.I.Y.A., Under the Blue Skies and More!
Senses of the Soul
Emotional Therapy for Strength, Healing and Guidance
GuruMeher Singh Khalsa
Emotions are the senses of your soul.
Recognizing emotions as guides and allowing them to help you transcend suffering and thrive will lead to a peaceful, abundant life.
Senses of the Soul reveals how to…
- Allow your emotions to serve you rather than control you.
- Find answers on you own to solve problems instantly
- Quit living with pain and past traumas, and resolve issues at their source
- Trust yourself and maintain personal power within relationships
- Discover strength in sensitivity and gain control over how you feel
Self Knowledge
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®
This manual is a gateway to self-knowledge containing a series of Kundalini Yoga Sets and Meditations compiled at the direction of Yogi Bhajan. It contains the tools you can use to experience the totality of your own self. The transformation technology of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan offers vast resources for self-knowledge and self-directed growth.
Each meditation or set of exercises has an immediate positive impact. Experience knowledge of the vastness of your Self.
Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D., Master of Kundalini Yoga
Compiled and Illustrated by Harijot Kaur Khalsa
Retail: $21.95 / Promo: $18.66
Timeless Wisdom from Yogi Bhajan DVD Series 3 Kundalini Yoga Class DVDs and 3 Kundalini Yoga Lecture and Meditation DVDs in two complementary mini series Kundalini Yoga Class Series (These all have yoga sets)
Kundalini Yoga Lecture and Meditation Series (These are lecture followed by meditation)
Retail: $19.95 per DVD / Promo: $16.96
Tempeh is an easily digestible soy protein made from the whole fermented soybean.
BBQ sauces are great flavor boosters. If you’d like to experiment, start with the base of equal parts vinegar and a sweetener, a touch of tomato paste, and some garlic. You get great flavor plus the anti-oxidant properties of Lycopene from the tomato.
News From KRI - March
Sat Nam. Greetings from New Mexico! Spring will bloom for us in a few weeks when the vernal equinox balances light and dark. It is a time of renewal, realizing the strength in optimism and an opportunity to leave the winter behind.
With the sun getting warmer and the days getting longer, we at KRI® get excited because it means summer is coming! June, July, and August are when we welcome you into our home and host the summer programs once again. Don’t miss out – this could be your summer in New Mexico!
This is the Summer Issue of our KRI newsletter and it is devoted to giving you a sneak-peek into our summer programs and trainings. For those interested in ashram living, check out Seva Sadhana's new 40-day program. The summer starts with Sikh Dharma's Camp Miri Piri on June 8th – 12th followed by 3ho's incredible Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration at Ram Das Puri, June 14th -23rd.
Immediately after Summer Solstice Sadhana the KRI programs begin. June 10th - 13th is the Level Three Mela, an inspiring personal journey to Self-Realization. For Level Two Practitioners, it is the next step in refining and evolving your identity as a Teacher. June 13th and 14th will be the Summer Solstice Trainer Forum, an exciting meeting of trainers from all over the world to discuss current issues and share insights. June 24th - July 1st is Level Two Mind and Meditation, one of the five modules of Level Two. And in August, we host the Level One Teacher Training Immersion program August 4th – 31st, 28 amazing days of growth, expansion, and inspiration. At whatever level you join us, you will be challenged, inspired, and will gain the experience and tools you need to keep yourself in balance and to help others around you. Dive in the deep-end and be the person you want to be - become a teacher. And if you are already KRI certified, support your growth and continue to expand!
International Women’s Day, March 8
We honor and support all women on this planet, rejoicing in the divine feminine and recognizing the power and beauty of our mothers, sisters, and daughters. In this spirit, we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. Yogi Bhajan was a tireless champion of woman as a spiritual being, and we have books and videos in the Source that are drawn from the amazing Women’s Camps that Yogi Bhajan taught here in New Mexico.
We are now giving the KRI Seal of Approval to qualified Specialty Courses
KRI supports the spread of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan® and Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan® in as many ways as possible. We already have a system in place for approval of yoga manuals, books, CDs, DVDs, research articles, website content, on-line products, and translations of existing KRI products. Qualified Specialty Courses may now earn the KRI Seal of Approval. We have two courses approved to date. Find out how to get your course approved here, and check out the courses that have already been approved.
All the best in all ways. Happy Spring, and I look forward to seeing you this summer!
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
CEO KRI
Are you the person you want to be? Do you see yourself in that golden light? If you have ever felt the urge to be a teacher, this is your summer to finally dive in the deep-end. It will transform your life and make a difference to everyone around you. Whether you wish to deepen your personal practice of Kundalini Yoga or long to become a certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor, your journey begins here. Join us this summer to become a Certified Instructor of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®.
This 27-day residential program in beautiful New Mexico is an amazing opportunity to study with Trainers who learned directly from Yogi Bhajan. You will learn a lot about Kundalini Yoga and yourself during the Immersion and the six months of home study that follows. It is a life-changing experience! Here are some powerful things you’ll take away from Teacher Training Immersion this summer:
- A solid foundation in the science of Kriya and Meditation - You will study the theory and practice of Kundalini Yoga kriyas (yoga sets), asanas, and mudras, and make them part of your own experience. You will learn Kundalini Yoga meditations, mantras, and pranayam (breathing techniques), and experience the power of this technology.
- An experience of the yogic lifestyle– Living for 28 days in an ashram will give you a deep connection to the teachings and the experience of yogic life. You will learn the history and tradition of Kundalini Yoga, as well as the underlying philosophy behind all yogic practices. Living clean and simple, meditating in the early morning, and eating a vegetarian diet of wholesome and delicious food will make a big impact on your consciousness.
- A practical grasp of basic anatomy and physiology – We study traditional Western anatomy, its purpose and function, as well as Yogic anatomy and the energy systems of the body. This essential knowledge will build your proficiency as a yoga instructor and help you fully understand how yoga effects the human body.
- An understanding of the skills and techniques to become a successful yoga instructor – You learn the business side of yoga, preparing you for your next steps in life. The topics including practical strategies for teaching beginners, ethical guidelines, curriculum development, and the transformational role of the teacher in developing a successful yoga practice.
- An authentic connection to the source of the teachings – You experience the Master’s Touch through DVD classes led by Yogi Bhajan and a personal connection with teachers who studied with him directly. Although Yogi Bhajan left this earth in 2004, at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das his energy is still strong and felt by those who come here to learn.
- And finally, the skills and confidence to teach your own Kundalini Yoga class - There is a lot to learn before you can sit before a class of students and guide them through a Kundalini Yoga class. As you connect deeply to the teachings, living it day-by-day, you gain the understanding and knowledge to teach and serve others. In the Immersion training, you will get to practice teaching to your peers, and you will learn from each other’s classes until you are ready to teach on your own.
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level One Teacher Training Program
August 4- August 31, 2018
Espanola, New Mexico
http://immersion.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org
Important Note: Fulfillment of the program certification requirements continues through February 2019
After the experience of Level One training, you inevitably start to change and evolve as a person and as a teacher. That is the power of this technology! Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® is a transformational experience. Level Two Teacher Training will deliver you to the next step in your personal development.
This summer in New Mexico, KRI is presenting KRI Level Two – Mind and Meditation. This course is an opportunity for you to build your meditative skills and refine your approach to meditation by consciously assessing and commanding the mind. To master the mind, you must master meditation.
Give yourself seven empowering days immersed in Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. Experience the beauty of morning sadhana at Hacienda de Gur Ram Das, delicious yogic meals, and the special energy of this unique place. Surrounded with the peaceful environments of sacred community, you will:
- Enhance the depth of your understanding of meditation.
- Focus on and understand your relationship to your own mind.
- Increase your ability to observe neutrally, to become still, to clear your mind of distractions and intrigues, to recognize when you establish a state of shuniya, and to recognize the different functional parts of your mind.
- Experience and practice the use of intuition as a primary skill that comes from Kundalini Yoga and Meditation.
- Learn the structure of the mind and examine the impersonal minds, guna qualities of the mind, and the nine aspects of the mind.
- Understand how to use the 27 projections of the mind.
- Examine how to apply this to your own mind and in your life.
- Be confident to teach and incorporate these ideas in your classes.
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level Two Teacher Training Program
Mind and Meditation
June 24- July 1, 2018
Espanola, New Mexico
http://transformation.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org
KRI Level One Certification is a prerequisite for this course.
Mind and Meditation is one of five required courses for KRI Level Two Practitioner certification.
- Expand Yourself. You teach and serve others every day. Now it is your turn to work on yourself and expand your spirit.
- Revitalize your Spirit. Rejuvenate yourself and fill your cup with light, love, and good energy.
- Nurture your Heart. Grow your capacity to love though meditation and self-assessment.
- Cultivate your Spiritual Maturity. Commit to a 1,000-day journey of self-realization and spiritual growth that will expand your consciousness and deepen your self-mastery.
- Develop your Meditative Mind. Dive deep into inner awareness and self-reflection, expanding your capacity for meditation to new heights.
- Serve your World. Align your individual passion and purpose with a higher destiny to build communities and serve the greater good.
- Discover the Power of Spiritual Support. Experience positive support and genuine trust with a group of your peers who walk with you each step of the 1,000-day sadhana.
- Connect to your Teacher. Immerse yourself in the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and discover new ways that this wisdom can penetrate and change your life.
- Intensify your Teaching. Deepen your teaching ability, and bring a wealth of knowledge and inspiration that can be shared with all your students.
- Answer your Soul’s Calling. Be the teacher that you are destined to be, and make this your summer to start the journey towards being a Level Three teacher.
"In KRI's Level Three program, one becomes a teacher, a teacher of truth and spirit. You develop the ability to penetrate and communicate through your presence alone and uplift the students through your subtle body. This is the teacher of the Aquarian Age, the Aquarian Teacher. Students experience the truth within them through your intention, projection, and purity. ... Remember - as a Teacher, anything and everything you do must upgrade the other person." Yogi Bhajan, 1996
Testimonials
“I am grateful for being part of this whole process. I am grateful to understand more about the teachings of our teacher Yogi Bhajan.”
“It's a great program. My small group and meditation experience is excellent.”
“The thousand-day meditation process is so different than 40/90/120-days. I am experiencing both a steadying and elevation through it. In Gratitude, Thank you.”
CLICK HERE to Start Your Application Today
Step 1: Application – Deadline extended to March 30, 2018
Step 2: Self-Reflection Form – Due: April 25, 2018
Step 3: Register & Pay for the Mela – Due: May 15, 2018
The Aquarian Teacher, KRI Level Three Teacher Training Program
2018 MELA Dates & Locations
The annual gathering for Level Three participants
June 10th – 13th 2018 in Espanola, New Mexico, USA
July 22nd – 26th 2018 in Chateau Anand, France
For more information: LevelThree.KundaliniResearchInstitute.org
Email: LevelThree@kriteachings.org
Sat Kartar Singh, a highly creative and conscious chef with a holistic approach to cooking, is once again returning as master chef for the Immersion Teacher Training in New Mexico this summer. Sat Kartar prepares a delicious lacto-vegetarian menu, made from fresh organic produce, and includes vegan and gluten free choices. With Sat Kartar in the kitchen, you never go hungry!
Sat Kartar tells us in his new cookbook, “When you eat well, you feel well. It’s as simple as that. Meals shouldn’t make you feel bloated and stuffed. They should nourish. They should be filling, but not fill you up… You often need to have an unhealthy experience to appreciate a healthier one. That was how I discovered my new-found passion for food and wellbeing… It was during my own personal rejuvenation and renaissance that I found my new approach to cooking.”
Now, we are the beneficiary of his personal renaissance and enjoy his fresh and inspired cooking throughout August during our Level One Immersion program.
SAVE THE DATE
KRI Level One Teacher Training Immersion in India
Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan with Sat Siri Kaur and Amrit Singh
October 22nd – November 18th 2018
Dasmesh Sadan
Anandpur Sahib, India
The usefulness of a medical intervention (either a pharmaceutical or a behavioral treatment) in either clinical practice or research should be evaluated not only by its efficacy but also by its cost-effectiveness, patient acceptability, and treatment adherence. Compliance or adherence describes the degree to which a patient correctly follows the prescribed treatment recommendations. Patient nonadherence can include not accurately carrying out the instructions, such as chanting the wrong mantra or breathing improperly in a yoga intervention, which can be due to misunderstanding the instructions. Nonadherence is also notoriously due to not carrying out the prescribed treatment such as not doing the yoga practice when scheduled, or not doing it for long enough, which is due to a number of factors such as time constraints, forgetting, or even completely ignoring treatment protocols. Apart from being a possible threat to the health of patients, nonadherence also carries a significant economic cost. The field of behavioral medicine views the reasons for nonadherence as ‘barriers’ to the accomplishment of a specified behavioral intervention. Those barriers may be subjectively reported by the patient or objectively measurable and include cultural issues, financial concerns, time constraints, space, and technological limitations.
Despite the promise and general popularity of yoga and yoga therapy, there are a number of barriers to yoga practice. One of these is the general public perception that yoga is primarily for women. Surveys in the general public consistently show that 75 to 80 percent of yoga practitioners are female. In fact, according to a 2015 University of Miami study, men are half as likely as women to engage in mindfulness practices. This same study found that those with a higher level of education were more likely to adopt a mindfulness practice and that non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics were less likely to do so. A 2016 study by researchers from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada found that time constraint was the most common barrier for yoga practice. Other prevalent barriers include the belief that yoga requires great flexibility, is difficult to practice, and/or that it is unsuitable for special populations such as children, the elderly, or the obese. Those with larger bodies face high levels of stigma in relation to yoga (and physical activity in general) and this may serve as a strong barrier to their participation. Other significant barriers are beliefs that yoga is a religious practice or that it is inconsistent with one’s cultural heritage. On the other extreme, there is even a belief that yoga is nothing but physical postures. Finally, socioeconomic factors such as the cost impediment to yoga classes (such as transportation to classes and child care costs) can deter certain disadvantaged and low socioeconomic status populations from practicing yoga. These barriers are problematic because patients and research participants may entirely withdraw from the treatment before deriving any therapeutic benefits from their yoga practice.
Despite the benefits and growing acceptance of yoga and the importance of addressing barriers to practice, the literature has few studies on the factors contributing to the adherence to regular yoga practice. One such study was conducted by the SVYASA yoga university in Bengaluru, India and published in the International Journal of Yoga in 2014. The researchers evaluated students who had undergone a 1-month residential instructors’ course at the yoga university and found that irregularity in lifestyle, family, and occupational commitments were perceived as the strongest barriers to practice. Similarly, a 2009 focus group study of 50 participants from the University of Maryland School of Public Health also found the largest barrier to be lack of time, especially when taking yoga classes. The study included 36 yoga practitioners and one fourth of them found classes to be too costly. For the 14 people who had never previously practiced yoga, negative beliefs about the high level of flexibility required, that yoga is dominated by women or “new age” individuals with alternative lifestyles were significant barriers to participation.
A 2013 study by Mary Quilty, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, and other colleagues highlighted this disparity in demographics for yoga participants. This study surveyed 604 adults who had registered for 4-week beginners' yoga programs within the Yoga Yoga network of studios in Austin, Texas and found the yoga demographics to be primarily female (87 percent), white (88 percent) and college educated (79 percent). Similar to other studies, they again found the primary barrier to practice was time constraints and availability. Interestingly, respondents perceived yoga to be primarily an exercise activity (92 percent), although there was also a strong perception of it being a spiritual activity (73 percent). The main reasons for their participation was for general wellness (81 percent), physical exercise (80 percent) and stress management (73 percent). In fact, 98 percent of participants believed that yoga would improve their health, making this internal motivator a significant facilitator to the practice of yoga.
Another notable study explored the perspectives of students and their classroom teachers on the implementation of a school-based yoga program. Too often, the opinion of these two key stakeholders have been ignored in favor of program implementers. This 2017 study by the University of Cincinnati and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers focused on qualitative perspectives of 22 fifth and sixth-grade students and their teachers after a 16-week school-based mindfulness and yoga program in three public schools. Those schools serve low-income urban communities and therefore provide us with valuable insight into this underserved demographic. In this context, the most frequently mentioned instructor quality valued by youth was “respect,” which the youth associated with “fairness” and “not yelling a lot”. However, conflicts in scheduling was a major challenge to youth program participation since attending yoga required that they miss other activities they enjoyed, such as art class. Although teachers reported positive expectations from the program, factors that could enhance buy-in included training staff on the program goals and generalizing the yoga mindfulness skills into the classroom.
While the previous study focused on youth from low-income communities, a recently published 2017 study at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School (including one of the authors, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, as part of the research team) investigated the barriers and facilitators to yoga among low-income, racial/ethnic minority adults. Examinations of beliefs surrounding yoga participation among vulnerable populations are lacking in the literature and so this study bridges that gap. Twenty-four adults with and without prior yoga experience were recruited from an urban housing community to participate in an individual interview or focus group. The results highlighted barriers to engagement that included the perception that yoga lacks physicality and weight loss benefits. In addition, subjects talked about fear of injury, lack of perceived ability to perform the exercises, preference for other physical activities, and scheduling difficulties. On the other hand, the facilitators of yoga engagement included having a quality yoga instructor who provides individualized instruction, beginner level classes, and information highlighting the potential benefits of yoga such as stress reduction. It is interesting to note that participants were unsure about whether yoga provided sleep benefits and if the benefit was purely physical exhaustion. Therefore, much work remains in promoting yoga and educating on its benefits and underlying mechanisms.
Apart from adequate promotional messaging, in order to address the other significant barriers of cost and time, strategies are being developed to deliver yoga digitally, on demand, and in the comfort of participants’ homes. A 2017 commentary by the PrairieCare Medical Group in Minnesota explored the use of technology-assisted relaxation for pediatric patients that had been prescribed as Mind-Body techniques. Healthcare providers already know that delivering treatments through “play” experiences is an ideal way to provide therapeutic interaction and this is often termed “therapeutic play”. Given the prevalence of video games, children and teens may be particularly suited to therapeutic multimedia games that help them connect with the imagistic, emotional, and sensory elements of the right brain for symptom management and healing. There are currently several interactive mobile apps that promote yoga and other Mind-Body practices such as “Yoga by Teens”, “Take a Chill”, and “Breathing Bubbles”. A recent study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in 2017 evaluated the feasibility of a home-based TeleYoga intervention on patients with both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure. Fourteen participants took part in either an 8-week TeleYoga intervention or an educational control group. The yoga classes were transmitted live via an internet connection to the participants’ televisions. The researchers found that the yoga intervention participants were adherent to classes despite technical issues. In addition, these frail patients were able to safely participate, enjoyed the program, and their dyspnea after exercise improved.
In conclusion, detailed evaluation of barriers to yoga practice is a new and growing area of research with promising insight into the adherence issues in yoga practice. The common barriers to yoga therapy appear to be time, cost, beliefs about yoga being a religion, impression that yoga is only for women, and fear that yoga requires great flexibility, as well as a lack of clarity as to the benefits of the practice. It is important for yoga therapists and researchers to address these barriers when delivering yoga interventions to ensure adherence and treatment success. Future studies should focus on minorities and men as well as medically underserved and vulnerable populations to better understand their specific barriers. Findings from future research could reveal what catalysts promote the initiation of yoga beyond benefits that most already know. For instance, is hearing about the health merits of yoga sufficient or is experiencing yoga necessary to address barriers to practice?
Nikhil Rayburn grew up practicing yoga under mango trees in the tropics. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught yoga to children and adults in Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, India, France, and Mauritius. He is a regular contributor to the Kundalini Research Institute newsletter and explores current yoga research.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is the KRI Director of Research, Research Director for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has practiced a Kundalini Yoga lifestyle since 1973 and is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor. He has conducted research on yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and yoga in public schools. He is editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care and author of the Harvard Medical School ebook Your Brain on Yoga.