Newsletter Archives

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News From KRI - December

The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund

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Level One Immersion Training in Bali
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

Click here for more information about Level One Teacher Training in Bali.

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Kundalini Yoga and Quantum Physics By Amy Carpenter, LCSW, CYI

“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” -Carl Sagan


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.

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Sat Nam from The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings^®



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 peace and tranquility,
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 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).

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Aging: Maintaining Health and Functionality with Yoga by Nikhil Ramburn and Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D

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.

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KRI Holiday Specials



TAKE 15% OFF All Products or 20% OFF THREE OR MORE*
*Please Note that some exclusions may apply.

Visit The Source

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GIFT CERTIFICATES
Purchase an online certificate to be delivered immediately by email.

PURCHASE GIFT CERTIFICATE ONLINE TODAY!

KRI December Recipe of the Month Excerpt from:
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.

 

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News From KRI - October

The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings Endowment Fund

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A Crash of Thunder and All Things Change by Shanti Kaur Khalsa 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.

 

 

 

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Sat Nam from The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings^® 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. We cannot thank you, our beloved donors, enough! Your steadfast generosity is so inspiring and is what keeps this free online resource evolving, expanding and becoming a complete resource of Yogi Bhajan’s precious teachings. Thank you for all that you do! In Gratitude, 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).

 

 

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Research on Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention for Prostate Cancer by Nikhil Ramburn and Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D 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.

 

 

 

 

 

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KRI October Specials of the Month I Am a Woman: Creative, Sacred & Invincible Selected Lectures from the Women's Teachings Yogi Bhajan, PhD, Master of Kundalini Yoga Retail: $39.95 Promo: $33.96

 

 

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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 Retail: $29.95 Promo: $25.46

 

 

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I Am a Woman DVD Series 3 Sets of Lectures from the Women's Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, PhD, Master of Kundalini Yoga I Am a Woman: Practicing Kindness, (Volumes 1-5) 1. Create Your Reality 2. Spiritual Acceleration 3. Act Great and Never Be Turned by Fate 4. Know Yourself 5. The Art of Appreciation I Am a Woman: Conscious Compassion, (Volumes 6-10) 6. The Known and Unknown 7. The Primal Force of Life 8. Communicating With Compassion 9. The Law of Life 10. Being Me: My Actions Define my Reality I Am A Woman: The Creativity of the Creator, Volumes (11-15) 11. Creativity through Communication 12. A Woman's Impact 13. Resolve Your Inner Conflicts 14. The Art of Being a Woman 15. Intuitive Applied Knowledge Retail: $19.95 per DVD Promo: $16.96 per DVD Or $74.95 for any 1 of the 3 full sets of DVDs, a 25% discount over retail.

KRI October Recipe of the Month Potent Potato Soup Excerpt From: From Vegetables, With Love: Recipes and Tales from a Yogi’s Kitchen (Revised and Expanded New Edition) Siri-Ved Kaur Khalsa Yield: 1 generous serving This is my version of “chicken soup” and the yogi’s go-to recipe for fighting off a cold or flu. Feel free to add other vegetables as desired such as chopped mustard greens, chard, celery, cauliflower, and peas. I suggest you cut the lemon in wedges so those who prefer may easily avoid or remove them from their soup bowl. Otherwise, cut the lemon half into thin slices; this is a more palatable size to bite into. The cooked lemon peel is quite a tasty surprise. 2 quarts water 2 pounds potatoes, cut in large bite-size pieces (any variety will do) ½ cup ghee or oil 2 onions, chopped ¼ cup minced fresh ginger (or more to taste) 10 cloves garlic, minced ½ lemon, deseeded and cut into 2 or 3 wedges 2 teaspoons turmeric 1 tablespoon caraway seeds 1 teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds (seeds from 6-8 pods) 1 teaspoon crushed red chilies ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 2 quarts water Tamari soy sauce to taste Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed soup pot over a medium-high flame. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté until browned (8-10 minutes), stirring often. Now add lemon and spices and sauté for another 3-5 minutes, adding small amounts of water if necessary to prevent scorching. Add 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, return to a boil, and simmer until potatoes are very well done (20-30 minutes). Add tamari soy sauce to taste.

 

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Deepening your Core Capacity at Level Two Mind and Meditation

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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SAVE THE DATE – Vitality & Stress in New Mexico KRI Level 2 Certification Program in Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan^® June 23 - 30, 2019 Espanola, New Mexico Vitality already exists within you. Many of the kriyas and meditations in Kundalini Yoga gradually build and circulate energy within you, removing blocks and releasing stress. Free yourself of tension. Give yourself a chance. Join Senior Trainers at the Mother Ashram for this transformational Level 2 module, Vitality & Stress. Plan to stay in Espanola after Summer Solstice to continue studying with KRI's International Teacher Training Program. Registration opens November 15th. View details on the Level 2 Program website. "Once you are content, everything will come to you. When you are discontent, everything will go away from you. This law applies to you and beyond you. With elementary stress you can never be content." -Yogi Bhajan, November 8, 1989

 

 

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The History of Self-Regulation: Early Western Medical Interest By Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. 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.

“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.”

They then began to conclude that he had gone too far and had actually died. Surprisingly, after a half-hour he showed signs of life.

“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.”.

Townsend died the next evening, leaving an intriguing anecdote about his possibility of controlling his heart. The 1889 5-page report by Pease in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, the first U.S. medical journal and precursor to the New England Journal of Medicine, was entitled “Voluntary Control of the Heart”. In this paper he contended that “… we have now evidence that there are gifted individuals who have a certain amount of direct control over it” and noting that previously “physiologists have long been aware of the close relationship between the heart’s action and that of the brain; yet, for lack of sufficient evidence, have not granted that any direct control over the heart could be induced by a simple effort of the will”. He then recounts several anecdotes/cases of simple willful direct control of heart rate (including the Townsend report) distinguishing these from anecdotes describing an indirect effect on the heart rate due to physical/mechanical manipulation of the vagus nerve (such as physical pressure on the neck) or forced evocation of mental imagery or emotion (such as sadness). One of the cases he mentions describes the research by a Russian physician on an individual who was able to increase his heart rate, through direct willful control, by up to 35 beats per minute. Dr. Pease then presented a detailed analysis of heart, breath, and blood pressure recordings of an individual at Harvard Medical School who was also capable of increasing his heart rate, in this case by about 25 beats per minute. From his analysis, he concluded that this change was indeed through simple willful control or pure self-regulation of heart rate. These articles and reports on control of heart rate occurring so early in the field of Western medicine indicate the early openness to the possibility and concept of the self-regulation of internal state. Once reports appeared in the West from India on advanced yogis who claimed the ability to self-regulate internal states, it was not so surprising that scientists began studies on these yogis. Ultimately, those studies provided a foundation for further research, the evolution of the field of biofeedback, and ultimately to our work in modern yoga research, which has expanded to studying the self-regulatory capabilities of yoga practices to change many internal psychophysiological functions. Most of these were believed to be out of the range of self-regulation, and most of modern medicine is still under that impression.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sat Nam from The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings^® 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; “Those who will serve this path and serve the future, shall feel liberated by their own virtue.” Yogi Bhajan June 20th,1993 As many of us have experienced, the teachings of Yogi Bhajan continue to touch people’s lives in very profound ways. At the Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings we are dedicated to extending his teachings out into the world through this online database so that they may continue to touch and transform individuals for many years to come. Join us in our mission as we continue this work. Your gift to the Endowment Fund will secure the Library for many years to come. Call us at 855-519-4790 to find out how you can become part of serving this legacy. “May you ever live as a light for the sake of all those who have to come with you and for the generations to follow.“ Yogi Bhajan July 8th, 1998

 

In Service, 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).

 

 

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Bali Save the Date Announcing Level One Kundalini Teacher Training Immersion in Bali 2019 This wonderful immersion training takes place on the blessed tropical island of Bali amidst the indigenous beauty of the people and culture, which is steeped in spiritual and ceremonial tradition. Register early - last year’s Bali Level One Immersion program sold-out! Registration is open September 15th

 

 

 

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Yoga and Meditation for Epilepsy - Reducing Excitability by Ishpreet Singh, M.B.B.S. and Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. 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.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sat Nam from The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings^® 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

 

In Service, 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).

 

 

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Chetna Yatra 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.

This is a very basic and affordable yatra that covers your hotel and transportation around Amritsar. It is a wonderful way to experience Guru Ram Das’ birthday and the Golden Temple with friends and other Kundalini yogis. Join us and awaken to the love of Guru Ram Das.

 

 

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Calling All Trainers in Training!

 

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 TNT program is directed by Siri Neel Kaur Khalsa who will coach and mentor you in your development during the Immersion. We have a large Immersion Program this year and are looking for more TNTs to support the program. Click here for more information on the Trainer in Training Program. This is a wonderful opportunity – don’t miss it!

 

 

 

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Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The Efficacy of Kundalini Yoga By Nikhil Ramburn and Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. 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.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sat Nam from The Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings^® 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 3^rd, 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!

 

In Service, 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).

 

 

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European Trainer Forum 2018: CHATEAU ANAND

 

NEW Days & Time! Thursday, July 26th (12:30pm – 5:30pm) Friday, July 27th (8:30am – 5:30pm) Online Rate until 7/13/18: €184 REGISTER HERE This year the Trainer Forum will be at Chateau Anand before the European Yoga Festival - by popular demand of the trainers of Europe. The Forum will be held after the Level Three Mela beginning at lunch on Thursday, July 26^th, and continue all day on Friday, June 27^th. The forum will include time for work on Global Decision Making. Information on accommodations will be made available soon. *NOTE: Administrators and those needing financial assistance please contact trainerforum@kriteachings.org

 

 

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Original photo by Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa

 

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Join Us for the International Summer Solstice Sadhana Trainers Forum – Culture, Communication, and Community

 

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!

 

 

 

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Camp Miri Piri

 

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.

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