Archive for the 'Kundalini Yoga' Category

Man Jeetai Jagjeet - Conquer Your Mind & Conquer the World

This past week I have been thinking a lot about my recent blog posts which are on the topic of judgment and the mind. Then on Sunday I was looking through my videos at home and came across an old video tape of a class taught by SSS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (Yogi Bhajan) during Summer Solstice of 1987 (almost 21 years ago!). For some reason I was compelled to watch it. It had been sitting in the cupboard for so many years and for some reason today I noticed it and felt like watching it.

As soon as I started watching the video I was surprised to find that the lecture covering many of the very topics that I was just blogging about, in relation controlling your mind, religion, self discipline, intuition, love, and spirituality. As Guru Nanak Dev ji wrote: "Man Jeetai Jagjeet"; By conquering the mind you conquer the world!

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What is Kundalini Yoga and The Benefits?

Here are three videos with Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., (Director of Training at Kundalini Research Institute - KRI) on the topic of Kundalini Yoga. In the first video he talks about the benefits of practicing Kundalini Yoga. The second video is more of an explanation of What Kundalini Yoga is; and the third video he explains the difference between Kundalini Yoga and other types of yogas.

Kundalini Yoga and Meditation for Dealing with Stress

Just recently there was a new TV program on a Punjabi Channel in India (PTC) called "The ‘Y of Life". This is a program in a mix of Punjabi and English on Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. The first set of episodes were done with Siri Bhrosa Kaur and Gurmukh Kaur (who you might remember being featured in Vanity Fair Magazine).

The following video is from episode three which shares some simple methods and information about reducing stress in your life. You can watch the previous episodes here.

Teaching about Kundalini Yoga, Meditation and Health in India (On TV)

Just recently there was a new TV program on a Punjabi Channel in India (PTC) called "The ‘Y of Life". This is a program in a mix of Punjabi and English on Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. The first set of episodes were done with Siri Bhrosa Kaur and Gurmukh Kaur (who you might remember being featured in Vanity Fair Magazine).

Below you can watch parts of the first two episodes. If you are in India you can watch the new episodes on PTC. I split the video into individual parts and setup a video playlist so when one finishes the next will start.

 

Using Meditation to Deal with Stress

It’s been a long while since I recorded and posted some new videos, so I have been thinking about other people in our community who would have something to share. As a result of this I spoke to Gurucharan Singh who agreed to let me record some videos with him on different topics related to meditation, yoga, and Sikhi. I’ll be posting these videos in the coming weeks as I have time to edit them.

Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., is a yogi, psychotherapist, teacher and writer, and a recognized expert in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. He is also the founder and the Director of Training of KRI (Kundalini Research Institute).

 In this video Gurucharan Singh talks about the effects of stress on our mind and body and gives a Kundalini Yoga excercise and meditation to help you deal with this stress.

Download: Video / Audio - Complete writeup of the meditation in this video 

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Gurmukh Kaur in Vanity Fair Magazine

In the June 2007 Edition of Vanity Fair Magazine (USA) Gurmukh Kaur is featured on a two page spread in front of the Golden Temple. In this edition of the magazine they feature Gurmukh Kaur who is a very popular teacher of Kundalini Yoga in Los Angeles (and also an old friend…though she is my mothers age). The article features about 15 different yoga teachers and how the different styles of yoga have become very popular all over the world. I didn’t actually read the article, but I thought it was cool for a Sikh (and a friend) to be so publicly visible in a magazine like Vanity Fair which is read by millions(?).

 Here is the summary from the magazine about the article: 

"No wonder Americans are Downward Dogging by the millions: yoga can work wonders on mind, body, and soul. In the U.S., 16.5 million people practice it, and it’s thus become a coast-to-coast, Zeitgeist-defining phenomenon as well as a multi-billion-dollar industry. In these outtakes from the yoga portfolio featured in our June issue, Michael O’Neill photographs the movement’s leading figures, from Christy Turlington and Sting to Rodney Yee and B.K.S. Iyengar." - Vanity Fair


Photo and text from Vanity Fair Website

"Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa: queen of Kundalini. Kundalini is a rigorous yoga involving meditation, chanting, and breath exercises which harmonize the body’s energy centers, or chakras, and tune the nervous and glandular systems. The glamour girl of Kundalini is Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, an erstwhile flower child and veteran of love-ins, whose Golden Bridge Yoga center in Los Angeles is the hub of her empire; a second branch recently opened in Manhattan. Many Hollywood figures (Courtney Love, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams) have taken her classes, alongside civilians who have become addicted to the yoga’s powerful positive effects on physical and psychic well-being. Photographed in the Ganges River near Rishikish." - Vanity Fair

Sat Kriya - Dealing with Sexual Energy (among other things)

One question which I see often in the SikhNet Question and Answer Forum is how one can deal with sexual feelings. This is particularly an important issue for youth who have increased sexual energy and are not yet married. As a youth it can be extra hard feeling this "pressure" as one goes into puberty and starts to have strong sexual feelings. Western society doesn’t help the situation either. It is so common these days for an average person to wear skimpy/sexual clothing out in public and see this in most magazines and TV. This only aggravates the situation…and makes a person think more about sex.

7 ChakrasThis sexual energy is just a creative energy that is in every person. This energy can be used to create life, or other artistic/creative actions. It can come out in the form of a beautiful piece of art, a brilliant idea, or something that you create.

We all have seven energy centers in our body (Chakras). -  "The Second chakra/center holds the basic needs for sexuality, creativity, intuition, and self-worth. This chakra is also about friendliness, creativity, and emotions. It governs peoples sense of self-worth, their confidence in their own creativity, and their ability to relate to others in an open and friendly way. It’s influenced by how emotions were expressed or repressed in the family during childhood. Proper balance in this chakra means the ability to flow with emotions freely and to feel and reach out to others sexually or not. If this chakra is blocked a person may feel emotionally explosive, manipulative, obsessed with thoughts of sex or may lack energy."

So, you may ask, how can a person keep this energy flowing through their chakras and deal  with sexual thoughts and feelings? One particular method is using a Kundalini Yoga Kriya called "Sat Kriya". This kriya has MANY benefits (not just in dealing with sexual energy)! I used to do this Kriya/Exercise every day, and it helped me a lot in many ways (not just as a teenager). I just started doing it again with my morning Sadhana and thought you all could benefit from it.

Sat Kriya is fundamental to Kundalini Yoga and should be practiced every day for at least 3 minutes. Its effects are numerous. Sat Kriya strengthens the entire sexual system and stimulates its natural flow of energy. This relaxes phobias about sexuality. It allows you to control the insistent sexual impulse by re-channelizing sexual energy to creative and healing activities in the body. People who are severely maladjusted or who have mental problems benefit from this kriya since these disturbances are always connected with an imbalance in the energies of the lower three chakras. General physical health is improved since all the internal organs receive a gentle rhythmic massage from this exercise. The heart gets stronger from the rhythmic up-and-down of blood pressure you generate from the pumping motion of the navel point.

The main effect is a control and balance of the lower three chakras or energy distribution centers in the body.  It does this by mixing the prana and apana at the navel center.  This generates a heat in the system and opens the inner channels to the upward flow and rotation of energy. Sat Kriya also rejuvenates the sexual system and helps the brain and body to recover from toxicity and memory loss due to drug abuse.  It is good for removing energy imbalances in the lower three chakras and, as a result, is good for problems in the lower back and alleviating mild depression.

 

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Yoga - Teachers - Leaders - Sikhi


It seems that whenever I get sick I have a lot of time to think about life or whatever is on my mind. As I usually do, I write down those thoughts and share them with you all. There is something positive for me that comes with feeling terrible, and lying sick in bed. I am now at the tail end of being sick and starting to feel more normal so am able to write down my thoughts.

Even since I started SikhNet I have felt a pressure from some of the Sikh community about being a Sikh. There has always been this feeling of "us and them" because of the differences of our origins as Sikhs. After receiving so much negativity from people I am normally hesitant to post "too many" lectures/articles by Siri Singh Sahib. I think that most people don’t realize the impact that the Siri Singh Sahib had on myself and countless others who have grown to become Sikhs and are not originally from India. He shared the teachings of the Gurus, taught on just about every aspect of life, and these teachings are what have inspired so many to have healthier, happier and holier lives. Already a few generations have grown up under his guidance and leadership.

He was unique in that he was able to connect and reach out to people of many different cultures in a way that had not been done before. He is no longer here in body but the teachings that he shared throughout his lifetime are still alive in all those that he taught, and are what I share with you on this blog.

 He used to always say… "Don’t love me… love the teachings" …. or…. "I have not come to get students, but to create teachers for tomorow".

Another one of his messages which is a constant reminder to me, and check for myself in not letting ego take hold when you serve others. 

"A teacher is not a person. He is like a water pipe. A pipe brings water to you; pipe is not water, water is not pipe. They are just media. Teacher is a medium of teaching. It is the teaching which you live, not the teacher."

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Sadhana - Video Lecture by Yogi Bhajan

To continue on the theme of “Sadhana” I am posting a video by Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (AKA: Yogi Bhajan). This video is an excerpt from the DVD “Discover Your Soul“. It is from December 21st 1993 at the Winter Solstice Camp in Florida. The DVD is a full lecture and meditation class taught by Yogi Bhajan, so this video is just a part of it. If you enjoy the video I highly recommend that you get a copy of the DVDs which has the full lecture and the meditations that were taught.

In this video he talks about the concept of Sadhana and why we must get up early in the morning to meditate and clear our sub-conscious mind. He also discusses the topic of cold shower and the benefits.

Over the next few weeks I will be editing and posting more video excerpts like this from classes he taught over the years. If you don’t know much about the term “Sadhana” then you can read this previous blog post on the subject.

Download: Video / Audio

Bliss, happiness and comfort!

Sahej Sukh Dhyaan is a wonderful and powerful meditation. Bliss, happiness and comfort! What could be better? We practiced it together at Sikh Student Camp last summer and a group of Singhs and Kaurs came together each morning to do it before morning Japji Sahib. If you practice it, it will give you a very calm mind and the ability to listen deeply and understand the root of any situation. Try starting with 5 minutes and work up to 11 minutes. You can do it for as long as you like, but I suggest 11 minutes for 40 days. Try it and see what happens! Report back in the comments here. Wahe Guru!

…..G

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