WORKING TOGETHER IN STRENGTH & GRACE

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1 WINTER - SPECIAL TRIPLE ISSUE KUNDALINI YOGA THE YOGA OF AWARENESS FOR THE AQUARIAN AGE IKYTA WORKING TOGETHER IN STRENGTH & GRACE From the Executive Director GURUKA KAUR KHALSA 2006 has been an amazing year for IKYTA. We started a two year process of restructuring our association. We spent the year meeting with teachers around the world feeling and knowing our oneness. It has been an incredible blessing. We are a beautiful family of teachers living and sharing the Healthy, Happy, Holy lifestyle, given to us by our Beloved Teacher Yogi Bhajan, so that many can pass into the Aquarian Age with grace. We are very blessed to be serving this path. As the year is ending, we are sorting through all the dialogues we have had with teachers and communities. We are looking at our purpose at the principles by which we want to live and organize ourselves and at how we want to structure ourselves and work together in strength and grace. I think of all this work as our commitment to Group Consciousness, and the understanding that we have to grow in it in order to embrace Universal Consciousness. In this work, we are using our applied consciousness to bring the elevation we have given ourselves and each other through practicing and sharing these teachings to bear on the work we need to do together. The really important questions are becoming very clear. A permanent bench and plaque celebrating the life of Yogi Bhajan in Eugene, Oregon. Donated to a new tree park by the Eugene Sangat. Photo by Ravitej Singh Khalsa Soon we will be bringing two teams together. One will be a small working team, and the second will be a review team. During this process we may be calling you or ing you to ask you to share your ideas. IKYTA represents all of us and we hope you will answer the call so that everyone can be represented. By Summer 2007, we are hoping to bring the early working structures out to teachers for more feedback. In This Issue... IKYTA:Working Together in Strength & Grace 1 New IKYTA Logo 2 A Beam of Light.Teacher Training in Israel 3 The Great Transition 6 KRI Updates 7 Cycle of Growth & Opportunity for Interviews on Level II:Transformation 10 Kundalini Yoga Meditations: Compassion Kriya 12 Maha Gyan Agni Pranayam 13 Update on Library of the Teachings 14 The Rationale for KRI Yoga Research 15 Teachers Profile:Tej Kaur Khalsa 16 Summer & Winter Solstice Sadhana Gurudakshina Donations & Gift 18 Some Big Little Things My Teacher Taught Me 19 IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

2 IKYTA has a New Logo WINNER OF OUR IKYTA LOGO CONTEST Our new logo beautifully fulfills the description given byyogi Bhajan for the IKYTA logo: "Bursting sun on top of the 3HO logo from the heart center; crown, halo; angel with wings; guardian angel of 3HO Trinity Tresha Guru." Our thanks and congratulations to Kirnjot Kaur of Espanola for her great work! This logo is the winner of our IKYTA Logo Contest. We received over 500 responses from teachers worldwide choosing their favorite and we were very happy this is the logo chosen by our teachers. IKYTA Working Together continued from page 1 So why, you might ask, have we taken on this big project? We want to focus on service serving our teachers in ways that everyone values, helping everyone to continue growing as teachers both professionally and spiritually and supporting the growth of Kundalini Yoga teaching communities locally, nationally and regionally. We want to be able to work together with consciousness and efficiency. We want to have teacher representation in our decisions and create a pathway for teachers to drive IKYTA and give input to 3HO and KRI. We want to have communications systems that work so that communication can move in every direction. We want to have language translation teams in place so that all our members feel included.we believe that once we get these systems in place, it will improve everything we do so that we can serve you better and we can all serve each other better. And that is the path to which we are committed. It has been such an honor for me to get to know many of you, to be with you and to grow with you. Everywhere I have travelled, teachers of the 3HO lifestyle have created beautiful and sacred spaces that uplift the hearts of all. I am truly humbled by your service and love. Keeping up together is sometimes challenging, but it is the sweetest gift.we can rejoice in it. God bless us, every one. We love that the logo echoes the 3HO logo, as IKYTA is 3HO's International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association. Sat Nam WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

3 A Beam of Light in the Darkness TEACHING TRAINING IN ISRAEL By Jusdip Kaur, Israel July-August 2006 A beam of Light in the darkness, Air to breathe in a dense place A buoy in high seas An anchor of stability when the ground is dropping underneath my feet An island of sanity in an insane land Thank you God for bringing Kundalini Yoga into my life It was Wednesday, and Guru Dharam Singh arrived as usual in the Amrit Vela, on a British Airways flight from London to Tel-Aviv. Very soon the burning sun was blinding, as it is every day in these months of the Israeli summer. We started driving up the mountains to Jerusalem, the navel point of the world, as it is called in the Jewish tradition. On the way we discussed the plan for the coming weekend. The students are very exited about the final exam and about the 70 guests who will be coming to experience Kundalini yoga with them as teachers. This is going to be the last session of the first Level 1 Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training in Israel. We went immediately to Mount Olives, also known as Mount temple. It overlooks the city and is the place most sacred to three religions.the route was planned, from station to station, from church to church, visiting the different stops Jesus made on his journey during the last week of his life. One church was built around his footsteps, another church was built on the site where he cried watching over the Temple while giving the prophesy of the destruction of Jerusalem. But then we arrived at a church where the garden walls are all covered with a prayer, written in all languages: Our father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Opposite the souvenir shop there was a small cave. It is known as The Grotto of the Teachings. According to the early Christians this was Jesus hiding place where he made his most sublime revelations. This is where he taught his disciples those things which were beyond the understanding of his usual hearers. All the other places felt like big buildings, holding a distant myth.this place felt different.there was a delicate subtle pulse. A stable hugging vibration. We felt like we were inside a big heart. Pure love was beating there. It was completely unlike any of the other places we visited. This felt real. It was clear that this is where the transmission took place. We understood that this is what the transition from the navel point to the heart chakra feels like. After sitting there for a while we came out again reread the prayer, which in Hebrew doesn t end with the word temptation, but with: and lead us not into a test And the test had come Before going further down the mountain to Gethsemane, we stopped for lunch at a small empty restaurant.a boy came running in, cheering, talking to the owner. In my poor Arabic I picked up only a few words: I.D.F, Hezbollah, four soldiers In Israel, the army, the clashes, the victims are daily issue. We still didn t realize what was going on. Only later that evening, after Guru Dharam Singh s class in Tel-Aviv, we began to realize from students and from the radio that things were not as usual. Hezbollah had kidnapped four Israeli soldiers and there were battles taking place on both sides of the border. Israel was bombing Lebanon and Hezbollah was bombing northern Israel right where Teacher Training was planned to take place. Some guests started calling to cancel. We called the people at the retreat center in Inbar, asking how it looked from their point of view. They said everything was quiet, they had received no instructions to enter the bomb shelters, and in their opinion it looked like business as usual. But the TV and radio were constantly broadcasting about the war. People were calling saying that even if they themselves weren t worried, their family and friends kept IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

4 calling them and putting a lot of pressure on them not to go, and what should we do? Is it true that the roads to the north are closed? Is it true that long convoys are leaving the area? So we called Inbar again. They were calm, and laughed: Everything s okay here So we told everybody to arrive and we were going to continue as planned And everyone came! From the very first time I tried Kundalini Yoga I felt I had come home.the outbreak of the war during the last part of the course, was once again, unbelievable and hard to accept. I felt robbed of my happiness of the time I had set aside for just me, because some crazy people have power issues and still don t understand that the only way to live is through love and not hate that we are all one, and that every thing we do has a consequence. I realised yet again, that there are so many people who are still creating monstrosities of hate, killing, suffering and death... we still have a long way to go before the message gets around the whole country, and to our neighbours too (let alone the whole world and the universe.) MAHATMA KAUR It seemed insane to leave Haifa for the weekend when all this was happening, but on the other hand it didn t feel safe staying at home either. I decided to pack my things and go, locking the doors behind me, with a feeling that I would not be back for a while.ten minutes after I left I was told that a missile had hit not too far from my flat. At once, deciding to go seemed like a very wise thing to do. But the weekend was very difficult for me, the fear of confronting this existential threat on one hand while teaching and practicing on the other hand made it all seem quietly surreal. I gradually started to connect the practice to the state I was in and the two really did begin to connect, but it was still very confusing. DANA HADAR On the way to Inbar we started calling all the other students making sure we are not the only ones going.there were people talking about missiles falling not too far from Inbar. People said that Inbar is in the same line as other places that were being bombed Inbar looked as beautiful as ever, with a soft seasonal breeze cooling the hot summer air. If not for the sound of distant explosions and helicopters flying around, it would have been ideal. On one of the breaks I went for a walk with Naomi who will be doing the course next year. We walk in the fields surrounding Inbar. As long as we were near the site of the training I felt very safe, as if the energy of the place was guarding me, but as we started going further away, I felt less and less safe, and the visions of missiles falling on us started breaking loose. Although Naomi was much more relaxed then I was, we decided to turn back and return BOAZ ARIELY Our hosts in Inbar said that the guests who where on holiday in the area had all left and that our guests who were supposed to arrive the next day probably would not come. But they did. Thirty of them arrived to experience Kundalini Yoga. And they got what they came for: great classes with new teachers, an introduction to Kundalini yoga, Sadhana, Meditations and lectures. And the group of new teachers was now facing another challenge: The first time I experienced the war on that weekend came as I was preparing lunch. One sister approached me and very quietly, being very worried, she asked what I thought of ending the course now and going to Tel-Aviv. She said that she is whispering because she doesn t want somebody she knew who thought differently to hear her saying this. At that moment I understood that something else is happening here, not Yoga, not unity, but separation.there was a split within the group. I felt compassion for the woman standing in front of me, but as for myself I felt no fear. I felt protected by the kind of work that we were doing, by the connection to the Golden Chain, by the protection mantra. I felt that it was working for us as well as for the environment. But from the moment she approached me, I realized that it wasn t working for everybody, that some people prefer to go to a safer physical place, that finding the security within isn t enough for everybody. SIRI KARTA KAUR WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

5 The voices calling to change the location increased. It reached a peak in a meeting that Ek Ong Kar Singh and the teachers from the Israeli association organized in order to decide what to do next. After a passionate discussion the group decided to leave Inbar and go to the Yoga Studio in Petach-Tikva, at the center of the country, for the last day, and finish the course with the final exam there. Petach- Tikva means A gateway for Hope. In this grey city there is a small yoga studio to which some of the students in the group come for a weekly group Sadhana. Moving to the studio in Petach-Tikva, although it involved arguments within the group, seemed like the right thing to do. The sadhana and meditations we did that day helped me to go through that scary day when missiles where still falling on Haifa, where my husband was. All through the war I ve been thankful everyday for the opportunity to know Kundalini Yoga. The Teacher Training gave me the tools to be able to cope, especially in situations like this... But there is light... and I feel much closer to it. I hope to be able to pass on the light to as many people as possible, in as little time as possible, to be ready for the Aquarian Age, so we can stop the suffering and begin to love. Living at the navel point of the world might mean we experience the change, and the resistance to the change more dramatically than in other places. But it is clear that a strong heart energy is here as well. And that eventually it will lead the way. Sat Nam By Simrit Kaur and the students of the first Aquarian Teacher Training in Israel The shadow of war had brought me the thought that there is still a way to go, That we still need to strengthen the dream about peace Before we make it into our reality The war outside was a chance for me to see How the tools I have can help me at times of crisis And how we work as a community. The war made clear the importance of group Sadhana And the importance of being together with the brothers and sisters after Sadhana: To sit, and talk and share, To see the amazing people around me Who inspire me to continue. The courage is in the honest observation of not only The enlightened, the beautiful and the similar, But also in the darkness, the separation And the exposure of all the feelings into a wide, containing space War can only catalyse the question of Who I am and what I came here to do. How do I protect myself so I can continue to do so? I sincerely look at the fruit which is not yet ripe And understand that the protection mantra is not just for protection from external evil forces It is to strengthen the infinite truth The love and compassion towards ourselves So we ll know what it is we are protecting The war stimulated the passion for life For creating more and more gatherings with my peers To become one heart of peace, together. HARI SHABAD KAUR Sat Nam IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

6 The Great Transition By Guruka Kaur Khalsa I WAS RECENTLY BLESSED TO BE IN MEXICO CITY with the community there as Babaji Singh Khalsa prepared for his great transition from this lifetime. I felt so privileged to share in this very sacred time of Babaji's returning Home to God. In the early '70s Babaji was the first teacher to bring Kundalini Yoga to Mexico and today, there are thousands of teachers and students throughout Mexico. I arrived with Nirvair Singh Khalsa, the General Manager of KRI. We arrived in time to present Babaji with the Proclamation announcing his honorary title of "Bhai Ji" (respected soul brother) bestowed on him by Sikh Dharma International in honor of his completion of a Spanish translation of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. By God's grace Babaji was still conscious and able to understand the honor he had been given.we sat as close as possible, right next to Babaji on his bed, so he could hear, as we read him the Proclamation. He indicated that he understood completely. Before and after the reading of the Proclamation a group of teachers, students, family and friends chanted together to create a sacred space for Bhai Ji Babaji. I have been visiting with this community for three years and went as a representative from International Headquarters, bringing prayers and blessings from everyone. I felt that they were very happy that we had come to be with them all through this transition. Friday morning and afternoon, Babaji was very quiet. Thoughout the day, the room was filled with singing and chanting. I started repeating Japji Sahib (Japji helps the soul leave the body) and Sukhmani Sahib (Sukhmani brings peace to the mind.) In the early evening the completed Spanish translation he had done of the Shabd Guru, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, arrived. Babaji became completely animated. He was practically sitting up. He was so articulate that he complained that the cover of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib was not what he ordered and he was able to read the opening Mul Mantra without assistance. Guru Amrit Kaur (his wife) completed the Japji in Spanish. Then we moved on to a celebration, a great party! We all chanted and sang lively Mexican songs and Babaji was very animated and happy. Guru Amrit Kaur has been Babaji's wife for about four years. She was surrounded by both of her beautiful daughters, Paulina Singh Sahib Bhai Ji Babaji 1947 to 2006 and Tatiana, her sister Carmine, as well as Guruka Singh, Babaji's son.the family support in this group was so loving and beautiful. Any time any of them was feeling emotional, they surrounded each other with love and support. Guru Amrit did an incredible job of opening their home in the Ashram to anyone whom Babaji requested to speak and to anyone who wanted to be with him. She showed an incredible spirit of generosity in sharing her last days with her very beloved husband. I was truly grateful to be included in this special time. After the "upbeat" nature of the day Friday, Saturday was a difficult day. We kept up chanting, meditating, offering our prayers, Japji and Sukhmani, but this day it became clear that Babaji's condition had progressed to the point that he was no longer mentally with us. Though he was in the process of withdrawing and preparing to leave, we all felt the presence of his soul very powerfully.we spoke to his soul in gratitude for the work he had done in this life, and conveyed our prayers that others would keep carrying the work forward. It was a hard day, but a very intimate one. Having suffered with cancer for many years, Babaji had recovered many times previously from being near death, but it was clear that this time he was transitioning out of his physical body though his physical body still appeared to be strong. continued on page 20 WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

7 KRI UPDATES KUNDALINI YOGA AS TAUGHT BY YOGI BHAJAN Dear Teachers, Sat Nam and a warm welcome into the New Year from your KRI Team! 2006 was a year of change and transition for KRI and we enter 2007 with anticipation and excitement about our new programs and services. Here is an overview for you. LEVEL TWO Transformation In 2006 we launched the first three modules of the newly revised KRI Aquarian Teacher Level 2 Teacher Training Program. The KRI Development Team, working in conjunction with our Senior Trainers, launched Conscious Communication in Vancouver Canada, Mexico and Argentina; Mind and Meditation at Yoga Yoga in Austin, Texas; and Authentic Relationships at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das in New Mexico. Each module provides six challenging and uplifting days of deep transformation using Yogi Bhajan videos, Kundalini yoga, meditations, lectures and much small group interaction. These new Level 2 modules are now being offered by our KRI Level 2 Lead Trainers all over the world. Ask your local trainers about their plans to bring these courses to your area, or find information at the KRI website at Lifestyles and Life Cycles The summer of 2007 will see the official launch of the fourth Level 2 module, Lifestyles and Life Cycles in Espanola from July 1-8th. LEVEL ONE Self Mastery The Aquarian Teacher Training Level 1 four-week immersion course (originally taught by Yogi Bhajan himself, and known as the The Master s Touch and since his passing as Self-Mastery ) will return in summer 2007 to its original home at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das in New Mexico. The teaching staff will be augmented this year by the KRI Director of Training and the program is being planned in a way that will allow the participants to share in the experience of life at the Mother Ashram. If you would like more information about any of these programs, please visit our website at: or KRI at teachertraining@3ho.org KRI ORGANIZATION AND STAFF 2006 was a year of change and transition for KRI in regard to organization and staff. With much thanks and a deep sense of gratitude for their years dedication and service, we say goodbye to three individuals who have been instrumental in growing KRI to where it is today. We wish them much success as they move onto the next phases of their lives. Nam Kaur will join her husband, Dr. Siri Atma Singh, in traveling and teaching as they share the knowledge and experience they gained in service to the Master. Dharma Kaur, utilizing her language skills, will also travel and teach internationally, especially in South America. Satya Kaur will continue to help with KRI Reviews but will concentrate on developing her healing practice. At the same time, we welcome to the KRI Team two experienced teachers and trainers:tarn Taran Singh from Europe and Nirvair Singh from Alaska. For 2007 KRI has consolidated the Publications and the Teacher Training divisions, and created a new Management Team: Nirvair Singh is the Managing Director of KRI with direct oversight of product development, publications, translations and KRI product approval. Gurucharan Singh is the Director of Training. He is responsible for Course and Product Development as well as Research and Higher Educational Institutional liaison. Tarn Taran Singh is the International Coordinator of Trainers, and in that role he acts as the Director of the Aquarian Teacher Training Program, Director of the Aquarian Trainer Academy and Chairman of the Teacher Training Executive Committee. Hari Charn Kaur is the Director of Marketing, and is responsible for the KRI Web site, Public Relations and Course Coordination. KRI Team continued on next page IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

8 KRI UPDATES CONTINUED Other KRI Team members include: Sarb Jit Kaur, Operations Tej Kaur,Teacher Contracts Guru Nam Kaur, Accounting Sat Purkh Kaur in Product Development Deva Singh in fulfillment Jai Jeet Sangeet Kaur, Reviews Coming Soon! KRI PRODUCTS On-Line! In 2007 you will be able purchase all the KRI yoga manuals, books and DVD s from our new on-line store.watch for it at: We invite your participation and input as KRI moves forward in serving Kundalini Yoga Teachers and Trainers everywhere. Please write us at: teachertraining@3ho.org to share your ideas and suggestions. The entire KRI Team wishes you a most blessed and prosperous Humbly, The KRI Team Our Cycle of Growth and Opportunity for 2007 A NEW YEARS MESSAGE FROM THE KRI DIRECTOR OF TRAINING GURUCHARAN SINGH KHALSA BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS ENTICE US TO CHECK OUR BEARINGS. In this new year where do we go? What do we fulfill? What patterns of time and development infuse our days with a subliminal pulse of meaning and value that focus and manifest in our intentions? For those of us touched by the profound legacy of Yogi Bhajan, we are part of the cycles of growth and fruition that come from the seeds he planted for this time and for the future. Our community of yogis is now entering its 38th year. Look at the three primary cycles of 7, 11 and 18 years the subject of our Level 2 course this summer of Our group consciousness cycle shifted in We completed five cycles of consciousness all the earthly elements. That left us to fend with the subtle perceptions and challenges that come with the sixth chakra. It was the year of our master s physical death and a time that challenged all who knew him to take the responsibility of leadership and consciousness.we must choose to rise and serve or hold onto the past. Our third cycle of intelligence and strategy completed in Two years before his passing, our way of doing things shifted, even though he was still with us. In 2007 those new means manifest fully in the changes in our organization, its structures and strategies. Our third cycle of 18 years-life energy and circumstance- expired in will see a profound, enduring change in how our communities of teachers, students and enterprises work together begins a cycle in which our success and challenge is to relate through compassion and connection to each other and to the greater world. We globalize. It ends a cycle of organizational adolescence that struggled with balance, power and recognition. In this new year we will expand through attention to the multitude of lives that have been touched by the actions, prayers and seeds of these teachings. Commit, act, elevate but do it recognizing that much is already being done beyond our individual ego and efforts. WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

9 2007 will seem as if all the environments are shifting, like great waves rocking us as we sail the ocean. We are preparing for a powerful stage of blooming in 2011 and 2012 as the cycles of intelligence and consciousness complete and crystallize the next stage of our community growth. At that time we enter a cycle of projection, challenge and effectiveness that will be all about the future. New leadership and strategies will have emerged. In a word, 2007 is a cycle of replanting, a turning of the soil and base of our manner of living and working as a community. It is an opportunity for each of us to deepen our practice, to act with intuition, trust, and to extend our foundation in the teachings for a tidal shift of both people and tasks in Many of us will be offered the chance to lead, leave, or elevate as the environments in which we work change. A MEDITATION FOR THE TIMES A perfect meditation for this year is to chant Aadays Tisai Aadays Aad Aneel Anaad Anaahat Jug Jug Ayko Vays sitting on the heels as the arms move in rhythm between 60 degrees upward to parallel to the ground. (See meditation on page 11.) After 31 minutes subtlety, intuition and leadership blend into a consciousness that will accelerate prosperity and effectiveness in this cycle. As director of training, I look forward to working, meditating, creating and enjoying life and teaching with you to make this the best year yet. Have a great year! Many blessings, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa START CLEAN, LIGHT AND BRIGHT WITH A JANUARY CLEANSE We are filled with resources energy, emotion, insight, intuition, memory, self-awareness. Many things. At the beginning of a journey, of a quest or when we place an intention in our mind before our soul, a gentle cleansing is natural preparation. It brings the habitual urges of our body to stillness, aligns the spectral dispersions of our thoughts and brings the infinite present to partner with us to manifest our intention. Try this for this new year start. 1) Drink a large glass of cold yogi tea without the milk. (After chanting the Adi Mantra:) 2) Sat Kriya for 11 minutes 3) Breath of Fire 11 minutes 4) Sitali Pranayam 26X (or ideally 108X) 5) Sat Kriya 11 minutes 6) Interlace fingers, palms together, thumbs locked over each other, in front of solar plexus. Chant 3 times on one breath: Gobinda, Gobinda, Gobinda, Gobinda, Gobinda, Gobinda, GobindAA 11 minutes 7) Sit absolutely still. Zero yourself. Become both vast and non-existent. Place your intention in the Heart of God, the hands of Guru Ram Das or a quiet corner of your soul. Do nothing. Witness the reality of your intention with appreciation, gratitude and love. 11 minutes. 8) End with three deep breaths. Relax. It s not the life that matters, it is the courage you bring to it. - Yogi Bhajan 9) Drink one cup of pear juice with 1-2 ounces of ginger root juice. Start on Jan 19th, the New Moon, and end on Feb 2, the Full Moon. The instructions for this cleanse are from the contemporaneous notes of MSS Gurucharan Singh Khalsa and could not be independently verified by KRI review. IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

10 Level II Transformation INTERVIEWS WITH TEACHER TRAINERS: GURUDEV SINGH KHALSA, AUSTIN TEXAS & DEVA KAUR KHALSA, CORAL SPRINGS FLORIDA CONSIOUS COMMUNICATION Gurudev Singh Conscious Communication is a very mature course. It's been given many times and it goes very smoothly. I love the materials. I love the concepts of the shadow self and the hidden self. You have to be aware where people are talking to you from. It really helps you to more deeply understand the communication. Deva Kaur It's amazing the way this course is put together. Each process leads to the next. There is so much information there. Each teacher can make a choice in the focus.the proof is in the pudding. Conscious Communication changes peoples lives. It is the most together of the Level 2 programs. It feels like Yogi Bhajan is teaching. The process is very deep for teachers. We have study groups in between and teachers read ahead and tune in with the material during the course tme. It really brings the community of teachers closer and stronger together. AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS Gurudev Singh This is a much newer course and it is still developing. Working in the same group both throughout the course and homework was effective. It led to deeper relationships with other people. In the content I loved the concepts of polarity and paradox and the difference between lineage and legacy. My deepest moment for personal growth was in sharing with another teacher at the course. This teacher shared with me so honestly, it provoked a deeper understanding of the teacher/student relationship, and my own relationship with Yogi Bhajan. It was very healing. Being in an environment with so many other teachers helps you to work on yourself. Deva Kaur The main thing for me at this course was that I spent so much time with my prayers. Each trainer taught. It was an amazing experience to have a turn to go up and share with, and learn from, my peers. It was a deep meditative experience. My favorite part is Yogi Bhajan's lectures. I would love to pull more directly out of the lectures. Being together and teaching with others that have been practicing Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan for 35 years helped me to understand how we will keep up without his physical presence. It is such a great testimony to Yogi Bhajan's work and mission that he created so many teachers. We, as teachers and trainers, need to work together in unity. THE MIND AND MEDITATION Gurudev Singh This was a really good course for me. Even though I had read the book several times before, I got a lot more insights while going through the course and really having time to read and ponder. I loved the relationships of the organic brain to thoughts, thoughts to the mind and mind to the soul. It gave me a greater understanding of the mind and really improved my ability to meditate. Deva Kaur The lectures were amazing. This course can be a total guide to a person's mind and how to use it. We learned abut the 9 aspects and 27 projections. We learned to personally connect with the meditation we need to do right now. We really learned how to use the book effectively. WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

11 ON LEVEL TWO NEW YEARS MESSAGE FROM THE KRI DIRECTOR OF TRAINING CONTINUED Gurudev Singh There was a lot more introspection. The subject was very concentrated and there was lot of time to think about it. The exercises were designed to take one through a process of transformation. Level 2 is a structured way of realizing a lot of information and recognizing issues you have to face when growing up on a spiritual path. In the past we learned more through keeping up and direct contact with our Teacher, Yogi Bhajan. His guidance wasn't structured. He would confront you and expect you to figure it out yourself. In Level 2 there is the opportunity to digest the teachings, understand them and incorporate them into your life. I recommend Level 2 for all teachers that want to keep growing in their own consciousness. Deva Kaur Level 2 is more of an internal process of going through your own personal states. It gives the experience of using the teachings to heal yourself, to communicate, to be in relationship and to have control over your mind. It has been an incredible opportunity to build relationships with other teachers. TWO MEDITATIONS FROM THE AR COURSE Following on pages 12 & 13 are the two meditations which were given as a 90-day sadhana for the Authentic Relationship Course. A MEDITATION FOR THE TIMES Mudra: Sit on your heels with a straight spine. Stretch the arms straight out in front, parallel to the ground.the palms are flat and facing the ground, fingers pointing straight forward.the arms will be shoulder-width apart. Movement: Alternate between (a) and (b) in the following way: Begin in position (a) Aadays Tisai Aadays Aad Aneel Anaad Anaahat Jug-jug Ayko Vays (b) Raise the arms up to 60 degrees (a) Bring the arms parallel to the ground in front (b) Arms up to 60 degrees (a) Arms straight in front (b) Arms up to 60 degrees (a) Arms straight in front (b) Arms up to 60 degrees (a) Arms straight in front (b) Arms up to 60 degrees (a) Arms straight in front Continue, keeping the hands and elbows held straight out firmly, and with no bend, fingers pointing straight forward, chin pulled slightly in, and spine straight.this is done in a precise beat, done with a projection of strength. Mantra: Aadays tisai aadays, aad aneel anaad anaahat, jug jug ayko vays. This mantra is spoken in a continuous monotone. Each word is spoken individually, with a slight pause between each word, except jug jug which is run together as one word. Speak from the navel point. Eyes:Tip of the nose. Time: Done in class for about 23-1/2 minutes End: Inhale deeply, stretch the spine, and hold for 10 seconds. Exhale. Repeat one more time. Relax. Comments/Effects:This mudra will help you get rid of fear. Fear is the cause of all emotional compensation which is the cause of many personality imbalances and behavioral problems. A normal person has anywhere from sixteen to twenty split personalities.these are personalities we have created to deal with life.when you are speaking with a person, you don t know just who you are really talking to.this meditation will help to correct this problem. This mantra is the 30th pauree of the Japji Sahib of Guru Nanak Proceed with the practice of this meditation slowly. Do not over do it at first, as it can space you out too much. b a IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

12 KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION COMPASSION KRIYA AS TAUGHT BY YOGI BHAJAN JULY 11, 1986 POSTURE: Sit in Easy Pose with your spine straight. MUDRA: Cross the Saturn Fingers (middle fingers) over the Jupiter fingers (index fingers) of each hand. Place thumbs on mounds of Mercury, which is just at the base of the pinkie. (a) EYES: Closed. MANTRA: Sing with a lyrical version of Rakhay Rakhanahaar. MOVEMENT: (a) On first line of the mantra, bring hands up and press them into the chest, one palm over the other. (b) On second line of the mantra, lower arms so wrists rest on knees. Continue alternating in this way, but with the hands at the chest for the last line that repeats twice. Then briefly lower and raise again for first line. (a) Rakhay rakhanhaar aap ubaariun (b) Gur kee pairee paa-eh kaaj savaariun (a) Hoaa aap dayaal manho na visaariun (b) Saadh janaa kai sung bhavjal taariun (a) Saakat nindak dusht khin maa-eh bidaariun (b) Tis Saahib kee tayk naanak manai maa-eh (a) Jis simrat sukh ho-eh saglay dookh jaa-eh (a) Jis simrat sukh ho-eh saglay dookh jaa-eh (b) (Briefly lower the hands and then continue.) TIME: 31 minutes COMMENTS: The only beautiful thing which makes you human is compassion. Think about vengeance, lies, truth, God, greatness, think of anything, if you take compassion out of it, everything becomes bitter. Compassion is a value of life; it is power; it is God and meditation; it is truth. Compassion gives you the strength to go through suffering and yet, feel no pain. There is absolutely no grace without compassion. NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN IS PRESENTED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. THE BENEFITS ATTRIBUTED TO THE PRACTICE OF KUNDALINI YOGA COME FROM CENTURIES-OLD TRADITION. RESULTS WILL VARY WITH INDIVIDUALS. COPYRIGHT YOGI BHAJAN, 1986 WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

13 KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION MAHA GYAN AGNI PRANAYAM AS TAUGHT BY YOGI BHAJAN MAY 20, 1976 This is a very powerful kriya. Maha Gyan means the great knowledge. Agni means the purity of fire. Practice this kriya unto that Infinity of God. POSTURE: Sit in a comfortable meditative posture, with your spine straight and your chin in and chest out. MUDRA: Cup your hands at heart level with your fingertips touching. Your hands make a little boat. Make sure that the outsides of the hands from the Mercury (pinkie) fingers all the way to the base of the palms are touching as much as possible. Place your thumbs just inside your hands and bend them down ninety degrees. The thumbs touch each other and your hands. It is a snug position. EYES: Closed. CHANT: Inhale deeply and chant in a monotone, eight times in one breath: Ek Ong Kaar, Sat Gur Prasad, Sat Gur Prasad, Ek Ong Kar TIME: Begin by practicing this kriya for 11 minutes and slowly build up to 31 minutes. NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN IS PRESENTED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. THE BENEFITS ATTRIBUTED TO THE PRACTICE OF KUNDALINI YOGA COME FROM CENTURIES-OLD TRADITION. RESULTS WILL VARY WITH INDIVIDUALS. COPYRIGHT YOGI BHAJAN, 1976 IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

14 UPDATE ON THE Library of the Teachings By Satsimran Kaur Khalsa Sat Nam. Here is an update regarding the current status of the Library of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan Archive. As you know the Library of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan Archive is the backbone of KRI. We are continuing to transcribe the lectures in Bangalore. To date we have almost 6000 transcribed, 2500 have been proof read twice and 2145 have been proofread one time. Although we have 8625 lecture locations listed, some of these are duplications, some are in Punjabi (which we do have a plan to transcribe,), some are not actually Yogi Bhajan, some do not have tapes, some have been transcribed previously and are not attached to our current system. So aside from doing the transcription we are now sorting through the data, looking at the original source material, verifying the dates, etc, for a complete inventory. In 2006 we moved the archives (including the photos, negatives and slides) into a new exclusive facility in Espanola which will allow us more workspace, while keeping everything in a temperate environment until it all can be transferred to the appropriate archival formats. An integral part of our team this year has been Gian Kaur and Prabhujot Kaur of Convivial Design Studio.They have 25 years of experience in the field of filmmaking, video, editing and archival preservation. They are KRI certified KY teachers who teach and live down the road in Abiqui. They are guiding the preservation and digitizing process and have been diligently doing research into various Data Asset Management (DAM) systems, and currently have Requests For Proposals (RFP's) out to about 25 companies which we will receive in the next couple of months, so that we can make the most educated decisions. Having a Data Asset Management system will allow us to have all the information about all the source materials in one place and it will be a system that allows for all the different formats that each have to be in to be able to talk to each other. Work on the pilot project for the data base itself and the detailed search capability that we are developing was halted temporarily, due to the realization that we needed to have the DAM in place before finalizing that, too. Both the audio/video/hard copy/photo materials will be linked through the DAM. So once we have the DAM in place, we will be able to resume the actual archival work. This system will allow us to deliver the data base that will contain the Library of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan Archive. From that Archive, products whether they are an online product, or a book or a dvd or an on-line encyclopedia of the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, or curriculum for classes, etc. will easily and accurately be able to be created. Other members of the team this past year have been Guru Amrit Singh (Herndon) with his technical expertise, Dharam Singh from the IT Department, Ek Ong Kaar Kaur who has worked to put all the information about all the work that we are doing and what is required to be done into a project plan, all members of the Web Development office and KRI, and Darshan Kaur of the fund raising office. Amrit Singh has kept all the pieces together in Espanola and has guided the operational aspects. The more I learn about all the required processes, the more I am aware of the continuing work that is needed and will always be needed for this archive.we are only the pioneers to develop the plan, and to begin the plan for executing it and the plan for the ongoing funding of it. I personally am very committed to this project, but know that it can only happen with help. In the past few months, many of you did ask if there was something you could do. We are working on being able to give dollar amounts for each step that we need to take towards the completion of the Library of the Teachings Archive, and we should have that information by the next KC meetings.what we do know is that this will need to be funded every step of the way and millions of dollars will be spent. How much we do in what period of time will depend on donations, yours or the students and friends who would like to be able to contribute to something that will support the coming times. If you would like to give now towards this project, it will help us in planning what and how much we can move forward in In service to the One, with love and prayers. WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

15 KRI Yoga Research THE RATIONALE FOR YOGA RESEARCH By Sat Bir Singh Khalsa As the recently appointed Director of Research for the Kundalini Research Institute (KRI), my role is to coordinate scientific research in Kundalini Yoga and to serve as a resource for Kundalini Yoga researchers and instructors. Some of the plans for the research component of KRI are to provide access to a database of scientific research citations, to develop and facilitate communication and collaboration between those interested in Although some research exists for Yoga, and Yoga is to some small extent being applied in a few institutional settings, much more research is needed to facilitate its full incorporation. researching Kundalini Yoga, to promote and inspire new research and documentation of the benefits of Kundalini Yoga, and to provide support for Yoga instructors to bring Kundalini Yoga programs to institutional settings and special populations. Historically, Yoga practice has been restricted to narrow segments of the population, and has not achieved wide acceptance within the medical, educational, and corporate communities as having potential preventive and therapeutic health benefits. The extension of Yoga to these institutions would dramatically broaden its influence, and expand its potential to transform society. With widespread practice across many populations, Yoga could have a deep positive impact on the physical and psychological health of society as a whole. Despite Yoga's current popularity and the many personal benefits experienced by those who practice it, such "anecdotal" evidence is insufficient to facilitate the full incorporation of Yoga into the healthcare and educational systems.as with any new practice or treatment being considered by the medical community, carefully designed and executed research studies that convincingly and scientifically demonstrate the effectiveness of Yoga will be required before it can be broadly applied to a large number of populations (children, the elderly, diagnosed medical and psychiatric disorders, etc.) and institutions (hospitals, schools, offices, etc.). Although some research exists for Yoga, and Yoga is to some small extent being applied in a few institutional settings, much more research is needed to facilitate its full incorporation. On a more local level, those of us applying Kundalini Yoga to special populations and in institutional settings would benefit from a more research-oriented approach in documenting our results. Such documentation will serve as a foundation for future research projects. Furthermore, analysis of this information will also provide constructive feedback to determine the strengths and weaknesses of our programs, thereby helping us refine and improve our programs and their benefits. If you are teaching yoga in a specialized setting or with a special population and wish to consider documenting the improvements and changes occuring in students with Kundalini yoga practice, please feel free to contact me. Research is an intensive process that relies heavily on personnel and is therefore expensive. Although most biomedical research is funded by government agencies, such funding has recently become more difficult to acquire, and research funding for this particular kind of research has always been more difficult to get than that for conventional medical research. Private contributions and donations are an important supplement to government research grants in the funding of biomedical research. If you are aware of yoga students/practitioners who might be interested and have the means for potentially funding Kundalini Yoga research, please let this opportunity be known to them. IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

16 Teacher Profile: TEJ KAUR KHALSA By Nelly Coneway (Dyal) REPRINTED FROM LA YOGA MAGAZINE HER SPIRITUAL NAME,TEJ, MEANS RADIANCE and perfectly fits the warm heart and soul of one of the great teachers of Kundalini Yoga. Her smile is an open door to infinity and her warm eyes penetrate deeply, reading all like an open book. Tej has an energy field and knowledge that illuminates, comforts and helps those around her. It has been a real blessing to me to study with this divine Soul! She helped me grow and made my experience on Earth in this life time a very happy journey. Tej was working toward her Master s degree in psychology at USC, when she saw a little sign Yoga as a Form of Therapy. She called the number and went for an interview. I had to take three buses to go there, she says. I was 19 at that time, alone in the middle of L.A. There was a temple Guru Ram Das and the people around me were dressed all in white. There she met Yogi Bhajan and her life changed forever. She carefully listened to everything Yogi Bhajan said that first night and knew that he spoke to the deepest part of her psyche. It s like the very wisest part of me was brought out by his statements, like it was already there but was reinforced by him. After his lecture, related Tej, he walked down the aisle and stared at her and she reached him mentally: All right, I like your teachings, I ll follow your teachings, but I ll never follow you like a man. He shook his head up and down, like he understood. He heard me, I knew he heard me. He was very respectful and very much related to my depth. Knowing that we were communicating on a psychic level was very interesting, because I never had anybody be able to do that before, never. Tej tells the story as if it was only yesterday, but she has been a student of Yogi Bhajan (Master of Kundalini Yoga, Mahan Tantric who brought Kundalini Yoga to the West in 1969) for over 30 years now. Her dedication to Kundalini Yoga and Yogi Bhajan has taken her to positions of honor and respect within the Sikh Dharma. She is the Custodian of the Archives of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan and a recognized authority on the teachings. Tej has been involved in numerous Yogi Bhajan publications as transcriber, editor and compiler including the Woman s Camp Series, 72 Stories of God, Good and Goods, and The Master s Touch. Tej went on to finish her Masters Degree in Counseling, and for many years, while assisting Yogi Bhajan with his correspondence she also received extensive training from him in yogic counseling. Tej teaches a regular schedule of classes at Golden Bridge Spiritual Village in Hollywood. With her extensive background and authentic love of the teachings, the classes are occasions to enjoy very deep meditative experiences and to learn vast amounts of yogic knowledge. She often uses lessons from her own life of study with Yogi Bhajan, sharing how he helped her overcome challenges as examples to inspire her students. And she tells the class, that in the same way it takes pressure on a piece of coal to make it into a diamond, without the pressure, the pain and the challenges you can t really go to the next level. It has been many, many times that my teacher put me through challenges, and I always learned how to overcome my own negative mind. Yogi Bhajan was known for testing his students and Tej talks about the hardest thing she s ever done as being the four years of White Tantric Yoga, every weekend, with Yogi WINTER - IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com

17 Bhajan. To do only one of these courses takes 40 days to have the sub-consciousness filter out and cleanse then get used to this new state. It was a severe cleansing every weekend and I don t recommend this to anyone. We were around him, he allowed us to do it and his aura was protecting us. Tej and others were traveling with him at that time and he was leading the White Tantric Yoga meditations himself. Says Tej: Yogi Bhajan gave of his life force every time he led White Tantric Yoga. His auric field was like a garbage collector, gathering, cleansing everybody s consciousness. He was in so much pain when he finished a White Tantric Yoga session, we had to help him off the stage and into the car. Tej also teaches about the Aquarian Age, telling her students to get ready, to build their strength. She leads her classes with the same intention she believes her teacher instilled in her, always aiming to become clearer, stronger and own their energy fields. Tej Kaur Khalsa talks of almost nothing other than helping her students.teaching Kundalini Yoga is her life. Keep up & you will be kept up! For more information visit yogainfo@3ho.org IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -

18 Gurudakshina is an honest investment of clarity, a graceful link which teachers need to value to keep out of the Maya. Yogi Bhajan, 1996 Giving Gurudakshina is a law of Kundalini Yoga. It opens the space for a teacher to consciously give back to the source of the teachings. Giving Gurudakshina gratefully acknowledges that everything we receive as teachers has come from the Hand of the Divine. In appreciation for the opportunity of serving as Kundalini Yoga teachers in this lifetime, we give back 11% of what we receive from teaching. How do I calculate Gurudakshina? Simple. It is 11% of your yoga class earnings after deducting expenses. Please send your Gurudakshina check to: Gurudakshina, 6 Narayan Court, Espanola, New Mexico USA or call to arrange a credit card payment.

19 SOME BIG LITTLE THINGS MY TEACHER TAUGHT ME By Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa Just teach what you know, and teach people to relax. That s what Yogi Bhajan told me when I said I was missing all the latest kriyas he had been giving on his travels. So, that s what I do. I teach Kundalini Yoga for Beginners, and I teach them how to relax. I m often asked to train new teachers how to teach beginners, because after an intensive Teacher Training course new teachers have so much information and technology that they can tend to make things too complicated for new students. My aim in teaching Beginners is to make them feel secure and confident. I keep it very basic, and encourage them by saying, If Shakti can do it, anybody can do it. That s what Yogi Bhajan said during a class he gave at the Alhambra YMCA while we were doing Cat-Cow, back in (He also told me privately to do that exercise 3 minutes every day keeping the head down and relaxed.) Another great piece of advice he gave was to repeat Ang Sang Wahe Guru 1 26 times every day. I like doing it when the cold water hits me in the shower every morning! He said he was praying, Oh Guru Ram Das, I m just a nut, please teach this class for me. Yogi Bhajan gave me some very useful tips about teaching that you probably won t find in any book or manual. If teaching outdoors, or in some less than ideal setting. he said the first thing to do is, acknowledge the venue. By welcoming, acknowledging, and accepting our surroundings, we are better able to contain the energy within the confines of the actual class itself. Especially outdoors, where auras can expand and perhaps wander down the road, it s really important to make a point of stating your appreciation of the circumstances. I have made comments like, My, what a beautiful day it is here in the park. Or, We re so fortunate to have the tap-dancing class right next door! (That happened once when I was facilitating a White Tantric Yoga Course.) God bless the basketball game, wonderful sport, good exercise for the kids. Whatever. Get the idea? Remember, it s a principle: when we resist something, we give it more strength! On the contrary, an attitude of gratitude and acceptance brings divine blessings.an attitude of gratitude is not a platitude 2 ; it genuinely does evoke a powerful energy. So, no matter what you have to deal with, be truly grateful. At least say that you are! If you can fake it, you can make it. I may have written about this elsewhere, but I think it s worth repeating. Here s what I learned when I asked Yogi Bhajan what he was saying when he stood with folded hands in front of the altar at Guru Ram Das Ashram in Los Angeles, just before he sat down on the teacher s bench. He said he was praying, Oh Guru Ram Das, I m just a nut, please teach this class for me. I like to remember this whenever I chant Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. A worthy prayer. Though in his later years, his physical body was subject to attacks by some diseases, Yogi Bhajan never suffered IKYTA - - fax - - ikyta@ ho.org www. kundaliniyoga.com WINTER -