Yogi
Bhajan
Secrets
of Kundalini Yoga Revealed to the West!
by
Guru Rattana, Ph.D.
YOGI BHAJAN
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"Amid
the swirling, confusing, unfocused energies of the modern
world, there is a light, a calm and a healing in the center
of all things,"
Yogi
Bhajan, Master of Kundalini yoga and White Tantric yoga.
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FROM
PRINCE TO MASTER
Seventy
years ago Yogi Bhajan was born an Indian prince. He was the male
heir of a family whose holdings included the entire village of Kot
Harkarn, now part of Pakistan. His birthdays were great celebrations.
Each year his weight in kilos was doled out to the poor in gold,
silver and copper coins.
Bestowed
with the name Harbhajan Singh Puri at birth, he was not destined
for an ordinary life. The village wise men said his life would profoundly
impact millions of people. At the age of 18, when India was being
partitioned into India and Pakistan, he led his whole village into
Northern India. He arrived penniless with only the clothes on his
back.
Yogi
Bhajan had mastered the ancient technology of Kundalini Yoga in
India by the time he was 16 1/2 years old. In addition to his yogic
practices (he's also a master of Hatha Yoga), he finished college,
served in the Indian military, married, fathered three children,
and was working as a Customs officer at Palim International Airport
when he received an invitation to go to Canada and teach Yoga at
the University of Toronto.
FATHER
OF KUNDALINI IN THE WEST
One
of the reasons he accepted the offer was that he had seen too many
Americans and Europeans seekers arriving in India, being exploited
-spending a lot of money, and leaving without having learned very
much, if anything. He vowed to teach honestly, and share the wisdom
and the technology that he had gained. He was determined to give
people the technology of Kundalini Yoga so that they could empower
themselves and show them they didn't have to become anybody's disciple
to progress on the spiritual path.
En
route to Canada, he not only lost his luggage, when he landed in
Toronto, he discovered that the professor from the University who
had hired him had just died. So he had no job, only $35, and the
clothes on his back. This was September of 1968.
In
December, he received another invitation, this time a personal one
from a man he had known in India, to spend a weekend visiting in
Los Angeles.
Although
"the Yogi," as he was called back then, had only intended
to visit LA for one weekend, he changed his mind. When he met the
young people of the '60's, whose destiny it was to usher in the
new era-- the Aquarian Age, he knew his destiny was to stay here
and teach them. In 1969 he moved to the United States, first LA
and then New Mexico.
At
his first public lecture on Sunday, January 5, 1969, at the East
West Cultural Center in Los Angeles, he explained that it is everyone's
birthright to BE healthy, happy, and holy, and practicing Kundalini
Yoga was one powerful way to claim that birthright.
Busloads
of young people from all over flocked to the East West Cultural
Center when they learned of a Master from India teaching Kundalini
Yoga! This was too much for the woman in charge of the Center, and
she asked Yogi Bhajan to leave. One of his students owned an Antique
Shop on the corner of Melrose and Robertson and he offered the use
of his showroom for classes.
Every
night the enthusiastic students would remove all the furniture before
class, and put it back afterwards! Soon they decided to convert
the garage into a permanent classroom, and that became the first
"Guru Ram Das Ashram." Classes were packed full every
night.
He
made it clear from the very start that he had not come to get disciples,
but to train teachers. He said that in Kundalini Yoga, a person
must initiate him/herself! He encouraged people to learn, and then
go out and teach what they had learned.
BREAKING
THE SECRECY TRADITION
Yogi
Bhajan broke the ancient tradition of secrecy to introduce what
he called the Yoga of Awareness to the West. Traditionally these
sacred teachings were passed from teacher to student in a very selective
and elitist fashion. Any student who wanted to learn Kundalini Yoga
had to serve a Master, prove his/her humility, self-discipline,
and devotion before the teacher would even consider teaching them.
Until
he came to the West in 1969, Kundalini Yoga had never been taught
anywhere publicly. In fact, it was said that anyone who dared to
teach Kundalini Yoga openly would not live to see his next birthday!
Yogi Bhajan defied that tradition because he saw that thousands
of young people were dying using drugs in search of higher consciousness.
He offered an alternative to the drug culture. He knew Kundalini
Yoga would give seekers a real experience of God within, and help
heal their mental and emotional problems -- as well as the physical
bodies that had been damaged by the use of drugs
Yogi
Bhajan devoted his life to the democratization of spirituality,
teaching whoever is ready to listen and willing to practice. He
taught the "Happy, Healthy, Holy way of life" for householders,
the common man and woman who have families, earn a living and have
relationships. The lifestyle includes a vegetarian diet and early
morning practice of Kundalini yoga and meditation.
MAN
OF MANY HATS OR TURBANS
Yogi
Bhajan wore many hats, or turbans. He was a businessman, spiritual
teacher and religious leader.
Yogi
Bhajan earned a Masters Degree in Economics in India and a Doctorate
in the Psychology of Communication in the U.S. He was also a master
of Ayurvedic healing and head of 14 U.S. corporations, including
the computer company Sun and Son, Yogi Tea and Kettle Chips AND
Akal Security, which guards the Federal Court House in Washington,
D.C.
Yogi
Bhajan was the only living Master of White Tantric Yoga. Through
the healing that he performed as the Mahan Tantric he assumed the
karma of those he helped and rearranged the ions of a person's aura,
helping them to reach their truest selves and become compassionate,
kind and caring people. Yogi Bhajan taught that happiness is the
birthright of every human being. One of his favorite sayings was
"If you can't see God in all, you haven't seen God at all."
As
the Siri Singh Sahib, the name he was given as the leader of Sikhism
in the Western Hemisphere, he met with Pope John Paul II to discuss
inter-religious dialogue and worked side-by-side with the Dalai
Lama and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Sikhism is a "Dharma"
or way of life that believes in equality and direct experience of
the Divine. It offers devotional practices to help each individual
achieve oneness with God.
Yogi Bhajan left his physical
body at 9:05 pm MDT on October 6th, 2004. His passing took place
at his home in Espanola, New Mexico surrounded by family and friends.
The cause of death was complications due to heart failure. He was
75 years old.
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"Each
soul has a role to play. Each human has something to say.
May consciousness prevail so we can come through the veil
of arrogance and ignorance to the joy and happiness of life.
May we count our blessings to be beautiful, bountiful and
blissful." - Yogi Bhajan
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Acknowledgement:
Part of this article is based on
"Kundalini
Yoga Comes to the West" by Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa.
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