More Yogi Bhajan Pics

Here is a very regal shot of Yogi Bhajan as well as another of him with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Yogi Bhajan Teaching

This is a great pic of Yogiji teaching a Kundalini Yoga class at Summer Solstice

White Tantric Yoga

Here is a picture of White Tantric Yoga at Summer Solstice. There are usually around 1200 people who participate.

The Cultivation of the Divine Relation

This Week:Kundalini Yoga w/ Jai Dev Singh, All Levels Welcome, $15 drop in or $70 for 6 classes--Wednesday, 8:30am @ Wild Mt. Yoga Studio
This Weeks Class: The Cultivation of the Divine Relation

****THIS WEEK IS THE FINAL WEDNESDAY MORNING CLASS. STARTING 9/26 CLASS WILL BE ON TUESDAYS @ 5:30PM


Sat Nam,

This coming Wednesday (9/20) is officially the last Wednesday morning yoga class. After this week class will be on Tuesday evenings at 5:30pm, same place. So the first Tuesday evening class will take place on Sept. 26th. I hope this is a time that will allow even more of you to attend. Evening classes are a bit of a different energy; equally wonderful but just different. Come and see.
This past Wednesday’s class seemed especially powerful (for me at least). We powered through a kriya for “Adjusting the Body to Elevate the Spirit” (which by the way is featured in the latest “Aquarian Times” Magazine—go to www.aquariantimes.com and sign up for a free subscription). The meditation however was especially beautiful and I was feeling quite blissful just holding space. The energy had the spirit of a white tantric yoga meditation on top of the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico (see the picture below).
Ya know its funny, most of us understand that our problems, our routine, our challenges are taken care of. We understand that “the one who turns the earth for us will also take care of our routine”, the ins and outs of our lives. The one who turns the earth for us, who created us, who created the trees and plants, the sun and stars, the majesty of all creation, will also take care of our little stresses (that we tend to make really big!) We understand it don’t we? We understand it theoretically. The real question is do we experience it on a day to day basis, or even on a hour to hour and a minute to minute basis. That is the real question and it takes some real work in order to answer that question with a confident and joyful—Yes! It is something that must be worked on. Each and every one of us not only owe it to ourselves, but we owe it to each other. We owe it to our families, our children. It is time for us as spiritual beings living temporarily in these human bodies to master our emotions. It is time to unshackle the chains of the mind and ego and to invoke the Divine Trust that we are capable of. So how do we do that? Well, the truth of the matter is that it takes real work. It is not something that we can only understand and not practice. It is easy to say that we trust in God when everything is smooth and life is flowing with ease. But what about when the stresses come, the little stresses and the big stresses, do we still remain in our state of trust? It is constant all day everyday work! There must be technique, there must be a plan that we have created for ourselves and that we are committed to adhere to. These are the initial steps to create an everlasting Trust that will result in lasting joy and happiness and a life free from fear and stress. We will no longer lack anything, and we will have everything.
The first commitment is Sadhana. We talk about Sadhana as spiritual practice, and in this respect Sadhana is about creating a relationship with your Creator. If you have no relationship with the Divine, how do you expect to trust the Divine? We must have a regular practice that keeps us connected, that keeps us powering forward on the path to peace and purity. This is a must. Whether it starts with one yoga class a week or it is 2 ½ hours every morning at 4am, we must do something.
The second commitment is bringing our Sadhana with us in our day. If we do Sadhana all morning long and then freak out at the first stressor that comes our way, what good is it? This is Aradhana, bringing the Sadhana into the world and is often the toughest part. There are many levels of bringing our spirituality in the world. We do it through intention, through the types of jobs we do, to the people we surround ourselves with; these are all important elements in our lives where Spirit is absolutely needed. But it is also maintaining the connection with the Divine all day every day, and this is where many people fall short. We must cultivate a relationship with the Divine that is so intimate, so close and so real that we are spontaneously in “conversation” with our God all day long. When a potential stressor arises, we no longer become stressed, but rather a reaction that calls to the Creator to take care of it. I am speaking vague here because it looks different for each person. We all have our unique ways of relating to the Infinite. What is not different is the presence. God is always everywhere, but when God is allowed to work wherever you are, then that’s powerful. It is actually quite simple. We have fear when we think things are going wrong. So we only need to give up the responsibility. How nice, its no longer your stress, its God’s stress. God created you, created this mess that makes the stress, so give it away, its not yours.
Cultivate the relationship to the Divine, then you will experience Prabhupati, Mastery. The relationship cannot be cultivated some of the time, it is all of the time. When we wake we do our practice, when we eat we do our practice, when we lie down to bed we do our practice. For the yogi, there is no time when the relationship isn’t being cultivated. When we speak to our boss or co-worker, when we play with our children, when we are at the grocery store and see someone know; when we are intimidated by another. If we maintain the consciousness of Cultivation of the Divine Relation, which is the consciousness of growth and evolution, then we harness a power that is far greater than ourselves. We harness the power that destroys our insecurities, worries and fears. We harness the most potent power in the Universe, and the deeper our relationship becomes the more potent the power becomes. This is the path of the yogi. There is no room for lethargy. If you want true joy, true happiness and unlimited power, then simply relate to the Divine in everything you do, look for growth in everything you do, don’t settle for anything but greatness and gracefulness, and at the same time be ok with where you are in the present. This is the balance that creates peace and tranquility in the mind. If we are always working towards growth but unhappy with where we are now, then we are neurotic. If we are happy where we are now and care not for growth, then we are lethargic and neurotic. We must have the balance.
Incorporate things into your routine that keep this consciousness alive. Otherwise it becomes hidden beneath the illusion of the world. It is an ongoing process. That’s the beauty of creation, if it were easy the fruits wouldn’t be so sweet.
Sat Nam

White Tantric Yoga

I just came across this while scrolling through some old pics. This is an amazing shot of White Tantric Yoga at our Summer Solstice Gathering in New Mexico. There are about 1200 people you see there meditating and chanting together. A powerful experience that is truly beyond words. There are 3 full days of White Tantric Yoga at both the Winter and Summer Solstice Gatherings. Winter Solstice takes place in Florida and is coming soon; start planning!

Ayurveda and the Meditation for Vayu Siddhi

Sat Nam Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I have been considering moving the Wednesday morning class to Tuesday evenings at 5:30pm (still at Wild Mt.). I have officially decided to do this but will not be taking place right away. Class will be on Wednesday morning this week as usual and I will update you when the official switch is to take place (definitely by the first week in October but it could happen sooner). I hope this allows even more of you to attend. One of the greatest benefits of this change is that it will allow my beautiful wife, Simrit Kaur, to play music during the classes with me more often.

If you missed class last Wednesday, we did a beautiful meditation to “heal all sickness”. The meditation is said to give “Vayu Siddhi”. Vayu refers to the pranic winds that circulate throughout the body and mind. To stay healthy, the vayus must be circulating properly, in their appropriate directions (there are 5 of them), and without obstruction. When the vayus are out of balance, there is always a disruption in the mental or physical body. If there is deranged vayu movement, the result can be anxiety, fear, worry, negativity, as well as constipation or diarrhea (depending on the nature of the disruption), cold hands and feet, malabsorption, and other symptoms. Siddhi means power and refers to spiritual powers one can obtain from yogic practices. “Vayu Siddhi” then, is the power over the vayus. Coming from someone who has devoted a large part of his life to the study of Ayurvedic Medicine (the sister science and healing side of Yoga), believe me when I tell you that a large part of human life and health is maintaining a harmonious function of the 5 vayus. In Ayurveda, we have 3 doshas; Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These are the bio-energetic forces that determine our state of health. Vata is the force of motion, Pitta is the force of heat, and Kapha is Stability and Sturcture. All three doshas must be in harmony for there to be health. If Vata is in excess there is an excess of motion, creating wear and tear, dryness and instability. This leads to the excessive break down in tissue and deterioration of the body and organs. Kapha is the opposing force of stability and structure. However if Kapha is in excess, then there is excess growth, stagnation, lethargy and sluggishness. Pitta is the force of heat and fire and controls digestion and metabolism. If Pitta is in excess there will be excessive heat in the body resulting in inflammation and burning of tissues. In Hindu mythology the three doshas are represented by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer deities. In the west, the three doshas can be equated to concepts of metabolism, catabolism and anabolism. For a healthy metabolism (Pitta) there must be a harmonious balance between anabolism (the building of tissue, Kapha) and catabolism (the break down of tissue, Vata). These are in depth concepts that I am only giving a general overview of so you may get the general idea. It is a well known and accepted fact that Vata is the king of the doshas. Vata is movement and without it Kapha and Pitta are worthless. It is also the dosha that causes the most problems. All of us have a unique constitution which will determine whether we are more prone to Vata, Pitta or Kapha problems. However, no matter what your constitution is, we all constantly deal with the wrath of Vata J. We are always doing-doing-doing—which is movement. Driving in our cars, conversating, going here, going there, doing this, doing that—you know. THIS IS WHY THE VATA AND THE VAYUS ARE SOOO IMPORTANT. And it is why I say that to calm vata and bring healthy flow to the vayus is partly the goal of human life and health! When the vayus are in balance we are calm, stable, can see clearly and are intuitive. Why? Because there is no excessive thoughts and motion in the mind preventing us from seeing what we naturally see when we are in a healthy state of being. Simple huh? When the vayus are balanced are elimination is healthy and regular, are digestion is good, and are circulation is good. When all of this is in harmony, then we as people are in harmony and we naturally serve our dharma, we naturally serve others, we naturally live for the enrichment of humanity and of the planet. This is a profound statement I am making that some people may not agree with but it doesn’t matter—I am saying it! When we are in our natural state of being, without the disruption of ill health, of dis-ease, of emotional and mental imbalance, then we naturally do what makes us happy. What makes us happy is serving, serving others happiness. There is no other way around it or to it. Happiness comes from selflessness, it comes from humility and it comes from acknowledging and accessing the spirit of God within you, then with that reaching out and touching the spirit of God within your brothers and sisters.
So with that said I will share the Meditation for Vayu Siddhi with you:

Posture and Mudra: Sitting in easy pose, place the back of the right hand into the palm of the left hand. The left thumb rests comfortably in the palm of the right hand while the right thumb crosses over the left thumb. Hold this hand position comfortably at the heart center.

Focus: Close the eyes, focus and the third eye and chant:
Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung
(the version of this mantra on Snatam Kaur’s Grace is a good one for this meditation, otherwise it can be chanted acapella in the traditional way, I can show you if you don’t know how at class

Continue for 11 minutes

To End: Inhale and suspend the breath in perfect stillness for 15-20 seconds. Exhale and relax.

This week we will be doing the yoga set for “Body Adjustment to Elevate the Spirit”
See you there

The Warrior Within You--9-5-06

I must confess, on a certain level I’m a bit of a selfish teacher. Sure I show up for you, I teach for you, I come to uplift you, but at the same time I really do it all for me. Like I said in a post a couple of weeks ago, If you want to know something, then read about it; if you want to understand something, then write about it; if you want to master something, teach it. I need my classes as much as you guys do. If there isn’t something to keep us going, to keep us connected to the parts of ourselves that aren’t always apparent, then we risk the danger of wandering into the maya. The world of Maya (illusion) can often be very tempting (not to mention convincing!), but the true warrior knows better. I say warrior because that’s what you are. You are the spiritual warrior. Deep down inside your heart lies your truest essence and to remain connected to You, it takes constant effort, constant reminder, constant inspiration. In America (and especially in Nevada County) it is so easy to get caught up in the bubble of comfort. Comfort zones are dangerous because in them, we forget that all over the world people are suffering, people are being killed for know reason, people are confused and are truly experiencing living hell. I don’t mean to be too blunt, but we all know it’s the Truth. The other danger of living in a comfort zone is that it is eventually not very comfortable, in fact it ultimately leads to your own suffering and sorrow. Imagine that. Some may say that the true yogi is detached from all of the suffering and therefore sees the divinity in everything, even the killing, genocide, etc…While that may be true, it is no excuse to be lethargic! In reality, the true yogi realizes this duality, is detached from it, and from that realization devotes their lives to serving humanity. This is not an age of living in a cave or on a mountaintop meditating. This is an age where are work is in the world. How can I sit in a cave (or even in front of the tv in my living room for that matter) while there are children in the ghettos of our country without a mother and father, without enough clothes or food, who will be victim to the streets? How can I sit while those in Sudan and the Congo face mass genocide, while there are orphans dying of AIDS all over the world? As much as we might like to deny it, we are connected to these children. We are also connected to those who are murdering innocent people for power and money. We are connected to every other being on this planet, and none of us will experience ultimate Enlightenment until we are all working towards the healing of the planet. Happiness comes through service. Happiness comes through being actively engaged in the spiritual process. That is accomplished through commitment—commitment to your personal practice, commitment to the health of your family, commitment to the health of your community and commitment to the health of the entire world. You could move mountains if you believed you could, and that is the truth.
Lets not kid ourselves folks, we need each other. If we do not function in Unity, that is as a Unit, then we do not understand life and we do not understand happiness. If we do not reach out to others with compassion, then we do not understand ourselves. If we only ask ourselves what can the world give me, with out asking what can I give the world, then we do not understand prosperity. The flow of life is an art. It is simple and it is real but our lives and minds have become so cluttered that we have lost touch with our selves, and when we lose touch with our self, we lose touch with all others as well—husband, wife, child, friend, everyone. The flow of life is to give, it is to live for each other and it is to always in every moment reaching for the good and the truth for all. This is each of our natural tendency, but we have naturally become confused and forgotten. I say naturally because it is natural considering the circumstances we live in within modern day society. The tools to return to Truth and happiness are at your fingertips. Your body is giving to you, but are you giving to your body. Your mind is working for you, but are you working for your mind. The entire universe is actually conspiring for your awakening, for your good. But are you conspiring for your awakening, for your commitment to making a difference in your lifetime? Or will you continue to move about in your bubble as the beauty and majesty of creation pass you by. We can only be ok with the suffering in the world when we are actively connected to the suffering. If you see a movie about the holocaust or Rwanda or the AIDS epidemic you feel sad, but you also feel a sense of connection and inspiration. It is not depressing, but it is motivating. This is the connection, but then by the next day we have all but forgotten. It is only the spiritual warrior who doesn’t forget, and this is an accomplishment that few achieve. Remembrance breeds action, and action breeds change. Change means evolution and evolution means enlightenment. Are you ready? Are you ready to invoke the warrior within you? You are needed by the world, you are needed by your community, you are needed by your family, but most of all—you are needed by your own Soul. May you be Blessed in this life to have the grit and the strength of the spirit, to face the challenges of life with Grace and Courage, and to experience the Bliss of God through your work and your wisdom.
Your Brother in Divine,
Jai Dev Singh
Lion of Victory to God