Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association of Ireland

The official Facebook page of the Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association of Ireland. Twitter: @KundaliniYogaIE Who Is Yogi Bhajan and what is kundalini yoga? Yogi Bhajan was born Harbhajan Singh Puri on 26 August 1929 into a family of healers and community leaders, in the Punjab region of India that is now Pakistan. He was a pioneer in many fields with a deep and compassionate insight into the human condition. Yogi Bhajan's kundalini training started at the age of 8 years and by the age of 16 years his enlightened teacher, Sant Hazara Singh, declared him a Master of Kundalini Yoga. During the partition of Pakistan and India, Harbhajan lead his 7,000 fellow villagers to safety 325 miles away in New Deli, India. Unsettled Indians were given houses in India. Thereafter Harbahjan went to college at the Punjab University, where he graduated with a Degree and Masters in Economics. He subsequently worked for the Indian government in the Internal Revenue Department, overseeing the creation of the IRS building in New Deli. He then moved onto the customs service. He taught kundalini yoga throughout his academic years and government service to anyone who wished to learn. Yogi Bhajan arrived in Canada in September 1968 to teach yoga at Toronto University. In October 1968 he went for a weekend visit to Los Angeles. Immediately he saw that the young people of the time were looking for 'higher consciousness and spiritual awareness' through the use of drugs. On seeing this, Yogi Bhajan realised that what these misguided seekers needed to find what they were looking for was kundalini yoga. He held his first lecture on 5 January 1969; however as no-one turned up for the lecture, he taught to an empty hall. This lack of students soon changed and young people began to flock to his classes where he taught the previously secret science of kundalini yoga publicly. As his classes began to grow so the invitations to teach expanded. Schools and colleges in Los Angeles invited him to teach. Soon Yogi Bhajan was teaching in New York and other areas of the United States. Not only was Yogi Bhajan a Master of Kundalini Yoga but he was also a devout Sikh. His dedication to and leadership in Sikhism earned him the title of Siri Singh Sadbh, Chief Religious and Administrative Authority for the Western Hemisphere. This honour was bestowed on him in 1971. In 1974 the title of Bhai Sahib was also bestowed upon him by the Akal Takhat, the Sikh seat of religious authority in Amritsar, India. After the passing of Lama Lilan Po, the Tibetan Mahan Tantric, (the only living Master of White Tantric Yoga) in 1971, Yogi Bhajan became the Mahan Tantric presiding over White Tantra globally. Yogi Bhajan incorporated the non-profit 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organisation) with the goal of spreading the teachings of the science of Kundalini Yoga. The 3HO has expanded since its inception and now has many centres on all continents. The United Nations recognised in 1994 the 3HO as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with Consultative Status (Roster) with the Economic and Social Council representing women issues, promoting human rights and provides education in alternative systems of medicine. The Kundalini Research Institute was created in 1976 to verify, preserve and make available the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. A library of his teachings is currently being created and is due to completed in 2012. Yogi Bhajan passed from his body on 6 October, 2004 at 9.05pm MDT, at the age of 75 years. His legacy of teachings remain as a gift for those seeking higher consciousness through Kundalini Yoga. His motto: "If you can't see God in all, you can't see God at all." His credo: "It's not the life that matters, it's the courage that you bring to it." His challenge to students: "Don't love me, love my teachings. Become ten times greater than me." What is Kundalini Yoga "...the flow of energy and consciousness that already exists within each one of us." Yogi Bhajan Kundalini Yoga has been practised for thousands of years by people of countless religious faiths. Kundalini Yoga integrates all branches of the yogic discipline combining kriyas (physical exercises), pranayama (controlled breathing techniques), meditations and mantras (chanting) resulting in an extremely powerful and transformational experience. Often referred to as the Yoga of Awareness, Kundalini Yoga addresses all aspects of the human being from the inside out. The discipline is a gateway to the union of individual consciousness with Infinite consciousness. Kundalini Yoga is more than a technique, it is a lifestyle that includes guidelines for health, nutrition, practical psychology (humanology) and offers an evolved vision of the human being in relation to the universe and to itself. Through the discipline of Kundalini Yoga you learn to elevate your consciousness through your own effort and will, thus harnessing your development in all aspects of human nature. Kundalini Yoga leads to a state of fullness. In practical terms it allows you to enjoy a happy, healthy and holy life.