"Sat Nam, Devi Scholarship Committee!

It’s always a little sticky to preface any statement with it changed my life; after all, every experience, every glance, every gesture has the possibility of waking us up and radically changing our lives from one moment to the next. There are, however, pillar moments that tower above the rest. I would certainly say that my deepening practice of Kundalini yoga, facilitated by your gracious Devi Scholarship, at Kundalini Yoga in the Loop (KYL) with Shakta Kaur and Hari Dev Singh, has been one such pillar.

I came to yoga as I come to many things in life: eyes alight and aflutter for the possibilities. The excitement wasn’t necessarily unique, but my ability to ground this excitement and let it mature into something wiser and more real was. This grounding wasn’t some herculean feat of my own doing; yes there was the aspect of my discipline and commitment, but these were fleshed out by the group consciousness of my classmates, the communal dedication brought to our weekends together, and the thoughtful and attentive awareness of the teachers. The result of this has been a quiet serenity where before there was all heat and vim. A basking in the stillness of Being is always a breath away for me, a kriya in the making, a mindful meditation. Kundalini yoga has allowed me to develop myself as a human being, to be more available in my healing work, and to walk a graceful road to my Highest Destiny.

I’d thought of writing a thank you immediately upon receiving this scholarship, but decided instead to offer up a prayer of gratitude and wait until I could share what the experience meant to me, means to me. I am awed by the breadth of yoga, by the true reach of consciousness, and the possibilities of yoking yoga with daily living. Not only do I now have a daily practice—something so grounding and liberating for a staunch vata—but I am now part of a beautiful community of like-minded individuals who share the respect and commitment to consciously becoming conscious of our consciousness. The weekends of class were intense and yet the reverberations all stronger still. I have been sent out into the world to share this technology with people and I have already begun to do so. A client of mine calls it ‘happy yoga’ and I quite agree with her; it makes people feel good, because being ALIVE, being in balance to truly live and share and grow is a very happy thing. *smile* Thank you.

Thank you for believing so much in this yoga and that those called to this path, regardless of financial circumstance, must heed the call. In providing the finances to facilitate an answer to Spirit, you do an incredible service to the world. You create teachers. You birth a greater mindfulness. You go above and beyond to gracefully usher in the footsteps of the Aquarian Age. I thank you most heartily for this. I know that many opportunities will come for me to give as you have; I trust that I shall show as much generosity and so continue this Golden Chain of offering, of connection, and of evolution. Thank you.

Sat Nam,
Hari Miter Kaur Paffhouse - KYL Class of 2008"

The application deadline for this fall’s Devi Scholarship recipients is Thursday, September 1.  Click Here to access the Devi Scholarship application form. 

“Let there be Peace. Let there be Peace of Mind. Let there be Peace with Mankind. Let there be Peace of the States. Let the World dwell within the Force of Peace.” - Yogi Bhajan

• Peace as a dynamic state that begins with your thoughts;
• Peace as you begin to command your own mind;
• Peace as the ego is cut away with mantra;
• Peace that is always at your core;
• Peace within so that you can be peace wherever you go.

Saturday and Sunday - 8 am to 6 pm
November 12-13, 2011
January 14-15, 2012
March 17-18, 2012
Downtown Chicago

Be among the first to begin a journey called ‘The Stages of Meditation’ – the meditative path to realization. We begin on November 11, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois, USA with KRI’s Director of Training, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D.  ‘The Stages of Meditation’ are grouped into three ‘journeys’ of seven stages each. They are: Experience & Crystallize the Self (November), Express and Distill the Self (January) and Transcend and Sublimate the Self (March).

A message from Gurucharan Singh:

“I spent over 35 years with Yogi Bhajan, the Master of Kundalini Yoga, from his immigration to the USA in 1969 until his passing in 2004. I learned about the three journeys, the stages and the meditations to complete the journeys directly from him and have shared that along with my own experiences from practice and teaching them. The stages provide an indispensable map for deepening and understanding meditation.”

At first you might be attracted to Kundalini Yoga for the more obvious reasons like:
-- increasing your strength and improving your flexibility,
-- reducing your stress and learning to relax,
-- learning proper breathing, or even
-- for health problems.

But, over time the attraction to this technology increases as you experience:
-- a feeling of connection and vastness,
-- a clarity and neutrality of mind,
-- a calmness and evenness in your life, and
-- fulfillment as a spiritual being.

Taking the personal journey we call ‘Teacher Training’--this year in particular as we transition from the Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age—is truly a gift to yourself. This course is based on the comprehensive science of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. It is a journey in the art and science of improving yourself based upon excellence and exaltation. Come learn to elevate your own consciousness. You will also develop the skills necessary to teach Kundalini Yoga and Meditation publicly as a consciousness educator (if you so choose).

Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan is called a sacred science. This is because the sacredness of the student is awakened through it. Come respond to the call of your soul and the Infinite and join us the last weekend of October. Partial scholarships are available (application deadline Sept. 1st).

Devi Scholarship hopefuls complete an application form that requires answers to six questions (download form).  With the application they include a monetary deposit indicating to the universe their commitment to take the course.  They are asked to write a biography of themselves; to describe a teacher of any kind whom they admire; to describe their current yoga practice; and to write about their motivation to take Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training.  They also need to offer some proof of their financial need.  Finally, personal interviews are conducted to determine which candidates will eventually receive a Devi Scholarship. 

The application deadline for this fall’s Devi Scholarship recipients is today - Thursday, September 1.  Click Here to access the Devi Scholarship application form. 

* Japji is a prayer which relates the conscious mind to the soul.  It is one of the daily prayers of the Sikhs.  ‘Jap-’ is often translated as ‘song of’ and ‘-ji’ as ‘the soul.’  As a result, Japji is called ‘the song of the soul.’

** Gurudakshina is tithing, or, an offering as an expression of gratitude for the teachings.  ‘-Dakshina’ will give ‘drib drishtee.’  You will start seeing the unseen.  It will mega-multiply you financially, socially and personally. 

‘Communication is a gift to know. Communication is a gift to understand. Communication is a gift to realize. If you do not use communication for these three things, it is better that you shut up and don’t talk.’ -- Yogi Bhajan

Join us for this unique six-day course (one of five Level 2 modules) to learn how to speak — meditatively and intuitively — not just to talk! The discipline of conscious communication qualifies you to speak each word one-pointedly, faithfully, courageously, directly and simply.

In this course you will learn to:

• Gather your energy and awareness to support what you intend to communicate.
• Practice harmonious communication in areas of conflict or confrontation.
• Consciously communicate at the subtle frequencies of your chakras.
• Realize prayer as the intimate presence of the Infinite within you.

Gurucharan teaches every day of this course.

Special course fees apply for a limited time.  For KYL Alumni the tuition is $1,099 - For IKYTA members the tuition is $1,199 (regular price $1,299).

Click Here for more information.

Waxing Moon
... is the time between the New Moon and the day before the Full Moon. During this time the energy of the body moves into your higher centers (chakras). This is the time to bring new things, new people or new relationships into your life or to accelerate the progress of your special projects.

11 Days After New Moon
Yogi Bhajan taught that this is the day when you are in balance. The glandular system readjusts itself on this day. Your metabolism is changing, so if you eat very lightly (green foods) or if you live just on water and lemon today, your health will be perfect. Eat very lightly during the day. Eat only one meal and drink lemon and water the rest of the day.

Full Moon
You are naturally accelerated on a full moon. You are at your highest energy level. The secretions in your body will be at their maximum, so you don't want your energy being used to consume food. Save your energy to reconstruct yourself. Try to drink only liquids on this day. If you feel you must eat, drink only milk. (But, don't drink cold milk right out of the refrigerator. Milk should be brought to a boil. Allow the milk to foam up and then bring the heat down so the milk is on a slow boil for 5-10 minutes. While cooking it, you may add a pinch of ground turmeric, a pinch of black pepper, a cinnamon stick, or a few pinches of ginger to reduce any mucous causing side effect.)

Waning Moon
... is the time between the Full Moon and the day before the New Moon. This is the best time to remove things, relationships or situations from your life that no longer serve you. It is not generally thought of as the best time to start a new project.