Beards

[Guest guest]

Hi all, this might sound like an odd question.

 

I was wondering if there is a good practical reason why Sikh men don't cut their

hair and beards. I

don't think my wife would like it although I do have a modest beard currently

with rightful

justification that it keeps me warm in this cold weather!!

 

Thanks and Sat Nam,

--

Nick

[Guest guest]

Hi Nick!

 

> I was wondering if there is a good practical reason why Sikh men don't cut

>their hair and beards.

 

Well it is said that there is a practical reason why it is good to let your

hair grow. This is because hair is one of the main reserves of protein that

the body has (and the reason why when you get sick your hair gets brittle

and thinner is that the body uses up some of the protein). So the more you

have, the better : )!

 

The beard has another story on top of this. As Yogi Bhajan says, beards are

there because God gave them to men, and men who shave in fact fight with God

every day. So not shaving your beard is a sign of surrender and accepting

God's ways. It is more symbolic than practical - after all, God didn't give

anybody clothes to start with, but that doesn't mean one shouldn't wear

them.

 

All that said, Sikhism doesn't say you will go to hell if you don't do these

two, and certainly it is good to make your wife happy as well. So use your

discrimination!

 

Sat Nam,

 

Satsang Kaur

[Guest guest]

> Well it is said that there is a practical reason why it is good to let your

> hair grow. This is because hair is one of the main reserves of protein that

 

> The beard has another story on top of this. As Yogi Bhajan says, beards are

> there because God gave them to men

 

Thank you Satsang, that is a good informative answer. Being of mediterranean

origin I am quite hairy anyway, now I can be proud of it! I

think I will try and keep the beard but limit it's length to avoid alarming the

wife, friends, colleagues etc

 

Sat Nam

--

Nick

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam Nick:

 

There is another practical aspect to the beard & uncut hair. Hair is

said to act functionally as an antenna, so uncut hair means more of a

flow of energy coming to us. This, BTW, is why it is recommended

that the hair be tied up on the head, so that the energy flow is

directed to the tenth gate.

 

The beard relates to the placement of the lunar center, which for men

is in the chin (the lunar center moves on women through 11 different

sites, 2 1/2 days per site, for the 28-day lunary cycle). The beard

is said to increase the stability of men, already (presumably)

steadier because our lunar centers don't move.

 

That said, as one Sikh woman pointed out to me, KY & Sikhism provide

a wealth of useful teachings, but it is up to us to decide which ones

we follow - we must choose what feels right for each of us, and just

because we don't follow every single bit of advice doesn't mean that

we are not part of the group. (I stopped cutting my hair, but I like

to keep my beard trimmed quite short, and she wanted me to understand

that I was just as much a part of the community, regardless of my

choices.)

 

All blessings,

Sadhant

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam and Hello to everyone,

 

I am new to this list. My name is Leslie Howard, Yogi Bhajan gave me the

name Guru Chiter Kaur, meaning something like, "princess who holds the image

of the guru in her mind". It is amusing to me because before I received the

name I wondered what was up with people who had guru in their name, when it

didn't really seem like they were a guru. So what do you know, I get one of

those names. Seems like things usually go like that :~). On the internet I

use the name "littlebird". I have been likened to a bird many times in my

life by different people for different reasons. It seems that my energy is

similar to that of a bird, so I use the name littlebird Leslie and am very

fond of it. But feel free to call me whatever name you wish.

 

I currently live close to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with my husband, Paul,

two children- Radha (four) and Vrinda (six months), and my cat since

childhood, Leya. My daughters' full names are Radharani Krishna-prema

Howard and Vrinda Priya Howard. We plan to move to rural western PA when my

husband can get a good job out there. He works for the state as an air

quality specialist and hopes to get into work as a water pollution biologist

in the future. He is an herbalist, too. We both have studied yoga

extensively (ashtung, jnana, bhakti, etc), especially Paul, and are level

three reiki users. I was introduced to kundalini yoga (and yoga in

general), as well as reiki and vegetarianism when I met Paul about five and

a half years ago. It was all exactly what I had been waiting and looking

for without knowing what they were. I was always interesting in metaphysics

and spirituality and devoured whatever I could find on the subjects (which

wasn't a whole lot). I had thought I would like to get into Wicca, but

there seemed to be a block for me down that path, and it seems rightly so as

the magic I was really looking for was more along the lines of KY yoga and

reiki. We have also delved into the practice of bhakti yoga and Krishna

Consciousness. It is a path that my husband is tied to, though we are

currently farther off than "fringe" with ISKCON, who we haven't been very

impressed with lately. I feel a very natural connection to Native American

spirituality. Currently I am exploring my inner connections with my guides.

 

So, moving along, I took teacher training in Buffalo, NY (I grew up an hour

drive south of there) with Siri Narayan Kaur Khalsa Fuda, who also trained

my husband before me, in 1996-97. She is a continuing inspiration to me. I

have been teaching ever since, though I have moved a lot and had breaks due

to that and my last baby.

 

I am an at home mom and plan to homeschool my two home birthed daughters

(now that was a spiritual experience far beyond any other for me!). We are

all vegetarians, I cloth diaper and don't vaccinate and have incredibly

healthy kids. Hey, I have never cut my daughters' hair either (most people

don't appreciate that in a yogic sense :~).

 

 

I will be starting up classes again on the 18th at a yoga and dance studio

in Philly. I am excited about it. It is so good for me. Doing something

away from my children seems amazing, and feels very healthy. I was advised

by a spiritual teacher of mine to "keep it light", which was hard for me to

figure out since I can be very heavy and serious about my teaching. But, I

think I understand that it means I can honor and represent the tradition

while sharing the yoga in a light way without feeling I have to provide the

entire 'book' on the subject to my students. Kundalini yoga has gifted me

greatly and it is really that which I wish to share.

 

 

Well, that should be enough for now!

 

Wahe Guru!

 

Love Always,

littlebird Leslie

aka Guru Chiter Kaur