An international treasure and an expansion bridge

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam great Kundalini yoga community. I must echo the positive

comments of many on the wonderful, inspiring and challenging exchanges

I have seen in this group. I am honored to be part of such a vibrant

and diverse community. Thank you Amar Atma for all you have done to

create and hold the space for this forum. It is changing the world,

for the better! It is such a blessing to have a forum where we can

share our feelings (thanks for the discussion of the feelings/emotions

last week), speak honestly and directly, and ask the tough questions.

 

I am writing now regarding some posts made a while back about Shakti

Parwha Kaur and her book " Kundalini Yoga: the Eternal Flow of Power " .

I should start by saying that I have not spoken with her about this

subject, or this posting, and hope that she will forgive me if I say

anything that is inaccurate, and I know it will be poorly punctuated

(she is a stickler for grammar and punctuation. That one is for you

dear teacher). Now, to say that she is a dear friend is an

understatement. I have known her only five or so years, but my

interactions with her always bring me to my higher consciousness,

whether she is kicking me in the pants, talking about the latest fun

and/or silly book or movie, or quoting some amazing spiritual teacher

in a way that touches my soul deeply. Should I say that when I first

met her I was very afraid of her? I was. I was not used to being

confronted so directly, and the ideas she shared seemed so foreign to

me… yet she was so adamant that they were true. I still do not

understand, or agree with all of it, but I think that is fine, and

good. I have some time to figure it all out. All worthwhile pursuits

challenge you and your belief system. If they are really good they

contradict themselves, so you will have to make your own decisions,

and not rely on someone to make them for you. And they will confront

you exactly in the areas you would prefer not to be confronted…such as

issues with the opposite sex, diet, and lifestyle choices to name a

few. We learn, as yogis, that there are several truths in this

lifetime. Our spiritual practice plays that out for us in many ways.

 

I was deeply affected by statements posted about her and/or the book a

while back. I don't know if many of you have noticed, but Shakti

Parwha has posted to this group many times. She is an almost limitless

resource of knowledge. She is approachable, direct and I think she

would admit, opinionated at times. I have always been thrilled to see

her posts in this kind of a format… no matter what you say about her,

she is keeping up with us in this digital age.

 

When you hear folks say she is the mother of 3HO, it is really true. I

have spent hours in her living room pouring over old newspaper

clippings and notes from the first years Yogi Bhajan was teaching

Kundalini yoga in the U.S. She was where the rubber met the road for

quite a while… literally she drove him to the first classes he taught

here. I could go on and on… maybe I'll ask her, with all humility, if

I can be a part of writing her biography? I am saddened because I

haven't seen her comment since those messages were posted. At the time

I felt it was not my place to get into the middle of what I hoped

would just go away if no one else commented. I also thought I did not

know her well enough, or long enough to post anything about her that

would reflect how amazing an individual she really is. I hoped someone

else might post to say these things… but in the end it has kept me up

nights, and has been the topic of conversation with some of my best

friends, so I am sharing now. You may not agree with all of the ideas

in her books, and I think she would say, that's okay! Let your own

conscious be your guide. My experience tells me she is a fierce

believer in speaking your own truth and living compassionately and

without fear. She has a daily sadhana like no one I know… and I know

some devout group sadhana practitioners, come rain, shine, health

issues, loss of loved ones… you'll find her in group sadhana working

through her stuff just like the rest of us. She really lives this

lifestyle to its fullest and is a beacon and an international

treasure… again whether you agree with everything she says, or not.

Who do any of us know that we agree with 100% of the time?

 

I understand the value of speaking freely, but am not sure how posting

what felt like vicious comments from Amazon.com was helpful to the

group. I don't think some of the posts were even written by people who

had practiced Kundalini yoga with a teacher before reading the book.

It could be a tough pill to swallow without at least one public

Kundalini yoga class under your belt. Might a link to the website been

sufficient, if someone felt this information was germane to the group?

I know it was painful to me and to some of my friends whom I have

discussed this with. I also beleive that the post was not meant to

offend, it just happened that way.

 

So, I am posting questions, possibly rhetorical, that I'll leave to

you all (or is it y'all if I'm in Texas?).

 

Is it possible to speak freely in this group, to question authority

and still communicate with compassion and respect for each other as

divine beings with a unique destiny to live out in this lifetime? We

do most of the time.

 

More importantly, how can we find a place for deeply honoring those

that blazed the trail of Kundalini yoga in the west while holding true

to our experience as the second and third generations of Kundalini

yogis and teachers practicing in public and without initiation? How

can we learn as much as possible from the courageous and brilliant

souls that kept Kundalini yoga going in the west while we were at our

mother's breast or watching Sesame street?

 

There must be a bridge. It will be built on compassion for ourselves

and for each other. It will only be built when we can respect each

other; those that have gone before for the sacrifices they endured and

the lifetimes they spent studying with the man who first shared this

technology publicly, and from the older generation to the new with

respect for our own experience as spiritual beings and trust that we

will honor the teachings as they were given to us, though we may share

it in new and different ways. We must all come together and be this

bridge if Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan is to continue, and

I know it will continue.

 

We are different in many ways, it is our differences that will make us

strong. We have one critical and overarching quality in common, the

experience of Kundalini yoga, and a passion for sharing it. I feel in

my heart that this group is a great place to keep the conversation

going. That is my deepest prayer. Let us be the bridge… an expansion

bridge!

 

Thanks again to all of you for being the change you want to see in the

world…. And if you've made it this far in the post, God bless you, and

thanks for listening.

 

Jaijot Kaur

Austin/LA...soon to be permanently in Los Angeles, CA and at Yoga West LA

Wahe Guru!