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What is Yoga?

What is Yoga?

What is light?
Light is where you can see everything.
Light is where darkness disappears.
Who is enlightened?
One who can see everything: good,
bad, and neutral.
One who sees all and sees God.
If you cannot see God in all,
you cannot see God at all.
Those who seek God inside, find it.
Those who seek God outside,
waste their time and waste their lives.
This world is the essence of Word,
of Shabd.
Those who follow the rules in their
essence and being, by action, thought,
and deed, shall rule their destiny and
shall cover the distance of life with
place, grace, and glory.
When we fold our hands in prayer,
God opens His arms and gives us a hug.
Life is fulfilled with this union.
That is Yoga.
-YOGI BHAJANI will tell you about yoga in very simple terms:
The human mind is potentially Infinite and
Creative. But in practical reality it is limited.
So a technical know-how is required through
which one can expand his mind to bring about
the equilibrium that enables him to control his
physical structure and experience his Infinite Self.
-YOGI BHAJAN
This chapter includes . . .
What Is Yoga? (A poem by Yogi Bhajan)
What is Yoga? An Adventure in Consciousness
(A lecture by Yogi Bhajan)
Kundalini Yoga is a Science
The Power of Kundalini Yoga
The Altitude and Attitude of Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga: Awakening the Soul (A lecture by Yogi Bhajan)
Kundalini Yoga: Leverage, Legacy & Lineage
Questions & Answers with the Master
1 3
14
20
20
20
21
23
26
Kundalini Yoga-The Choice is Yours 29
The First Qualification for Kundalini Yoga 30
Kundalini Rising: Chardi Kala I (A poem by Yogi Bhajan) 30

What is Yoga?
An Adventure in Consciousness

TEACHINGS OF THE MASTER
A LECTURE BY YOGI BHA)AN

I HAVE FOU N D THAT PEOPLE LACK A BASIC UNDERSTANDING
about the goals, process, and techniques of Kundalini Yoga. They
do not understand the core concept of yoga. Some people think
yoga is a religion. Some people think it is physical exercise for
vital ity and health. Some people think it is a psychological system
that develops the potential of the psyche. In reality, this is all
based on misunderstanding. Yoga is essentially a relationship.
Consider the origin of the word “yoga .” Yoga, as we in the
West understan d it, has come from the biblical word, yoke. This
originated from the root
The word “yoga” comes from word in Sanskrit: jugit. They
the word “yoke,” “to join both mean ” to join togethtogether,”
or “to unite.”
Yoga is the union of the
individual’s unit
consciousness with the
infinite consciousness.
er, ” or ” to unite . ” Yoga is the
union of the individual’s unit
consciousn ess with the
Infinite Consciousness. The
definition of a yogi is a person
who has totally leaned
on the Supreme Consciousness, which is God, until he or she has
merged the unit self with the Infinite Self. That is all it means.
A TECHNOLOGY OF AWARENESS
Yoga is a technology of awareness. It starts with the universal
human predicament that regardless of your individual level of experience
and awareness, the underlying reality of every human mind
is that it is both infinite and creative in potential. This unlimited
potential is limited in practical action. Your possibilities meet with
your actualities at the border of awareness. Awareness varies and
gives you different choices and capacities. To break the unconscious
limits, a person needs a technical know-how. That knowhow
is required to expand the caliber
The techniques of and capacity of the mental faculties,
Kundalini Yoga form to bring about an equilibrium, to conthe
owner’s manual for trol the physical structure and to
human consciousness. experience the Infinite Self.
The techniques of Kundalini Yoga
form the owner’s manual for human consciousness. Yoga explores
your dimensions, depth, nature, and potential as a human being.
In simple terms, that is all that yoga means.
Yoga is greatly needed. In our life today, each person must
deeply understand why he is a human being and what it means

to be a human being. There is a lot of talk and philosophy about
the inner I nfinity and how to know about it. Remember that intellectual
knowledge does not hold and sustain you. Knowledge
Knowledge becomes
wisdom when you
experience it with
your own heart and
Being, when it
becomes your
only becomes real wisdom when you
experience it with your own heart and
Being. Only the experience in that wisdom-
gian-can hold and support you.
Just because you know about or
believe something is true, does not
mean you can act on it. But if you dispersonal
experience.
cover a truth and act on the path of
that truth, and if you can find bliss, success, and fulfillment in
yourself as a result, then no power on Earth can make you veer
from that truth or do wrong. Once you have seen the joy of that
truth and have enjoyed that beauty you are okay.
DISCIPLINE & TRUE WISDOM
Students must understand this distinction . Knowledge becomes
wisdom when it becomes your personal experience. Anything
which can hold and support you is based in real wisdom. Some
students say that knowing about the truth is all right. They say
knowledge is good, but wisdom is not. They are afraid of the discipline
and surrender required to attain true wisdom.
A guru can give you knowledge and techniques, but he cannot
give you wisdom. This is where we normally err. We think
that someone is a wise man. We
Acquiring wisdom believe we can make everything all
depends on your own right if we learn from him, serve
practice and discipline. him, and feel good about him. Yoga
and wisdom never work that way.
He can give you techn ical skills, but acquiring wisdom depends
on your own practice and discipline. The teacher and the student
have an equally essential part to play in the drama of enlightenment.
H is part is to provide the knowledge and inspiration. Your
equally essential part is to learn , practice, and experience!
Where can you start to learn who you are as a human being?
What is the most basic knowledge that you can capture as your
own inner wisdom? I want you to feel very happy and good. But
I also want to give you a direct and honest overview and assessment
of yourself as a basic human being who seeks happin ess
and a fulfilled life.

THE THREEFOLD STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN BEING
To begin the study of Kundalini Yoga, understand that you have
a threefold structure: body, mind, and soul. Your essence has a
vehicle to experience the universe and the Self, through these
three facets of you. You must understand, have your own depth,
and experience of each facet.
The Body
The physical or gross body is the first facet you must master and
understand as a human being. It is your vehicle to travel through
this life. Your inner machinery is very complicated and subtle. It
is not just the flesh and bone that you can see. It’s a very welldesigned
and systematic system. It has glands, blood circulation ,
breathing apparatus, heartbeat pulsation, a brain, sensory apparatus,
and a complex nervous system. All these systems combine
and interweave with a structure of flesh and bone to constitute
your physical system.
The physical vehicle is a functional system. It receives,
processes, and accomplishes ongoing tasks. Every functional sys-
The physical vehicle is a
functional system. It receives,
processes, and accomplishes
tasks. It needs cleaning, care,
and tuning regularly. The
balance of the physical vehicle
affects the rest of your
tern, regardless of its composition,
needs cleaning, needs
care, and needs tuning regularly.
The normal use of the
system creates wear and misalignment.
It also needs careful
assessment of its capacity
to act, its potential to
capacity and experience.
respond to demands, and its
possibility for endurance and longevity. These are the basics that
you must learn to take care of first.
The balance of the physical vehicle affects the rest of your
capacity and experience. I f you want to test the reality of this
claim, just overeat consistently for a few days and you will understand.
In New York I met a person whose case proved this. I
asked him, “Why are you on welfare?” He said, ” I can’t hold
myself together. ” It surprised me. He had intelligence, nervous
capacity, and friends. H is problem was that he overate. Every ten
or fifteen days, he would get sick and go to the hospital. After he
got out they would ask him to take precautions and not do it
again . But he would immediately overeat, get sick, and go back
in. It was a powerful cycle. Overeating destroyed the balance of
his whole system. It blocked any other aspiration and goal he
had. Overeat even one time and you upset your body.
The physical body is the basic temple in which you can deposit
the treasure of happiness in life. When you are young you can play
mischief with the physical body. But in old age the body has you
paying for the playing. You cannot escape this fact. The body does

not forgive your actions, it only records the results of the actions.
You must schedule the body and calculate its use and maintenance
on a scale that changes with age. Think to yourself,
The physical body is the
basic temple in which you
can deposit the treasure
of happiness in life.
care for that system?”
” Suppose I live 1 00 years. I have
a plan for that. How should I
carry this body, model 1 949, or
1 969? I want to live 1 00 years
from that first year. How do I
If you buy a car, you can expect that with regular service, oil
changes, etc. , it will get a certain mileage. But if you do not
schedule regular maintenance, you will have to change cars after
only two years. It doesn’t work that way with the human body.
You are not so fearless that after five or ten years you can say,
” All right, I can change the human body, I can get into another. ”
You have not become so mystically attuned to Universal
Consciousness that you can do that. It is essential to make the
best of what we have. This body is the only one you get.
In Kundalini Yoga, you study the human body in the light of
yoga therapy. You must understan d it and learn how you can
make the best use of it. You must be able to keep it on the level
of consciousness you choose, so that it can serve you better and
better, without a lot of trouble. That’s the maximum you can do.
The Mind
The mind is the second facet in our human life. If the horizon of
the mind in thought, understanding, tolerance, and patience is limited,
and if the mind is not so beautifully functional that it can see
the unseen, and understand the consequences of each action, then
As you think, so you are.
The mind guides your
actions and emotions.
If you do not have a
good road map, you do
not know where you
are going.
it is practically impossible to live a
happy life. The mind guides your
actions and emotions. If you do not
have a good road map, you do not
know where you are going. You are
just driving without aim, choice, or
control. That’s what we do in life.
I would like to train you so that
you can have a happy life around you. Actual ly, you must realize
that everything depends on your mental outlook. The problem
with your mind is that as you thi nk, so you are. How can you
develop this potent mental faculty to perceive everything correctly?
If somebody is beautiful or ugly to you, it is a result of your
mental evaluation. Somebody seems rich to you, even though he
doesn’t give you a penny. He is rich to you because of mental
appraisal. You may imagine somebody is poor, even though he
has a million dollars sitting right under his seat. You call him poor
because of your own mind. All- of your experience is filtered

through the creativity and appraisal of your mind. Happy and
unhappy belong to your mind. not to the world.
Let me say this in the two languages of the mystic and the
scientist. When you say. ” I am a God-conscious person.” it only
means that you realize your mental capacity and ability. That is
the real meaning. Everything you receive and have is through the
capacity and creativity of your mind.
We always say. “When I pray, God will come. ” Have you ever
understood what a prayer is? You create a vibratory effect. which
goes into the infinite creativity around your psyche. The answer
comes and is expressed in the energy of a job done. Then you
say, ” Well. prayer works. ” It is only your mind, which has the
power to concentrate and to work with that beauty.
It is the mind. which can give you a perspective on your life.
What is the aim of your life? Many of you do not ask this question.
You are too busy just surviving. But without this question
you will never experience living. The reflex answer to the question
is. ” Oh. everything is all right. ” What is all right? Nothing!
Ask anybody. Everybody has twenty complaints about himself.
Why? Where does the time go? Early in the morning. you go to
the office and earn money. Saturday you have to pay your bills
and buy groceries. If there’s a long weekend you have to take care
of your taxes. Three hundred and sixty-five days go like this. We
are so involved in moment-to-moment tasks that we do not know
any better about life. When we do not know any better. how’s
the better going to come?
We pass our years with such speed and anxiety that we do not
know what maintains us. except the blessing of God’s compassion.
It is an enormous and very rare mental shock that can damage your
mental energy. This functional structure of the human machine is
so beautifully made by the Maker that it can recover from normal
jerks and problems. Only when there is constant pressure and no
relaxation. when there is no outlet. when there is constant boredom.
or when there is a constant deficit in mental capacity. does
it result in a shattered mind and the loss of happiness. Then you
must get to a psychiatrist. a counselor. or a yogi. You depend on
someone to redirect your energy and help you.
But I believe every person represents God. I do not bel ieve you
should be dependent and led around like a donkey by the nose by
some wise man who puts a string in your nostrils, or who talks
about God. You do not need preachers or leechers. What you need
is the inner experience of God. But you have been brainwashed to
misunderstand this idea. You think God is a guy who lives in the
seventh sky at the head of Time watching you.
Understand the word ” God. ” There are three basic letters in
the word ” God ” : G-0-D. These letters stand for the generating

principle. the organizing principle. and the destroying principle.
What I have done is taken the fi rst letter from each of these three
words and combined them together to make the word ” God. ”
God is the generating principle that is within you and which per-
When you give the mind the
regular experience of an
infinite horizon, you maintain
it at the level and caliber of a
basic human being.
vades the Creation. It is
Infin ity to Infinity in relationship
to the total creativity.
Through its changing, everything
happens.
When you become a Godconscious
individual. you
have the power of mental infinity. It’s a great help if you find some
person who can stand by you and let you go through that experience.
You can get knowledge from anybody, it will always yield a
beautiful bounty. You can work on any level . but you have to train
yourself to be wise and effective through your own experience.
Remember. you have three aspects. You have the lower self.
the gross or physical self; you have the central self. which is
known as the existing self; and you have the higher Self. which
is a powerful. sophisticated. and delicate Self. When you give the
mind the regular experience of an infinite horizon. you maintain
it at the level and cal iber of a basic human being.
The Soul & Spirit
The third facet in the human being is the soul. the spirit. As
no lamp can burn without a combustible fuel. so no life can exist
without a relationship to the spirit in it. Spirit has many meanings.
tones and facets. If there is a central th read in it. it is the
general flow of the cosmic energy. In Catholicism we call that
flow God. In yoga we call that flow Cosmic Energy. The two
mean ings and the One Reality are exactly the same.
You have to understand your relationship with that Infin ite
Energy. You must learn how you can tune in to accomplish your
own purpose. You can have a healthy, happy. holy, wholesome
life. a fulfilled life. a beautiful life. You can experience in yourself
the deep contentment of existence. You should be so confirmed
in this contentment that if you had to quit this planet you could
just say, “Thank you . ” and feel grateful.
We often misunderstand or deny our basic spiritual nature in
our social habits and communication . We are first of all people
of spirit and faith. Our first impulse is faith. Our greatest capacity
is faith. Our innocence and intuition act from faith. yet we
have lost the normal experience of the inner Infin ity.
I want to touch on a controversial point. Whatever religion
you follow. that belief. tradition. and practice is meant to guide
you to experience your true origin. which is Infinity. The religion
should get rid of your self-belittlement and limitation. It should

inspire and lift you to your full human capacity. Instead of this
result, you usually learn prejudice; you learn how to divide humanity;
and you learn to love and hate based on belonging to certain
thoughts, feelings, or practices. This mis-education has done more
You have to understand your
relationship with the Infinite
harm to humanity than all the
good acts the religions were
intended to do.
Energy, to the spirit within you. We have lost touch with the
roots of religion: the spiritual
impulse and identity in our heart. We do not even understand the
basic concept in the word 11 religion. 11 That term comes from the
Latin religio. It means “to look back at your origin. 11 And what is
your origin? Spirit! And what is your end? Spirit! So what are you
fighting about? What is the great debate? When you experience
your origin as a reality, you are happy. Be constant under all circumstances
and relate to one thing-you are a part of Infinity and
always lean on that power-then you’ll never be unhappy.
Happiness and mastery of the spiritual facet of the human life
is a simple and direct practice. The problem is that we have never
trained our minds to know our origin as Infinity. Instead we have
h idden under rituals. All these churches, temples, and synagogues,
all the places of worship, were meant to create group
consciousness. Spiritual awakening starts with individual consciousness,
then progresses to group consciousness. When group
consciousness is established,
Happiness and mastery of the
an d you care fo r ot h ers, th en
spiritual facet of life is a simple
t U · you progress o mversa 1
and direct practice. But we have
C
.
R 1
.
onsc10usness. e 1g·1 ous
never trained our minds to know 1
p aces were d es·1 gned so th a t
our origin as Infinity. Instead,
11 th 1 h b 1
. .
a e peop e w o e 1eve m
we have hidden under rituals.
some way could join together
to praise the Lord and feel elevated. That was the original purpose.
Now people come there to fight elections and to argue
about who should control the synagogue or church. Or it has
become a forum for some minister to speak, entertain, and dump
h is distinctive fervor. It has become a regular mechanized rituala
systematic system with in the system.
Take care of the spiritual facet of your life by joining with others
to experience and elevate your self, the group, and the universe.
In most places, the original purpose and practice to gather and
experience the group elevation of consciousness has been forgotten,
diluted, or simply gone. With that facet of our life neglected
and undeveloped, we have become confused. When a person does
not develop the strength of the individual consciousness toward
group consciousness, he cannot attain the final experience of the
Universal Consciousness. Barriers will always exist. which keep a

person limited. The development of group consciousness into the
experience of Infinity is the bridge to Universal Consciousness. It
releases the Unlimited Self and fulfills the spiritual longing.
GROWTH WITH YOGA
Kundalini means awareness. Awareness is the active interaction
of you as a finite individual identity with you as an infinite potential
identity. This dormant energy of awareness is in you.
Kundalini Yoga is the supreme technology to awaken that awareness
and take you into your original Self. Normally, this awareness,
kundalini, is sleeping in you. The development of group
You experience your own capacity
and reality in a limited way. That
awareness can be awakened and
expanded. It can be extended to
I nfinity and yet, you remain you !
consciousness into the
experience of Infinity is
the bridge to Universal
Consciousness.
I nfinity is your basic origin and identity. The difference in your
expanded state is that there is nothing lacking. The process of
growth through Kundalini Yoga is a natural unfolding of your own
nature. The blocks to that growth are your attachments to the
familiarity of the past, and your fear of the expanded Self.
Your basic human structure is your threefold nature and the
relationship of the finite coiled awareness to your infinite uncoiled
awareness. This is the fundamental framework through which we
have to function and experience life. Do you like it? Are you willing
to agree to all this? Let’s focus on this structure and its operation.
As you practice Kundalini Yoga you will grow. Like a snake
you will need to shed old skins to be more of who you are. You
will need to examine certain attitudes, behaviors, and emotional
habits. You will gain new per-
Kundalini Yoga is the supreme spectives, capacities, and
technology to awaken your habits that can support your
awareness and take you into
your original Self. It is a natural
unfolding of your own nature.
expanded awareness.
There are several common
challenges a student must
confront. Your mind must be
developed, artistic, and self-controlled. It must gain a neutrality
that lets you encounter and enjoy the constant change that is life.
You must mature the mind and your attitude to ride on those
waves of life and enjoy it. After all, what is life? It is a wave. The
light must follow the night as night must follow the day. Sunshine
must follow the clouds, and clouds must follow the sunshine. This
constant change is the natural design of nature. But you feel you
are really something special. You learn as a child that you are an
exception, and you want to control everything. You want sunshine
all the time! If you are in the sun all the time, then the nose gets

burned, and the eyes can’t see. No one can live in this world with
sunshine all the time. No person can live in darkness all the timethey
will get depressed and sick. The real beauty of experience and
life is based on this constant variation of light and dark. up and
down. To have happiness all the time is very boring. You can’t live
that way. Your sensory organs cannot smell. see, hear, or feel anything
without a change or contrast. You need a little push and pull
to just feel where you are and where you should be.
LIFE IS LIKE A WAVE
This life is nothing but a vibration. It is a path that vibrates up
and down like a wave. What do we want out of it? What should
we desire? Desire a mind which is neutral, which understands the
wave, and which gives you intelligence and grace. You all know
about surfing? When there are heavy tides and great waves some
people love to go surfing. They enjoy it. Other people are fearful
and run away. If a person has a neutral, sensitive mind, when he
must experience a bad time. he can sit down and say, “Oh, God !
Wonderful ! ! What do you want? A bad time? I don’t care.” That
person will communicate. talk, and feel the challenge is fun . He’s
not upset. He knows this night will pass, and there will be a
warm day. He knows he will have a lot of fun , so he preserves
his energy for that time. He keeps himself centered, whole, and
An important part of together. When the time changes
Kundalini Yoga is to so he can expand, he applies all his
develop the neutral mind energy. He enjoys it all the way.
and its capacity for That neutral and sophisticated qualintelligence,
endurance, ity of mind has to be developed,
and integrity. trained, created, experienced. tooled,
and fitted into all the grooves of
habits and action. Once you accomplish this, any success in life is
possible. Without this training nothing is possible, except your fate
and your old subconscious patterns. An important part of
Kundalini Yoga is to develop the Neutral Mind and its capacity for
intelligence, endurance, and integrity.
UNINTENTIONAL & INTENTIONAL SICKNESS
Good health is another challenge. We all want to have good health.
Without good health it is difficult to work on projects in your self.
Many people feel we get sick because we lack information and do
not know better. My feeling about sickness is very different. I don’t
believe anybody wants to be unhealthy. But I also believe that we
sometimes bring sickness on consciously and intentionally. We
allow ourselves to get sick even when we know how to avoid it,
because we think something else is more important.
There are two types of sicknesses: intentional and unintentional.
Unintentional sickness is the main pain in our modern soci-

ety. I have a lot of compassion for that. We do not know how to
eat; we do not know how to digest; we do not know how to live;
we do not know how to take care of this body. We have not been
trained in the basic care and functioning of our human apparatus.
We do not know how to pay attention to and to maintain our
glands and our nervous system to function on optimal levels. We
do not know how to check daily for the inner balance of elimination,
absorption . rest, and activity. We do not know the interrelation
of the body, mind. emotions. and spirit. Our unawareness is
great. That lack of sensitivity, knowledge, and training makes us
sick. This is especially true in this polluted environment and in this
society which emphasizes drugs, short-term crisis thinking, and
which ignores the inner dimensions of the person.
Intentional sickness is when we know our actions or lack of
action will lead to sickness, but we continue to do it. I get into
intentional sickness often . Do you think a man of my awareness
who didn’t sleep for eighteen days does not know I’m going to
get into trouble? From the day I put myself on the plane until I
returned today, I didn’t get the chance to sleep. I had a specific,
important mission that I had to accomplish. The schedule was
heavy: from one meeting to another, discussion after discussion.
I wanted to share the technology and psychology of yoga to combat
the use of drugs and the wasting of young lives.
Even though the hours were long, I have trained myself consciously
and subconsciously to do sadhana in the early hours of
the morning. I could not skip that foundation and practice.
Kundalini Yoga teaches you
how to gain a strong immune
system, vital glands, a strong
nervous system, good
circulation, and an awareness
of the impact of your habits.
I said, “All right. Do not turn
anyone away who is in pain or
in need.” My highest priority
was to provide service. I was
aware that I was getting sick
intentionally. The body can only
go to a certain extent. I chose
the sickness a nd the extra
efforts to recover from the sickness. This is an example of intentiona!
sickness.
YOGA & GOOD HEALTH
Kundalini Yoga teaches you the techniques and awareness to stay
healthy. You gain a strong immune system. vital glands. a strong
nervous system . good circulation, and an awareness of the impact
of your habits. This foundation gives you energy and lets you deal
with the mental and spiritual facets of your life.
CALMING THE MIND
To utilize yoga in its totality, you have to know what living is, what
a relationship is, and what values this life can give. If you know

what you want. then you can find it. Through meditation. you can
calm the mind and develop your intuition to recognize what is real
and important to you. Without knowledge, are you going to close
your eyes and just start walking? Where will you go? You have to
know your direction and monitor yourself each step of the way. Your
inner compass must tell you your location in relation to your goal.
Life has its own innate organization . which you can sense with
intuition and intelligence.
Through meditation, you Some people become intellectucan
calm the mind and al instead of intelligent. They argue
develop your intuition to endlessly with themselves and othrecognize
what is real and ers and end with questions and
important to you. doubt. Analysis is good but not if
it leads to paralysis in action over
important choices that are known clearly to your heart and soul .
That only leads t o intellectual insecurity a n d inaction.
Kundalini Yoga develops your relationship to your mental
potential. You learn to use the clarity of the neutral, intuitive.
comprehensive mind. You sharpen the intellect and do not use it
to create self-doubt or insecurity. You act with grace and commitment
from your heart.
GETTING OUT OF INSECURITY
Each student of yoga must confront the mental attitude of insecurity
and doubt. Actually, there are two mental styles we can use
to go through life. In one style, we act as if everybody were saints
until proven thieves. In the other style, we act as if everybody
were thieves until proven saints. Which style of life your mind
uses depends on the strength and balance of your nervous system.
People who live the first style walk through every wave of
life with an even attitude. If you ask them. ” How are you doing?”
they reply, ” I am fine. ” If there are certain dangers they might
encounter they say. “I don’t care. No danger is going to bite me. ”
People who live by the second style
Kundalini Yoga develops
are completely different. I f you tell
your relationship to your
them. “The road is clear. It has been
mental potential. You
checked. It is beautiful,” they will
learn to use the clarity
say, ” I don’t believe it. I can’t walk
of the neutral, intuitive,
further. ,
comprehensive mind. This powerful insecurity can create
problems and disrupt happiness. The roots of the insecurity
often run deep into the core of the elemental personal ity of a person’s
consciousness. Meditation. Kundalini Yoga. and White
Tantric Yoga all work to disentangle the threads of insecurity from
the layers of the subconscious. When these are removed you can
deal with things as they actually are rather than as your fears portray
them.

In every mental state, the subconscious plays a major role
which we are not aware of. We say, “I know my past. ” Actually,
there is no such thing as “my past. ” That past is only the experience
you have in your subconscious mind. You become attached to
it, and this prevents you from moving forward in your life. In
Kundalini Yoga, we fry this subconscious mind; we make toast out
of it and eat it. We have a technical know-how to approach this
The subconscious mind
must be taken care of
and trained with
Kundalini Yoga, to be
an aid in life.
subconscious mind. I f you do not
clean it out. it sits behind your conscious
mind and does mischief. It sits
in the back and can spoil the image of
human life by repeating experiences
which are already in the past. but
which are recorded in that subconscious mind. The subconscious
mind must be taken care of and trained with Kundalini Yoga to be
an aid in life.
THE GAME OF SELF-BELITTLEMENT
I want to touch on one more pattern that you must confront. We
often hold a feeling that we are very limited and inadequate. This
is our self-belittlement. A person thinks. ” Oh. I. a poor humble
self. can’t do this. I am a very miserable excuse for a huma n . ” We
play this game very well. There are three primary ways we play it:
to get sympathy from people; to get recognized; and sometimes
we play it so real that we actually feel it and are fooled by it. We
all do it. It’s just a matter of degree. The impact of that play is to
l imit your activity to realize the
full capacity of your mental
transform your subconscious
potential and energy. You must
You must transcend and
habit of self-belittlement if
transcend and transform your
subconscious habit of self-belityou
are to expand and
experience that your mind
tlement if you are to expand and
has an infinite horizon.
experience that your mind has an
infinite horizon. There’s actually no end to it.
It is at that horizon of Infinity that we all meet as human
beings. Understand this today: there are no two people who are
alike. They are different physically, mentally, and historically. They
share only one real similarity: The inflow of Infinity can be equalized
to the output of Infinity. We can alter and regulate that inner
balance of the finite in relation to the unlimited potential. That
capacity and qual ity is the only thing in us which counts.
Through that mechanism, which is in the basic structure of our
inner nature. we can reach the state of I nfin ity, bliss. liberation.
of jivan mukht. Use any of the hundreds of words for that experience
of I nfinity lived. You can call it a nything, it doesn’t matter.
But it is real. accessible. and an important part of the fulfill ment
of our huma n nature and experience.

A TECHNOLOGY OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
All the techniques and teaching that you may need are in
Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini Yoga is the technology of human consciousness.
You have the opportunity to know, test, and grow
with these sacred teachings. The only impediment is the mental
sickness that we cannot commit and be constant at anything. If
you overcome that limitation, become a steady student, and do
the sadhana with regularity, the results are certain ! With regular
practice the benefits accumulate so that you can direct yourself
and have a deeper experience. You can enjoy your life more and
you can extend your l ife’s vitality.
As a student, simply do your best. I pass on this knowledge
freely and I exchange it with you as a brotherhood or family. It is
meant to be shared. As God, Guru Ram Das, and my teachers
have given this awareness and knowledge to me, I am a postman
who delivers it to you to share with others. If you are willing to
get into that kind of sharing, that kind of love, that kind of existence,
you are welcome. Otherwise, we are happy, and wherever
you are, there is no problem, and we stand ready to share and
serve.
3HO: TO SERVE & G ROW
We exist to grow and to help those who need assistance. That is
why Kundalini Yoga teachers are not
In Kundalini Yoga the
initiated. We serve and share, we do
most important thing is
not push and proselytize. Truth and
your experience. It goes
right to your heart.
No words can replace
that experience.
authentic growth do not happen that
way. I feel that pushing knowledge
on people is still pushing. I don’t
want to be a pusher of anything. I
have never done that in my life. I’m not going to push deep,
sacred knowledge on you. I do want to share this secret science
of Kundalini Yoga openly and widely so that we can experience
certain things and grow as human beings.
In Kundalini Yoga the most important thing is experience.
Your experience goes right into your heart. No words can replace
that experience. Your mind may accept the words or it may not,
but your consciousness will not accept just words. The purpose
of all our efforts is simply to extend your awareness in your consciousness
so you can have this foundation in experience and a
base in positive habits. Then you can smoothly plan your life to
any extent you like. You can radiate creativity and Infinity in all
aspects of your life.
That is the practical result of yoga. It is the capacity and right
to live a healthy, happy, and holy life. That is why we called our
yoga family 3 HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization).

Kunctalini Yoga
Awakening the Soul

Kunctalini Yoga
Awakening the Soul
I H AVE RECOG N IZED, WITH THE B LESS I NG OF M Y M ASTER,
that it is possible to be healthy, to be happy, and to be holy while
living in this society. But you must have energy so that your dead
computer may live and pass on the signal to you, and may compute
all that you want to do in this society. We call this energy,
in the old science, kundalini, which has been blocked in muladhara,
the lowest of all chakras, or lotuses.
These are imaginary things. Huge books have been written on
them. These books misled me, too, for many years. Still, I learned
about them, and about the chakras (or circles, as we call them in
English). These books have put us in so many circles that we do
not come out of it, and we reach nowhere. Yet, there is a way we
can set our computer to be in direct contact with Him, the Biggest
Computer, and all things must then work automatically. That cannot
work until the kundalini, the spiritual nerve, breaks through
the blockage at the muladhara, travels up, and reaches the stage
that you may have Superconsciousness in Consciousness.
You must generate the pressure of the prana and mix it with
the apana. Thus, when the two join together, you generate heat
in the pranic center. With this heat of the prana, you put a pressure
or charge on the kundalini, the soul nerve, which is coiled in
three and a half circles on muladhara. (Kunda/ means “the curl of
the hair of the beloved.” It does not mean snake or serpent.) This
will awaken it so that it may pierce through the imaginary chakras
and pass ultimately through jalandhara bandh-the Neck Lock-the
final blockage in the spine before the energy reaches the head.
YOGA-JOINING THE TWO ENERGIES
Let me define a few terms. Prana is the life force of the atom.
Apana is elimination, or the eliminating force. These are two
forces in us-positive and negative-which are governed by ida and
pingala-left and right. When we join these two energies under
the power and science of Kundalini Yoga, we mix the prana with
the apana and, under that pressure, bring the kundalini up. When
it passes through the central nerve, or sushmuna, it reaches the
higher chakras or lotuses, and thus one can know his total surroundings
and he is a blessed being.
After one inhales the prana deep down to the navel center, and
pulls the apana with the Root Lock up to the Navel Center, prana
and apana mix there. This is known as the Nabhi Chakra at the
fourth vertebra. Heat is felt during the kundalini awakening, and
that heat is the filament of the sushmuna, or central spinal chan-

TEACHINGS OF mE MASTER
A LECTURE BY YOGI BHA)AN
1969
nel, being lit by the joining of prana and apana. Below the Nabhi
Chakra, the energy leaves the navel and goes to the lower chakra at
the rectum, and then it rises. This is called the reserve channel. Then
there are six more chakras through which the kundalini must riseand
it will happen all at once. Once you have raised it, that’s it. The
hardest job is to keep it up, to keep the channels clean and clear.
THE THREE GATEWAYS
The pathway of energy from the rectum to the vocal cord is
known as the Silver Cord. From the neck to the top of the head
is the passage 1 • From the Third Eye to the pineal gland is the
Golden Cord. To make the energy rise in these cords and passage,
When the pineal
secretes as the
kundalini heat is
released, your pituitary
acts as a radar, keeping
the mind from
negativity.
you must apply hydraulic locks. You
must put a pressure. You know how
we take the oil out of the ground,
by putting a pressure so that the oil
will come out? Like that, your spine
is a staircase of energy. First, mulbandh
brings apana to the navel, or
fourth vertebra, the central seat of
the kundalini. Second, the diaphragm lock takes it to the neck.
Third, the Neck Lock takes it up the rest of the way.
The pineal gland, or seat of the soul, does not work when the
Tenth Gate at the top of the head is sealed. But when the pineal
secretes as the kundalini heat is released, your pituitary acts as a
radar, keeping the mind from negativity.
KUNDALINI: THE NERVE OF THE SOUL
Kundalini is known as the nerve of the soul. This is to be awakened;
your soul is to be awakened. When the soul gets awakened,
what else can remain?
In the practical reality, these chakras are imaginary and nothing
else. This kun dalini is just a kundalini and nothing else. It is
not very important. These pranas and apanas are just there.
Everything is set in us. We lack nothing. We use these terms simply
to make the process clear so that we can get on with it. It is
very simple. After getting myself into the darkness for years, I
found that if I would have known on the first day that it was so
easy, I could have saved myself a lot of hassle. When I found out
that the kundalini reall

y can come up like this, I was astonished.
It was a surprise to me.

That’s it. That is the greatest truth. Truth is bitter, I know. So
I cannot speak all the truth. But I speak indirectly and directly
about the truth, because I cannot speak anything beyond truth.
THE PRANIC CENTER
The fact is. you cannot breathe by your will. It is the God within
you which breathes. Without that, you don’t breathe. What
is this breath business? I’ll tell you. It is good information for the
medical people. Under the eighth vertebra there is a cavity. We
cal l it the pranic center. I n that pranic center, we breathe pranic
energy, up to the tip of the tongue and on to the ida and pingala
-which adjusts the temperature of the body.
This pranic energy is the life of the atom. We store it in the
eighth vertebra down. We know certain actions through which
The pranic center supplies
the pranic energy to the
pranic nerve, which
supplies the pranic energy
to the muscles, which are
responsible for the beat
of the heart.
we inhale this pranic energy to
awaken our pranic center. The
pranic center supplies the pranic
energy to the pranic nerve. The
pranic nerve supplies the pranic
energy to the muscles, which are
responsible for the beat of the
heart and of the diaphragm. We
call it the ” U ” muscle, because it
is shaped like the letter “U.” This ” U ” muscle is responsible for
all this life current in you that is automatic and beyond your control.
If fifty years ago I would have come and talked to you about
atomic energy, you would have said, “Go away, we don’t understand
you.” When I talk about pranic energy, don’t feel that I am
talking about something mystic. It is practical.
Do you know what yogis do? They create pranic energy reservoirs
in that cavity and thus live on that reserve. They make that
cavity active with certain exercises and thus they know how to
control the pranic energy or prana vayu, the life current. That’s
one aspect of it.
CIRCULATING THE ENERGY
The second aspect is apana which eliminates everything. It has
a connection with the muladhara chakra. That is where that
kundalini power lies. When the pranic energy is in you, then you
can circulate it through your body. You can feel it and make people
feel it. It is a scientific thing which has nothing to do with
mystics or something which I can’t explain. It is so simple, so
practical .
In that circulation, we time i t to g o with the spinal cord.
Then we make it hit the muladhara. Thus, we pierce through

that knot, or blockage to the kundalini power. The moment we
do it. she has no option but to come up. The moment she
comes up, you stand blessed. Then you will see; the computer
will work. That’s all.
Is it difficult? There is no secret about it. In twenty, thirty
days, if you honestly practice it about one hour, two hours each
day, you can be through with it.
UNDERSTAND THE POWER
Two precautions: You must practice Neck Lock. Pull the neck
straight in, keeping the spine and neck absolutely straight, with
no bend of the neck. If you do not apply this lock in meditation,
you do not naturally regulate the shifts in subtle and physical circulation
. A sudden flood of energy can overstimulate the nerves
and other cells of the brain to expand their activity.
Second, when you do yoga, please, for God’s sake, remember
you are playing with the energy which is the lifeforce of the
atom. You can therefore well understan d what you are doing. I
am giving you a word of warning. The prana has been described
in the Shastras-the yogic scriptures-as that which makes the
atom live. The voltage here in the wall socket is 1 10. Do you
When the kundalini, the
nerve of the soul, is
awakened, this car of yours
will be driven by the soul,
not by the negative ego.
touch it without insulation? No!
Then how can you play with
the pranic energy? The insulation
you need is proper preparation
and following the proper
technique.
The fact remains that without
having the kundalini awakened, your soul is not awakened.
If your soul is awakened, what else do you need? If you will get
i nto the actions that awaken the kundalini, the nerve of the soul,
this car of yours will be driven or chauffered by the soul and not
by the negative ego. Then you will have found the God in you.
I shall be the greatest man on Earth if I shall be privileged to
touch the dust of your feet, if you have that state. Otherwise,
you are a n ut, and nothing else.
1 Yogi Bhajan is referring to the silver cord of energy that follows the pathway
of the spinal cord. The last part of that cord that goes into the base
of the old brain begins the passage. The full passage is comprised of two
paths that take the energy either over the top of the brain to the pituitary
or through the lower part of the brain. From the pituitary to the pineal is
the Golden Cord, which is opened only under special conditions.

Kundalini Yoga
Leverage_, Legacy Er Lineage

AS TEACHERS OF KU N DALIN I YOGA over many years. we are
frequently asked if Kundalini Yoga is like X or like Y. Is Kundalini
Yoga like Hatha Yoga? Is Kundalini Yoga like shamanism? Is
Kundalini Yoga like ayurvedic medicine? All these questions are
well intentioned and they’re part of our understanding. conceptualizing.
and communicating a beautiful and vast discipline. But
though the questions are well intentioned. they’re often misplaced.
There’s a certain depth. completeness. and timelessness
that is inherent to the very nature of Kundalini Yoga. It cannot be
reduced to any other form.
Kundalini Yoga has three characteristics. It gives us:
􀁸 leverage-the power to change, to make a difference in
our lives.
􀁸 legacy-a complete integrity in its own structure, beyond
any individual.
􀁸 lineage-a history and a line of transmission. brought to
us and from which we launch and share with others.
THE LEVERAGE OF KUNDALINI YOGA
The leverage of Kundalini Yoga is not a boast from those who
practice it. Even in the scriptures it is said that Kundalini Yoga is
the fastest way to create the transformation. the lightening and
the enlightenment that each individual is seeking. It is the fastest
way to establish an aligned relationship between the body, mind
Kundalini Yoga is the
fastest way to establish
an aligned relationship
between the body, mind
and the soul.
and the soul. Yogi Bhajan has said
there are over twenty-two major
forms of the practice of yoga. Each
one emphasizes some facet of the
whole. Some may emphasize the
use of bodily form, as in Hatha
Yoga. Others emphasize the use of
sound. as in Laya (Mantra) Yoga. or the use of visual forms. as in
Yantra Yoga. A good way to think of that is that each of these
different forms are facets just like a facet on a diamond. A diamond
is beautiful. Particular planes of crystal that are sheared off
capture the light. make it sparkle. bring your attention to it. and
reveal its dimensions.
Kundalini Yoga is the diamond itself. If you turn it any one
particular way, you can find a facet. But if you try to understand
the entire diamond from any one facet, you’ll find yourself with

Gurucharan Singh Khalsa
KRI Director of Training
a very shallow and incomplete understanding. Because Kundalini
Yoga is the diamond itself. it gives greater leverage and transformative
power than a ny one facet can. It also opens pathways to
change and healing that seem to go around limitations and to
penetrate blocks. With Hatha Yoga, for example, you might work
with an emphasis on bodily form. Yet there are those who can-
Kundalini Yoga is the
diamond itself. If you turn
it any one way, you can
find a facet. But if you try to
understand the diamond
from one facet, you’ll find
yourself with a very shallow
and incomplete
understanding.
not take on those forms
because of a physical limitation.
But Kundalini Yoga gives
you the leverage. the extra
dimension that lets you reach
around that limitation. It taps
not only the pranic energy of
the breath. body, and the
mind. but the Z-Energy, the
deep kundalini energy that
cuts across time and space through a doorway of timelessness.
There is always something that can be done with Kundalini Yoga.
Another part of the leverage is speed. It is said that that which
would take twenty years can be done in a year through Kundalini
Yoga. With full concentration. if you are in good shape. if your
mind has equanimity that can join into the process. then in a
mere 40 to 90 days you can transform yourself using Kundalini
Yoga. The gift and the special bounty of the practice of Kundalini
Yoga is the ability to rapidly encounter your own ego and to clear
out its attachments so that you can revel in the light of the soul.
The other part of leverage comes through the completeness of
Kundalini Yoga. It’s said that Kundalini Yoga is an emanation of
over 8.4 million kriyas, each one like a piece of music. a perfect
sequence of energy, tones and feelings that are played in the
instrument of the body. So. as a teacher of Kundalini Yoga. you
should never give in to the temptation to reduce your diamond
to a single facet. to agree to somebody’s incomplete understanding
of your own perfect discipline for which you are the channel
and the transmitter. No matter how seductive it may seem to
have a sudden insight or understan ding of Kundalini Yoga according
to some other discipline-” Ah. so this is similar to this. or
that! ” -all of these are but facets. ways to capture glimpses of the
light. None of the facets will give you the full leverage of the discipline
itself as transmitted by Yogi Bhajan.

THE LEGACY OF KUNDALINI YOGA
Kundalini Yoga is also a legacy. A legacy means it comes as an
inheritance, as something already existing, and passed on to you.
The legacy comes direct from Infin ity, direct from God, direct
from the soul . It has been delivered by the Golden Chainthrough
Guru Ram Das, and Yogi Bhajan, to you. Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga comes
to you as an inheritance,
as something already
existing. It is a legacy
of the love of the soul to
experience identity.
is the force of the soul . The kundalini
energy is the awakened inner
identity of you. Because of that, its
very nature is timeless, its very
essence is like love. Deep in our
heart we know that n o reason can
explain love. Love comes fullblown;
it exists in a certain dimension
of timelessness that we can all touch within us. Exactly in
this way, Kundalini yoga is a legacy of the Infinite, of the Akal.
of that which is timeless. It’s a legacy of the love of the soul to
experience identity. It is a product of what is Infinite, though we
view it and experience it in our own finite ways.
When something begins already complete, it’s an interesting
experience to encounter it with finite eyes. It means if you search
for structure, you can fin d as much structure as you would like.
As you discover those structures you might try to reconstruct
them. When you watch people in love, you may notice that
they’re kind to each other, that they’re honest in their communications.
So, you pick out someone; you become kind, you act
honestly, and you think, “There, I’ve created love . ” Yet, you don’t
so much create love as participate in love which has been created
in the timeless Infinity of God’s Heart.
just so, you can look at any one kriya in Kundalini Yoga, and
you can find that there’s a sequence, a stimulation of chakras.
In Kundalini Yoga, there
is nothing for the ego to
There’s an elegant intertwining of
all of the tattvas. There’s also a
clear and scientific focus on the
reconstruct, but lots for
the ego to enjoy.
stimulation of particular glands
and meridians. And yet, no matter
how much you may try to divide this legacy-given as a gift. as
a kiss, as a love from your Infinity, into meridians and chakras and
glands and sequences of muscles-you can n ever recapture that
which has already been given.
I n Kundalini Yoga, there’s nothing for the ego to reconstruct.
There’s lots for the ego to enjoy, to represent, and to communicate.
To be a great teacher of Kundalini Yoga, accept this as a legacy,
you accept this as a hug of the I nfinite, as a kind of love, as
an opportunity that has come to your soul to experience, to give
to others, and to pass on. It’s something to pass on as complete

as when it was given to you. I like to think of it as an infinite set
of Chinese boxes. While we have time in our physical bodies and
ego, we can enjoy it. We unwrap one box, and another box, and
another box. Whenever we are done, there’s an infinite sequence
more of boxes within boxes that we will never get to. We just pass
that on. We continue the Golden Chain. The legacy is an infinite
exploration, a constant discovery, a continuous newness that each
person will experience and bring to the world.
THE LINEAGE OF KUNDALINI YOGA
The third thing to remember as a teacher of Kundalini Yoga is that
it also has a lineage. It is a practice that has been experienced and
given through enlightened souls for many thousands of years. It
is a royal yoga, one that is not intended to be done by only those
who are ascetics and withdrawn from the world. It requires a
mastery of both the inner dimension of the Self, and the outer
expression in the universe. It is that balance between the inner
and the outer, between the neutral interior Infinity and the active
and serviceful exterior that is the signature of Kundalini Yoga.
That’s why even in the early days Kundalini Yoga was often
given through the line of kings. King janaka, in the ancient scriptures,
was an early Raj Yogi.
It is actually a transmission,
and you, as a teacher of
that, are beholden to the
integrity of it.
This yogic tradition was passed
on through that lineage to
Guru Ram Das in the lineage of
the Gurus of the Sikhs. Guru
Ram Das was acknowledged as
having the high throne of Raj Yoga, the Takhat, and to passing
that blessing to all who would come. Yogi Bhajan acknowledged
his teacher as Guru Ram Das and we serve that house. Each of
us links to this lineage through a Golden Chain. just as a torch
passes on a fire to the n ext fire, so when we tune in with the Adi
Mantra, we link with this long lineage and you become just as a
faucet of water, a great source to quench the thirst of the soul of
the people.
Some come to go, and try by any means to get students.
Kundalini Yoga is not a commercial enterprise in that way. It’s
true that you can do business with it. You can set it up as a profession,
and indeed you should have all the organization and
management skills that you can bring to your particular style. But
in the end, Kundalini Yoga is actually a transmission. It has a lineage
of transmission, and you, as a teacher of that, are beholden
to the integrity of it and to its long history. It is good for you
to understand that history and to look to the future as you serve
each individual now.
I n that l ineage, you’re guided by the unseen hand of Guru

Ram Das, and by the explicit teachings and formulations codified
by Yogi Bhajan. When you pass the tradition on with authenticity
and with accuracy, each person can contin ue to pass it on, to
experience it in his or her own unique way and give it to the
future. You need to practice relentlessly the qualities of humil ity,
patience, discipline, and service.
And as a lineage, we have certain ethics and a certain look, a
certain radiance, a certain Aka/ Moorat, a certain embodiment of
Infinity, and people who truly practice Kundalini Yoga are often
recognized by that light.
UNDERSTANDING KUNDALINI YOGA
The best way to understand Kundalini Yoga is that it gives us the
power and the leverage, has a legacy to it. and is part of a long
lineage that is using these techniques for the opening of the
The Mul Mantra
expresses the character,
depth and understanding
that we can see in
Kundalini Yoga.
Aquarian Age, and for the future
peace and expansion of human
consciousness. A way to understand
Kundalini Yoga is on its own
terms. At the root of Kundalini
Yoga is the experience of Shabd
Guru. Kundalini, when it awakens,
is often called Shabd Brahm, which means that the words are the
vibratory creative aspect of the Infinite Soul in experience.
We see the emanation of that when we vibrate the Mul
Mantra. Guru Nanak spoke the M ul Mantra: Ek Ong Kar Sat
Naam Karta Purkh Nirbho Nirvair Aka/ Moorit. Ajoonee
Saibhung Gurprasad jap! Aad Sach jugad Sach Haibhee Sach
Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach. This mantra is at the very root of all creativity.
This mantra expresses the character, the depth. and the
understanding that we can see in Kundalini Yoga.
Ek Ong Kar. Kundalini Yoga has a oneness, a completeness
and a connectedness between each exercise, throughout each
kriya. It comes as a complete package, a revelation all at once.
Sat Nam. It has a reality, a seed. Every time you do one kriya,
it has its own truth and dimension to it, and it creates a reality,
a vibration which has consequences and will be honored unto
Infin ity.
Karta Purkh. It is a discipline, which is already being done by
the larger Being. It is already a creativity of that which is timelessly
creative. It is not a construct made by you and me. Our
doing it is a form of participation. It is an act of collaborative
intell igence between me and the Infinite itself. When you experience
kundalini, when you act as a Kundalini Yoga teacher, and
when you join as part of that lineage and legacy, you acquire the
leverage and legacy of Kundalini Yoga. There’s no time spent in

fear, in wondering whether you’re right or you’re wrong, or in
comparing yourself to others. You instead accept your own identity
and proceed with what’s in front of you.
Nirbho Nirvair. Neither is there any revenge, nor blame, nor
competition in the sense of trying to overcome some other
teacher or some other teaching. It’s an act of humility and grace,
because you’re given this opportunity.
Aka/ Moorat means that in the floodlight brilliance of the
kundalini, you take on and accept your own image from the perspective
of the I nfinite. That is why we cover our heads as we
accept, through the Seventh Chakra, the pranic flow of the subtle
energies that kundalini releases. As a teacher, when we teach,
although there’s no limitation from the finite perspective, there’s
an opportunity to create an image, a bana. a structure, a certain
impression with all of our senses. That is Aka/ Moorat.
Ajoonee. Since Kundalini Yoga is unborn, it doesn’t come
from any one particular time, and it’s not subject to the laws of
those times.
Saibhung. This is its own integrity. It has its own inner completeness.
It’s one of the reasons that as you do each set-which
you’ve been fortunate to receive through Yogi Bhajan’s clarityyou
don’t try to alter it or make it up. Each kriya is complete in
itself. autonomous. Each kriya doesn’t rely on anything else. In
its own form, it is under the constant blessing and guidance of
the I nfinite: Gurprasad.
And you jap, you repeat it again and again. Kundalini Yoga
never gets old. The more you do it, the more the polish makes
the gem shine. And what is it that it gives each and every person?
Aad Sach jugad Sach Haibhee Sach Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach.
It gives you the experience of constant truth of your own reality
and soul.
The Mul Mantra is very much the essence of the qualities,
the nature, the character. and the depth of Kundalini Yoga. As
a teacher of that, practice the Mul Mantra; remember the character
that you are sharing with others. You never reduce it. You
always exalt it. and it will exalt you. Always bow to its beauty;
it will bow to you. Always support each person who comes to
you, by sharing directly and fearlessly the clarity and the power
of the leverage of Kundalini Yoga. The entire u niverse will help
you. and leverage you to experience your own soul in the service
of others.

Questions Er Answers with the Master

Question: I have heard people say that Kundalini Yoga is a
dangerous form of yoga.
Answer: This talk of danger sometimes becomes the biggest danger
and a big problem. The only danger is when you use something
external and artificial. like a drug. and force it into you.
Think of kundalini in a different way. In reality there is a God.
He uncoils H imself. opens Himself up. This uncoiling process or
manifestation process is known as kundalini. What can be dangerous
about it? The kundalini that is going to be uncoiled in you
is already in you and part of you. It is an unlimited power that is
the essence of your consciousness. It is going to uncoil in you.
Your system is already built to contain the energy of kundalini. It
is a normal capacity that you simply are not utilizing. If you start
utilizing that energy, where is the danger?
Question: You seem to be unique among the yogis 1 have
heard. Most of them will not teach without initiation. Very
few say anything openly about kundalini, and most are very
cautious about it
Answer: There are certain things in my life which 1 can’t eliminate
or overcome. They are in my destiny and deep in my character. 1
came to this country to teach this sacred and secret science
because I was called to do it. I never came to this country out of
my own choice or desire. I came to serve and to deliver a message.
I had no means to reach all these people who have come to know
me. People have come to me from everywhere around the globe.
With all my success and recognition. I have never thought or intellectualized
for even one moment that. “I did it. ” Those souls who
have the destiny to come and learn from me. will do it. They are
already in the body, and will find their way to these teachings. 1
already have all the knowledge which I am to share with them. 1
am just a postman delivering their letters from the Cosmos. When
my mailbag is empty I can quit. The job is done and my duty fulfilled.
I teach openly and honestly to all who come.
When I went back to India where I lived for 39 years. the one
question everybody asked was. “What are you doing in the
United States? Why are you teaching them those techniques and
meditations?” All my friends were upset. They did not believe
Westerners-particularly Americans-were suited to the inner
knowledge and discipline of yoga. When I told them Americans
have the potential to experience the Infinite, they said, ” Oh, no.
no! What has gone wrong with you? Do you not understand the
way things have been?” When they started questioning me. 1

• KRI I NTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 1
TEACHINGS OF THE MASTER
From an 1976 interview with Yogi Bhl{jan
withdrew and said. ” I’ve heard what you say. But it is my destiny.
I am happy with my Guru. so what do I care about this criticism?
I must teach the truth as it is. ”
All these yogis love me. but they feel very uncomfortable with
me. They love me because. as a Master of Kundalini Yoga, it is difficult
to hate me and the awareness that I bring. It takes a lot of
strength and ego to hate me. Since I came to the West. the 3HO
family, students of Kundalini Yoga, has grown to a very powerful
organization of people around the world. We have thousands of
people who practice the techniques and enjoy the elevated awareness
it brings. Near most large cities there is a yoga ashram or
teacher nearby. It is difficult to defame somebody who inspires
that kind of following and who has that kind of personality.
Why is Kundalini Yoga put down? What is the root of the distrust
and warning? It is done either out of ignorance or simply
because a reaction with jealousy or fear that I. with my personal
style and charisma. teach it! I teach it without hesitation or discrimination.
I seek nothing other than to do my duty.
There is another side to this that is historical and cultural
which you will not understand. Kundalini Yoga has never been
taught publicly before. Many yogis have a sense of national and
racial loyalty. They feel the knowledge should be guarded and given
only to people of a certain class or group. They feel this great sovereign
secret of Kundalini Yoga is supposed to be learned only by
highly select Brahmins of the upper class. They will only teach you
those techniques which make you disciples instead of masters.
Historically. India was conquered by the British who were
Christians . The result was that the lower cl asses and the working
classes in I ndia were converted to Christianity. Traditionally, in
India, this class of people was called “untouchable.” They were
considered undeserving and incapable of learning the knowledge
that could elevate their awareness and give them extraordinary
ability. The majority of Christians came from that untouchable
class. Even now in the minds and hearts of many of the swamis
and yogis who come to the West. a Christian is still untouchable
and must not be taught certain things.
Now they say, ” This Yogi Bhajan somehow has gotten hold
of all the knowledge-which even they do not know-and he has
freaked out. He gives it to every American and Westerner without
discrimination. He ignores the old warnings that were written
to prevent the untouchables from experiencing their own inner
power and potential. He will upset everything.” They believe it is
very dangerous. They are right: It is dangerous culturally to the
past they live in.

As a student of Kundalini Yoga, you may hear or read something
which is said out of ignorance or jealousy, but there is no
need to answer or to defend. In the end, the results from the sincere
students who cultivate awareness will be the answer to those
old prejudices and ignorance. just remember that when you
uncoil the kundalini, it is the same as the natural awakening of
our potential. It is the same as what you call ” God
Consciousness” or what you call ” Christ Consciousness.” It
means you bring that awareness actively into your life.
Question: I practice Kundalini Yoga as you have taught it
and I feel great! My life has changed, and I have had a lot
of success. My question is why does that work? I don’t
always plan everything; things just seem to flow better.
Answer: The world and our journey in this life is actually very
clear. Every aspect of it is organized and creative. We are all
human beings on this planet. We are supposed to live with each
other in love, work as a worship, and follow the path of righteousness,
to goad our consciousness across the cycle of time to
use our human energy to reach and man ifest Infinity.
Why has this world become a puzzle to us? The confusion
occurs when, sometimes, in spite of our well-equipped personality
and our best preparations, we do not thrive, and we do not
understand why. There is a way to make sense out of this. We
may understand this intuitively, but it takes a little time to explain
it systematically and techn ical ly. Imagine an ordinary man who is
a grade B medical student. He graduates and gets a great opportunity.
He rises above everything to the top of his business.
Imagine another man who is a very brilliant student at college.
He graduates, and regardless of great efforts, he never seems to
get the right opportunities, and he establishes an average clinic
and career. What makes the real difference in these cases? Why
do we often not fit into life and into our own plans when it
seems as if we have everything we need to accomplish it?
The center of this confusion in human life today comes from
one widespread, very human problem. You do not understand
who and what you are. Then you cannot understan d how things
work and how to progress. Each thing has its own nature and its
own mechan ism. Understanding who you are, your own nature
and the relationship between things, will make it all very clear.
There will be no place for doubt or confusion. This is the source
of unhappiness and conflict in this world. feeling, judgment, and
action that are not based on this type of clear understanding will
always misguide you.
So just what type of consciousness are you? What base
makes sense of your confusion? The yogis have a symbol for the
human being: an arc of light that we call an aura. It is brilliant

and white. Human existence depends on that arc. What comes
to you in your life depends on the strength and balance of that
arc. Most people can’t see it and don’t understand it. If you do
see the aura, you can recognize the state of health and disease,
the kind and intensity of emotion, and the capacity and abilities
of a person.
Every human being is unique. That uniqueness is defined and
protected by the arcline. Every energy in existence has its own
cycle of input, output, and exchange . That existence must interact
with you through the shield of the arc aura. Every magnetic
field has to cross this magnetic field of your arcline. It is the
strength of the magnetic field of your arcline that determines how
the magnetic fields of the other things and people in existence
can or cannot enter and affect you.
Now a question arises. If there is a positive opportunity or
vibration , will this arc of light reflect it so it won’t enter? No! That
positive energy will merge in it and will relate to the Earth. If it is
negative, it will be canceled out at the arcline. Any person whose
mental vibration results in a strong arc will protect all fragile areas
of his life automatically with that arc.
You relate differently to emotions when your magnetic field is
strong and when it is weak. When your field is weak, emotions
seem so important and real that you cannot separate or direct them
-you are subjected to them. When your arc is strong, you can
choose to express the emotion or to redirect it. You can choose to
relate to someone or to disconnect from their influence. When
Kundalini Yoga is the science
of changing and strengthening
your radiance to give you an
expanded life and greater
capacity.
your radiance is strong, and
you direct it toward someone,
they will want to talk to you
and be around you in spite of
great personality differences
or obstacles.
When a person has the energy and power through his psyche
to focus on things or not, then he has nothing to worry about.
The projection of the magnetic field will arrange the radiance of
his existence. All the surrounding magnetic fields that will make
up the environment and opportunities will be organized to connect
and fit with each other. The environment will operate in tune
with his purpose.
This same mechanism can be expressed in the mystical language
of the spirit. The person who experiences this through faith
would say, “When the Divine Source that prevails through the
human being projects the light of God, all darkness goes away.
Wherever that person goes, there shall be light, beauty, bounty,
and fulfillment. ” These two explanations express the same reality,
but one is in mystical language, the other technical language.
Kun dalini Yoga is the science of changing and strengthening

your radiance to give you an expanded life and greater capacity.
I’ll give you a n example of understanding human behavior with
these two languages. Whenever the individual consciousness,
while radiating, feels a cut or dip in some area of radiance, the
connection that could be made by that radiance will not be completed.
When there is a cut or depression in the arc, you cannot
radiate correctly. The cycle of energy, projection-connectionreception,
cannot complete itself. There will not be a creative
action, success, or opportunity. What is a cut? A cut is a splitting
or division of your radiant energy in the arc of the aura.
Question: Since my radiance is so important, I want to know
what things create the cuts in the arcline?
Answer: Whenever your intellect, the giver of thoughts, does not
correspond to your establ ished behavior. you create a problem. We
all develop habitual behaviors and attitudes, which record the pattern
of consciousness. These patterns hold and stabilize our personality.
A Hindu, for example, cannot eat meat because in h is
consciousness he feels it is a sin. A Muslim cannot eat pork
because in his consciousness he feels it is a sin.
Consciousness forms patterns of flow. Once you fix the pattern
, you cannot radiate. Some people cannot face you and look
into your eyes as they talk. What is wrong? Nothing. A pattern of
flow was set and challenged. There was a duality and uncertainty.
A combination of social environments and the inner emotional a nd
cognitive environments form the patterns. Conflicts in those patterns
with your actions form cavities in the aura. A cavity in consciousness
is a duality.
Mystically or scientifically, immediately or eventually, every
radiation that helps people must provide some way to deal with
this duality and to increase the human radiance. In a church this
conflict is viewed as the duality of the sinful man. The procedure
is to go and confess the sin to a minister. What happens when
you confess? You pour your feelings out, and he tells you that you
are forgiven . You have a set pattern of bel ief in him as an agent
of the spirit. You feel you can believe in him and in what he says.
He helps you to bring your mental projections back into collaboration
through the behavior of confession, which is a set behavior
that is deeper and more established than the conflict itself.
Whenever something bothers you, there is only one way to
get out of it. You need a touchstone or a teacher. You need a
teaching or a person who will not betray your faith and who will
counsel you to return to the path of righteousness. In technical
language, he should adjust the flow of the psyche to be in tune
with the surrounding magnetic field. In mystic or spiritual language,
we say the same thing this way: “A person who has committed
a sin comes and confesses in the house of the Lord. The

Lord accepts his prayers and blesses him to the Light. He can
again live with inner guidance in the bountiful world.” The two
explanations are exactly the same.
In the modern world. when there is a problem or conflict,
people go to a psychiatrist or counselor, who drinks a lot of coffee
and has the patience to listen to them and to make them talk.
The counselor uses his experience and skill to find a way to tell
them that they can work out the whole problem from inside. This
is done cautiously and systematically so that clients feel they have
the resources to do what is asked. The professional fee of a couple
of thousand dollars makes the client alert and receptive to the
idea that he has to stop, change, and solve h is problems from
within his own self. He will not be rescued but he will be guided
to put in his effort and face the challenge.
What really motivates you to change? It is not the psychiatrist.
It is not the priest in the church. It is your realization and
acceptance of your subconscious set behaviors. and the urge to
look back to your basic origin and start understanding that you
are the creative source and nucleus of the whole vibratory pattern
in which you live. The moment you understand this, you are all
The confirmed relationship of
responsiveness in consciousness
between the finite self and the
Infinite Self is the gift of
Kundalini.
right; there is no problem.
The moment you know
you are you, the problem is
solved. There may be more
work to do and training to
take, but the block will
unblock, and a new flow will energize your life. When you understand
who and what you are, your radiance projects into the universal
radiance and everything around you becomes creative and
full of opportun ity and help. This confirmed relationship of
responsiveness in consciousness between the finite self a nd the
Infinite Self is the gift of kundalini.
The rel ationship of consciousness to the I nfin ite
Consciousness is the one fundamental requirement of life, and
the aim of yoga. What does it mean to understand? A real understanding
is a pattern of behavior. What is a pattern of behavior?
It is the rate of frequency and the degree of radiance of the psyche
and the magnetic field in relationship to the universal psyche
and the un iversal magnetic force. If you can relate with that universal
radiance so the beam and frequency of your projection is
strong and clear, then you have commun icated with the universe.
It will respond and support you just as a happy father will support
his son, h is creation. You must rise above your finite attachment,
fear, and conflict and project at the frequency of a bein g
with an unlimited identity in the Infinite.
If you are in any conflict and pressure, if you relate to the Infinite
on the terms of the I nfinite as an established behavior, it will always

forgive. respond, and support your righteous intentions. This ability
to align yourself with the higher Consciousness and to radiate into
the universal magnetic field is more important than any qualification
and specialty to your success.
The elementary awareness of Kundalini Yoga is to remove
inner conflict and radiate in order to be happy. The basic unit that
Kundalini Yoga rapidly
makes you what you
already are, and brings you
composes your experience is
equal to your radiance plus your
activity. The radiance is the
mind, and the activity is the
gross physical. Let me express
to the practical experience
of Infinity.
this in the mystic sense. When
the soul opens up to the heart. a human being becomes Divine.
Express it any way you like. A person must understand his existence
in relationship to the total universe. Whosoever understands
this knows a deep truth. The whole world around you will
become beautiful if you understand that you are you. In all facets
of your life simply remember you are you. Think of the mantra:
” I am. I am.” Kundalini Yoga is a very natural element that rapidly
makes you what you already are. and brings you to the practical
experience of Infinity.
Question: Is it true that some people are suited to do Kundalini
Yoga by birth, genetics, and temperament and others are not, no
maHer how much they may try?
Answer: Kundalini Yoga is the Yoga of Awareness. There is no
human without the inborn temperament for awareness. Some
have h igher blocks to it, some have lower blocks. With some it
takes a long time to break these blocks. with others it is quick.
That is the only difference. It is a question of time. j ust as someone
prefers to go from New York to Los Angeles in an airplane or
on a donkey. Both will arrive; it is a question of time.
I n yoga this is how it is: twelve years of Hatha Yoga, plus six
years of Raja Yoga. plus three years of Mantra Yoga, plus one year
of Laya Yoga is equal to the effect of just one complete year of
Kundalini Yoga. I have not written this, so don’t blame me. It is in
the yogic scriptures. It is a matter of choice. The difficulty is that
Kundalini Yoga cannot be learned without a teacher. It cannot be
learned from books. It is the psyche of the teacher who teaches it.
That is why it is called “The Path of Gold, ” or Golden Chain.
because it passes from one person to the next. to the next like a
chain. All the teachers are linked by consciousness. The moment
you tune in to the teacher’s psyche, your psyche will protect the
surroundings.
It is my personal belief that there are certain souls which have
to study from certain other souls. They have earned that destiny.
The contact of the psycho-magnetic field is already arranged. Once

in a life. each soul must come across the orbit of that soul from
whom he has the opportunity to learn. It is a law of consciousness.
By the virtue of your previous incarnation. you always meet your
teacher. Either you surrender your ego to the teacher or you run
away from him. The law is that you will meet the opportunity, not
that you will recognize it or sustain a commitment to it.
More questions on the kundalini from this i nterview can be found in
the Yogic Anatomy section.

Th e First Qualification
fo r Kundalini Yo ga

Th e first qualification fo r Kundalini Yo ga is that you seek that
awareness that is moment to moment. We do not get rid of
the ego or deny anything that is in us. We explode the ego by
guiding it to the universal. We will not sit and beg softly that
we may someday fin d God. We will make ourselves so strong
and pure that God must come to look fo r us and look after
us. God already has your number, let him look you up.
Kundalini Yo ga cannot be practiced without a love fo r the
teacher. It cannot even be taught without that. Man must be
sustained through the flow which is the Infin ite Power.
The yam’s and niyam’s are up to you. Th e other six stages
of this divine science: asana. pranayam, dharana, etc. are all
taken care of in one Kundalini Yo ga kriya! We are tapping
through consciousness to the supreme consciousness. This is
not a subconscious process. We will not distract you with
tricks, miracles, and denials. Th is is the yoga of fu lfillment.
-YOGI BHAJAN, 1971
COMM ENTARY: This yoga tradition is the road of Raj Yo ga. It is
a direct link and path to the supreme consciousnes in us. It is
not a detour through all the fascinations of the subconscious
and the tempta􀠺ions of the ego. We accept all of the creation
around us and all of the creation within us.
The first qualification fo r a student is to stop fighting
shadows and fo cus the mind and energy on the Infinite. The
dispersing forces of the lower chakras create much pain and
pull us apart. We can call that process anything we like:
fo rces. satan. confused thought or bad habits. The uniting
fo rces of the higher chakras create a lot of pleasure and carefreeness.
Call them angels. higher energy or clear thoughts.
We are beyond all this and yet contain all this. There is a huge
dynamo in the center of the mechanism of creation of which
we are a part.
Start by cultivati ng an awareness of what already exists
within, and connect that with God. Gain a sense of sacredness
and nobility that makes you a beloved of the Creator. Act
as a channel for teach ings that alleviate pain and bring grace.
Even one kriya in Kundalini Yo ga will put you through all
the stages of movement, breathing, concentration, and linking.
In that moment when your energy is elevated and love is
possible, reach out like an open lotus to the inner Sun.

 

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