The story of visionary Yogi Bhajan, master of Kundalini Yoga
“Kundalini Yoga is a highway to awakening,” said Yogi Bhajan .
Yogi Bhajan , real name Harbhajan Singh Khalsa , was born on August 26, 1929 in Gujranwala, Punjab (Pakistan) and died on October 6, 2004 in New Mexico (United States), at the age of 75. After having been a knowledge long kept in India, the master yogi knew how to renew the technique of Kundalini Yoga to spread it in the world to bring more peace. He therefore taught and trained teachers in this art, notably by creating 3HO (Healthy Happy Holy Organization). Just like BKS Iyengar, this man marked the history of yoga , inspiring peace and benevolence.
Kundalini Yoga in India
Yogi Bhajan was a student of Sant Hazara Singh and by the age of 16 he was already a master in Kundalini . Traditionally, Kundalini Yoga was a practice protected and kept secret by the gurus that they only transmitted to a certain elite. But, that is without counting on the initiative of Harbhajan Singh . Around 1969, the latter worked as an Indian customs officer at the New Delhi airport, a senior civil service position. He regularly saw hippies from the West.
Kundalini Yoga Spread Begins in the United States
In the late 60s, Bhajan left his post as a customs officer to go to the United States to teach Kundalini Yoga to the general public and to as many people as possible, after centuries of secrecy. This, however, earned him the rejection of his peers. So he arrived in Los Angeles in 1969, during the ''hippie'' period, taking the name Yogi Bhajan .
First, he showed the Kundalini method to the students of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The yogi master's primary goal was to train future Yoga teachers in order to make the Kundalini Yoga exercises known as much as possible to lead people to live in peace.
Yogi Bhajan did not stop there! He also created organizations to transmit on a global scale. Thus, the master in kundalini sets up the 3HO (Healthy Happy Holy Organization) non-profit whose objective is to teach Kundalini and awakening to spirituality in order to harmonize the being physically, mentally and spiritually. During the year 1973, he also created SuperHealth which is none other than a detoxification program without drugs, but rather with the practice of Kundalini Yoga , meditation, massages, herbal cures, etc. He notably had as students hippies prey to drugs.
Finally, it is he who inspired the very famous infusions, I am talking about the Yogi Tea herbal teas. Indeed, during his classes, the yoga master served an aromatic drink based on spices to his disciples (Yogi Tea Classic).
A yoga that adapts to today's world
Yogi Bhajan did not just transmit Kundalini Yoga . He also adapted the practice of yoga to today's world, whose asanas are performed on a yoga mat . Indeed, it is rare with our schedules to have a moment to practice for 1 hour each day. A visionary at heart and understanding others and modern issues, he was able to propose another approach to this discipline. These are therefore Kundalini Yoga techniques that adapt perfectly to everyday life and the needs that he taught for many years. This allows you to feel the benefits more quickly.
Yogi Bhajan in the service of peace
The yoga master gave an important position to the heart and peace in his teaching. So much so that in 1985, he established the international day of prayer for world peace. But also, he was at the heart of inter-religious dialogue which allowed him to meet religious leaders of the world, being himself Sikh. Finally, he received the title of ''Siri Singh Sahib'' (Sikh religious and administrative leader) giving him the opportunity to be co-president of the world parliament of religions.
Want to learn more about Kundalini Yoga ? Check out the article Kundalini Yoga: An energetic harmonization of body and mind .
