T R I B U T E
YOGItimes magazine for the modern yogi
YOGI
BHAJAN

By Lynn Terrill
Photography by Gurumustuk Khalsa
On the night of October 6, the great spiritual leader Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, known to many as Yogi Bhajan, passed away surrounded by the songs and chants of friends and family, in Española, New Mexico. Perhaps best known in the West as the master who established Kundalini Yoga in North America, Yogi Bhajan came from India to the West in 1969, arriving in sandals on the snowy streets of Toronto. He shared teachings with whomever he could, eventually making his way to Los Angeles, inspiring and uplifting people from all walks of life who desired to experience a higher state of spiritual enlightenment. Many of those who became his earliest students and devotees were experimenting with the myriad drugs available in the late 60s. Since Yogi Bhajan believed that Kundalini Yoga could connect its practitioners with higher states of consciousness, the techniques he shared resonated deeply with the people he was meeting and led many of them away from chemical enhancement and toward spiritual enhancement.
To this day there are many “sets” of Kundalini Yoga kriyas (posture/mudra/ breath combinations) that Yogi Bhajan and his students have compiled, with specific results which not only helped people to withdraw from substance use, but also helped them feel the oneness and connection to the Divine. That new experience with something greater, to that feeling of truth, proved to be more powerful than the substances, and of course provided a clear path to awakening. The early influences that Yogi Bhajan's teachings had on the popular culture is profound - anyone who rents a video of the original, legendary Woodstock festival can observe - after Crosby, Stills and Nash's performance - the camera cutting to several hundred Woodstock goers practicing Kundalini Yoga kriyas, led on by an enthusiastic early student of Yogi Bhajan in the comfortable white cotton clothing and turban that is their recommended wear for yoga teachers.
Yogi Bhajan has said that he came to the West not to gather students so much as to create teachers of Kundalini Yoga, those who would continue to build the light on the planet, and whom he would be able to inspire in unique ways based on their individual abilities. He wanted to develop and refine aspects of the teachings. For example, the healing modality of Sat Nam Rasayan, now taught and practiced all over the world, was given by Yogi Bhajan to his Mexican student GuruDev. This student was charged with translating the lineage of this sacred, secret knowledge into a practice that would be understandable in our modern world. By all accounts, Yogi Bhajan gave and gave tirelessly, inspiring amazing creations to further promote the teachings and the values of Kundalini Yoga and the Sikh faith.
Many of the creations took the form of corporations, helping people to develop their spiritual life at work. 3HO, an oasis of Yogi Bhajan's teachings in the beautiful environment of Española, New Mexico, was created to promote the philosophical teachings by hosting retreats and doing outreach. But not all of Yogi Bhajan's corporations were as clearly tied to the philosophy. Akal Security, one of the fastest-growing private security firms in the nation is one example. Others include Peace Cereal, which donates ten percent of its profits to organizations promoting world peace; Yogi Tea, which often features a Kundalini Yoga story or teaching on or inside the box; and Aquarian Times magazine, a treasure trove of teachings.
One of the positions that Yogi Bhajan held was that of Mahan Tantric, a seat held by just one person on the planet at a time. This allows the Mahan Tantric to facilitate White Tantric Yoga, a day-long Kundalini Yoga practice organized in white-clad male-female pairs in straight lines across a room. The energy moving through the room is palpable, and said to be filtered through the consciousness of the Mahan Tantric, enabling profound change and transformation on the part of the participants.
Whether one experiences a White Tantra or a Summer Solstice retreat at 3HO, a Kundalini Yoga class or a Sat Nam Rasayan healing, or perhaps just a health-giving cup of Yogi Tea, the benefits are immediate and unmistakable. That the technology can uplift so many, in so many ways, with such loving humor and genuineness, shows the result of Yogi Bhajan's unstinting commitment, sacrifice and faith. After the passing of such a singular being, what does the future hold? Yogi Bhajan himself said, “Yoga with its every system is going to prevail. People will see that people who practice yoga are bright and beautiful, calm, quiet and blissful. They will recognize that the yogic community is sincere, dependable, serving and giving. The future of yoga is bright, beautiful, bountiful and blissful.”

3HO.org
akalsecurity.com
peacecereal.com
aquariantimes-magazine.com