LYRICAL MUSINGS

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote this great song about some girl pining for a guy, but the way Aretha and her girls do it, you'd swear it was about ones' devotion to God or one's yearning to merge with the infinite. I couldn't help but think of this because when I awoke this morning, this song popped into my head....before I did my morning prayers (Japji).

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now,
And wondering what dress to wear, now,
I say a little prayer for you

Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, forever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.

I run for the bus, dear,
While riding I think of us, dear,
I say a little prayer for you.
At work I just take time
And all through my coffee break-time,
I say a little prayer for you.

Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, forever we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.

My darling believe me,
For me there is no one
But you.

When my mom was on her deathbed back in December of 2006, my aunt, my sister, my daughter and I all decided that Frank Sinatra was gonna take my mom out. We all stood around the bed holding hands as Frank Sinatra's greatest hits escaped from the ipod mini speakers I brought with me from LA to Florida. Now you might think this is campy, but I swear this was the most compassionate and elevated way to help my mom transition. When you listen to the early Frank, you are struck by his phrasing and his magnificent choice of material. But when you are experiencing your mother's death while listening to George Gershwin's "someone to watch over me" , suddenly the words take on a whole new meaning...and Frank will never again be the same.

Mama's Got A Brand New Bag

For the Summer Soltice Sadhana Celebration, which is happening in a week, I'm bringing up TONS of merchandise: Kundawraps, Kundabinis, Yoga Clothes AND the New KundaBags.....which are off-the-chart gorgeous AND just as fantastic as the other ones...only more colorful! As you may or may not know, the earlier Kundabags were fabricated out of fabric of my own design; some of which I had matte laminated to increase its durability and also because I think laminating fabrics looks great. I thought I'd give my fabrics a rest and use these WONDERFUL HAND BATIKED NIGERIAN 100% COTTON FABRICS which are just yummy and evocative and I can't wait to see everyone carrying around their stuff in them. You can see that they are designed so you can put a rolled up yoga mat in the bottom and follow that up with your blanket, and of course your sheepskin.

Gone are the days of carrying around multiple bags and packages when you come to class.

And if you happen to be a teacher, you'll appreciate how you can fit EVERYTHING you need in the KundaBag including small stereo speakers, books. Your timer, ipod cords, keys and water bottle fit right in the two-part interior pocket. In fact, you'll find this Kundabag so useful, that you'll use it for travel, the beach, and of course shopping! And while we're on the subject of shopping, visit www.kundalink.com and purchase these Kundabags and lots of other things just by pressing a button.

When I decided to make these Kundabags in the first place, I wanted to make the perfect bag for me. It's a blast to go to an event or a yoga class and see them interspersed among all the other totes and bags on the floor. Everyone tells me how much they love them. And that just

makes me want to keep making them.

To answer the question..."Can you do them with a zipper?" the answer is ....

"I'm thinking of other ways to close the bag...but part of what I like about it, is its expandability and its simplicity. Obviously zippers are a problem unto themselves when you start topping off a bag with a FURRY SHEEPSKIN".

"What is batik?" That's the next question. It is a printing method that involves a resist technique. The artists apply the design with a wax resist and the Dye or Paint on top of and around the wax design. Then the wax is removed to reveal either no color or a color that was applied underneath. Its a complicated but very beautiful technique that has been around for ages and is practiced with incredible skill by the artisans of Nigeria in Western Africa and also in Indonesia. There are many ways to do it....some designs are as detailed as fine lace, and other designs are more random like tie dyeing. Anyway you do it, requires incredible patience and skill. The fabrics used in the Kundabags are hand-spun cotton and are handprinted with the wax resist. (Some batik is done with a paste made of grain and water).

Here are two videos which show the wide range of batik technique.

Yogi Bhajan's Wise Words About Summer Solstice

This is an ad from the inside cover of Beads of Truth, Winter/March 1978 Bead no. 37, a magazine that the 3HO Foundation put out back in the day. You can't really read it because when i posted it, the type came out really small.....but click on the image, and VOILA...it gets bigger. Click on the enlargement, and then it'll be just like a kindle!! Can you imagine....to attend solstice, it cost $150 dollars for a single person... and discounts WERE available on top of that!

The ad read: "YOU must do it! A Spiritual teacher only inspires you, he gives you the technical know-how, but it is for you to work it out, and to experience the result!"

Ain't THAT the truth!

With regards to what to bring, the ad reads as follows:

"You will be camping out in very changeable weather, so come prepared with:

tent of camper (some type of shelter)

eating utensils (spoon, fork, knife, bowl, cup, plate, etc.)

suntan lotion

bathing suits

warm clothes (for cold nights and mornings)

rain wear

any special dietary requirements

Please be sure to bring all necessities your children may require"

Pretty simple...and jives with my list in the blogalini post before this one.

People were intent back then on transforming the self and the world just as they are now, and that's why they packed up their things and headed out to New Mexico, just as we are doing in a week 32 years later.

Yogi Bhajan wrote in an article from this issue:

" You need in your life eleven days of vacation per year for your glandular system. You know why we started having this Summer Solstice? Just to break your habit pattern. We don't give you food you always normally eat. "

"Actually, the total idea is to bring you for ten days to live with the environment of nature to make you immune so your skin can breathe, so you can survive. So you think I can't hold a convention in a hotel? You will all come. No, that is not my way. I have to train you to live. I have lived many, many times. I know what living is. It is you who are important. And you must be trained to live in a natural environment to feel sometimes that there is a God. And too much maya around us does not allow us to feel God.

We live by the sun energy, there is no lie about it. That is why when the energy of the sun is the highest we do this sadhana to leave everything. We need eleven days. Then we go on a mono diet, and that mono diet has carbohydrates, because you need that sugar for the brain for those meditative exercises. It is a situation designed for centuries which we practice. Then we always try to go to a place where there is heat and elevation so that your children can go five, six, seven, ten thousand feet. Their metabolism needs the experience. How can a person who grows up eighteen years in New York ever come to New Mexico and not get sick? Impossible. You need the practice of environments, and your body and your nervous system must adjust. You know, if all New York people came here and lived for fifteen days, then went back, they wouldn't need a lot of medicines. If you think I'm a fool that I'm building up all this here, couldn't we build somewhere else? No. Why are you under this tent? Couldn't a better shed be built for you? It could be, but when it rains, you won't enjoy what you enjoy under it.

This is what lies underneath the teachings we are practicing. We are trying to make you survive. We are trying to make you conscious to survive and you only survive with your basic instinct. Intelligence is your basic instinct. You do not understand this human therapy. In normal environments you will always be rational. Until you are aroused to confront abnormal circumstances, you will not pressure your supreme friend, intelligence to come to your help."

Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light. ~ Yogi Bhajan

The Summer Solstice is rapidly approaching and there is much to do before I go to Guru Ram Das Puri for the celebration. I will be joined by thousands of like-minded souls who travel to New Mexico for this extraordinary experience hosted by the 3HO®, Yogi Bhajan's Healthy, Happy, Holy organization.

In the mid-1970s, a group of Hopis took Yogi Bhajan into the Jemez Mountains of Northern New Mexico near the town of Española and gestured toward the vast wilderness that stretched out for miles. The elders explained that for a hundred thousand years, huge spiritual gatherings took place over a vast territory stretching from what is now New Mexico, south to Mexico, and east to Missouri. They told Yogi Bhajan that these spiritual gatherings took place once every 108 years and the last one had taken place 2000 years ago...around the time the forces of darkness appeared.

The Hopi elders went on to tell Yogi Bhajan that it had been foreseen that just before the forces of darkness reached their full power, a white-clad warrior from the East would

arrive and create a white-clad army to protect the Unified Supreme Spirit. Since Yogi Bhajan was the white-clad warrior they were talking about, the Hopis entrusted him with the duty of keeping and protecting the Unified Supreme Spirit on this sacred land. Yogi Bhajan had celebrated the summer soltice in many different locations, but he was looking for one place where the students could return to year after year. In 1976, 3HO Foundation bought the parcel of land that the Hopis had recommended, and Yogi Bhajan named it Ram Das Puri that came to be known as Guru Ram Das Puri.

The Summer Solstice celebration is a great opportunity for many things; to deepen your practice, to be with your spiritual family, to serve, and to live close to this sacred earth. There are several ways to experience this living close to this sacred earth...and one way is to camp. I have camped the two years I've gone and I think I've learned a few things which I wanted to share. This is just my personal experience, but it might help others as they start to prepare for the Summer Solstice experience in the high desert.

The first year I thought, that all I needed was a very small and light tent to sleep in. NOT!

LET ME TELL YOU THAT YOU SHOULD GET A TENT THAT YOU CAN STAND UP IN. It doesn't have to be the size of a one bedroom apartment, but you should be able to stand up in it. My first year I couldn't stand up and I was changing my clothes in a crow squat. It was light to carry, easy to assemble, and basically disposable. And I did dispose of it because it was useless. The second year, I bought a larger, more commodious tent with better construction. THERE IS WEATHER THERE, SO MAKE SURE YOUR TENT IS WATERPROOF and sturdy enough to withstand rain and wind. Some people came back from events on the site only to find their tents

collapsed or their belongings sopping wet. This is avoidable...so I say,

1) buy a decent tent that is waterproof and large enough to stand up in. (REI, TARGET, WALMART all have good tents)

Bring clothing that is easy to wash by hand, layer-able, and warm. It can get both very cold and very hot. If you are there for a while, you'll need to wash your clothes....

which you'll probably wash by hand and hang up on a line or a tree. so to this I say,

2) bring lots of t shirts, comfortable pants, etc. for yoga practice, servingand "playing". Bring something to wash them with. I BRING DR. BRONNERS LIQUID SOAP BECAUSE I USE IT FOR BODY SOAP, SHAMPOO, AND THE LAUNDRY.

3)be prepared for the rain: waterproof tent with rain flap. a portable, foldable rain coat or poncho is a good thing to have just in case. If you don't like to walk in the rain, bring an umbrella.

4)There is a first aid building on the property which is well stocked with things for minor pain and discomfort, sunburn, scrapes and abrasions, etc. There are doctors and nurses

on staff for anything more serious. SO IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED, BRING IT. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A FIRST AID KIT OF YOUR OWN....don't forget your prescription medication or supplements that you are used to taking. If you have a way to handle muscle pain (narayan oil, arnica, traumeel, ben gay, etc. for example) bring that with you.

There are massage therapists, chiropractors, healers offering their services in the bazaar tent so you can handle most minor injuries or discomfort for a reasonable fee. Just remember to bring what you think you might need based on your past experiences.

5. Water bottles, hot bottle for yogi tea, eating utensils,a plate (reg food)and bowl(soup). You can pick these things up at Costplus, Walmart, or Target. You'll be washing your own plates and utensils at every meal. There are water dispensaries all over the site which includes electrolyte water, too. You don't need to bring dishwashing soap...they have it at the dishwashing station.

6. FOOTWEAR: The terrain is rough and dry and while flip flops might

be ideal for going to and from the shower area, your feet are going to get beat up. Trust me. If you are the slip-on, slip-off kind of person that I am, I like to use keen-type sandals which are waterproof, easy to get in and out of, offer support, and cover the toes (if you choose). I got mine at REI and it's my third year wearing them all the time... if you know what you want, you can go to Zappos and get them for less money. I wear the Venice H2.....and the Daytona...both EXCELLENT CHOICES FOR SOLSTICE! While we're on the subject of feet, there is a foot therapy station at Solstice...

and I highly recommend bringing BANDAIDS, FOOTCREAM, etc. because I can guarantee that your feet will get DRY.

7. BATTERY POWERED ALARM CLOCK AND BATTERIES: even though every morning

before Sadhana, Guru Singh and his band of 20-60 merry men and women walk through the camp sites starting at around 3 singing "RISE UP"...you still may want a back up plan.

8. TOILETRIES: SUNSCREEN, LIP BALM, LOTIONS, TOOTHBRUSH AND TOOTHPASTE. BRING YOUR OWN TOWELS AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU NEED TO STAY GORGEOUS AND HAPPY ON YOUR TRIP IN THE HIGH DESERT. OH DON'T FORGET THE Q-TIPS.

9. FOR WHITE TANTRIC YOGA YOU'LL NEED: White cotton or natural fiber clothing and a white cotton or natural fiber headcovering....both of which will be available at the KUNDALINK.COM table in the bazaar tent. If you haven't experienced a Kundawrap or a Kundabini...you're in for a treat. We make white cotton clothing for women and men... and we have KundaBags, yoga duffels, and tote bags....we actually have everything you'll

need to wear at Summer Solstice!

10. THERE IS NO HOT WATER. COLD SHOWERS. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COLD SHOWERS.If you are not used to taking cold showers, now is a good time to practice it. By the time you get to solstice, you'll be a pro.

11. Sheepskin, yoga mat, warm blanket, and a hoodie or something warm for morning sadhana. Some people take their entire bedding to the tent! It's pretty cold when you start but you warm up pretty quickly after you start doing yoga at 4 am.

12. Hat to protect you head from the sun unless you're wearing a headcovering

13. SLEEPING BAG, WARM BEDDING, SLEEPING PAD OR AIR MATRESS OR COT.

14. bathing suit just in case. Some people go down the hill to the hot springs and you might, too.

15. a bag to carry around your stuff. Of course you can buy a KundaBag or yoga duffel at the Kundalink.com table in the Bazaar if you don't get one on line....

16. flashlight OR one of these head lamps. I USE THE HEADLAMP BECAUSE WHEN I WALK TO THE BATHROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND I AM CARRYING THINGS TO THE BATHROOM, I NEED MY HANDS and you might, too!

17. On the 3HO website, they suggested bringing one or two dressy outfits for social events, but i have to say, this is not really necessary.

18. A hooded windbreaker is helpful...but i found that layers of clothing was the best way to go. I rarely wore socks although they can be helpful in the early morning chill.

AND if you need to charge your ipod or iphone or cellular, there's a charging station and you can plug in from time to time. I can tell you that you won't be using your phone very much, or at least much less that usual. The reception is so-so.

19. A "DOORMAT". SOME HEAVY TOWEL OR SHOWER MAT SO THAT YOU CAN WIPE YOUR FEET OFF BEFORE YOU ENTER YOUR TENT. JUST A THOUGHT....

The best advice I can give you is to travel light. You should be able to fit everything in a duffle bag and a medium suitcase. Try to keep your things to a minimum....and make sure you have enough clothes to layer and keep in rotation, comfortable shoes, comfortable bedding, and a tent that you can stand up in. You won't believe how helpful, generous and friendly everyone is and if you need something, if someone there doesn't have it, you can always go down the hill into "civilization" and buy it.

Bring some money because you can get some fantastic products at the bazaar.... see you there! If you'd like to see some videos that my dear friend and fellow yogi, Elena aka Ek Ong Kar, made about the summer solstice experience....here they are:

kundalini yoga: summer solstice 2008 from ETentity on Vimeo.

Summer Solstice 2010 from ETentity on Vimeo.

FOODS FOR THOUGHT

It would have had to come to this eventually.

I love to cook and every now and again I feel like sharing recipes. I've put together self-published cookbooks in the past. The most memorable of these being "KITCHEN GYPSY" when I was still a carnivore, the premise being, of course, that one could travel around the world and stay in the kitchen. This was and still is my approach to cooking.

I am a vegetarian now, more precisely what is called a lacto-vegetarian meaning that I consume dairy products but do not eat eggs. Being a lacto-vegetarian steers me in the direction of the Vegan Universe because Vegans do not consume any animal products and normal vegetarians are always "slipping in" an egg here and there. And baking from time to time as I do, I have found two of my favorite recipes for desert/treats in Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. On the cover of her book underneath her name it states "America's Most Awesome Vegan Chef and cohost of the Post-Punk Kitchen". I have prepared about 60% of the recipes in this book and can say that she knows what she's talking about. If you'd like to buy the book right this second without even reading further, you can!

Also, my new favorite dish to prepare is not even a desert...but it IS a treat and its from this book, too! I make a big pot of it and eat it all week. It's ........

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

1 12 oz can whole tomatoes in juice - not puree

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 large onion cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 2 cups)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

3 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (optional)

3 cardamom pods

1 teaspoon salt

10 cups of fresh spinach, well rinsed and chopped

4 cups chickpeas, cooked and drained OR 2 15 oz cans drained and rinsed

Prepare the tomatoes by removing them one at a time from the can and squeezing out the juice and tearing them in bite size pieces. Place the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and reserve the juice in the can. Preheat a medium size saucepan over moderate heat; pour in the vegetable oil and then the mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop for about a minute - you may want to cover the pot so that the seeds can't escape. then add the onion, turn up the heat to med high and saute for 7-10 minutes until the onion begins to brown. Add garlic and ginger (YAY TRINITY ROOTS) and saute for 2 more minutes. Add spices and salt and 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice; saute one minute more. Add tomatoes and heat through. Add handfuls of spinach mixing each addition until wilted. When all the spinach has completely wilted and the mixture is liquid-y, add the chick peas, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes more stirring occasionally. Taste, adjust the spices if necessary. and simmer another 10 minutes uncovered....or until it turns into a thick stew-like consistency.

A bunch of us yogi-types got together to chant Japji a few months back and everyone came to my house and it was a potluck kind of affair. I made one of the treats which was the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookie from Chandra's book, but I renamed it so it would be Kundalini Yoga relevant and added my own comments.

EGO BUSTERS

What better way to get rid of your Ego than to press your thumb into these little cookies, fill em up with jam, and offer them to your friends to gobble up! You won't believe how fast these little cookies will disappear...you'll be Ego-less in no time. Ego-less AND Egg-less, these cocoa cookies are quick, easy, and VEGAN!

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup peanut oil

1/3 cup soy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2/3 cup sugar

6 teaspoons jam*

Preheat oven to 350 F. either line two cookie sheet with parchment paper, or oil them or use teflon pans.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder salt and baking soda. (i throw them in the food processor and let them spin together for a bit)

in a large bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients (except the jam) plus the sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and incorporate well.

With damp hands, roll 1 tbsp of dough into a ball and press between your palms into a disc...then place on the prepared cookie sheet. ITS IMPORTANT TO THE TEXTURE OF THE COOKIE THAT YOUR HANDS ARE DAMP TO PREVENT CRACKING AT THE EDGES. If your dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of maple syrup and that should do it!

Bake the cookies for five minutes, then remove from the oven.

PRESS YOUR THUMB (EGO) INTO EACH COOKIE TO MAKE A DENT. They will be hot, so proceed with caution.

Place about 1/4 teaspoon of jam in each indentation.

Bake another 6 minutes, remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes and then cool.

* I used Trader Joe's organic superfruit spread (morello cherry, red grape, blueberry and pomergranate) which balances nicely with the chocolate flavor. Raspberry, apricot works, too.

also, no need to use super expensive cocoa here, Hersheys does just fine.

Head Coverings 101

WHY ARE YOU WEARING A HEADCOVERING?

Do you know how many times I get asked this?

A LOT! Because I make, sell them AND I wear them. Headcoverings (in particular, turbans) have been around forever. I decide to do a little research on this subject because Kundalini Yoga and head coverings are a match made in heaven...as it were.

But before I go "head first" into a discussion on the subject of turbans and headcoverings, I wanted to share a little personal experience with you. As a child and into my college years, I would not wear a hat despite the fact

that I lived in New York and "colleged" in Rhode Island where, in the East Coast of the US, it can get very cold in winter. My parents were always pressing the point that I would "get sick" if I didn't cover my head. My response was always

"

I can't cover up my head because I get messages from the universe".

So even at an early

age, before I did Kundalini Yoga or any other type of yoga, I KNEW that there was a

connection between me and the heavens above.

Kundalini Yoga raises a lot of energy.

Yogi Bhajan strongly recommended that Teachers of Kundalini Yoga wear a white headcovering of natural fabric while teaching for

his or her own personal protection and upliftment when handling these powerful energies. Some people are more sensitive than others to the energy; for example some people get headaches or feel spacey if they go "topless". I find that I when I wear aheadcovering, I don't get a headache and I'm much more "together". I find that the BEST remedy for a headache (even if I'm not

teaching!) is to tie a turban around my head. The solar centers on

the skull get opened by the practice of Kundalini Yoga and I, like many others,

find that it helps keep things "under wraps".

(I can't help myself with these puns. Sorry.)

Many cultures have utilized turbans and head coverings since the beginning of time. The Jews, whose religious and cultural orthodoxy employs many varieties of head coverings for both women and men, have their roots in turbans. To take a rather simple example: the daily prayers recited by observant Jews include a benediction praising God "Who crowns Israel with glory." Though now the common practice is to recite this blessing in the synagogue, the original custom was to say it as one was getting dressed.The Talmud says clearly that one was to say it while wrapping the turban around one's head.

The Hebrew word for "to wear" (labash) can be used for most garments, but a different verb must be used to indicate the wearing of a hat:habash. The verb Habash actually means "to wrap" and is the rootword for bandage . One of the commandments of God to Moses was to wear a turban as the symbol of prophethood, holiness and divine power. This was a command obeyed by both Jews and Muslims for centuries and its origin dates back to a time when the only thing a well-dressed Jew would be likely to be wearing on his head was

a turban.

This is a picture of a Jew from Yemen....a country surrounded by Muslims both in the south (Africa) and in the north (Saudi Arabia). Check out his cool turban.

Since the 19th century in North America the only religious group identified with the wearing of a turban is the Sikhs.

To American Sikhs as well as Sikhs all over the world, the wearing of a turban is a sacred act. The tenth and last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), instructed the Sikhs, just as Moses instructed the Israelites, to wear their God-given, unshorn hair under a turban, and they have sacrificed their lives to protect its honor.

Hair is an integral part of the human body created by God and Sikhism calls for its preservation as it is regarded as a symbol of saintliness. Guru Nanak started the practice of keeping hair unshorn because keeping it in a natural state is regarded as living in harmony with the will of God, and is a symbol of the Sikh faith. The Sikhs are not the only group that keeps their hair uncut and natural. Here are some others who practice or have practiced letting their hair grow to its natural length. Coptic Christian Monks, Sufi Saints, Native Americans, the Nazarites, Hasidic Jews, Rastafarians, the Samurai, the Han Chinese, Lord Ram, Lord Shiva, Jesus, Orthodox Christians, Samson, Sarathustra, Prophet Samuel, Siddhartha, St. John the Baptist, and basically all Ascetics, Sadhus, and Holy Men.

Yogi Bhajan said that the HAIR was the first techinique to raise the Kundalini energy. When the hair is at its natural length and coiled over the anterior fontanel for men or the posterior fontanel for women, it draws pranic energy into the spine. The force of the downward positive energy causes the Kundalini energy to rise up for balance. This is why you always find grace and calmness in a person who has never cut their hair from birth. In fact the word "kundalini" comes from the word "kundal" which means a lock of the beloveds' hair.

The turban is part of "the uniform" because it has immense spiritual and temporal significance. Not only is it a method of covering the hair and keeping it in place, wearing a turban symbolizes sovereignty, dedication, self-respect, courage and piety. All practicing Sikhs, as well as other turban wearing people wear the turban out of love and as a mark of commitment to the faith.

Prophet Muhammad himself spoke strongly in favor of the turban, as can be seen from the following sayings of Prophet Muhammad: (see

relic turban of prophet on right)

"The turban is a frontier between faith and unbelief." "My community shall not fall away so long as they wear turban." "At the day of the judgment, a man shall receive a light for each turn of the turban round his head." "Wear turban, for thus you will gain in generosity." "Wear the turban and thus distinguish yourselves from the peoples who came before you." With the rise of Islam, the turban came to be considered the "crown of the Arabs" and the "badge of Islam." The Jews of Arab lands, with the exception of the Yemenites, finally had to give up the wearing of the turban and adopt the wearing of the yarmulke or kippah to cover their heads. It is required in Jewish law that the head be covered during prayer. The Talmud says that the purpose of wearing a kippah is to remind us of God, who is the Higher Authority "above us"

The Talmud states that external actions create internal awareness; wearing a symbolic, tangible "something above us" reinforces that idea that God is always watching. The kippah is a means to draw out one's inner sense of respect for God. It's easy to remember God while at the Synagogue, Gurdwara, Mosque, or Church, but a higher consciousness is meant to pervade in all aspects of our lives -- how we treat others, how we conduct business, and how we interpret world events. Appropriately, the Yiddish word for head covering, "yarmulke," comes from the Aramaic, yira malka, which means "awe of the King."

In general it seems that the turban was viewed as the distinctive mark of scholars, holy men and women, and teachers who distinguished themselves with this symbol of special piety. Many cultures, and not just the Sikhs, Muslims and Jews cover their heads...and turbans are just one of many kinds of headcoverings.

Now, regarding the wearing of a headcovering as a Kundalini Yoga student, that in itself is not required. Yogi Bhajan never insisted that his students cover their heads in class although it is mandatory in White Tantric Yoga. The case is quite different as a teacher of Kundalini Yoga; it is necessary that we cover our heads when we teach for the reasons mentioned above.

If you are as fascinated with this subject as I am, you will appreciate the blog, http://thoseheadcoverings.blogspot.com . As a manufacturer of headcoverings, and in particular, an informal natural fiber turban which I call a Kundawrap© and a natural fiber cap which I call a Kundabini©, I am concerned with the quality and the intent of making these products primarily for the Kundalini Yoga community. Of course, anyone can wear them, but I am a practioner and teacher of Kundalini Yoga and this is my target audience. I have found so many similarities in so many cultures with regard to the covering of the head and the growing of the hair that I think it is a lifestyle choice worth practicing and providing for. My main concern has been to offer a headcovering that made students and teachers comfortable with the idea, as well as provide them with easy instructions for adapting this practice. Both products are completely washable and retain their shape because they are made of jersey and always come back to form after washing. They are sized so that a comfortable and reasonably sized turban can be achieved with minimal amount of preparation and labor.

I'm not making light of the beautiful art of tying a turban...but many people feel intimidated by the craft of it and this is a user friendly solution to tying one on! The Kundabini© is made in such a way that it imitates the cranial pressure of a turban and is a perfect sadhana and sleeping cap in addition to wearing them in or in front of class. Many people like to wear them in yoga class because they always look good and they rarely come off...even after rigorous yoga exercises! Check out the HEADCOVERINGS page on the Kundalink website.

And while we are on the subject of non-labor intensive turbans, here is a great video about the art of turban-tying taken to a whole new level: