Oh my mind practice Yoga in this way:

Let Truth be your horn, sincerity your necklace, and meditation the ashes you apply on your body.

Catch your burning soul (self) and stop the flames. Let the soul (self) be the alms bowl in which you collect the sweet Naam and this will be the only support you will ever need.

The Universe plays its divine music. The sound of reality is shrill, but this is where God is.

When you listen to the reality from this place of awareness the sweet essence of Raag arises.

Waves of melodies, emotions, and passions arise and flow through you. Bind yourself with the song of God.

The Universe spins like a potter's wheel and from it fly demons and angels. The sage listens to this and instead of getting caught in either one, the sage drinks in the nectar of the heavens and is carried to the heavens in a divine chariot.

Instruct and clothe yourself with self control. Meditate unto infinity until you are meditating without meditating.

In this way, your body shall remain forever golden, and death shall never approach you.

This is the translation of Ray Man Eh Bidh Jog Kamao authored by Guru Gobind Singh. Yogi Bhajan had this to say about this beautiful shabad,

"Guru Gobind Singh's entire bani is meant to penetrate through the mental
body, right into your own spirit. The secret of this bani; it is a pure Naad
Yoga. It is in Brij Baashaa language.


The combination and permutation of sound is totally practical in his bani.
The tongue creates a certain pressure on the upper palate. This shabad has
the capacity, if man is bewitched by incurable disease, if sung properly
through the tongue and mouth, can bring total health. Each sound must be
said exactly correctly. It can lead to perfect state of mental health and
surrounding spirit."


Perfection of this shabad can make you like a Golden Buddha. You will have
wisdom, you will have purity of a yogi, and you will have an essence. I
request everyone who believes in higher values to remember this shabad in
perfect sound. It is very perfect combination. As a shabad you can sing 11
times a day, you will feel the miraculous effect of it on your body, mind,
and soul."

Complete Mantra:

Ray man eh bidh jog kamao

Singhee saach akapat kanthala

Dhiaan bibhoot charhaao

Taatee gaho aatam bas kar kee

Bichaa naam adhaarang

Baaje param taar tat har ko

Upajay raag rasaarang

Ughatay taan tarang rang atay giaan geet bandhaanang

Chak chak rahay dayv daanav mun

Chhak chaak biyom bivaanang

Aatam upadays bhays sanjam ko

Jaap so ajapa jaapay

Sada rahay kanchan si kaya

Kaal na kabahoo byaapay

More Information:

Mantra and Yogi Bhajan quotes courtesy of http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/kundalini-yoga/211220-re-more-re-man-eh-bidh-jog-kamaao.html

English translation from Snatam Kaur

UPGRADE YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM WORKSHOP 9/3

Have you ever felt like you were overwhelmed, going to short circuit, or incapacitated by indecision? Someone says something to you and you inappropriately react, or you bottle things up inside and explode at someone else later. Or maybe you have a problem in your life and you can't step back and see the big picture and so you make short-sited decisions that don't benefit your soul's purpose. Do any of these sound familiar? Well, if they do, you need a nervous sytem upgrade!

Our nervous system needs care in order to remain healthy and serve us well. We have so many outer influences pushing us on a daily basis, many of which make us feel powerless and confused. With the change in the age, everything is amplified now....including the speed in which information and energy travels. It's a good idea to take steps to increase the capabilities of your brain and nervous system so you can stay one step ahead of this shift.

A strong nervous system will help you avoid "freaking out" when everyone else seems to be. You can, with your neutral mind and strong nerves, help others to help themselves. We can be the leaders and teachers that point the way to a peaceful and stress-free existence, instead of jumping ship. We can increase the generation of new brain cells through yogic exercise and meditation and reverse the natural loss of brain cells that occurs as we age. The nervous system and the glandular system work together to re-pattern the brain chemistry through the hypothalamus, the intermediary gland that is the master of the body-mind connection.

In my own life, I am experiencing tremendous change and external pressures and I am calling upon the fortitude of my nervous system through the practice of yoga sets designed to boost my "wattage" to support me during these challenging times. I am also working on strengthening my glandular system so that external stress will not cause internal stress and dis-ease. Meditating on expanding my aura and my radiance is helping to keep me "kept up" and protects me from illness, negative influences, and feeling run down or discouraged by the obstacles, challenges, and difficulties I encounter from day to day. Radiance gives you that all or nothing attitude and a strong aura will attract the positive and repel the negative as well as keep me in a position of security and confidence.

That's why I decided to teach this workshop. Since my teacher Harijiwan has said (and I paraphrase) "teach the class you want to take", I aimed to provide such a class for others. Even though as a teacher, I have taught these sets and meditations separately in my classes, they are especially powerful and effective when put together in this workshop format.

I hope you'll join me on Saturday, September 3 at 2:00-5:00 at Golden Bridge to boost your central nervous system, glandular system, radiant body; everything you need to be ready for YOUR future with powerful pranayam, exercise, meditation, information and FUN!

SIGN UP NOW AND SAVE!

KUNDALINK IS LOVE

QUE SERA SERA

I’m sitting here feeling very New Agey eating a cereal called “Indigo Morning”. When I was growing up, cereals were called Sugar Smacks, Fruit Loops, or Wheaties; there were no cereal names that referred to either enlightened children or the ambrosial hours. But here I am some 50+ years later nourishing my body with what we used to call “cold cereal” and thinking about where i’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going.

There are many different reasons that I am feeling so reflective this morning. One, today is my sister’s birthday and I remember when she was born 50 years ago, I was away at summer camp. Summer camp is something that seems so far away but is so much a part of my being. Our dad was an educator... and that meant he had the summers off. He always landed a job at a sleepaway camp as either a Director of the Girl’s Camp or a Swimming Instructor. I remember those summers fondly because I generally went away with him for the summer and even though I had to call him “Uncle Irv” instead of Daddy, those summers away were a very special time. They were the first opportunities to be Independent.

Oh, Happy Independence Day! (that was too good a segue to pass up)

Summers back then were ENDLESS. Eight weeks of summer camp seemed like an eternity that you never wanted to come to an end. Now summers fly by and no sooner than you say “have a nice summer” you’re back buying candy for Halloween. I work in the Los Angeles School district one day a week and so I suppose you can call me an educator as well... but I don’t have a summer gig somewhere in the Catskills or the Berkshires or the Allegheny mountains of Pennsylvania. My summer camp is eleven days of “Summer Solstice” at Ram Das Puri near Espanola in New Mexico. It’s the closest thing to sleepaway camp I have found in all these years. There is tremendous joy hanging with your friends; showering together, working together, playing together, eating together. It lasts a short amount of time but it’s effects last a LONG time.

At summer camp, the highlight was something called Color War. The camp would divide into two teams and for about a week you would be engaged in healthy competition with your closest friends. This brought everybody’s BEST up several notches and you always came away from Color War feeling stronger, more elevated, more confident, and more unified with your peers. White Tantric Yoga is like that...although it’s not technically a competition with others, it is a competition with yourself. And you always come away feeling like a better YOU; stronger, elevated, confident and unified. There’s a tremendous knowing in both endeavors that you have succeeded and you are part of a bigger whole!

The summer camp or summer solstice experience infuses you with the energy to move forward into the future. Even though as grownups most of us work during the summer months, we still adopt a l’aisse faire attitude; being less demanding of ourselves and others and letting more things “slide” during this time.

My teacher, Harijiwan’s favorite mantra for navigating through challenging waters is “Whatever” and it’s a good mantra to remember during the Autumn, Winter and Spring months, too. I know I could definitely whip myself up into a frenzy when things aren’t going my way, but I just take a few breaths and chant “Whatever” and the pressure dissipates...like letting steam out of a kettle. Worrying gets you NOWHERE and trying to control the uncontrollable is a useless endeavor. The Summer months give you permission to let things go a little...but it’s THE ESSENTIAL attitude to have all year long.

In Guru Nanak’s poem, Japji, there is a stanza or pauree that brings on the deep knowing that everything is in God’s hands. It destroys your ego and brings home your divinity. It also removes negativity and neturalizes your destructive nature and prevents harm to others by your hand.

Guru Nanak has given us a very effective antidote for fear. Everyone knows that fear is the biggest buzz kill around and the 33rd pauree can get rid of that fear for you. Everything we worry about, all that we strive for and try to control, all the images of “security” that we invent for ourselves are given over to the Creator. He says in this 33rd pauree, “I have no power to speak or keep silent, no power to beg or to give, no power to live or to die, not power to rule with wealth and occult mental powers, no power to gain intuitive understanding and spiritual wisdom, no power to find the way to escape from the world, only he alone has the power in his hands, he watches over all, no one is high or low.”

AAKHAN JOR CHUPAI NEH JOR

JOR NA MANGAN DAYN NA JOR

JOR NA JEEVAN MARAN NEH JOR

JOR NA RAAJ MAAL MAN SOR

JOR NA SURTEE GI-ANN VEECHAAR

JOR NA JUGATEE CHHUTAI SANSAAR

JIS HAT’H JOR KAR VAYKHAI SO-I

NAANAK UTAM NEECH NA KO-I

Chanting the 33rd pauree 25 times a day will bring us to that state of surrender where we realize that we can’t do it alone and that we do not have that power even if we wanted to. It removes the illusion that we are in charge and brings us into a loving place of trust where we have all the security we need. Que Sera Sera, whatever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see...que sera sera.

Have a great summer....

THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL OUR TRUNK SALE AT YOGA WEST

$$$$$$$$ MEDITATIONS TO MANIFEST MONEY $$$$$$$

I don't know about you, but I am all about opening the flow! I wanted to share these two prosperity meditations, taught by Yogi Bhajan, that are very powerful and will manifest wealth. Plain and simple.

Both meditations are done to the mantra Har, Har, Har Gobinday a very effectiveprosperity mantra. An embedded player is below, courtesy of SikhNet, which will get you started. Pick one of the meditations and turn on the flow. Link into the cosmic source of abundance. Make a commitment for 40, 90, 120, or 1000 days. Let us know how its going!

(Don't forget to tune in with Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo 3x before you begin)


Prosperity Meditation
Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan
June 26, 1998 at Ram Das Puri, New Mexico
"As far as wealth is concerned, this is a Jupiter period. Jupiter onslaught is on the overall universe. It is a period for new prosperity. Old wealth will not work. So we have a very good mantra which creates prosperity. Mantra is a mental projected vibration which entangles with Infinity and creates the effect. It's a sound system which we can all create. It has nothing to do with what you feel or what you are. But when all the vibrations of yours and the environment have gone negative, that is the moment to call on the mantra. When you chant this mantra with the breath of life, you tap into all angels of the universe, including your own great ancestors, who have a qualifying life of angel. It's quick, it's fast, it's purposeful, it brings in what you need to get in.

If you continue for one year, chanting this with the breath, from the

navel point, I don't think you will be ever poor. This is how it works. When a man with his breath of life chants a mantra which is for prosperity, it taps into the Master Mind of the Universe, which we sometimes call `God.' And then the environments, which are to be positive and unique, have to be created. So lot of opportunities, and aspects of opportunities, facets of life, are created to bring you your coziness, your happiness, and your health." Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan
Mudra: Sit in easy pose with a straight spine, chin in, chest out. Mentally straighten out your spine, so the channels can be clear. Bend the elbows down by the sides, and stretch the forearms across the diaphragm area, parallel to the floor, right on top, left underneath. Grab the right elbow with the left hand, and grab the left elbow with the right hand. The elbows should fit comfortably into the palms of each hand. The forearms should be tight across the diaphragm area, and should 'hold your belly in.'

Eyes: Closed.
Tape: "Har Har Har Har Gobinday, Har Har Har Mukanday....," the prosperity mantra. The version by Nirinjan Kaur was played.

Time: 17 minutes.
* First 3 minutes, sing out loud with the tape
* For the next 11 minutes, powerfully whisper the mantra. See what the pranic power does for you. From now through the end of the meditation, the body will start going through changes. Keep the spine straight, elbows locked, and contain the energy.

* For the final 3 minutes, go silent, and chant mentally, moving your breath and the navel in rhythm with the mantra for the remainder of the time.

End: Inhale deep, stretch your spine as much as you can, and squeeze the area where your elbows are locked, as well as every p

art of your body. Hold 15-20 seconds. Cannon fire your breath out through your mouth. Repeat 3 times total. Relax.
From Prosperity Paths Issue: August, 1998


MEDITATION TO MANIFEST MONEY
Given by Yogi Bhajan
September 23, 1997, New Mexico

“Life is nothing but Alertness. You can only be Alert if you are wise & disciplined.” –Yogi Bhajan
Mudra: Sit with a straight spine, chin in, chest out. Bend the elbows into the sides of the body, and place the palms in front of the diaphragm area, flat and face up. Criss cross the finger area only, left on bottom, right on top. The thumbs will be extended away from the rest of the hand, and point straight ahead. Make sure they are not stretched back so far that they point to the right & left, but are pointing exactly straight ahead.

Music/Mantra: “Har Har Har Har Gobinday…” by Nirinjan Kaur is played. Sing with it from the navel.

Eyes: Closed.

Time: 23-1/2 minutes

End: Sit in silence and become thoughtless for 40 seconds. Then inhale, place the palms flat against the heart, pressure as hard as you can against the heart and squeeze the entire body, getting rid of all the sickness, disease, potential. Hold 17 seconds. Exhale. Repeat 3 times total, inhaling & holding between 15-17 seconds per inhale. Relax.

Comments/Effects: This is a sign of prosperity. It is a money manifestation scheme.

22 Things You Should Know Before You Go to Solstice

22 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO SUMMER SOLSTICE

THIS MIGHT HELP YOU TO DECIDE WHAT TO BRING AND WHAT TO EXPECT ESPECIALLY IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME.(Partially reprinted from last year's post)

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.

THE BACK STORY:

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 3 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.

1. CAMPING

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,

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

2. CLOTHING

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.Bring lots of t shirts, comfortable pants, etc. for yoga practice, serving and "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)THE RAIN

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)FIRST AID

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) EATING AND DRINKING

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) WAKING UP-

Bring a battery operated alarm clock and batteries. Even though every morning at 3am before sadhana, Guru Singh and his band of 20-60 merry people 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 (and use) 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) SADHANA

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) THE SUN IS STRONG

Bring a hat to protect you head from the sun unless you wear a headcovering. And Don't forget the sunscreen...

13) NIGHTTIME

Bring the following for a comfortable nights sleep: SLEEPING BAG, WARM BEDDING, SLEEPING PAD OR AIR MATRESS OR COT.

14) EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

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

15)EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE

Bring 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 NOW....

16) BE THE LIGHT

Bring a 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! Highly recommended.

17) PARTY TIME

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. It's pretty casual.

18) EXTRA PROTECTION

Bring a hooded windbreaker or hoodie... layers of clothing is 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) KEEP IT CLEAN

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

20) TRAVEL LIGHT

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.

21)SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Bring some money because you can get some fantastic products at the bazaar.... see you there!www.kundalink.com

22) AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE EK ONG KAR'S (ELENA) VIDEO FROM LAST YEAR'S SOLSTICE......HERE IT IS:

kundalini yoga: summer solstice 2008 from ETentity on Vimeo.

Summer Solstice 2010 from ETentity on Vimeo.