Awakening the Royal Self
Kundalini Yoga is known as a Raj, or royal, yoga. More than just a random set of exercises, it's a comprehensive method for stripping away the blocks standing in the way of who you truly are.
What makes a raj yoga worthy of its royal title is the synthesis of multiple yogic techniques to raise awareness. Kundalini Yoga is combination of 7 of these — hatha (posture), shakti (power), bhakti (devotion), mantra (sound), japa (rhythmic repetition), raja (meditation), and laya (breath & bandhas). Together, these elements create a synergistic effect on the system with immediate results. This is why practicing a mother yoga like Kundalini Yoga can do in one year what takes decades to accomplish with individual techniques alone.
Historically, these teachings were highly clandestine, passed along in secret to selective members of the highest Brahmin caste. For centuries, only Indian royals were deemed eligible to learn and practice these techniques for awakening an exalted self-experience. Yogi Bhajan not only had the great privilege of receiving these teachings at a young age, but he also carried the rebellious and egalitarian spirit to share them with the world. He believed that a roadmap for self-actualization belong to the whole of humanity, not just to 0.01% of the population. And that the time had come where these techniques were needed to address systemic global dysfunction and injustice.
It was no secret in 1970 that this planet would need of a different kind of leadership to solve the problems of tomorrow, and it’s become glaringly obvious now. Today’s human needs the power of a clear mind, an open heart, an energized body and a sharp intuition to navigate the storms of life while enjoy the experience of the self. This luminous sovereignty of spirit is the true meaning of ‘Raj Yoga’ — what Nanak refers to as “saibhang” in the Mul Mantra of Japji.
Through time-tested techniques, the science of yoga awakens the unique leader in every heart. Just as a king or queen sits on a throne, we become still in the seat of our soul and witness the creative impulse of the universe express in and around us. A regular practice of Kundalini Yoga will give you that command of the mind and body so that you can express the virtues of your life. And it will waste no time in getting you there!
Though yoga works beautifully to strengthen and lighten the body, it is really all about taming the mind. To unlock an experience of remembering who we really are, to agree to the potential swelling within us, and to serve others with our gifts is the true mark of a yogi. That is what we mean when we say 'Sat Nam.'
We are blessed beyond measure to have this gift of Kundalini Yoga and to share it with all who can use it. May we all experience the consciousness of I AM, uncover our unique purpose encoded within that awareness, and have the confidence to deliver that essence to the world.