By Krishna Khalsa
An ancient Eastern mystical science fused with Western pragmatism at Los Angeles’ first Kundalini Yoga Expo, held at the end October and sponsored by 3HO’s Teacher Association (IKYTA). People from around the world gathered on the magnificent campus of Mount St Mary’s College, overlooking the J. Paul Getty Center, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean. The teachers who gathered for the day were first generation masters with a combined 120 years of teaching experience. Nirvair Singh, GuruMeher Khalsa, Guru Singh, and Hari Kaur Khalsa all shared their wisdom. On Friday night, musicians Aykanna (Sukhdev and Akahdahmah) raised the rood. And helping to set a sweet and soulful mood: Yogi Tea and snacks served throughout the day.
Hari Kaur Khalsa’s book of women’s meditation, Discovering the Power of a Peaceful Mind, inspired one of the day’s classes. Some of her key reminders included:
-When practicing self-love, remind yourself that you are a loving and caring individual. Love yourself enough to allow that happy, healthy, and holy relationship you deserve.
-Learn to trust yourself and your life choices. The peaceful neutral mind brings clarity and a more stable and satisfying future. Build a more open, honest, and successful relationship with yourself and others. Focus, practice patience, and persevere.
-The thing that keeps us from experiencing the totality of love (for ourselves and others) is the incompatibility of our energy with the energy of this dimension. The world of love and light does not exist “out there” somewhere. It exists right here, right now. As you elevate your energy, switch your focus and refine your sensitivity; you will experience the dimension of love as though one day you became aware of a door you had never seen before and simply chose to step through. You will be a part of it in the same way that you are now a part of the space in which you are sitting. As sure as you can identify the room you are in, you will know that you are in another reality. The furniture will not change, but you will. As though a light were turned on, you will see in a way you have never seen before.
GuruMeher Khalsa is the author of the new book, Senses of the Soul—Emotional Therapy for Strength, Healing and Guidance. His class combined Kundalini Yoga kriyas with meditative systems of emotional self-therapy in ways that revealed psychological truths, creating shifts in perception. He focused on releasing inner anger, perhaps an inner anger towards the Divine, The Universe, whomever you call God. He emphasized the importance of forgiving yourself for holding onto anger, honoring your feelings, and learning to let go and let God to bring forth strength, healing, and guidance. Khalsa emphasized that emotions come to deliver a message, sensitivity is strength, and your feelings are here to help you. By simply listening to their messages you will find relief, strength, and guidance from the only source of wisdom you need…yourself.
-Practice small acts of forgiveness.
-Forgiveness is a decision. We make the decision to forgive more often than we realize on a daily basis.
-Do yourself a favor and give yourself the gift of forgiveness.
-Give yourself the permission to forgive; this permission is the same as giving yourself permission to heal and be happy.
-Permission to heal and having willingness to let go, giving yourself permission to forgive, is the same as giving yourself permission to heal and be happy.
-Learn to come from a neutral mind.
For more information about 3HO and the IKYTA, visit: 3ho.org or ikyta.org
Krishna Khalsa is an editorial assistant at LA YOGA Magazine. She leads sadhana on Friday mornings at Yoga West and is a musician, singer, and intuitive healer.
