Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, kundalini yoga teacher and cofounder and director of Golden Bridge, A Spiritual Village, was taught the way of kundalini yoga by Yogi Bhajan to help others find spiritual success. Author of two books, including The Eight Human Talents: The Yogic Way to Restoring the Natural Balance of Serenity within You, she shares why she believes kundalini yoga is the most powerful of all yoga practices, especially at this critical time as we enter the Age of Aquarius. In the following essay she answers the questions: Are women uniquely positioned to embody the energy of the universe? What is the ultimate potential of female energy?
There are so many forms of yoga available these days that you might ask what makes kundalini yoga so special and different from other forms. Someone might tell you that all yoga is merely a bunch of exercises, but this is not true. There is something truly magical that takes place when a person practices kundalini yoga and meditation. This is because the impulse of the entire universe is run by the power of kundalini, and the person who practices this mystical science is able to tap into this energy. People report many illuminating experiences when their own sacred force awakens and merges with the sacred force of the universe. Because of the far-reaching power kundalini yoga activates, it can keep you young and help you live longer.
We have been told that universal time passes through four major phases: The Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and finally, the Iron Age. We are currently in the Iron Age, and are moving around once again into the Golden Age.
Long ago during the Golden Age, people were clear and awake, and peace prevailed. Knowing what was coming in the future, the sages, saints, and masters of the Golden Age left us an inheritance: kundalini yoga and meditation. For many thousands of years, these practices were kept away from the general population, until Yogi Bhajan, master of kundalini yoga, came to the United States in the 1960s and taught it openly to the public.
At that point, there were many young people who were longing for a spiritual perspective on the world, the universe, and themselves. Yogi Bhajan recognized this and began teaching these “seekers” the science and art of kundalini yoga, helping them discover a more liberated point of view than they had grown up with. I was fortunate to be among that group, and because of my teacher’s love and compassion for me, I have grown by leaps and bounds. Because of his sacrifice, I am able to navigate this planet, rising above the challenges that are presented me, and I can teach others to do the same. I feel very blessed to have been able to study at the feet of such a great soul. I also feel grateful that I have the privilege to work with others to help elevate this planet.
Yogi Bhajan told us that kundalini yoga and meditation were actually for us, now, to help us move from the Piscean Age into the Age of Aquarius. He knew that this science would wake us up and help us grow into our next phase of development. Now is the time for us to evolve. Just as we humans once evolved from apelike creatures, we are now on the verge of evolving to our next phase of awareness. We have been gifted with this most powerful and sacred tool to experience the uncoiling of our souls as they blend and merge with the soul of God.
The human body has whole systems within it that many are unaware of. No one ever taught us about these things when we were growing up. Every human body is designed with a series of chakras, or energy centers, that are located at various points from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Once you start the practice of kundalini yoga and meditation, these chakras get charged up and begin to vibrate at a new and faster frequency. Yogi Bhajan told us, “When the Kundalini touches these lotuses, see how they open.”
We have also been taught that we have only one physical body, but really we have ten, nine of which subtly surround the physical body. As our own internal Kundalini force gets awakened through the practice of the kriyas (exercise sets) and meditations, our different bodies are fed with new threads of life running through them. It’s actually possible to begin to see them as we evolve our awareness.
One of our bodies, the aura, has become a household word as humanity’s sensitivity has developed. You might not have a total understanding of what an “aura” is, but on some subtle level, you know. You may instinctively feel that someone radiates positive energy and has a “good aura.” Many of our kundalini yoga sets and meditations work on the aura. Through this practice, it gets nourished with huge amounts of energy, allowing it to expand and radiate.
Why do some people have a lot of good luck? And why does one person seem brighter and more attractive than another? A lot of this can be accredited to the higher frequency of energy radiating from that person’s body and into his or her aura. A really strong and well-developed auric frequency attracts opportunities to us. It is said in the yogic teachings that when you need things in life, there are two ways to get them: you can make a plan and go after them, or you can sit and vibrate and “let things come to you.” This is one of the secrets to success on many levels.
A strong aura also becomes your protective shield. This radiance around you can vibrate with such powerful impulses that it connects directly to the universal impulse. But just as we clean our physical bodies, our auras and our minds also need to be cleaned daily so that old thinking and feeling patterns are cleared. Old nonuseful and painful memories can slowly be dissolved through meditation as you connect your mind to the infinite. That’s why you might hear people say you can “clear your karmas” through this practice. We’re doing nothing other than reconnecting to the divine light from which we came.
As humans, we need to be covered. We need protection. What protection is that? We need for our presence to work, for our auras to become activated and sensitive. Then, an intuitive understanding immediately becomes part of our knowing. That is the beauty of kundalini: it provides us with the protection of the developed intuition. And without intuition, it is as if we are driving a car with no rearview or side mirrors; we can see in one direction, but we are blinded in all others. The kundalini’s unfolding protects us by developing the intuition we need.
We are moving into the Aquarian Age and nearing the awakening of a new era marked by the year 2012. An evolutionary leap is happening in much of humanity. I have been exploring this form of yoga for many years, and I have never before seen students changing, evolving, and having such profound experiences as I have of late. In all confidence, I can safely say that this evolution will pick up speed over the next few years.
As we keep doing our yoga and chanting the mantras and committing to going deeper into the experience of our expanded selves, things start happening around us. People are drawn to us, and they want to start relating to us, because as the kundalini uncoils, it goes past the aura and begins to enlighten the radiant body (one of our other bodies). This body can bring new wealth, opportunities, and friends.
Sometimes you may hear people talk about the kundalini power as the “Shakti” force, the feminine creative energy. Kundalini Yoga contains many mantras and meditations that activate this female power of the universe within. When we create a humble, prayerful attitude, we merge with the power of the Divine Mother. This ability to connect exists in men and women alike, and it is what makes us compassionate people who can radiate joy and live in happiness. We have been handed a lot of weaknesses from the past that need to be corrected. And for that, we need Shakti energy.
A woman has an especially deep and inherent link to this feminine aspect of God, often referred to as the Adi Shakti. Why so? Every woman is a representative of the Divine Mother; she is nothing but God’s living grace. Whenever Almighty God has to take birth, he has to come through the womb of a woman. One woman, one womb, one pregnancy, one birth can deliver this entire planet to the heavens. Because of this, a woman is created sixteen times emotionally stronger than a man, sixteen times more intuitive, and has a huge impact on the environment around her. Such is the power of woman.
A woman’s pure vibration can bring healing to any person or situation on earth. When she lives in her divine heritage, she becomes more than God. She actually becomes the Adi Shakti, the creative consciousness of God, and she can beam her projection of radiance and healing toward anyone. That’s why a woman in a home sets the tone for all who live there. When she lives, breathes, and walks in her highest graceful power, all around her are transformed. A woman living in this state of mind and consciousness can uplift and manifest anything. A woman’s sacred touch can turn all adversity into prosperity.
A woman’s role is not to worship God; her role is to be the very self of God. Her oneness can affect and open every heart. Yogi Bhajan felt so strongly about the power of women that he held special trainings just for women. He would tell us, “It is the prayer of the woman that sustains the earth.” With this comes a responsibility to keep her consciousness, life, and mind pure and powerful. In the kundalini yoga tradition, it is said that a woman either lives her existence as the Adi Shakti in her life or she falls flat. There’s almost no in-between. Her energy is the source of creativity behind any great act of a man. Her prayers can protect the grace of mankind for centuries to come. Especially at this time in history when women have not been respected, a woman must guard and protect her own mental purity with utmost scrutiny. Her purity and prayer are called for to help deliver the planet into the Age of Aquarius, so we may transform into the tranquil and peaceful existence that is in our future.
As we move into the Aquarian Age, many people will be challenged by the changing times. Everyone’s prayers are needed now to protect the grace of mankind. Out of our innocent, heartfelt projections, we can create the environments of peace and prosperity for all. Let this be a time when we visualize our radiant auric field connecting with the expanded consciousness of the universe. Then let it touch all, cover all, forgive all, and grace all with peace. Through the practice of kundalini yoga and meditation, let this be a time when we discover how to let our presence work.