Kundalini Yoga Thailand began with one teacher, one journey, and a wish to share Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. In the year 2000, Sunder Singh traveled from the United States to plant those teachings in Southeast Asia. Today, 21 teachers carry them forward as part of NKYTAT, and this is the story of how that community took root.
How Kundalini Yoga Came to Thailand
Every community begins somewhere. In Thailand, it began in 2000, when Sunder Singh arrived with a clear purpose: to share the teachings of Kundalini Yoga across Southeast Asia. By 2003, the first and second groups of students, about nine in all, had completed their training and become KRI Certified Kundalini Yoga Level 1 Instructors.
Those first instructors became the roots of everything that followed. Some of them grew into teacher trainers, passing on what they had received. Meanwhile, Sunder Singh returned about twice a year to lead workshops, and each visit nourished the young community and brought its members closer together.
Festivals That Brought Southeast Asia Together
From 2008 until 2015, Thailand opened its doors every year to a 3HO International Kundalini Yoga Festival. In some years, the days of practice included White Tantric Yoga®. Teachers from the United States and from Thailand led workshops, and in the evenings an open-air bazaar kept the gathering lively. Above all, the festivals united teachers from the US and from across Southeast Asia.
Behind each festival stood a dedicated team. A Kundalini Yoga group in Thailand, led by Satya Kaur, organized the events with the help of Tien Nghia Nguyen, Ram Hari Singh, Sunderta Kaur and many others. Monica Jin Yu organized the Chinese group that joined the festivals. Together, they created spaces where teachers could practice side by side and, for many, meet for the first time.
The workshops were the heart of each festival, and many teachers and trainers gave their time and energy to make them special. Sunder Singh, who first brought Kundalini Yoga to Thailand, returned to teach, joined by Tonie Nooyens, Suraj Kaur, Tarn Taran Singh, Gurucharan Singh, Shanti Shanti Kaur, and Rajveer Singh Khalsa. Many others also shared their teachings over the years. Thank you all for your generous participation, which helped make these gatherings so meaningful.
From Friendship to a National Association
The national association grew out of those shared years. One day, IKYTA sent an email to local teachers and trainers explaining that joining as a National Association was more affordable than joining individually. Tien Nghia Nguyen, a Level 1 lead trainer, saw the chance to bring everyone together. She invited Thailand’s trainers and new teachers to join as one group, so that each of them would appear in IKYTA’s teacher directory and receive a newsletter of events and free activities.
That was the beginning of NKYTAT, the National Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association Thailand. Tien Nghia Nguyen looked after the annual dues until 2019, when Satya Kaur took over, and she continues to do so today.
The association kept growing with every Level 1 teacher training. Each new student learned about IKYTA and about the national association as part of their journey. Beyond the dues sent to IKYTA, the teachers also gathered local dues, which paid for annual lunches and training scholarships. Both were simple ways to share a meal and to open the door for those who wanted to learn.
Sadhana at the Heart of the Community
NKYTAT never wrote a formal mission or vision. What has held it together is something simpler: a community Sadhana, practiced in a few different teachers’ locations around the country.
The community also found ways to connect with the world beyond Thailand. Teacher’s Prayer, created by Hari Avtar Singh, was a monthly global event in which a different national association presented an online prayer or meditation around a theme. It was a very good program, and it brought members from many countries together in one circle.
Now, a new chapter is opening. NKYTA’s recent renewal, with its new website and outreach program, has inspired Thailand’s teachers to come together and talk about a mission, a vision, seva, and how their association can grow and refresh.
NKYTAT Today
- Kundalini Yoga in Thailand since: 2000
- First certified instructors: 2003, about nine students
- International festivals: 2008–2015
- Teachers in NKYTAT today: 21
- Dues and coordination: Tien Nghia Nguyen until 2019, Satya Kaur since
- Websites: kundaliniyogathailand.org and kundaliniyogaasia.org
Join the Global Kundalini Yoga Community
From a first group of about nine instructors to 21 teachers in NKYTAT today, Thailand’s story shows what can grow from one visit, a few devoted students, and years of practicing together. To explore the practice itself, visit the 3HO Kundalini Yoga overview, and discover the national associations around the world that share this path. Sat Nam.
