Teacher Education Archives

23 Jul Teacher Education

The Eight Major Chakras

By Sukhpran Khalsa

The Lower Triangle The first three chakras deal with the physical needs of the body and the basic needs of life. They focus on elimination and reduction. First Chakra: Security and Survival Foundation, survival, security, habit, self-acceptance. Location: End of the spine between the anus and sexual organs. Organ/Gland: Organs of elimination (e.g., colon). Color, Element: Red, Earth. Yoga Exercises: Crow Pose, Chair Pose, Body Drops,Frog Pose, Front Stretches, Lying on Stomach, Root Lock. Second Chakra: Creativity To feel, to desire, to create. Location: Sex organs. Organ/Gland: Sex organs, reproductive glands, kidneys, bladder. Color, Element: Orange, Water. Yoga Exercises: Frog…

11 Mar Meditations & Kriyas

Mandhavani Kriya: Mantra to Clear Blocks

By Sukhpran Khalsa

Mandhavani Kriya: Mantra to Clear Blocks The practice of this meditation, even briefly, locates you in your heart, opens your perception, and lets you immediately recognize the way forward. Mandhavani means being in the presence of intelligence, beauty, and profound caring. It is a state of joy. It’s when you’re so happy that you feel the hand and grace of God accompany each breath and effort. In that state all victory is yours and there is no victory to win but to conquer your own heart. Posture: Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position with a straight spine. Mudra: Bring the hands in…

08 Oct Teacher Education

The 16 Facets of Perfection of a Kundalini Yoga Teacher

By Sukhpran Khalsa

By Yogi Bhajan 1. A Teacher will never alter the teachings because of personal opinion. You will teach by example. 2. The higher you grow as a Teacher, the more humble you have to be. 3. The Teacher always serves the students, so they can become ten times stronger than you, because every student is a Teacher for tomorrow. 4. A Teacher has to be extremely kind, caring, compassionate, and forgiving. 5. As a Teacher you should always poke, provoke, confront, and elevate your students to excellence. 6. As a Teacher you have to continuously imagine, visualize, believe, and expand…

08 Jul Teacher Education

Making Sense in an Age of Change

By Sukhpran Khalsa

By Devjot Singh Yogi Bhajan’s messages about the Aquarian Age may have been difficult to contextualise before now. We can forgive ourselves perhaps for hearing his teachings simply as an inspirational metaphor supporting personal commitment to a spiritual path. We may have felt confirmed in our preferences and justified in any stance against war, hunger, and a myriad of social injustices. But now that times have changed, perhaps we had better look again at what the Master was telling us and what will be asked of Aquarian Teachers. The Piscean Age, its values, achievements, and champions will not go gently…

19 Mar Teacher Education

Teaching Yoga to Children

By Sukhpran Khalsa

Teaching yoga to children is much different than teaching adult Kundalini Yoga classes. Here are some tips and guidelines for teaching engaging and fun classes for kids: Yoga for children is age-specific. Very young children can start doing yoga in classes designed for Moms and tots. Even 2 and 3-year olds can be taught yoga. Classes can be designed for pre-school (ages 4-6), primary (ages 6-8), junior (ages 9·11), and intermediate (ages 12-14). All have varying developmental issues such as: attention span; ability to be quiet; need for snacks (watch for food allergies); and tendency to go to the bathroom….

15 Jan Meditations & Kriyas

The Teacher Within: Tratakum Meditation

By Sukhpran Khalsa

In the yogic scriptures it says, “Even a glance from the eyes of a holy man can cure mental and physical imbalances.” Once in a very great while there is a picture that has a transcendent quality of neutrality that allows the person gazing at it to go through it and into their higher consciousness. This is a form of meditation called Tratakum. Years ago, a photograph was taken of Yogi Bhajan which had such a quality, and it has been used ever since by students as a link to their teacher and their inner consciousness. It is called simply,…

29 Aug Personal Stories

Teaching Styles: “You Should Know You”

By Sukhpran Khalsa

“It’s very important that you should know you and it’s most important that everybody should know you as trustworthy, honorable, graceful, steadfast, serviceful, kind and compassionate. These are a few faculties of a Teacher.” —Yogi Bhajan, April 23, 1997 Yogi Bhajan’s teachings are astounding. He was given to long lectures at times and lengthy discourse about any and every subject and sometimes, many times, my head was in a spin listening to him or reading a passage. I needed them translated into down-to-earth language. Therefore, I appreciate those Kundalini masters such as Gurcharan, Guruatma and Mehtab that can interpret and bring them to me in a way that…

10 Apr Meditations & Kriyas

Yoga to Balance the Head and Heart

By Sukhpran Khalsa

by Shakta Khalsa Our heads are logical and want “proof” about everything, which means they cannot understand anything that is outside of the limits of the mind. Our hearts can understand and intuit what the head does not know, yet our emotional heart can create a ball of confusion that clouds our judgement. With head and heart able to go haywire at at moment, it can seem that we don’t know anything clearly. But what if they can work together? What if there is a lovely line to walk where the head and heart complement and balance each other? That…

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