Kundalini Buzz

Sneak Preview: Best Vacation of Your Life

This will be announced nationally in a few weeks.  Your chance to get in now!

The Best Kundalini Yoga Vacation

--Mehtab

Kundalini Kandy!

Sat Nam,
Recently a group of Texas Kundalini Women gathered at the Blackwood Educational Land Institute near Hempstead, Texas to share a weekend of good food, relaxation and of course Kundalini Yoga. We focused on early morning sadhana and watching Yogi Bhajan videos from the Khalsa Women's Training Camp (KWTC) he led every summer in beautiful Espanola, New Mexico.

The rest of our days were spent taking naps in the outdoor hammocks; picking fresh veggies like fresh lettuce, basil, cabbage, and edible flowers from the organic gardens; hiking through the woods and around the pond; collecting wildflowers for our dinner table; learning about Bioneers from our hostess, Permaculture Designer Cath Conlan; walking the hidden forest labyrinth; and, of course, eating some fabulous vegetarian meals alfresco on the patio of the straw bale built retreat center.

I had the good fortune to be asked once again to be the food coordinator for this powerful healing and transformative weekend. Here is the number one requested recipe from our last gathering: Nourishing Energy Bars that are full of nutrients and free of the typical ingredients normally found in "health bars:" there are no processed sugars, and they're wheat-free! They're simple to make, and I suggest making a double recipe because they go fast. This recipe could easily be adapted by using other nuts, dried fruits, and spices. If you create a great new combination let us know!
Many blessings,
Sat Nam Kaur

___________________________________________________

Homemade Energy Bars

1 ½ cups ground almonds
1 ½ cups ground walnuts
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ pine nuts
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 cup dried blueberries
¾ cup agave nectar, maple syrup or molasses
Cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. The mixture will be somewhat sticky. Using wet fingers press it down into a 7” x 11” baking dish that has been sprayed with oil.

Bake 30 min. to one hour, depending on how toasty you prefer it. Cool and then cut into 16 pieces.

Store in the refrigerator or freeze in airtight freezer bags.
___________________________________________________

Dried blueberries and cranberries are yummy, but other dried fuits could easily be substituted, like raisens, dates, apricots, currants etc...whatever you have in the cupboard!
For a tropical flavor, throw in a few chopped macadamia nuts  with some soaked mango, pineapple bits, and coconut.
For a more Indian flavor, try cardoman and dried ginger added, or all your yogi tea spices.

However you try it, enjoy this delicious snack without worrying that you're putting anything but wholesome, healthy food in your body!

Groovy Kundalini Weekend

We just finished a high energy Kundalini Yoga weekend at Yoga Yoga with one of our all-time favorite visiting yogis, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa!

Throughout the three-day weekend, over a hundred yoga students had the opportunity to learn about the Teacher's Mind, Yogic Rebirthing, Creativity and the Gong, and the Yoga of Relationships.

While many students took pages and pages of notes about what he had to say about Kundalini Yoga, these two quotes of his stand out in my mind:

"Religion without consciousness is tyranny. Spirituality without discipline is delusion."

"You don't pick a spiritual path. It picks you."

A lot of the fun was also meeting Kundalini students from around the region, from San Antonio (Jeri, Gary!), Dallas (Swami Dev!), Houston (Gregory and Ann), and even faraway Houma, Louisiana (Sat Nam, Lisa!).

And much fun as always hanging out with the local Kundalini teachers as well, like Christina, Martha, Debbi, Everitt, Vedya, Sirgun, Bir, Marc, Susan, Xenia, Alyson, Bob, DeLora, Harimandir Kaur, Laura (Kirtan), Seymour, Xenia!

Part of this weekend was open free to our teacher training students, and we already have him scheduled to come back in March 2009 to Yoga Yoga and to participate with our next teacher training class  as well.  Why not make plans to join us?

Mehtab
YOGA YOGA
Austin, Texas

Breath of Fire

Sat Nam!

When new students come to my Kundalini Yoga classes at Yoga Yoga I asked them if they have ever done Kundalini Yoga before.  If they tell me they cannot remember, I say, "Well, do you ever remember doing this?"

Then I lift my arms over my head and make a noise through my nose like a choo-choo train taking off into outer space.

"Breath of Fire," I remind them. "Do you remember Breath of Fire?"

Then they remember - "Oh yeah - I remember that breath. I did do Kundalini Yoga before."

No doubt about it. Breath of Fire is the signature breath of Kundalini Yoga.  It is a natural energizer that lifts your spirits and focuses your mind.  You feel great even after a few seconds of doing it.

You can find out more about Breath of Fire and how to practice right now at home or work.  It's a great thing to do anytime of day, in or out of yoga class.

If you want to watch people doing Breath of Fire in the jungle with Gurmukh, the Los Angeles Kundalini Yoga teacher for the Stars, check out this truly odd and charming on-line video.

See you in class!

Mehtab