Anyone who practices Kundalini at the North studio knows Harimandir: you can often find her surrounded by doting children or whooping it up to Bhangara music in her classroom! For those of you who don't know her or who want to know more about her, here's an interview with her and Lori, our Teacher Coordinator:
Lori: Tell me about your first yoga experience. Harimandir: I was first exposed to yoga by Shakta Kaur Khalsa. My first experience was in 1979 with a teacher named Bakir. I was hooked, years passed, I practiced Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and came down to Yoga Yoga North right after it opened. It was close to my house and I stated taking classes from Julie. (Julie Carrion was a former teacher and Yoga Yoga North Center Manager.) Shakta Kaur came to Yoga Yoga and taught the Radiant Child program, a children's yoga teacher training course. I thought it would be great for my son Sky, who was about 4 at the time, and so I took the course. Julie said and it happened right after the end of the course "You know, we need someone to teach Children's classes here." And I said "OK." You taught children yoga before you taught adults? Yes, I started a children's yoga program where my son went to school. Shakta Kaur taught a course for Yoga teachers on how to teach the Radiant Child program. The requirement was that you had to be a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher, so again I said "OK." I could not do both trainings at the same time so I enrolled in Yoga Yoga's Kundalini Teacher Training course, and that was it. So you enrolled in Kundalini Teacher Training without ever taking a Kundalini class? One, maybe two. I just said OK, what do I do? I told Guru Karam that I wanted to take the training and her response was "Hop on board!" she said "Are you ready for the ride of your life?" and I just agreed and that was it. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had in my life, right up there with the birth of my child. I used to hate the sound of the gong, but during the first weekend retreat, I had the experience of all fear and all resistance being removed. I now feel like I am part of the sound current. I remember trying to explain the incredible healing experience I was having, but everyone just looked at me and smiled. Now I love it. |
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How has Kundalini Yoga affected your life and the lives of your students? You could be like me and jump in feet first without knowing anything about anything. I saw a guy outside of Mehtab's class and I got to talking to him. He was talking about MAYBE wanting to go. I encouraged him to just try it. I have seen people change. I have seen their energy and their health change. My health has changed. I have seen their physical body change. I have seen people heal. I have seen their spirits uplifted. Just come. You will have an experience all your own. Relax and have fun doing it. It has moved so many things through me. Things move through me without me even realizing it. People come into my life through the practice of yoga, in all different areas of my life. I am coming up on 5 years sober. I teach a workshop called "Kundalini Yoga for Healing Addictions." People come to that workshop, it helps them move through and process their addictions. People come from all different angles for healing. Kundalini Yoga helped me to get sober and stay sober. Not just that, it is from 12 step work as well, but it amazing how similar they are. I was a year sober when I began practicing yoga. You are Yoga Yoga's first children's yoga teacher, so you are the most qualified to answer this question. Why should parents bring their children to yoga class? Parents should bring their kids to yoga because they need a break! Right now in the world, we are in such a high vibrational frequency, there is so much information, so much technology, yoga gives children a sense of who they are. And it is fun. They get to have fun and act silly and be who they are. Children often do not get that in school. They get ownership of themselves. I am eternally grateful to Mehtab, Guru Karam and to you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of something I really believe in. I am grateful to Yogi Bhajan for the teachings .and I will always be grateful to Julie. |
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