I am a Woman: Creative, Sacred & Invincible. Selected Lectures from the Women's teachings by Yogi Bhajan

By Sat Purk Kaur Khalsa

This book is an introduction to the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan for Women. It focuses on the identity of woman as Infinite, the reality of woman as a healer and a nurturer, and the life of a woman in a relationship. The women's teachings are a vast area, so we have compiled a selection of lectures that touch on the fundamental disciplines and core

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kundalini Research Institute
• Release date: Aug 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781940837673

Book preview

I AM A WOMAN

Creative, Sacred & Invincible

Selections from the Women's Teachings

of Kundalini Yoga as taught by

Yogi Bhajan®

I AM A WOMAN: CREATIVE, SACRED, INVINCIBLE

FIRST EDITION Copyright © 2009 Kundalini Research Institute

eISBN 978-1-940837-67-3

EDITOR

Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa

Kundalini Research Institute

SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD

Dev Suroop Kaur Khalsa, Deva Kaur Khalsa, Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa,

Hari Charn Kaur Khalsa, Pritpal Kaur Khalsa & Tarn Taran Kaur Khalsa

CONSULTING EDITORS

Gurucharan Kaur Khalsa, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Hari Bhajan Kaur Khalsa (Millis),

Nam Nidhan Kaur Khalsa (Chile), Nirvair Singh Khalsa

CONTRIBUTORS

Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa, Hansraj Kaur (aka Emily Graves), Sat Siri Kaur, Angad Kaur (Tarisa Parrish),

Kirn Kaur Khalsa, Jiwan Joti Kaur Khalsa, PhD, Tej Kaur Gaytan-Legoretta, Dev Amrit Kaur Khalsa,

Panch Nishan Kaur Khalsa, Shanti Kaur Khalsa

GURMUKHI EDITOR

Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa

COVER DESIGN & ART DIRECTOR

Ravitej Singh Khalsa

BOOK DESIGN & LAYOUT

Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa

PHOTOGRAPHY

Ravitej Singh Khalsa, Khalsa Marketing Group, Eugene, Oregon

Alan Miyataki, Toyo Miyataki Studio, Los Angeles; Darshan Kaur Khalsa

MODELS

Cover Model: Krishna Kaur Khalsa

Har Rai Kaur, Guru Nam Kaur, Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa, Pritham Kaur (Amelia Becker),

Nicole Elliot Murray, Amel & Elan Murray, Shanti Kaur Khalsa

PHOTO EDITORS

Pirtpal Kaur Khalsa & Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa

PROOFREADER

Hansraj Kaur aka Emily Graves

The photo of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Pritham Bhagvati (Durga) from the Ed O'Brien Mural is courtesy of Convivial Design, Abiquiu, New Mexico.

All teachings, yoga sets, techniques, kriyas and meditations courtesy of The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan. Reprinted with permission. unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of these Teachings may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan. To request permission, please write to: KRI at PO Box 1819, Santa Cruz, NM 87567 or see www.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org.

The entire senior editorial board was instrumental in crafting this reader. Their work is a tribute to the power of these teachings and the group consciousness they promote. Special thanks go to Pritpal Kaur Khalsa who researched many of the kriyas and combed through hundreds of photos to select the ones presented here. Dev Suroop Kaur and Tarn Taran Kaur dedicated a lot of time to reviewing DVDs for the sister project: I Am a Woman: Practicing Kindness. Hari Charn Kaur provided a steady hand and a soft touch when I needed it most. Deva Kaur's dedication to the women's teachings seems unparalleled; her encouragement and support has meant a lot throughout the course of this project. Guru Raj Kaur has been my right hand in every decision—large and small. Ravitej Singh is the man behind it all, contributing his energy and time and keen eye to making this project as beautiful as it is. Nirinjan Kaur came in at the eleventh hour to help us deliver this project on time.

Thanks to all of the models who took time out of their busy work and school schedule to help us. Two in particular put in a lot of overtime on this project, which wouldn't be as beautiful as it is without them: Guru Nam Kaur and Hari Rai Kaur. Many thanks—we couldn't have done it without you.

I Am A Woman: Creative, Sacred, & Invincible is the fruit of a beautiful tree, which has a vast network of limbs, deep roots, and a strong, sustaining trunk that is the work and dedication of the women who published the original Khalsa Women's Training Camp Notes. This book and its accompanying yoga manual, the forthcoming online lecture database of the women's teachings, and women's communities around the world are here today because of their work. We salute you and stand together to affirm: I AM A WOMAN.

SAT PURKH KAUR KHALSA, EDITOR

KUNDALINI RESEARCH INSTITUTE

If you ever wondered whether Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® really works, we hope this picture provides a definitive answer. Krishna Kaur Khalsa is a Kundalini yoga teacher and trainer who travels and teaches all around the world. She specializes in serving the underserved: incarcerated youth, far-reaching parts of the globe like West and Central Africa, inner city populations and rural communities here in the united States. Oh—and she celebrates her 70th birthday this year!

I Am a Woman was made possible by the generous donations of Deva Kaur Khalsa, Coral Springs, Florida

OTHER DONORS INCLUDE:

Teresa Danton, Long Beach, California

Devi Kaur (Catherine Nedved), Webster City, Iowa

Updesh Kaur, Sunder Kaur and Inder Kaur, Yoga Village, Clearwater, Florida

Guru Atma Kaur Khalsa, Sao Paolo, Brazil

Jose Luis Dominguez Barragan, The Netherlands

Hari Datti Kaur, Cityoga, Indianapolis, Indiana

Tejtal Kaur (Marine Spring), Tuscon, Arizona

Shanti Kaur (Elizabeth Sanchez), Reseda, California

Song Gennet Lai Wan, Singapore

Nirvair Khalsa, Anchorage, Alaska

Elvira Stenson, Portland, Oregon

Mary Cline Golbitz, Bar Harbor, Maine

Barbara Marie Steinhagen, Livermore, California

Har Nal Kaur, London, United Kingdom

Maria Kalinina, Marina Del Rey, California

Marika Blossfeldt, Beacon, New York

Dawn Connelly, Seal Beach, California

Marcia Canestrano, Los Angeles, California

Ximena Hevia y Vaca, Lima, Peru

Sharlene Starr, Calgary, Canada

Calley Kuczek, Austin, Texas

Jennifer Nagel, San Antonio, Texas

Este Grobler, Woking, Surrey

Milica Apostolovic, Toronto, Canada

Noriko Snyder, Manhattan Beach, California

Eric Biese, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Linda Frank, Huntsville, Alabama

Renee Skuba, Brooklyn, New York

Siri Bani Kaur, San Rafael, California

Jay Doorek, Santa Barbara, California

Mariana Orozco, Guadalajara, Mexico

Marianne Huebner, Rochester, Minnesota

Lucille Ryan, Phoenix, Arizona

Maria Eugenia Martinez Salgado, Mexico City, Mexico

Claudia Duchene, Natlick, Massachusetts

Simeon Monov, San Jose, California

Tammy Robertson, Edmonton, Canada

Claudia Schletz, Denver, Colorado

Dharam Khalsa, Espanola, New Mexico

To our teacher, Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga,

whose kindness, compassion and clarity illuminated the lives of so many

and whose teachings light the way for generations to come.

His prayer was to create a generation of graceful women,

whose children and students would change the world

and bring peace to this Earth.

May his prayer be fulfilled—

and may this humble collection serve present and future

generations of women in fulfilling their highest destiny—

the living presence of goodness and grace on Earth.

"What's all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place!

And ain't I a woman?

Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me!

And ain't I a woman?

I could work as much and eat as much as a man—when I could get it—and bear the lash as well!

And ain't I a woman?

I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me!

And ain't I a woman?…

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!"

Sojourner Truth

From Ain't I a Woman?

Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio, 1851

There is no doubt that our capacity as women is great. In fact, Yogi Bhajan said over and over again, that in trying to be equal to men, we were actually lowering ourselves. We are 16 times stronger, 16 times more intuitive, and 16 times greater than any man. So, why don't we believe it? This manual, and the teachings within it, answers this timeless question with the affirmation: I am a Woman.

As women, we have swung from absolute oppression, slavery and marital inequality, to abandoning everything that makes us women in the first place, in trying to become men. Today, we're just hoping to figure out what it means to be a woman again. In the words of Yogi Bhajan:

There is so much propaganda, mechanized pressure, exploitation and disgraceful vibrations toward the woman that she doesn't want to be a woman anymore. She wants to be a man. Men have exploited women through tribal wars, by misusing her, abusing her, dragging her down, enslaving her and enclosing her, that woman has found that the only way to survive is to be a man. It is the result of psychological pressure over thousands of years, it is not simply happening today. Actually, the female will become male, but she will be neither woman nor man. She will be neither here nor there; she will be nowhere. This discovery woman has made is a great tragedy in the social structure of human life.—July 14, 1980

Within my lifetime, women weren't allowed to have credit cards in their own name or purchase a house or a car without a man co-signing. Throughout history, marriage was a negotiation of property—not partnership. Women were and continue to be both the tools and the spoils of war through rape and torture as well as bought and sold through the vast machinery that is marketing and sales; and we can't forget the continued slave trade that exists worldwide of girls and women, young and old. It's true that the social constrictions that have historically been placed on women are now gone in much of the world; but the legacy, the mark that's been left on the collective psyche of the woman is still indelibly felt throughout every fabric of society—from the rich to the poor, white collar to blue collar, and throughout every ethnic group. They each have their own story line, their own traditions being played out, but the mark is common to all—property.

How did we who created the world become owned by it? This is a question that may never be answered. Social inequalities continue here and around the world but I would posit, just as Sojourner Truth did more than 150 years ago, that women are the seeds to changing it. Yogi Bhajan said that the key to the Aquarian Age are these teachings—the women's teachings. Our own prosperity, our own grace, and our own dignity are what will bring about this New Age. Nothing more—nothing less.

May the light within you guide your way on. Because when you look to the outside for light, there is a possibility that you may be blinded and exploited. But one thing shall never betray a woman: her own light and her own radiance as a woman. If the light within you can guide you, you will definitely excel. The time has come when this exploitation must stop. The time has come when a daughter should be treated as a daughter, a mother should be treated as a mother, a wife should be treated as a wife, and over and above all, woman should be treated as a woman. —Yogi Bhajan, July 3, 1977

I hope you enjoy this collection and I hope it serves to transform you and your psyche from property to prosperity, from prostitute to princess, from girl to woman. And to know, in the deepest place within you, that it's more than enough to be ‘just’ a woman.

SAT PURKH KAUR KHALSA

KUNDALINI RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Sat Nam. In December of 1968, when Yogi Bhajan told me about his vision of 3HO—Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization—I had no idea of the scope nor the outstanding success these dynamic teachings would become in order to fulfill that vision. His immediate concern was to provide a genuine experience of altered consciousness for the Baby Boomers who flocked to his classes. He led them in the practice of the sacred science of Kundalini Yoga. It worked then, and it works now.

In addition to his energetic efforts for world peace, and his work in building cooperation among his contemporary spiritual leaders and their communities, he devoted a huge portion of his time and energy to educating and empowering women. He explained that women held the key to opening the door to happiness—for both genders. He was way ahead of the then popular Women's Lib movement, which lacked the cosmic component of awareness of the true nature of woman. (We are not equal to men, we are 16 times stronger! Not necessarily when it comes to lifting heavy furniture, but when we understand and use our real power, the primal power of Adi Shakti, we can exert a positive influence on the whole world.) He used to say, Woman is double you, O man.

He taught that women must reclaim their rightful place as Shakti—God's power in manifestation. He spoke for hours and hours at each Khalsa Women's Training Camp, educating us about our inherent divine gifts. He pointed out our strengths and challenged us to overcome our weaknesses. He introduced the concept of the Graceful Woman, and was determined to change these Chicks into Eagles so that we could no longer be exploited. He described the ideal of a Noble Woman, and it was written into a song.

Now that we are within 1,000 days of that magic and long-awaited Aquarian Age, it is essential that his teachings for and about women reach an even wider audience. I am grateful to the Kundalini Research Institute for making this project possible. I salute you!

May God bless us all to be competent in upholding and honoring the legacy that our beloved Teacher provided, guiding us consciously and courageously into the future.

Humbly yours, with all love in Divine,

SHAKTI PARWHA KAUR KHALSA

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

MARCH 22, 2009

When I was growing up, I didn't like it when people told me what to do; there was always a certain fear in it. The grown-ups didn't always tell me what to do from a place of love. Sometimes, they told me what to do because they were afraid of what I might come up with if left to my own devises. A wild-child energy that would challenge everything, create chaos and ask too many questions if they didn't monitor my behavior very carefully. I remember one day when I was in that awkward space between being a child and being a teenager, and I said something brutally honest to my mother. Don't say things like that, she told me. You're not allowed to say things like that. I was stunned, shocked, and upset. Why couldn't I say them? I was right, wasn't I? So I told her, OK. I won't say them. But you can't stop me from thinking them.

My mother and fore-mothers were traditional housewives, and they made peace with their role. Yet, the culture surrounding me as I grew up was just the opposite. Women wanted to be anything and everything but housewives. An entire gestalt was created around having as much sex as you wanted, making as much money as you could, living however you pleased. Women were empowered, liberated and free.

Girls in my generation were raised in the midst of this polarizing dynamic: stay-at-home moms giving one example of how to live life, and sexually liberated feminists giving a completely different example of how to live life. There we were, uncomfortably in the middle, not knowing who to demonize and who to follow. Because let's face it, ideally we wanted both. We wanted mom in the kitchen when we got home from school, giving us a snack and a hug, asking how our day was. And we wanted to grow up to become President of the United States.

What the heck is a woman, anyway?

I have spent much of my life trying to answer that question. The pursuit of that answer has taken me through some fascinating, and occasionally heartbreaking experiences. But mostly, the question has led me to a deep, personal study of the kundalini, the energy of the Divine Feminine that dwells within every person. Through the study of kundalini, the answer that I have found is this:

A woman is the Pure Creative Energy of the Divine. She and her life is exactly what she creates it to be.

Not from the mind's point of view—or the ego's. But from the understanding that she is energy: the kundalini rises up through the spine and the central channel, nourishes and activates the brain's neuro-net, expands awareness, and then allows the Divine Light of her soul to project out through the different chakras, manifesting and attracting her reality. That creative power is in her. That creative power is her. She embodies it. It is simply a question of what she will do with it and whether she will be aware of it, or not? And if she is aware of it—what is she creating with her energy, her consciousness, and her life?

The study of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®, if one is sincere about it, totally challenges the conceptions and misconceptions we have as women. It calls us to understand that we are not victims—we have never been victims—because we are the most powerful force on the planet! It demands us to wake up to that power and use it absolutely responsibly, because every action we take as a woman affects and defines current and future generations. Mostly, the study of the kundalini calls us to become human—truly human—to live as real human beings in every moment and in every relationship.

There is a story about the first Sikh Master, Guru Nanak. He was in the mountains one day teaching the yogis, and he shared with them that people who do not live from a place of love, and who do not try to see and experience the Divine in everything—they may have a human body, but they are living an animal incarnation in human form. It is the pursuit of experiencing the Divine, and the practice of living consciously with love that elevates a person to the status of being human.

Back in my younger days, I wore black all the time. I had a single, gold stud earring in my left ear. I hung out at all the appropriate feminist, intellectual haunts—the independent bookstores, the art exhibits, the small group discussions. They taught me a lot that I am very grateful for. And they also taught me that anger is power; that free sexual expression is power.

But the study of Kundalini Yoga taught me something different. It taught me that anger is a poison; that lust is a poison. Greed, pride and attachment are all poisons. Theses poisons, when they are strong enough, cause us to act like animals, to treat other people like animals, and to forget what it means to be human. These energies cloud the mind to the extent that we can't see the Divine in ourselves, we can't see the Divine in each other, we can't feel Love.

These are some of the contradictions that I have faced as a modern Western woman studying the teachings of Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. Is anger a power or a poison? Is free sexual expression a power or a poison? If I drop the anger, if I restrain myself sexually, what is the spiritual benefit? And if I do act in these ways, am I being disloyal to the revolution that allowed me access to an education? That allowed me, as a woman, to hold property and be economically independent for the first time in history?

When these teachings call me to act from nobility and grace, to be careful of how I think and what I say, to let my presence work for me and to not hustle or hassle for anything, isn't this an ancient paradigm of femininity? Isn't this the very paradigm that the feminist revolution rejected? How can a woman be empowered and stay neutral and diplomatic at the same time?

The resolution that I have found for myself, between these seemingly contradictory forces in my life, is to honor that the feminism I grew up with sought to create political, social and economic freedom for women—and in many ways, it succeeded. But it didn't create emotional freedom. It didn't create spiritual freedom. It may have changed the economic status of women to some extent in the West, but it hasn't changed their experience of inner happiness, security or peace.

The teachings of Kundalini yoga, on the other hand, have a different purpose: to give us a path, a way to create inner happiness, that sense of fulfillment and peace. When the soul can live free of fear, free from the social pressures that surround it, then the Divine Energy within each one of us has the chance to flourish and bloom. When this state of consciousness is found, prosperity is guaranteed. Security, inner happiness and peace are guaranteed. In the 20th Century, the revolution began in the outer realms of society and culture. But to be successful, it needs to move to the inner realms—the work of the soul and the Self. For me, the study of Kundalini yoga completes the work that began with the feminism of my youth. It brings the human heart home.

I am not saying that my own inner dialogue with these teachings will be your inner dialogue with these teachings. We all have our karmas we are working through and if I have found one thing, it is this. There are not women—as some general group. There are millions and billions of woman—each one on her own unique and precious journey through life.

Yet, what I appreciate about these teachings is that they have allowed me to tap into that unlimited Potential of my own Infinite Self. And after opening this amazing door, they have called me to be supremely responsible with that creative power. This is not a spiritual practice that says, Woman is nothing. This is a spiritual practice that says, Woman is everything. And once you have tapped into that extraordinary dimension of the Divine Feminine within you, the kundalini, the question is—what are you going to be?

What does it mean to be liberated? What does it mean to be free?

May you be blessed to experience your kundalini—the energy of the Divine Feminine—and may whatever you create, in yourself and around you, always be accompanied by kindness, consciousness and purity.

All Love in the Divine.

EK ONG KAAR KAUR KHALSA

ESPAÑOLA, NEW MEXICO

When Yogi Bhajan arrived in the West and started teaching, back in the late 1960s, he came at a most auspicious time in human history. Immediately, he became part of the great evolution, the journey out of the oppressive culture of the Piscean Age and into the egalitarian process of the Aquarian Age. One of the first things he noticed—and frankly couldn't believe—was that women were being called chicks. That insult—that the one through whose womb and through whose creativity all of life comes were being called chicks—astounded him. He knew what it did to the psyche of women in the West and declared that we were not chicks, we were eagles! It was a simple but potent image, and it served to wake us up! Little by little, he reminded us of our nobility, our grace, and most of all, our power. At first we were wary. We were the feminists, after all, forging a new path for the liberation of women! But in those days, it often ended up with us trying to become more like men. Yet we couldn't shake that oh-so-fulfilling experience of being seen as, and treated as a woman by this unique, powerful and graceful man—Yogi Bhajan. He encouraged us to be who we were: women.

Now here it is 40 years later, and the essential jewels of those teachings have been gathered in this volume, to be delivered to women around the world. It is a new Age, and throughout the past 40 years, many great advances have been made by generations of women; we've experienced great victories; yet, many a contemporary woman is still uncomfortable in her identity and power as a WOMAN.

The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan invoke in us and reestablish the essential power and nature of the Divine Feminine, the Adi Shakti, the primal power. The teachings are really not about who does the dishes, or whether or not a woman has a career, or even whether or not she has children. They are essentially about the dignity of woman. These teachings are about a woman empowering herself, regaining her self-respect, restoring her rightful place, as the embodiment and holder of the feminine power, so that society can come into balance.

When woman, the Mother power, is aligned with her dignity, power, grace and divinity, all creation blossoms—everything has a chance to be in harmony. Life can flow, fill to the brim! Be juicy! Face the challenges of life with courage and a smile, knowing that you are safe, honored and creative.

We, the Senior Editorial Team, some of the early students of Yogi Bhajan—dubbed appropriately the grand dames—have been honored to be co-creators of this project. It has been especially satisfying to help one of the younger generation spearhead and gather these teachings into this particular form. Sat Purkh Kaur had just been born when Yogi Bhajan came and started teaching us—the great Eagles of the West—and here we are working together, healing the past, looking to the future and standing together in radiance and grace.

These teachings have always been for her generation and the generations to come. May women of every culture, class and creed, now and in the future, embrace these teachings and their practical technology, so that they can soar like eagles, living fully, embraced by a society that acknowledges their power and their grace. What a great time to be alive!

GURU RAJ KAUR KHALSA

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

For the Senior Editorial Team:

DEVA KAUR KHALSA • DEV SUROOP KAUR KHALSA

HARI CHARN KAUR KHALSA • PRITPAL KAUR KHALSA • TARN TARAN KAUR KHALSA

You must understand that you are a woman.

When you write it, you should write it like this: I AM A WOMAN

Today I am going to talk to you about certain things which you may or may not agree with. It does not matter. From time immemorial, hundreds of thousands of people, have lived their lives just experimenting with one thing: What is a woman? Do not be surprised. You may meet people who can tell you what God is, but I would like to know the name of one person who can tell you what a woman is.

Because man is born out of the woman, he has never cared to learn what a woman is. His is a very fascinating personality: He is born of woman, he deals with woman, he marries woman, he has children out of woman, he dates woman, he is messed up by a woman, in turn he wants to mess up woman a whole lot. Every action that you'll find a man doing has a woman either under it, behind it, in front of it, to the left of it, to the right of it, or above it. All dimensions are covered with a woman, just as they are covered with God. There is no difference. In Chalitra Shastra, there is one very beautiful line that I always remember. The sage says, If you want to understand what maya is, understand it through a woman. There is another line that is very positive: If you want to see God, see It through a woman. Now, these statements are not understood by men of common caliber.

When you are told that you see the light through the woman that means only one thing: that you see the transparent personality of the woman. When you deal with a woman, you deal with this flesh, these bones, these tantrums, these demands, these charms, this smile, whatever it is. To be very honest with you—that is not what a woman is. Let me give you a very simple example. Suppose you walk on this road to Española, go to a restaurant there, sit down and happily meet a girl or a woman; you feel attracted to her, talk to her. She becomes friendly with you. You say, Hi, where are you from? She says, From Española. You say, Oh, I am from Española, too. You are pretty. She says, Thank you, you are handsome. You say, Thank you. All that jazz.

You think that that girl is from Española and you ask her, Oh, have you ever been outside of Española? She says, No. Do you know anybody other than from here? She says, Oh well, all I know is my father and my two brothers and one sister, then somebody in town, and that's it. Do you visit anywhere? She says, Well, I visit the grocery store. Have you ever gone to the movies? She says, What is that? You talk to her about all these things and you find her a very simple, dumb little thing. If that makes you happy, you are heading for unhappiness. Now, what happens? You think that little thing, that little woman, is great; you can handle her, she is simple, she is nice, she is a country woman. The only mistake you have to make is to give her this little pinkie (your little finger). The moment she holds it, she is going to talk about New York and her European tour. That girl, who used to live only in two dresses and never knew a third is going to say, What fashion is happening in Paris this year? All that is a woman. The greatest blunder men do is that they just see nothing.

This is a hand towel, right? If you look at this hand towel, you say, Oh, of course, it is a hand towel. I can wash my face with this towel. Oh, good. You see nothing. This hand towel has all the cotton grown by the farmers and all the factories where it was made behind it. It has all the twisting and twining and coloring and marketing and financing, banking, salesmen, corporations, organizations, taxes, government and what not. This is all hidden behind this little hand towel. Is that true or not? Have you ever looked at this hand towel like that? No? Why not? This hand towel is God. I am not kidding you. It is exactly God. It has a dimension; it has a structure; it has an essence; it is useful. It can be anything, it can project anything. It has all the meaning and it has no meaning.

Whosoever you are, you are God. The past is gone, the future is not sure, but now you are God. You are a creature, part of the Creator. You want to beautify yourself. That is where the wrong comes in. You want to protect yourself, I agree—that is required. You need clothes; you need food; you need certain exercises; you need good things, this thing and that thing. Good things and bad things do not make any difference. The first principle required for a woman to understand herself is that she must accept very firmly that she is a woman and she is now. This is called prakirti sodhan. Prakirti means the creativeness of God. Sodhan means to discipline, to clean out. You should clean out your consciousness in order to know you are a woman. Agreed? understand?

The second thing you must understand is that you are a woman. When you write it, you should write it like this: I AM A WOMAN. Do you know what that means? You are one of its kind. So, when you are one of its kind, remember: in the kingdom of the creativity of the Creator, there has never been a second thing ever created in the past, present or future like you. When you want to become like another woman, you are a mess. No woman, by the capacity or the will of the Creator, can be like another woman. Your moon cycle, your menstrual period, your emotions, your situation, your explorations, your mental capacity, your whole being is as you are. In other words, what I'm trying to say to you is that there is no assembly-line system in the Kingdom of God. Look, God has been messing around with a lot of things, but so far one thing has not happened: he cannot produce two human beings alike. There can be the possibility of similarity among men. But it is impossible for Almighty God to ever produce two women alike, because the creativity of the structural base has to be original. That is what Divine is about.

Bhand Jamee-ai

JULY 23, 1984

I want to speak literally. You are in command and within the flow. What do we mean by command? That is a very accurate question. Let us see what the dictionary says. I know what I mean, but what the dictionary tells us will be good for all of us to know, too. Bring the dictionary and find the word command. Some people think command means control, which every woman likes to feel.

From the dictionary: Command—to order, to exercise authority over, to rule, to dominate by location (Yogi Bhajan comments, Location, mind you, means space); the act of giving orders, an order so given, the authority to give them, ability to control, mastery, a leader or person under the control of one officer.

You are in the command of the flow. What is the flow? Every breath is the flow of life. You must command it. Whether you want to retreat, hold the breath, extend the breath, move the breath, whatever your life is, you should be in command, not the environment or circumstances; not the games or the loss. Is that clear? My expertise is that I try to make people feel the ‘You’ within their ‘you.’ It is my experience that once a woman finds her Self within herself, she is out of the woods, free from any and all danger. That's what I have been trying to do for the past eight years. Nothing is lost if you do not lose this chance. A woman who is not one step ahead of a man and a man who is not one step ahead of the time are failures. Try your best.

A woman must be in the now and be 18 hours ahead, too. Man cannot be ahead more than 12 hours normally, so you just figure out 18 hours ahead—and understand the now—and you will be loved, kissed and hugged so much you won't believe it. They love it—that kind of woman is very juicy to a man. A woman who knows the art of how not to break communication, how not to push the point and bring about anger, and who can figure out 18-20 hours ahead of a man yet always keep her consciousness and her senses in the now, is a queen. Nobody can take away her majesty. Just remember these few things.

The greatest weapon with which you can win is to prove you are reliable. Once you can establish with a man that you are reliable, you have him forever. It doesn't matter how nasty, down-to-earth and perverted or inverted that man may be. Don't misunderstand at all. Once a woman becomes a woman, man has no defense at all; because the woman contains the man, just as the spider contains the web within it.

Look, woman. Life is for you! It's easy! It is all for you. Look at the world of the man. He marries a woman. He runs after a woman. He beats a woman. He squanders a woman. He loves a woman. He goes against woman. If you look at all this, it's just nonsense; it doesn't make any sense. It all revolves around a woman. That's why Guru Nanak could sing so openly:

Bhand jamee-ai bhand nimee-ai bhand mangan vee-aaho.

In a woman we are conceived, and from a woman we are born. With a woman, man is betrothed and married.

This is every man's character. Every woman should know this shabd. Every woman should know what a man is. In this one shabd, Guru Nanak has totally explained what life is about. It's so well explained. There's no second thought needed. If you keep that one shabd in your memory, you can always know what this whole world is about. No greater attribute can be paid to a woman than that one line: Bhaagaa ratee chaar. She is the exclusive master of fortune in the fourth domain of all ethers, in essence, quality, projection and depth. This one phrase has that kind of meaning: In all four channels of essence of the planetary virtue, magnetic and subtle, she is the domain. That is the woman of my imagination, about whom Guru Nanak sang.

What is the last line? Jit mukh sadaa saalaahe-ai bhaagaa ratee chaar. Translate it and you will find out how virtuous, how bountiful, how beautiful, how wonderful, how graceful, how full of everything you are as a woman.

From woman, man is born, within woman, man is conceived.

To woman he is engaged and married.

Woman becomes his friend. Through woman, the future generations come.

When his woman dies, he seeks another woman. To woman he is bound.

So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born.

Without woman, there would be no one at all.

O, Nanak! The only one without a woman is the One True Lord.

That mouth which continually praises the Lord is blessed and beautiful.

O Nanak! Their faces shall be radiant in the Court of the True Lord.

—Guru Nanak, Siri Guru Granth Sahib, page 473

Bhand jammee-ai bhand nimmee-ai, bhand mangan vee-aaho

Bhand-ho hovai dosatee, bhand-ho chalai raaho

Bhand mu-aa bhand bhalee-ai, bhand hovai bandhaan

So ki-o mandaa aakhee-ai, jit jammeh raajaan

Bhand-ho hee bhand oopjai, bhandai baajh na ko-ee

Nanak bhandai baaharaa, ayko sachaa so-e

Jit mukh sadaa saalaahee-ai, bhaagaa ratee chaar

Nanak tay mukh oojalay, tit sachai darbaar

Pronunciation Guide

Part One

WHAT IS A WOMAN? INFINITY, DIVINITY, DIGNITY

Know the unknown

Radiance

Divinity through Innocence

Just Be a Woman

Beaming Brightly

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Woman: union of Dignity & Divinity

How to Be Worshipped

Prayer, Intuition & Power

Walking the Path

Pratyahar: The Art & Science of yoga

The Song of the Soul

Awaken your Consciousness

Part Two

WOMAN IS INVINCIBLE: HEALER, LEADER, NURTURER

Speaking as a Graceful Woman

Conscious Communication

Impact & Inflow

How to ‘Kill’ a Woman

Hidden You, Real You

Communication with the Hidden Personality

Woman as Her Own Psychologist

Confront Yourself

Conscious Woman, Autonomous Woman

Saving Grace

Compassion

Woman: The Adi Shakti

The Call of the Woman by Yogi Bhajan

Photo Essay

The Woman Warrior: The Story of Mai Bhago

Part Three

SACRED FEMININE & THE DIVINE MOTHER:

CREATIVE CONSCIOuSNESS & THE LONGING TO MERGE

Inner Concept & Outer Projection

Gurbani & The Woman in Balance

Life: An Alternate with an Alternative

The Role of a Woman

Ang Sang Wahe Guru

Living Sacredness

The Capacity to Love

The Oriental Concept of Love

Look to your Vastness

Let your Identity Come from your Divinity

The Pearl

Part Four

BEAUTY BEGINS WITHIN: PERSONAL DISCIPLINE & THE GRACEFUL WOMAN

Rise & Shine: The Graceful Way to Approach Each Day

Morning Routine

Moving into the Day

Breakfast: Start Light with yummy Drink Recipes

Five Tips for Facing the Day

Sleeping Beauty

The Discipline of Beauty

Endnotes

A Brief Guide to Commonly Used Yogic Terms

Contributors

Resources

Index

Table of Kriyas & Meditations

Calling on Adi Shakti: the Kundalini Bhakti Meditation

Conchula Kriya: Open Lotus

Sahej Sukh Dhyan Pranayam

Weaving Mudra Meditation

Meditation Series to Prevent Mega Information Syndrome

Meditation for Knowledge & communication

Kriya to connect the Fifth & Sixth chakras

Soul talk Meditation

Shiv Kriya

Psyche of the Mother Meditation

Disclaimer

The information contained in this manual comes from ancient yogic traditions. Nothing in this manual should be construed as medical advice. Any recipes mentioned herein may contain potent herbs, botanicals and naturally occurring ingredients which have traditionally been used to support the structure and function of the human body. Always check with your personal physician or licensed health care practitioner before making any significant modification in your diet or lifestyle, to insure that the ingredients or lifestyle changes are appropriate for your personal health condition and consistent with any medication you may be taking.

Beginning Your Practice—Tuning-In

The practice of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® always begins by tuning-in. This simple practice aligns your mind, your spirit and your body to become alert and assert your will so that your practice will fulfill its intention. It's a simple bowing to your Higher Self and an alignment with the teacher within. The mantra is simple but it links you to a Golden chain of teachers, an entire body of consciousness that guides and protects your practice: Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. I bow to the Infinite, I bow to the Teacher within.

How to End

Another tradition within Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® is a simple blessing known as The Long Time Sun Shine song. Sung or simply recited at the end of your practice, it allows you to dedicate your practice to all those who've preserved and delivered these teachings so that you might have the experience of your Self. It is a simple prayer to bless yourself and others. It completes the practice and allows your entire discipline to become a prayer, in service to the good of all.

May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you, guide your way on. Sat Nam.

Practice in Community

Kundalini Yoga cultivates group consciousness. Group consciousness is the first step toward universal consciousness, which is the goal: transcend the ego and merge with Infinity. Therefore, find a teacher in your area. Studying the science of Kundalini Yoga with a KRI certified teacher will enhance your experience and deepen your understanding of kriya, mantra, breath and posture. If there isn't a teacher in your area, consider becoming a teacher yourself. See resources page for more information.

Find a group to practice sadhana (daily spiritual routine) with, or establish a group sadhana yourself—in your home or community center. The Aquarian Sadhana was given by Yogi Bhajan to ground our practice now and into the Aquarian Age. (See Kundalini Yoga Sadhana Guidelines, 2nd Edition, available from the Kundalini Research Institute, for more information about creating your own sadhana and guidelines for practicing the Aquarian Sadhana.) come together as women and share your strength, ask for help when you need it, and laugh together as you participate in this game of life.

Pronunciation Guide

This simple guide to the vowel sounds in transliteration is for your convenience. More commonly used words are often spelled traditionally, for example, Sat Nam, Wahe Guru, or pranayam, even though you'll often see them written Sat Naam, Whaa-hay Guroo, and praanayaam, in order to clarify the pronunciation, especially in mantras. Gurbani is a very sophisticated sound system, and there are many other guidelines regarding consonant sounds and other rules of the language that are best conveyed through a direct student-teacher relationship. Further guidelines regarding pronunciation are available at www.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org.

The origin of the Adi Shakti symbol is very, very old. In the very, very old times, when civilization first began the concept of worshipping God, a very pure, white-robed virgin girl, who was trained as a priest, would go to the top of a mountain. All the tribe would gather at the bottom of the mountain. She would raise her arms and pray to the Infinity of God. This logo, Adi Shakti, represents that. The two swords on the side are the protective hands of God, the circle is the circle of Infinity, and the two-edged sword in the center is the Ida and Pingala, the being of the being. All those energies are symbolically represented by the sword and the chakra (the circle).

From the 12th Century, there are statues which represent this Adi Shakti, where the Goddess of Creativity is standing before it. So Guru Gobind Singh didn't create it, he simply knew about it and gave it to the Khalsa. There are a lot of other symbols and logos that are similar to it, but the first Infinite symbol of worship is the Adi Shakti, the creative power of God. This is the way it was represented in its royalty—the first royalty—when all the tribes would meet in a common bond. Since that time it has been carried on. It was forgotten and many other things took over, but finally and surely, the father of the Khalsa gave it to the Khalsa to use. It is a symbol of Infinity.

—Yogi Bhajan, Khalsa Women's Training Camp 1978

This Reader reflects who a woman really is—not just what she does, or the changes she goes through, or the family she raises. These are critical parts of a woman's life and identity; but they aren't her True Identity. In a culture that continually erodes a woman's worth by either selling her short, or simply selling her outright, this reader focuses on the true identity of a woman and gives her the tools to live in her divinity and dignity, while continually dwelling in her Infinity. This is the Graceful Woman—and she is a gift to the Aquarian Age.

Her mantra is I AM A WOMAN. Her identity isn't rooted in roles or function, or relationships and material security, however beautiful they may be. Instead, her identity is planted deeply in the heart of her True Self and in the hands of her Creator. She understands that her happiness, her security and her identity all rest within her Self. She no longer seeks outside herself for anything; but rather, reaches from deep within to serve and uplift those around her. She is one with God and God is one with her. They are one and the same. She doesn't flinch from the responsibility of her creativity and her commitment. She embraces it.

These teachings will challenge you. They've challenged us all—and continue challenging us each and every day that we face our perceived weaknesses, every day that we hear that nagging voice in our heads, every day that we identify with our small self and not our True Self. Part One answers the question, What is a woman? with a portrait of a woman's highest reality and includes some of the fundamental concepts that every woman needs to understand and build her life upon: intuition, radiance, innocence, prayer, grace and the sound current.

Can you imagine being a unique channel through which grace and creativity manifest on this planet? Confronting yourself with the reality of who you are—your Infinity—is one of the most challenging journeys of your life. You'll need to let go of some old ideas—like you're not good enough. You'll need to surrender to some new ones—and recognize that you're everything. By accepting the nature of your form—a woman—you transcend it and connect with the radiance and light of the Infinite. You become the Divine Woman, the Noble Woman.

A woman's word and actions can change the world—her own world and the greater world. The entire play of the universe is in your hands—and these teachings ground you in the tools and techniques to manifest your highest destiny—remember the power of I AM A WOMAN and watch the world change before your eyes.

‘I know the unknown is known to me’—this is the capacity of every woman to manifest God. This is the secret of manifesting God.

Today I will go pretty slowly and I would like you to come along with me. It's not a very pleasant topic, in the sense that, as a woman, you will not like it; but what can I do? I have to say what I have to say. Now, I am going to translate the scriptures exactly: no man has a downfall, the cause is woman; no man shines, it is the spirit of the woman! These are two different sentences. They were not said by an ordinary man; they were said by Manu ¹. He established the very basis of humanity when he said that. When he was questioned, he said, Wait a minute, I'll tell you. The radiance, the beaming quality that is happiness, comes from a woman who is secure. A woman doesn't make a man secure. In America, you think, I can make my man secure, and the man thinks, I can make my woman secure. Forget it. This is not the way it works. A secure woman creates a secure environment, which makes a man live secure. You see a happy man, Ha, ha, I can do it!—he knows when he goes home he'll have a hot meal. But if he knows there is a woman waiting there with her ‘fangs’ out—you know what I mean? And she greets him with, Where have you been? No matter how strong one may be, or how big one may be, in this situation, life is miserable.

What Manu said thousands of years ago is still very true today. The first statement is horrible: No man has a downfall, the cause is woman. It looks horrible, doesn't it? It looks like somebody with malicious intent is blaming the woman. But no, Manu was a known wise man. His word was recognized in the past, as it is today, and will be in the future. He also made the other statement: No man shines, it is the spirit of the woman. In the West we say, Behind every great man, there's a great woman. You feel that statement gives you a secondary place, but no. What does this really mean? You know how you drive yoked oxen? You have to go behind them! You understand what I am saying?

I do not know in what area a woman should feel secure. Woman is never secure—never, never—and men are not mentally stable. A man can only be stable if he deals with a dharmic woman. Because there is one thing no man can do: man cannot cross the line of consciousness. He projects out, therefore, the security of a woman is in keeping him within the framework of spirituality. You