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Yogi Bhajan, a Master of
Kundalini Yoga by the age of 16 – itself a rare
feat –gave his first lecture at a Los Angeles
high school gym on January 5, 1969. Then a
39-year-old recent émigré from India, he left
behind a government career in order to realize
the vision of bringing Kundalini Yoga to the
West. No matter that not a single person was
present that evening; he came to teach and he
proceeded to speak to the empty hall.
In the turbulent, drug culture of the 60s, Yogi
Bhajan first reached out to the youth.
He
recognized their experimentation with drugs and
“altered states of consciousness” expressed a
deeper desire to experience a holistic,
liberating sense of awareness and a longing for
family, for connection with themselves and one
another. Soon realizing that pharmaceuticals
provided, at best, a cheap imitation to the
peaceful, inner euphoria they could get
naturally from Kundalini Yoga, and at worst, had
debilitating physical and mental side effects,
young people began flocking to his classes,
arriving by the busloads. He created a family,
known as 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization)
and soon 3HO teaching centers began springing up
across the United States and throughout the
world.
He sparked a movement whose many tendrils have
wound their way into our culture. Yogi Bhajan
blazed a trail, which today, after more than 30
years of determined effort on the part of 3HO
and the Kundalini Research Institute, yoga and
meditation have gained widespread acceptance in
the West. This popular attention speaks not only
to the proven benefits of yoga and meditation,
but to the increasing public interest in
spirituality and a healthy lifestyle.
Born Harbhajan Singh in what is now Pakistan to
a family of healers and community leaders, Yogi
Bhajan studied comparative religion and Vedic
philosophy in his undergraduate years, going
onto receive his Masters in Economics with
honors from Punjab University. Years later, he
earned his Ph.D. in communications psychology
from the University of Humanistic Studies in San
Francisco.
He emerged as a religious, community and
business leader with a distinguished reputation
as a man of peace, world-vision, wisdom, and
compassion. He has authored and published more
than 30 books on topics ranging from
spirituality and consciousness to communication
and psychology. He has founded several foods
companies that manufacture and distribute
natural products based on these teachings. He
has fostered economic development in every
community in which he participates, annually
conducts business seminars, and has authored
several books that provide guidance to both the
aspiring entrepreneur and seasoned business
executive alike. As the Siri Singh Sahib, or the
Sikh leader in the Western Hemisphere, he has
met with Pope John Paul II to discuss
inter-religious dialogue and worked side-by-side
with the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop of
Canterbury to foster world peace. |
