Grit Eight Class Curriculum

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Eight-Week Curriculum

Kundalini Yoga for Grit and ‘Keep Up’ Spirit

90-Minute Classes

Compiled by Shakta Kaur

Kundalini Yoga in the Loop (KYL), Chicago, IL, USA

3HO IKYTA Teachers Conference

Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration June 15, 2012

Sat Nam, Dear Teacher,

This 8-week series of classes is based upon the 3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA) Teacher’s Conference theme for 2012--‘grit.’ And, who couldn’t use a little more indomitable courage, toughness and resolution in dealing with all the challenges we’re facing lately?!

‘Grit’ was originally chosen as a theme for the 2012 3H0 IKYTA Teacher’s Conference from Yogi Bhajan’s, ‘The 8 Elements of Excellence.’ It reads:

“The 8 Elements of Excellence: The Vision to see your goal and keep it in your consciousness. The Courage to attempt it and to keep up. The Grit to go through it. The Humility to know who the Doer is. The Knowledge to substantiate it. The Prayer to feed it. The Grace to carry yourself through it. The Determination to achieve it.” (In 2013 the Teachers Conference will focus on ‘humility,’ in 2014, ‘knowledge,’ and so on, until all 8 elements have been featured.)

To be honest, I was a little concerned about finding enough to fill an entire curriculum focusing on ‘grit.’ I worried about finding appropriate Yogi Bhajan quotes. I fretted about locating just the right kriyas to generate the capacity for ‘grit.’ And, how would I find the perfect meditations to develop the light of the soul--‘grit?’ Wouldn’t you know that once I started teaching this series it seemed that wherever I looked—whatever manual I chose—whatever Yogi Bhajan lecture came across my desk--the word ‘grit’ was right there for me to discover, to use in my classes and to offer here for your use as well.

Each class includes one main kriya and one meditation. While this is not a definitive list of all the kriyas and meditations you could possibly use in a curriculum focusing on ‘grit’ it is my hope you will not only find inspiration with what is shared here but that you will teach this or a similar curriculum soon! May God and Guru continue to bless 3HO IKYTA, Kundalini Yoga Instructors, Practitioners and Teachers world-wide.

Yours in service,

Shakta Kaur

Kundalini Yoga in the Loop (KYL), Chicago, IL, USA

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YOGA FOR GRIT AND ‘KEEP UP’ SPIRIT

Would you like to have the spirit, the power and the grit to ‘keep up’ with whatever life sends

your way? Would you like to draw upon an unending reservoir of tenacity, bravery, fortitude

and determination in the face of any challenge? If so, then, come to [Name of Studio] during

the months of [Month] and [Month] for Kundalini Yoga and Meditation especially designed to

help you:

Surmount obstacles

...real or imaginary;

Overcome barriers

...perceived or otherwise;

Dissolve frustrations

...today and always!

Join [Your Name / Studio Name] in an inspiring series of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation classes

to ‘Keep up and you will be kept up’ even as you face the seemingly impossible. It is a test of

your wisdom, your endurance and your character—a chance of grace—so you can make it

anywhere!

*Women in Training XII 1987 Lectures by Yogi Bhajan, Crossing the Crossroads of Crisis, Foreword, p. v.

“In your limited power, you have the capacity to experience the unlimited. In your

unlimited experience you have the power to bring the infinite to the limit of your

experience. What else do you want? Therefore, there is no crisis you cannot cross.

But crossing the crisis is the real grit which comes from your courage which you have

to develop with the light of your soul and handle with the capacity of your mind and

experience with the presence of your physical body.”*

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CLASS ONE

MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE

Main Kriya: Immune Strengthening Workout (Inner Workout Manual, pp. 41-44).

Meditation: Gan Puttee Kriya to Make the Impossible Possible (Self-Knowledge, p. 20 and KRI Level 1 Yoga Manual, p. 94).

Class Timing:

10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing. 10:35 am: Main Kriya

11:20-11:22 Relaxation 11:40 am: Meditation

11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s. 3 Key Concepts

1) ‘Keep up’ spirit is associated with the Radiant Body. The Radiant Body gives you so much stamina you’ll never give in! It helps you persevere past any blockage or obstacle in your life.

2) The Radiant Body is associated with Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. During his lifetime there was a great need for warriors to stay healthy and strong in the face of chaotic conditions. As Guru he united the Sikhs into a fearless force to defend those who couldn’t defend themselves. (Guru Gobind Singh conditioned his warriors with exercises such as the ones in the main kriya.) 3) Gun Puttee (or Gunpati) another name for Ganesha the Hindu archetype of knowledge and writing. Ganesha is often represented with a mouse at his feet. The mouse represents cleverness and the ability to get through any barriers or obstacles.

3 Key Skills/Practices:

1) Archer Pose (and its variations) in the main kriya, Immune Strengthening Workout. 2) Sa Ta Na Ma Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung mantra in the meditation, Gun Puttee Kriya. 3) The mudra moves as you chant the mantra in Gun Puttee Kriya.

CLASS TWO

THE SCIENCE OF KEEPING UP

WARM-UP: Build Stamina and Spark the Glandular System (Owner’s Manual for the Human Body, p. 42); aka Complete Workout for the Elementary Being (Inner Workout Manual, p. 48). MAIN KRIYA: Build up the Glandular System and Inner Organs (Owner’s Manual for the Human

Body, p. 41).

MEDITATION: Life Guideline (A Year with the Master, p. 69). Class Timing:

10:30 am: Tune-In and Welcome 10:35 am: Warm-Up Kriya 10:45 am: Main Kriya

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11:25-11:30: Deep Relaxation 11:40-11:45: Meditation

11:55 am: End with the Long Time Sunshine Song and 3 long Sat Nam’s. 3 Key Concepts:

1) Kundalini Yogis have daily practices to provide them with the grit to go through whatever life brings their way. One of these practices is self-initiating with a daily spiritual practice, or, personal sadhana. Your personal sadhana can be a set of yoga exercises (kriya) or a meditation ... or both. The idea is you get up, you set yourself up for the day and you’ll be ‘kept up’ as a result. Yogi Bhajan once said: “Sadhana is a test of your self-grit. If your sadhana is more important than your neurosis, you are fine. If your neurosis is more important than your sadhana, you are not.”

2) Another daily practice is taking a cold shower first thing in the morning, before breakfast and before sadhana. The cold shower opens the capillaries. When the capillaries are open they feed the glandular system. And when the glandular system is well-fed, it secretes. Yogi Bhajan: “The chemistry of your blood becomes perfect. That gives you a capacity to act, think, know; and it gives you grit, stamina.” (The Master’s Touch, p. 172)

3) Yogi Bhajan: “The highest mental power of a man is when he’s willing to cope with a condition that is infinitely beyond his control. Still he faces it and faces it with the idea that he is going to come through it.” (Self-Knowledge, p. 12.)

1) Archer Pose in the warm-up kriya, Build Stamina and Spark the Glandular System. 2) Breath of Fire (BOF) in the main kriya, Build Up the Glandular System and Inner Organs. 3) Chair Pose in the main kriya, Build Up the Glandular System and Inner Organs.

CLASS THREE SERVE YOUR GRACE

MAIN KRIYA: Set to Experience Your Elementary Personality (Yoga for Prosperity, p. 83). MEDITATION: Meditation to Connect with Your Source (Yoga for Prosperity, p. 85). Class Timing:

10:30 am Tune-In and Welcome 10:35 am Main Kriya

11:20 am Deep Relaxation 11:35 am Meditation

11:55 am End with the Long Time Sunshine Song and 3 long Sat Nam’s. 3 Key Concepts:

1) Yogi Bhajan: “The slogan of the Age of Aquarius is, “Let me serve and save my grace, not my ego and my face.” That one line can define all issues. The entire knowledge of the universe is contained in it. Grit and power is contained in it. Effort and discipline are contained in it. I ask you to join us, walk hand in hand, carry the banner. Walk tall, smart, alert. There is no alternative to it. We have to do it. It is a virtuous time. People who suffer in their own suffering shall join together. They will stop their monkey

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games. They will bring their mind to be applied. Those who meditate on their identity and personality and go through the hard labor, they will be bright and beautiful in the eyes of God. Fulfillment and joy will make them extremely happy. The essence of life will be at their command. The world will look to them for guidance. Their words will touch and bring brightness and health and grace to peoples’ minds. Physically, mentally and spiritually they will enrich everybody.” (A Year with the Master, p. 60)

2) We think we are 90% of what we see. But, in reality we are only 10% of what we see; we are 90% unseen! When we realize we are more than just what we see we become able to conquer the self and win. The purpose of life is winning. We came from the Infinite to walk a particular path in the finite and we are to return to the Infinite ... victorious!

3) (Exercise 1, Main Kriya): “When Jupiter [index finger] and Saturn [middle finger] meet the frequency of the psyche, the subconscious thoughts you have against yourself will float away. Anytime you do this exercise it will be sufficient to open up the newness in you. After five minutes you will be a different person.” (A Year with the Master, p. 41.)

1) Dancing continuously for 11 minutes (Exercise 5, Main Kriya)!

2) Multi-part meditation uses Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, Wahe Jio mantra, pulling the navel in and up on each ‘Wahe’ (Great Beyond Description is His Infinite Wisdom). From Yoga for Prosperity (p. 85): “This mantra is an untranslatable utterance linking the ecstasy of the Infinite and the ecstasy of the soul.”

3) Eye focus at the tip of the nose. (To teach beginners this eye focus: “Extend one arm out, shoulder height, with the index finger extended and the thumb holding down the other fingers. Gaze hazily at the index finger as you slowly draw your hand towards the nose. The eyes will cross. Look down at the tip of the nose through eyes 1/10th open. You should see both sides of the nose simultaneously. Your gaze may drift, but, if it does, bring it back gently to the tip of the nose.” Note: Seeing both sides of the nose at the same time is easier if the light is evenly distributed in the room.)

CLASS FOUR

SAT NAM—THE GRIT TO IDENTITY

MAIN KRIYA: Angular Classification of the Body (K.R.I. International Teacher Training Certification

Level 1, 3-ring binder, 1998, p. 200, also available at www.ShaktaKaur.com). MEDITATION: Human Chain to Develop the Subtle Body (A Year with the Master, p. 31).

Also known as, ‘Meditation to Express Your Real Self and Develop the Subtle Body (The 21 Stages of Meditation, p. 250).

Class Timing:

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11:40 am Meditation

11:55 am End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s. 3 Key Concepts:

1) We develop grit, strength and resilience through a regular practice of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. We put daily pressure on ourselves so that when circumstances arise in our work and personal life we stretch to meet the stress but we do not break. No matter what commotion is going on around us we can be still amidst all the disturbances; amidst the unexpected pulls, pushes and reactions of our subconscious. (The subconscious is the realm of dreams and memories, seat of fear, negative habits, emotional impulses and commotional behavior. The subconscious mind is kept clean through meditation. (Glossary, Meditations for the New Millennium.)

In the words of Yogi Bhajan: “Build your body. Coming to this place you must have physical, mental and spiritual strength blended so that you can face it. You must have physical, parasympathetic and

sympathetic nervous systems carrying the message and widening the horizon and working, otherwise, when a situation confronts you, you cannot deal with it and you’ll fail. That’s not human.” (Women in Training XII 1987 Lectures by Yogi Bhajan, Crossing the Crossroads of Crisis, ‘The Process of Jappa,’ p. 136.)

2) “You have been told that life is granted and it is in your hand. My dear, it is not true. Look at the system of life. You have spirit, power, grit, all those great things you talk about that come from your soul. You have mind, sharpness, intelligence, and you have body—physical appearance. But just remember one thing which you normally forget. That physical body is just one body. You are a

combination of ten bodies. They ought to have a balance.” (Yogi Bhajan lecture excerpt, 06.22.89, Sikh Dharma Worldwide Newsletter, August 2011, Vol. 2, Issue 8.)

3) “Mantra is your password. You are laughing. It’s true. Your mantra is your password and your courage, the grit to identity, is Sat Nam. ‘Sat Nam tirkirtan maan jappe mere jeevo. Sat Nam tero poorbolo. Sat Nam Sat Naman, se akasam, deh tat a Mehta kasam.’ Through Sat Nam all the creation came. There are five words, there are five tattvas. Sa-Ta-Na-Ma.” (Yogi Bhajan lecture excerpt, 06.22.89, Sikh Dharma Worldwide Newsletter, August 2011, Vol. 2, Issue 8.)

“You know what Sat Nam is? Sat Nam is your first line of the ‘Song of the Khalsa.’ Repeat it. ‘Many speak of courage, speaking cannot give it. It’s in the face of death that we must live it.’ That is Sat Nam. It is your American song, it is in English, and this is the true, exact meaning of ‘Sat Nam.’ When

temptation has the whole universe in the palm of its hand and death is confronting you, you stick to your own reality. Less than that Sat Nam is, on the scale from one to ten—five, four, three, two, one.” (Yogi Bhajan lecture excerpt, 06.22.89, Sikh Dharma Worldwide Newsletter, Aug. 2011, Vol. 2, Issue 8.)

Yogi Bhajan: “Sat Nam is the shabd in which you have superiority over God. God is a slave in the hand of the devotees. Sat Nam purifies the entire time and space whenever you speak it, even if only once; it does not matter when. It is the ‘superior self-power of God.’” (Heroes, Saints and Yogis: Tales of Self-Discovery and the Path of Sikh Dharma, p. 51.)

3 Key Skills/Practices: 1) Lion Pose.

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2) Alternating between Cobra Pose and Front Platform Pose.

3) The Laya Yoga Kundalini Mantra, ‘Ek Ong Kaar-(ah), Saa Taa Naa Maa (ah), Siree Whaa-(ah) Hay Gu-Roo (One Creative Consciousness in all Creation; That identity is Truth; Great Indescribable Wisdom).

CLASS FIVE

YOUR EVER SHINING SELF!

MAIN KRIYA: Kriya for Elimination and Circulation (K.R.I. International Teacher Training Certification

Level 1, 3-ring binder, 1998, p. 381, also available at www.ShaktaKaur.com.) MEDITATION: Ajai Alai—Prayer of Surrender (www.Dasvandh.org).

Class Timing:

10:30 am Tune In and Welcome 10:35 am Main Kriya

1) Sarab loh: According to Yogi Bhajan--“Sadhana gives fearlessness and a sense of self, as well as denomination, domination, projection, polarity combination, equilibrium, respectability, totality, internal and external knowledge, purity, dignity, divinity and grace. In addition, it gives you radiance, pranic and auric Shakti. Finally, it gives you a quality of metal, which is ever shining and you become a metallically living grace. This quality is embodied in ‘loh’ iron, which can absorb all the heat. ‘Sarab loh’ means that loh which absorbs the entire heat and cold of the entire universe and still remains neutral. That is what Sadhana gives you. When you want to be beautiful, do Sadhana.” (Khalsa Women’s Training Camp, August 3, 1980.)

2)

The body must be cleansed every day because it slowly builds up toxins and waste from

normal metabolism and activity. Regular exercise and rhythmic movement as found in

Kundalini Yoga kriyas activates cleansing of the body’s systems. The result is fluidity in

the limbs, healthy organs, clear skin, bright eyes and a surge in vitality that supports

your ability to ‘keep up.’

From Yogi Bhajan: “Kundalini Yoga is the science of keeping up, in spite of all odds, at

any cost. It is not to become a saint, it is to create saints. It is not to make life possible,

but to make the impossible possible. It is not for ego, lowliness and disgrace, but for

those who are strong and can roar like lions through all the obstacles, and reach their

destiny every day. It is grit, commitment and consciousness within one’s self to achieve

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the mission of the self. It collects all the senses of the sensory system into one sense, to

make sense to all. It collects “God is me,” with all the sentiments of reality. Kundalini

Yoga creates a human who sheds light, who walks through darkness fearless and free,

with no vengeance.” (A Year with the Master, p. 69.)

3) ‘Surrender’ is often considered a negative, rather than a positive, in the west. But, yogis understand that you ‘surrender’ the smallest parts of you to the biggest part of you; to the Infinite. You ‘surrender’ so you may act in tandem with the Creator’s purposes. To ‘surrender’ is an opportunity to align your will to that of your highest and best self; to achieve the destiny you are to walk in this incarnation.

1) Frog Pose (put your weight on the hands when you straighten the legs; put your weight on your feet when you squat back down).

2) Venus Lock (men put the left thumb tip just above the base of the thumb on the webbing between the thumb and index finger of the right hand; reverse the position for women).

3) Boat Pose (ideally, only the navel stays on the ground; lengthen out by imagining someone pulling you from the toes elongating your lower back).

CLASS SIX INTEGRITY

MAIN KRIYA: General Maintenance (Slim and Trim, p. 3, also available at www.ShaktaKaur.com). MEDITATION: Soorya Karm Kriya (Meditations for the New Millennium, #T131, 06.21.01; also available

at www.ShaktaKaur.com). Class Timing:

10:30 am Tune-In and Welcome

10:35 am Main Kriya (NOTE: Use minimum times of each exercise for this 90-minute class.) 11:30 am Deep Relaxation

11:45 am Meditation

1) Integrity is a quality of honesty, truthfulness, reliability and an adherence to high principles and/or professional standards. ‘Integrity’ also denotes a state of being complete, undivided and sound. You have confidence in someone with integrity. One needs a tremendous amount of tolerance, grace, resilience and grit to act with integrity. You will be tested. The only question is, ‘will you pass the test?!’ Will you act with kindness in the most unkind situation? To do so requires building yourself to ‘act,’ not to ‘react’ even in the face of unbelievable negativity. Return to your center, to your neutrality, to your core, to your elementary personality, to your soul, to your ‘Sat Nam’ in all situations to act with integrity.

2) Yogi Bhajan: “The practice which yoga gives releases your reserve as it builds your reserves. When you are confronting an action, it does both. Yoga is not a joke. Yoga is a reality. It builds in you the

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reserve, the grit, the potential. It builds in you the affirmation to face the life. And also it releases the strength to face the life. You act on time.” (Women in Training XII 1987 Lectures by Yogi Bhajan, ‘Crossing the Crossroads of Crisis,’ ‘The Process of Jappa,’ p. 136.)

3) Yogi Bhajan: “Tantric Yoga transforms people in every way, from their integrity to their dignity. It is like the Panama Canal, where you apply locks and rise and rise and rise, changing the level of the water, until you cross from one ocean to another. Here we change the consciousness. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but, tomorrow you will be needed. Some people, whose caliber and standard is individual, cannot do it. Time and space will purge them. Those who have a collective group consciousness are being prepared for the Age of Aquarius. It is not a question of who you are, but of how enduring and progressive you are.” (Meditations for the New Millennium, #T 131, 06.21.01.)

3 Key Skills/Practices: 1) Jumping Jacks. 2) Half Crow Pose.

3) Crow Pose with a partner. CLASS SEVEN

DISSOLVE YOUR FRUSTRATIONS VERBIAGE TO PROMOTE THIS CLASS:

Whatever thoughts, pains, sorrows or disturbing situations you are confronted with this class will help you move them to a point of nothingness; to a place of zero. After some ‘light’ Kundalini Yoga and a delicious deep relaxation with the gong you will deeply meditate to clear yourself and your

environments of all frustration.

Come with the idea to manifest one significant quality or desire that you want to fulfill your own happiness and growth, i.e., health, knowledge, intuition, wealth, patience. And, know that with your strength, grit and projection you can become consciously in command, clearing the way, in alignment with your deepest desires and, most importantly, beyond frustration!

MAIN KRIYA: Strengthening the Stomach (Owner’s Manual for the Human Body, p. 40).

MEDITATION: Self-Hypnosis to Dissolve Frustration (06.12.90) (The 21 Stages of Meditation, p. 94). Class Timing:

10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.

10:35 am: Main Kriya (includes deep relaxation as Ex. 5 & 6).

11:05 am: Meditation (includes deep relaxation for 15 minutes after meditation, too). 11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s.

3 Key Concepts:

1) Frustration is natural; it’s an expression of your temperament. You cannot get rid of frustration in life; frustration is part of life. Frustration comes as you face your limitations. You desire everything and demand much. As you meditate you begin to separate your desires and demands from your values; you take into consideration your past thoughts and actions and your current capacity and energy level. Ultimately you confront what is necessary in order to manifest those values.

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2) Confronting frustration and knowing how to dissolve it strengthens you as a human being. We use Kundalini Yoga and Meditation to handle frustration and stress. We use pranayam and meditation to strengthen the nervous system, balance emotions and relax reactions. This helps us become present, open and creative (verbiage here and in Concept 1, above, from The 21 Stages of Meditation).

3) Shuniya—the state of stillness (zero) where a seed (bij) is planted to create a new rhythm or pattern of being.

1) Inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nose.

2) Yoga Mudra with Venus Lock behind the back. Then, inhale through the mouth while bending forward; exhale through the nose while sitting back up in Easy Pose.

3) Practice of a multi-part (approx. 45-minute) meditation. CLASS EIGHT

CHERDI KALA!

MAIN KRIYA: Withstand the Pressure of Time (Transformation Vol. One, p. 144; also Fountain of Youth p. 26).

MEDITATION: Meditation to Develop the Power of Prakirti (available at www.ShaktaKaur.com). Class Timing:

1) Yogi Bhajan (Dec. 31, 1995): “Count all your curses and say, ‘Curses, you are dead! I’m keeping up!’ That’s all you need, this one, simple psychological, transformation, this one word, ‘Keep Up’—cherdi kala. Keep up means cherdi kala. Against all odds, keep going; that’s what Guru said, and that’s what we have to learn.” (Transformations Vol. One, p. 143.)

2) Prakirti = matter, primal nature. Evolves under the influence of Purusha (the unmanifest spirit), so the Self may enjoy experience. Composed of the 3 gunas (sattva=sublime and neutral; ragas=fiery and active; tamas=unwavering and persistent).

3) Yogi Bhajan on the ‘Meditation to Develop the Power of Prakirti:’ “This breath will relax you very quickly, so keep your spine very straight, and don’t fall asleep. It is not a small exercise. Test your grit. Hammer the breath in and out very powerfully, keeping a rhythm. Feel you are riding a horse after awhile and begin to move your spine a bit with the rhythm of the breath. This is one of the most powerful cleansing breaths you can do.”

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2) Corpse Pose sit-ups keeping the hands over the heart center (Exercise 7, Main Kriya). 3) Words to the song, ‘Nobility.’

“Everybody has God’s light and it must be lit by a person’s own discipline. And the glass to keep it lit and shining should be kept by the person’s own courage,

strength and grit.

I believe it. I believe this is the love. I believe everybody has the chance to love one’s soul and every soul has the right to shine and every shine has to bring light

and brightness, beauty and bountifulness to all, generation after generation.” --Yogi Bhajan