...I was at the 11-11-11 (Yogi Bhajan Kundalini Yoga) festival , which was overpriced commercial madness... ~ Susan Hopkinson Read Susan Hopkinsons entire comment at the YouTube video link: Academic study shows the Kundalini Yoga of Yogi Bhajan is a fraud! https://youtube/watch?v=DOp0O05dLrY I go to Rishikesh often, and I was at the 11-11-11 festival, which was overpriced commercial madness (the discounted rate was $1,111.00!). Myself and others who were not dressed head-to-toe in white were largely ignored by those who were (with the exception of my adorable roommates). It was clear we were all there for the same purpose, but few people - especially the full-on white Sikhs - would smile or acknowledge anyone except those in the inner circle. There seemed to be an utter lack of joy, except when people were running and jumping around like crazy during some of the kriyas. The cult of personality was very strong, and the teachers - especially Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, who was screaming encouragement at everybody to hyperventilate while yelling I hate my mother I hate my father - had all 600 people doing the same (often dangerous) thing with no alternative guidance for those who couldnt do the practices correctly (which was most poeple). They would show powerful mudras which were held for 20-40 minutes at a time, but which most people were not doing correctly, which presumably renders them less powerful. The day started at 4 am, not with silent meditation or puja, but with double leg lifts done for 20 minutes at a time in the chilly tent at Parmath Niketan on the Ganges. Im a yoga therapist, and this kind of thing was really difficult for me to watch, seeing that people were doing themselves more harm than good, and pushing themselves because others were doing it. My local friends couldnt believe I paid what I did for an ersatz version of a magnificent practice that I could get anywhere around Rishikesh for a fraction of the cost. The local shopkeepers - mostly Hindu - rather cynically would greet people with Sat Nam instead of the usual Namaste, Hari Om or Ram Ram. The day after the conference ended, all the white clothes and most of the turbans came off, and normal clothes came back on, which for me reinforced that there is little integrity in the practice for most, and only safety in numbers. May all beings in all realms find happiness.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 16:55:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015