Lucky Singh ji, how do you feel about non-Sikhs using words like Waheguru, Satnaam, and some shabads as chants and mantras out of the context of Sikhi? Are you offended by it at all or do you have a rationalisation for it?
It is part of the Kundalini culture that makes me uncomfortable, together with people who get confused to think the yoga is required as part of Sikhi, and the way that it was apparently Yogi Bhajan who decided to give "Kaur" as a name for women.
In all honesty I don't get uncomfortable with them using waheguru or satnaam or any other mantras.
In my class of mainly women and two men it consists of students from a variety of backgrounds including a white French, quite a few white Canadian and Americans, south American couple, one hindi/Punjabi(not too sure?) indian and myself.
Majority of these have done various other forms of yoga before they came to kundalini so they are not in it for yogi bhajan's sikhi attachments.
I was actually very surprised that they all knew what waheguru and satnaam meant. Along with these we also use Gobind, hari, aad Shakti namo, ang sang waheguru...etc.
As far as I know, I and the instructor are the only one's that are Sikh but religion has never been mentioned or discussed. There is often talk about the yogi's kriyas and quotes.
The students are all quite into meditation and most of them have come into this yoga from others due to the meditative aspects from what I gather.
I sometimes get the feeling that meditation is an essential pre-requisite that no one mentions.
I don't believe that any of them think that I may be at advantage because I am of Sikh faith, although they know I get the pronunciations more correct and accurate at first attempts.
I actually joined this yoga for it's mind over body control as a means of therapy and well being in my circumstances. It was recommended by my personal trainer who is not a Sikh and doesn't know to much about sikhi either.
Previously I had always attached 3HO with it and was under the impression that it all came as part of the package.
Me being aware of the association of most mantras with sikhi is just an advantage just like jujitsu and twae kon do may contain sacred names of moves and postures that may mean more to natives with ancient interests and associations.(the way I see it!!)
Personally, the only thing that I may think when we may say 'waheguru' is that I know it means a WHOLE lot more to me and my personal simran.
This I don't expect anyone to understand in the same way that I do. Maybe for everyone else it has different personal values but at the end of the day it is the SAME God within and among us all. It is still the same Antarjami and inner knower within us. Only the affects, alignment and personal relationship vary between us.
So, No I haven't yet got offended if they use a gurbani mantra with a posture or kriya. I say 'Yet' because I may find something in the future more difficult to accept but this has not happened for me as yet.
I think that all students are also aware that in yoga it is not the mantras or the full physical extensions that are important but it is actually the BREATHING that is the core part of yoga maneuvers.
The breathing comes first, then the movement and then the mantra.
I was also a dancer for many years and in dancing it was always the music/beat and body rhythm, then the movement and breathing and then lastly the 'count' of steps/time or otherwise before the change. Although, all these steps becoming one is what made the whole dance.
You could also say that the counts are like the mantra in that they help keep the activity going where eventually you let go and let the music let you carry on or the mantra.
I have only been doing it for a few months yet and I haven't done any other yoga previously, so I can't really judge or compare it to any other specific yoga as such. But I haven't found it too attached to the 3HO circle which seems to cling quite closely to sikhi as we all know.
And there are students who are not Sikhs that have been doing it for a few years continuously. For them it is a pure health and well being activity twice a week with no religion strings attached.
I can now actually see this yoga as a pure yoga itself with no relationship to 3HO, because there are many students and members that are quite independent. I think it's the 3HO correlation that creeps in and attaches itself to sikhi which gives a lot of incorrect messages.
Maybe it's because I don't attend a 3HO or kundalini centre but standard yoga/dance halls that are hired by various yoga instructors.
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