Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa is nothing like a regular 70-year-old that you would imagine. She bends like a pretzel and dances her way through yoga sessions. Dance and yoga? Yes, there are many forms of yoga, but the one that Gurmukh specialises in is the Kundalini form of yoga.
Kundalini yoga as Gurmukh explains is the awakening of the Kundalini energies through the practice of chanting mantras and meditation along with asanas.
Kundalini deals with the chakras in the body, often called as the yoga of awareness as it acquaints you with your inner self.
Dressed in an all-white attire with a turban and scarf, the yoga guru who has a wide fan following just finished a two day workshop in Mumbai, held by Anahata, an organization that promotes happiness, health and spirituality.
Despite a hectic schedule with her yoga workshop on the beach, which began at 7 am, the yoga guru looked as vibrant as ever, with her usual calm personality and soothing aura.
When asked about her calling towards the form she says, “Yoga is not just about being on the mat, it’s about setting yourself free and looking at the trees and listening to the birds chirp. It is a way of life that is practiced to enjoy life and make it wonderful.”
May be that’s the reason why Gurmukh’s form of yoga is so different from its counterparts. She believes in setting one-self free to discover the true you. Her sessions are filled with asanas, laughter, cheer, music and dance.
Gurmukh believes that the only way to give back to the universe is by spreading the knowledge. “Just keep teaching, anyone, anywhere, because it is so fulfilling.”
For Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, yoga came after years of wandering that led her, by chance, to the doors of an ashram of Yogi Bhajan, her mentor.
She specialises in prenatal and post natal yoga and helps expectant mothers overcome the difficulties related to birth and even managed to deliver her own daughter at the age of 43, at home, without any drugs. A commendable feat indeed. When asked about the benefits of pre-natal yoga she states, “It has so many benefits, they are uncountable. It helps you enjoy your pregnancy, stay away from pains, develop flexibility, make more milk and keep husbands satisfied post child-birth.”
The state of prenatal yoga in India is not so good, believes Gurmukh. According to her, “Not many people are teaching and practicing it. There are also a lot of things that pregnant women are not doing right. Women go back to work early, do not take enough rest, do not make enough milk to nurse their babies and are highly dependent on drugs.”
The mother of Kundalini yoga says it’s best for pregnant women to go to a proper practitioner and practice yoga instead of trying to do it on their own. But if you can’t find someone to teach you, “Just log onto You Tube and go online and find out what works for you.”
Gurmukh is also big on social media and You Tube and you can easily learn asanas through her in-depth videos that help people in a great way.
“I have witnessed people get rid of high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and even osteoporosis with the help of yoga. I believe meditation, diet and yoga can treat any disease, but diet is very important,” states Gurmukh who consumes only fruits and vegetables and shares that she used to eat pulses also some years ago, but has given up on that too.
The 75-year-old Guru, is a true inspiration to fitness enthusiasts who worship her for the wealth of teachings she has achieved in her 40-year-long yoga practice. Her main teaching to the world-at-large is to be grateful. Gratitude she says heals everything.
“Start your day with being grateful for everything you have and everything you have woken up to and you will feel better immediately.”
On her tour of India, the Guru has been to Kerala for a workshop, done a quick stop over for her bhakts in Mumbai and is now headed to Rishikesh for the much acclaimed yoga festival where she will be spending 6 weeks and spread the message of Kundalini.
The Guru has been trainer to celebrities like Madonna, Courtney Love; Hollywood actor Gwyneth Paltrow, David Duchovny, Annette Bening and Rosanna Arquett, but refuses to divulge any details and maintains that, “Celebrities are just like normal people. They too have problems and they need a way to deal with them. Yoga helps everyone.”
Teaching yoga makes Gurmukh feel alive and she believes that it is a gift which is in alignment with fulfilment.
“Saadhna is the main essence of yoga and its goal is to dump the sub-conscious and give it back to the creator. It makes me clear my head and empty the past. Kundalini which means saadhna, allows me to love all other religions and faiths; it’s about alignment, breath and asanas and lifts judgement from you.”
The Kundalini Yoga queen advises that for beginners, we must all start our days with thanking god for everything we have, just like she’s thanked the creator to have reached out to so many people and made a difference in whatever way she can.
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