I know it’s a touchy subject, the revealing darkness of a beloved teacher, Yogi Bhajan. I haven’t honestly read much for details and when students ask me about how I feel about it, I simply say that Bhajan was a messenger but the practice of kundalini is its own entity. I find the timing quite interesting. As the Aquarian Age is clearly presenting itself in all of the world chaos (Covid-19), he was finally found out for his wrong doings. It almost makes me think that was his final lesson to us. You don’t need a guru or someone to look up to in order to gain the benefits of any given practice. Everything you need really is within you. As we are tested to sit with ourselves on a worldwide scale, many of us will turn within. 

The news of Yogi Bhajan and what he allegedly did to women in the kundalini realm has brought on a lot of questions. I am a devout kundalini practitioner and teacher. I didn’t say a devout Bhajan fan but a lover of the practice as its own entity. With that being said, it’s interesting that all of this came out around the same time Covid-19 reared its ugly head and affected all of our lives. I say this because Bhajan always said he was getting people prepared for the Aquarian Age.

Yogi Bhajan arrived in the late 60’s to North America. He felt called to teach his followers how to be teachers. He wasn’t interested in teaching students…but committed to making more kundalini teachers. It’s been said that he could see the need to help these broken people. He was preparing people to help generations after them prepare for the Aquarian Age. 

What About the Aquarian Age Anyway?

What is the Aquarian Age all about? The need for spirituality. The need to know yourself and go deep. Why is this important for the Aquarian Age?

“Truth will be recognized, falsehood will fall. That is the message of the Aquarian Age.” –Yogi Bhajan   

Every 2000 years, we move through a different astrological sign. We are leaving the Piscean Age behind, which has the qualities of hierarchy, power, control and the idea of “me vs we”. 

In the Aquarian Age we will experience an evolution in consciousness. The Aquarian Age is all about community, having information at your fingertips and technological advances. Never has there been a time when electronics and technology have been so deeply integrated into our lives. 

One could argue that this new information about Bhajan was a part of the lesson leading up to the Aquarian Age – “During this age, the focus is no longer on your identity and existence (“to be or not to be”), but on accepting yourself as a whole person (“be to be”) who does not need to believe in something outside of yourself.” Santokh Singh Khalsa, one of Bhajan’s students

It is absolutely crucial for humanity to begin living from the heart, and to trust their own spiritual wisdom, rather than blindly following doctrine and “doing as they’re told”. When we hold ourselves accountable, rather than dodging the eyes of authoritative figures, we will be much more likely to live in a way that supports the highest good for everyone. We are all in this together. 

Coronavirus and the Aquarian Age

Everything you’ve heard about the Aquarian Age has told you that life as we know it would change. That we would be challenged to the core of our being. Mystics, psychics, intuitives, and astrologers told us it was time to find our deepest selves. To live a life of truth based on our higher consciousness. There was even a somber warning that if you didn’t get yourself together and prepare for the Aquarian Age, you would suffer greatly.

A general feeling now is that the ones who evolved spiritually will have to help hold the world together in a sense. To date, this is definitely happening: A call for a million meditators, the concern and care for those less fortunate, yoga teachers creating special free classes to reduce stress, and so much more. 

Kundalini is a Practice, Yogi Bhajan is a Man

I remember vividly the front cover of a Rolling Stones magazine during the grunge rock phase. It said, “Hole is a Band, Courtney Love is a Soap Opera.” This was because Love, who was involved with Kurt Cobain (lead singer of Nirvana), was always in the media. She would be drunk or high in public and act out. Her band was actually really good but it fell in the shadows of all the Courtney Love drama. Are we going to let this happen to kundalini too? I don’t think we should. 

One of my students almost feels shame when she practices kundalini now because of what Bhajan allegedly did to women. She has a hard stance on men taking advantage of women. I guess most of us women hold slivers or samskaras from an awkward moment to a feeling of total fear at the hands of a man. Statistics show this to be the case. Nonetheless, to deny yourself a practice that brings you in a space of not falling into ego bullshit, that makes no sense. 

Bhajan was getting us ready for the Age of Aquarius. That was his whole purpose. He saw that this ego culture in North America was going to crash and burn in the wake of what is happening now. He gave people a practice that would fast track them to connect to their higher selves. Make no mistake, Bhajan was not the creator of Kundalini, he was merely a delivery guy. I believe it is more essential than ever to maintain the practice if it’s something you believed in. He doesn’t have to be your guru. In fact, in light of all the information about Bhajan, perhaps we are more free to choose to be our own guru. The practice has now been released into the universe for all of us to enjoy. 

After all, would we have learned nothing if we chose to see the practice as based on this one man? Even in the catholic religion, we can see that the church is a rock but God is essentially everywhere. You don’t have to prescribe to everything that revolves around Kundalini but you can take the things that resonate with you and be grateful for the practice.