Guru Prem Singh
Spirit Voyage Radio with Ramdesh
Guru Prem Singh & Simran Kaur Khalsa
Original Air Date: 1/12/12
Click here to download and listen to this episode!
In this broadcast, Ramdesh welcomes two fascinating guests to her show: Guru Prem Singh (aka “the posture master”), Kundalini yoga teacher and author, and a prolific musician who has produced and recorded some of the most beloved and well-known Kundalini Yoga tracks-- and his wife Simran Kaur Khalsa. Simran, a Kundalini yoga teacher who grew up in the practice immersed in the sacred sound current, offers her beautiful voice on the couple’s new CD, Suite: Kirtan Soheila: Wisdom and Music for the Rest of Your Life. This segment addresses the topic of posture and alignment as well as the backstory of Kirtan Soheila, the loving prayer that Sikhs traditionally recite in the evening before going to sleep as well as when a soul passes from this realm.
Ramdesh begins the show with a discussion of asana, asking Guru Prem, who is a dedicated Kundalini practitioner and also an accomplished practitioner of Ashtanga yoga, about the importance of alignment. Guru Prem observes that Kundalini Yoga has been described as “the science of triangles and angles.” Without being fanatical about the postures, he says, “there’s a lot of value in the science of improving your form and alignment.” Ramdesh asks whether it’s wise for someone like herself, who has practiced Kundalini Yoga exclusively, to additionally pursue an alignment-based practice such as Iyengar Yoga. Guru Prem reveals that although Ashtanga yoga has enhanced his own Kundalini Yoga practice, supplementation with other types of yoga—such as Iyengar, Ashtanga or Anusara—is a highly individual decision. Some might be best supplemented with walking, while others reap the therapeutic benefits of other classical yoga systems. For others, Kundalini Yoga may be all that is needed.
Ramdesh also asks about the relationship between asana and pain: If a posture is particularly painful is it because our bodies are out of alignment? Guru Prem points out that there are three basic attitudes about pain: 1) No pain, just avoid it. 2) No pain, no gain and 3)Pain is the currency of transformation, so spend it wisely (what might be termed the Buddha approach!). Simran adds that there’s a fine line between bad and good pain: her philosophy is to practice the asanas with a slight hint of a smile on your face that shows contentment even though you’re challenging yourself. The first two rules of yoga are don’t hurt yourself, and don’t let the teacher hurt you either, adds Guru Prem. “There are far fewer injuries in my observation in Kundalini Yoga. There’s more soul food within the Kundalini Yoga system than in the other styles. If you’re not feeding your soul enough sometimes the body rebels against this lack of deeper attention and it usually manifests in the ego not paying attention and an injury often ensues.”
In the second part of the broadcast, Ramdesh and her guests move on to music. You’ll hear one of the most well known Kundalini Yoga tracks, “Tantric Har” chanted by Simran and produced by Guru Prem who recalls closely working with Yogi Bhajan in the early days to create the music for White Tantric yoga. Many of these same tracks are still used today at this very special practice, which takes place all over the world.
You’ll then hear the prayer “Kirtan Soheila,” written by Guru Nanak hundreds of years ago, praising the divine beauty of the earth and the transitory nature of our time here. Simran recalls how she grew up hearing it sung and recited by her father in English every night. You’ll hear the beautiful version in Gurumukhi from the couples’ new CD followed by an A Cappella version in English. Simran shares that this moving prayer is also used when someone dies to help the soul of the one who has passed and to help the griever as well. “It is a gorgeous thing to be able to sit with your own grief and to honor it and to connect with the soul across worlds; this is a wonderful gift,” Ramdesh observes.
You can find out more about this amazing couple and their work together at www.divinealignment.com. The segment concludes with a soothing version of “Sat Narayan” from their CD The Heart Rules. As Ramdesh concludes, “May your heart always rule!”
 |
 |
 |
|
||
|
||
 |
|
 |
|
||
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
