Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa (1)

Review This is probably the best overview of Kundalini yoga I've read to date. I would recommend it both as an introduction to the "newbie" and as a "go deeper" book for someone who wants to know more. It can be experienced and enjoyed on both levels.

A disclaimer: This is a very spiritual + God-ful book. As an atheist, this is something that I find I sometimes have to work really hard to get past, you know? The author has such a personal and profound relationship with a very specific kind of God, and I neither have that nor aspire to it, and in most cases, that creates a barrier--it makes it hard for me to really sink into the book, because there is a part of me that just goes, "But that is not my worldview, and I don't believe any of this" and I can't get past that to the material that is applicable to me anyway. But Gurmukh achieves--I'm not quite sure how to express it. I don't share her religious or spiritual faith. But I drank from the text she provided anyway, and I didn't have to spit God out.

That sounds terrible. Let me rephrase: although her approach to Kundalini yoga, meditation, chakras, all the material she presents is in large part faith-based (she is an American Sikh, as many Western Kundalini yoga teachers are and as she discloses on page one of the book), this atheist didn't have a "not for me" reaction as a result. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's presented so gently and lovingly. Maybe because I can mentally substitute "Divine" "Creation" "Universe" "Life" "Higher Self" or any of those words for God (I know it's a semantics game... but it's an important one). Maybe because the underlying message/practice is so clear and faith-free... and the faith--whatever it is from you--grows from that?

Anyway. Highly recommend this book to anyone, atheist or not, who is interested in learning more about Kundalini yoga, meditation, chakras... the world + universe.

I'll be re-reading this book for months if not years.… (plus d'informations)