Meet me @ Spirit Fest this weekend!

Simran my daughter started showering me with hugs and kisses last night coz I was going to be away for a couple of nights for Spirit Fest, where as my other kids did not bat an eye lid :).  Having a girl is such a blessing...

I really love how the American Sikhs have rejuvenated interest in the Sikh religion in their own way.  Whats interesting is the incorporation of Yoga, an infusion of cultures, music instruments, resulting in something really very unique.  Snatam Kaur for example is one of the leading new age artist today, when I went to her concert, I was quite suprised to see a handful of Indian Sikh, approximately 10% of American Sikhs, the rest was a totally diverse crowd.

I really look forward to experiencing American Sikhism first hand in the Kundalini Yoga and Music Festival. I grew up as a Sikh, no-one really showed me the importance of Yoga, my interest grew it in in my late 30s. Most people think Yoga is just physical stretching.  The ancient path of Yoga is much more than that, the physical aspect is just one aspect of Yoga out of 8, it itself is reduced to just stretching without the mental presence required of it.  I took out a excerpt out of one of my past post where I attempted to briefly describe the 8 fold path of Yoga:

Eliminate unwanted stress by doing the right thing (yama & niyama) , through your postures (asanas) enable yourself to withstand all sort of physical, emotional and mental stress, through the practice of mindful breathing (pranayama), gather the energy to manage your emotions and achieve clear thinking, next exercise control over your senses and actions with self moderation  (pratyahara).  Once you have this you are in a position to sit for meditation effectively, achieve concentration (dhyana), and reach beyond your mind to your Spirit (Samadhi)

Peace,

Kirpal