Introduction

This series of posts is part of a book. See outline here.

My name is Felice Austin. I am happy, healthy, and holy. My name is also Nam Joti Kaur. I am the princess-lioness who walks in the light of God’s divine name. I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am blissful.

I am a faithful and active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am also a Kundalini yogini and spiritual teacher. Through my life’s journey, which I will share more about in this book, I have learned that all truth can be circumscribed into one great whole.

One of my spiritual gifts is the gift of translating truth. When I hear truth, whatever the source, my heart recognizes it. My mind, which has always loved words, can then translate the truth into the language that others need in order to understand, whether that person be Jewish, Sikh, Muslim, Hari Krishna, or atheist. My ability to speak truth to people in their own language is one of the reasons I was so successful in my hypnotherapy practice, and this gift contributes to my success now as a spiritual teacher. Because of this gift, I have attracted many dear friends of faith, and I am so grateful for the light they reflect from God.

Joy Harjo wrote a poem titled “The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles,” and I think I love the title even more than the poem because, ironic though it may seem, the city of Los Angeles has been a big part of my spiritual journey. This city is the fixed point I have traveled from and returned to many times on my journey. Los Angeles has been the backdrop to many lows and highs that have shaped my path. This city is also where I started my Kundalini Yoga journey at the feet of Yogi Bhajan. It is where I went to the Latter-day Saint temple weekly, where I chanted Kirtan with Sikhs, and where my daughter went to an Orthodox Jewish preschool. Los Angeles is where my daughter and I ate with Hari Krishnas every Sunday. It is where I taught mommy-and-me and pregnancy yoga at the YMCA. Los Angeles is also where I studied hypnotherapy and then owned a private hypnotherapy practice for three years, during which I saw clients from every walk of life. I saw every kind of case imaginable—and some that are not imaginable. I also belonged to an organization of business professionals and regularly spoke at their gatherings.

I am grateful for the skills and certifications that Los Angeles gave me access to. And I am most grateful to the saints and yogis everywhere who have elevated me on my path.

When Yogi Bhajan first came to America in the late 1960s, he started teaching Kundalini Yoga in Los Angeles, mostly to hippies because they were the people who had flexible belief systems and were listening. If they stuck around, the yoga, meditation, and Yogi Bhajan’s firm but loving guidance changed them. They stopped doing drugs. They learned the value of personal purity. They came to see their divine lineage and to understand their bodies were temples. They became spiritual teachers.

Indeed, the fruits of a regular Kundalini Yoga and Meditation practice are beautiful. If members of any organized church have any concerns about Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®, I hope these concerns will be alleviated by reading the information in this book, which includes personal stories from faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The man affectionately known as Yogi Bhajan was the highest master of Kundalini Yoga in the world, and he was also a religious person. He became the head of the Sikh religious dharma in the United States, and many Sikhs love and revere him. Yogi Bhajan repeatedly taught that Kundalini Yoga is not a religion, and he tried to some extent to keep the yogic teachings separate. But because of his religious affiliation, many people who loved his yogic teachings also became Sikh, and many Sikhs in America practice Kundalini Yoga. The technology of Kundalini Yoga, however, is for everyone, including members of organized religions of all kinds. Some of the most beautiful results I have witnessed have come when people who already live a life of devotion begin regularly practicing Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan.

Though I emphasize in this book the message of Jesus Christ as recorded in the scriptures, sacred Latter-day Saint temple ordinances, and the science of Kundalini Yoga, I honor all the diverse ways that God leads His children to grow in light and truth.

I anticipate that a good portion of my audience for this book will be Latter-day Saints and other Christians who are looking for ways to enhance their spiritual journey and to remain Christ centered. I also hope that practitioners of Kundalini Yoga from any background will find it interesting and encouraging to see how this technology truly is for everyone. Yogi Bhajan taught that it was for everyone, and we have finally lived to see it come to pass. I hope it will be useful for teachers with students who are Christ-centered.

Though I have made every attempt to be consistent with the doctrine and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this book is an expression of my own thoughts and pondering the truths of the gospel that I treasure. This is not an official declaration of the doctrine in regard to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to which I belong and cherish my membership. Please make sure you pray about and ponder everything you read.

All the kriyas and meditations in this book are exactly as Yogi Bhajan taught them, and they have been approved through the Kundalini Research Institute’s review process.