Graduation day sunlight had a softness to it; everything felt like a blessing. Preparations were underway for the ceremony where I would be acknowledged as a certified KRI Kundalini Yoga teacher. Two more teachers from the Mackay Sangat were joining us for the celebrations and soon they arrived with huge smiles and open arms.
And just like that, a circle of radiant Souls who each shared this journey united to honour this moment. Being together in that way felt so supportive and natural. It was such a lovely experience.
After the ceremony, the beat of the Kundalini drums filled the space and we found ourselves on our feet, laughing, spinning, moving in celebration. It wasn’t choreographed. Far from it. Each of us danced in our own way, spontaneous and joyful, our spirits soaring to the rhythm.
Soon the music faded and we gathered around the table for a shared meal. Everyone had bought a plate prepared with love and everything was deliciously vegan. There were sausage rolls (I had been told were ‘to die for’ and they lived up to the hype), a fruit platter, delicious corn fritters, creamy baba ghanoush, and even a warm apple crumble for dessert. The table looked like a colourful mandala of offerings. As we ate, we shared stories, many of them about chickens, which had us all laughing and wondering what happened next, while the sacred sound of Waheguru played softly in the background.
It was so heart-warming and beautiful. I had found my tribe. Sangat!
Do you remember the first time you experienced Sangat?
I suspect for many of us, the memory would be very similar with the same feelings of belonging, lightness and joy because in the yogic tradition, Sangat is more than just community. It’s a sacred frequency that we create together through intention, our presence, and our practice. It’s one of the spaces where the teachings stop being something we learn and start being something we live.
I’ve felt this many times throughout my teacher training journey, but on that graduation retreat, it felt deeper than ever because it wasn’t about the certificate or exams or the final practicum, it wasn’t even about the moment of being acknowledged as a teacher. It was about remembering that we are never meant to walk this path alone.
Yogi Bhajan had said, “Sangat is the place where you can polish yourself. Alone you can never do it. Sangat is the place where you can rise beyond your limitations.”— Yogi Bhajan, August 16, 1976
This is the essence of it. On our own, we can practice the kriyas, our Sadhana, chant the mantras, and meditate. (All of that is essential) But when we gather in Sangat, we become mirrors for one another. We see our courage reflected in someone else’s strength. We soften with compassion, and we rise into our potential because someone beside us sees what we might not yet see in ourselves.
Sangat teaches us the art of being a graceful human, where we learn patience and humility finds us when another’s wisdom opens our eyes. It’s where we discover that love is a conscious feeling to show up for one another again and again.
And that’s why the feeling of graduation day felt so different from ordinary happiness. It was a celebration of who we had become in that moment. It was a deeper truth: the path of Kundalini Yoga is a personal and shared journey, and Sangat is the sacred container that reminds us that the Divine lives inside each and everyone of us.
Sat nam Waheguru!
Add comment
Comments