In November 2020, the Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (KYTA) in the UK invited me to teach an online workshop about Guru Nanak’s Japji Sahib as part of their “Member Support Sessions for Changing Times”. Here you can watch and listen to the recording of this workshop.
Japji Sahib
Japji Sahib is a sacred song and prayer received by Guru Nanak ca. 1500 AD exploring the path of the human towards Divine consciousness. Spiritually and conceptually, it holds a central place in the practice of Kundalini Yoga and many practitioners read it every morning. The first verse of the Japji Sahib is the Mool Mantra, which you will know from Kundalini Yoga classes.
Supreme Preparation for the Devotee
Recitation of sacred scriptures and mantras has been practised in all spiritual traditions throughout all ages of human mankind. It is the most sublime way of inner cleansing and transformation, the supreme preparation for the devotee and lover. By repetition in meditation, the essence of the Divine word penetrates deeply into the Being and brings it into resonance and remembrance. The seed of the word blossoms and prospers in the soil of the physical body. Individuals and communities call on the morphic fields of their spiritual ancestry.
The Songbook of Divine Love
Japji Sahib is the opening chapter of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, a sacred scripture and songbook of Divine Love and human inclusiveness, reiterating the essence and priorities of the perennial teachings for a successful, liberated life during the dark ages of kali yug. Our Divine identity and essence (sat nam) can be realised through the Divine word (shabad, bani) which is the connection (guru) between the timeless Divine consciousness and the beauty and suffering in temporary creation, the world ocean. This is the fascinating concept of Gurbani.
“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” – John 1.1
Watch the Workshop with me
In this workshop, we will explore Japji Sahib in various ways and experience, discover and deepen our love and fascination for its sound, content and effect.