• Table of Contents
  • Guru Disciple Relationship by Swami Veda Bharati
  • Niyamas by Swami Rama
  • December Workshop in Thailand by little student
  • Yoga Sutras in Malaysia by Tang
  • AHYMSIN Board Meeting December 2019
  • Dear Yoga Mentor, My Question Is
  • 2020 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

December Workshop in Thailand

by little student

Kundalini & Chakra:  Pathway to Self Knowledge, Peace and Happiness, Yoga retreat with Himalayan Yoga Meditation Tradition, December 19-22, 2019, in Baan Phu Waan, Sampran, Thailand.

I remember that the first two words that aroused my interest in Yoga were “Kundalini and Chakra”, the title of a book that immediately caught my eyes when I arrived at philosophy/spiritual section in Kikokuniya book store. This happened in Singapore during 1999. I was based in Singapore at the time after my company closed down Thailand’s operation due to an Asian Financial Crisis that started in Thailand. To cut the story short, that book led me to explore yoga and finally guided me to Himalayan Yoga Meditation Tradition.

Kundalini and Chakra is thus always one of the most favorite yoga subjects to me, although because of its subtlety, I still know very little about this wonderful and vast spiritual science. But it has been in my mind for a long time that we should introduce this topic to Thai people at some point and we decided that 2019 retreat was a perfect time to carry out this call.

This time, we had three teachers to bless us: Stoma Parker (with whom many Thais are familiar), John Sellinger (who taught at Thailand’s retreat for the second time) and Wong Yoong Khiang (who gave us an honor as a special speaker). It was also the first public lecture Yoong has ever made so we were so lucky. Another significant thing about Yoong was that he was the first teacher that linked me with this wonderful tradition, and he was the one that gave me mantra initiation in 2000.

As usual, Stoma is very well versed in the teachings of the tradition. He related to a very complicated subject so well and simplified the teachings of kundalini yoga for the benefits of the Thai people, most of whom have limited understanding of this vast field of knowledge. Kundalini is the primordial force that creates and also dissolves the entire universe. It gives life, energy, intelligent and everything to all living beings. Kundalini force is so powerful that an unprepared human body, mind and nerve cannot handle it, and thus any attempt to awaken this sacred force prematurely can be very injurious. Any authentic teacher will guard against people’s tendency and desire to work with kundalini energy in a shortcut way with partial knowledge. It is like network of power supply. The electricity that is generated at power generation stations cannot be supplied directly to an individual house (human body). Such power must go through transmission lines first and be reduced in intensity to go into sub-stations and from there go through distribution lines into each individual house where a transformer is installed so that the voltage is further reduced to the level that is appropriate for electrical appliances within the house. If the original power is not reduced first but transmitted to individual house directly, it will burn down everything. The transformers can be compared to countless chakras located along nervous system and energy channels within the human body.

To prepare the body and mind to receive higher voltage of power, emotional purification and awareness are necessary. Everybody has accumulated lots of negative samskaras (mental impressions) at the deepest part of the mind which create obstacles and blockage, thereby limiting his/her capability to handle the flow of this powerful force. That’s why kundalini energy always lies dormant at the base of the spine (Muladhara Chakra) in the majority of the people. It takes long time for kundalini to move up from one chakra to the next higher one: for some, this may require several life times. As kundalini rises higher and higher, a human being becomes more and more evolved and refined. The impurities surrounding his/her pure consciousness are progressively removed. Along the way, wisdom develops more and more, leading one into a more peaceful and happier state of mind as desires naturally fade one by one. When kundalini rises to Sahasrara Chakra, one rediscovers and merges into his/her essential nature (pure consciousness). Enlightenment is the result. From that point on, only silence and deepest level of peace remain. Thus, silence is ultimate state of Kundalini. As per the title of Swami Veda Bharati’s book Kundalini: Stilled or Stirred, the purpose of kundalini yoga practice is not to stir some emotional responses (laughing or crying uncontrollably) or to obtain some magical power, i.e. clairvoyance or clairaudience which could become emotional gratifications for impure minds. The real purpose is to seek lasting peace and happiness which can only come when one knows the way to get out of the birth and death cycle (samsara). In this sense, we can say that kundalini yoga and Buddhism share the same ultimate goal of all human beings.
John Sellinger taught us the subtlety of hatha yoga and pranayama practices. The main objective of hatha yoga practice in Himalayan Yoga Meditation Tradition is to work with and get in touch with the energy flow through physical body movement led by breath. Maintaining high level of awareness (on body, breath and mind) is thus very important aspect of our hatha yoga practice. If done properly, hatha yoga practice can clean up our emotions and mind too. Nadi shodhana is the practice that purifies energy channels, ida and pingala nadis, that leads to eventual opening up of the central channel, sushumna nadi, a pathway through which kundalini energy travels. Thus, hatha and pranayama practices are nothing but foundation works equipping yoga students for the awakening of kundalini. John led morning hatha, relaxation and meditation practices everyday which was very useful in preparing body and mind for the knowledge disseminated during the workshop.

As peace is the goal of kundalini, the workshop would not be complete without touching upon how one can apply peace in one’s daily life. Yoong has inspired us to think seriously about this issue. He compared the mind to the typhoon. A typhoon is a powerful/raging cyclone that moves at rapid speed. Yet, at the central point of the cyclone, there is an empty space that remains still. Finding the part of the mind that remains still and staying there as long as we can is the key to remain peaceful and calm amid busy activities at the surface of the mind and chaos in the external world. Again, breath awareness is the powerful tool we can employ in gradually learning to go deeper into that part of our mind which is still and is observing everything all the time. Once we are there, we have no choice but spreading our inner peace to the surroundings and to people we interact with in our daily lives. We will also see things from a different perspective and be happier persons. We will feel satisfied with less and less. Our relationship to the external world will improve vastly.

We are truly grateful for the knowledge and experiences we have received from all the teachers, who have over the years demonstrated their devotions in carrying out the Guru’s mission to selflessly serve humanity.

There were around 65 people attending this wonderful workshop, including friends (old and new) from Malaysia, Taiwan, China and India. Five people have requested for mantra initiation from Stomaji. The Himalayan Yoga and Meditation group in Thailand is truly grateful to everyone who has contributed in some ways to make this another successful workshop. We hope that some good seeds have been planted in people’s subconscious minds, waiting for the right moments to sprout up and grow into big trees that spread shadow for the benefits of those who seek the highest truth. May the Guru force be with all of us to protect and guide us till we reach our final goal of enlightenment.

Little student from Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Tradition