Kundalini yoga teacher and sound healer, Karambir Singh, will bring regular posts to Cosmic Pineapple, as he navigates his journey as a sevadar.
After three action-filled years in Sedona taking people out to do kundalini yoga in the shadow of amazing, energy-filled natural monuments like Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and the Airport Vortex, I have been given the opportunity to attend Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Accordingly, I have packed my gongs, healing bowls and the like and taken my show on the road. As is the case in life, there were twists and turns on the path…
My first destination was Flagstaff, Arizona where I gonged with a dear friend of mine who is also a fellow “soundie” (sound healer). It was nice to break the trip up into small, bite-size morsels rather than do the whole trip in one go. Next, I made a brief side trip through Española, New Mexico to drop some things off with a fellow vendor and narrowly miss being struck by lightening in the parking lot at the Guru Ram Das Ashram. I had just gotten out of my car after turning off the engine and KABOOM!!!!!!! I looked up just in time to see white light every where. Someone got out of the car next to me and pointed out that the lightening had just hit the transformer on the telephone pole about fifty feet away. Sheesh. After waiting for the subsequent downpour to subside, I continue on to Lama Foundation which is about twenty miles north of Taos, New Mexico. I met a couple of the residents (also known as “Lama beans”) back in April when they stopped in at my place in Sedona for a sound healing meditation and gong bath. It felt good to see them both again and spend a couple of days and nights chilling out at high altitude. From Lama, I continued my journey to Boulder…but only for a day.
Naropa had accepted me provisionally pending completion of two pre-requisite undergraduate psychology courses and I needed someplace peaceful where I could hang my hat and study while I worked on the first of the two courses; development psychology. As fate would have it, I had met some people from Omaha, Nebraska in Sedona and one of them has a retreat center (Nirvana Pointe) there. We arranged a barter arrangement and off I went after dropping some of my belongs in a storage unit in Boulder. During my stay, in addition to my tasks in the yard and on the computer, I cooked numerous batches of kitchari which was gobbled up by the hungry mouths of all in residence. Omaha resonated with me as a place because it was convenient to Kansas City, Missouri and a Level II Kundalini Yoga teacher training module (Stress & Vitality). I have to chuckle because the synchronicity of this module is perfect. There has been no time in my life to this point where I have been under more stress than now. What with relocating, long-distance driving, and the uncertainty of preparing for graduate studies that require so much, there has been little down time in my life since the end of April. While in Omaha, my host and I arranged for me to offer two group sound healing meditation and gong bath sessions as well as a half-day introduction to healing using Tibetan singing bowls.
As the month of May came to an end, I packed my belongings in the car and headed west with another brief stay in Boulder to grab my vendor supplies and head back to Española, New Mexico for Summer Solstice! There was still a week before Solstice and I wanted to spend it in Boulder getting settled, but the Universe had other plans. I checked in with my friends at Lama and the gave me the green light to stop in for as much time as I needed (within reason, of course). So off I went to Lama and set up my tent and slept underneath the stars (and rain)! During my stay, we arranged for me to offer a couple of group sound meditation and gong bath sessions and I offered individual sessions to anyone who was interested. As the week went by, I gradually worked myself into the work schedule (kitchen cleanup). If you have never been to Lama I highly recommend it. Finally, it was time to head off in the direction of Española and Summer Solstice.
This is one of the largest gatherings of kundalini yogis and western Sikhs in the world and happens every year at a place called Ram Das Puri, about eight miles outside of Española. Everyone serves in one way or another and I chose to join the security team this year. The team was hugely understaffed so this seemed to be a good match. To boot, they needed individuals to work the graveyard shift so I volunteered for this. The team manager informed us that this would greatly affect our Solstice experience (“ruin” I think was the word he used). Working from 2am to 8am puts a big dent in one’s sleep cycle and also means that participating in the morning sadhana ritual (chanting, yoga, and meditation beginning around 4am) was out of the question. As a vendor (I sell small gongs and high quality metal healing bowls), this really challenged me. I had to find a way to staff my booth and get enough sleep and still be at my post each day at 2am. It was pretty grueling! However, the knowledge that every morning people could have their sadhana experience in peace because those of use working the graveyard shift where on duty gave me a good feeling. The extra bonus for me (aside from working with a great group of people) was that each night, I got to stand in total darkness under the stars near the main entrance to the property and look up at the stars. I chanted the nitnem Banis (Sikh sacred texts) each morning when not checking in participants who were arriving before sunrise.
After almost two weeks of sleep deprivation, good food, and intense experiences, I packed my car again and headed back to Boulder which is where I am as I write this blog.
Many blessings,
Karambir Singh
If you are interested in knowing more about what I do, please visit my website: https://www.dharmavibration.com where you may sign up for my newsletter. My contact details are evolving as I become a Coloradoan once more so best to see what is listed on the website.