Exerpt from Yogi Bhajan Lecture

Yogi Bhajan, the Master of Kundalini Yoga, cautioned us that as we come closer to the Aquarian Age – 2012 and beyond – that humanity would suffer from a phenomenon called Cold Depression. From a yogic perspective we view depression, not as a psychological disorder, but as an energy problem. Depression simply means that energy is not moving.

The word energy is very much in our consciousness right now: energy crisis, energy drinks, energy bars, renewable energy, energy medicine. Scientists have spent many millions of dollars and a great deal of time to try and unlock the secrets of energy in the physical body and on the planet. We live in a sea of energy and we are feeling with each day that we need more and more just to survive.

In the Piscean Age, which we are now leaving, we could get energy from outside of ourselves. When we felt low, we would simply reach for caffeine and other stimulants: sugary foods, alcohol, drugs, overworking, loud music, high octane sports and high risk behavior. We could receive energy from other people by doing things solely for their approval and attention. Subconsciously, the same results were created through drama, conflict or playing the victim. All the above provide examples of the tricks of the Ego to energize the Piscean Game (age of darkness).

Now, the Rules of this Game of Life have changed. And, it can feel disorienting, as if you were now living in a world where everyone is driving on the other side of the road. As we enter the Aquarian Age – seeking energy outside of our selves will no longer work. You are likely noticing that those things which once gave you energy and made you feel good and safe, are not having the same effect.

Cold Depression can feel like low-level apathy and numbness inside. You may feel frozen to yourself and to your feelings.

• What gave you joy in the past no longer holds appeal and you sometimes feel that  life has started to hold little or no meaning.
  Compensating for this emptiness by sleeping too much or not at all.
  Feeling limited, small, undercut, neglected or rejected.
  Going back to your past and reaching for an old identity that you have outgrown or the return of old habits and addictions.
  Little patience or tolerance for others – seeing them as blocks along your path.

Cold Depression is the dismantling of the Ego and is part of the process of becoming fully conscious. The Ego is angry that it does not have the same impact on reality as before – all the usual tricks no longer work. When the Ego loses power in this way – it wants to destroy. Have you noticed how movies, video games, television shows – other media images are becoming more and more violent and shocking? These are the last ditch efforts of the Ego for power and control. Cold Depression is also a build up of anger and hatred directed at yourself for all the times you have betrayed your consciousness – all the times you chose your Ego’s advice and denied the voice of your own Soul.

So, what do we do? The technology of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation is here to support us through this intense time of change. We are being pressured to live by the flow of our Spirit – this is the true source of our energy.  Email drsooryakaur@gmailcom to find out the workshop schedule to Find Energy in All the Right Places.

The weather has changed and the mornings are cooler and crisper. Here is a wonderful early morning caffeine-free tea recipe.  Enjoy!

Yogi Tea (originally given by Yogi Bhajan) (Measurements my taste)
1 Heaping Tablespoon of Black Peppercorns
½ – 1 teaspoon of cloves  (taste depending)
1 Tablespoon of Cardamom Pods (break the skin showing the seeds)
2 inches of fresh ginger root peeled and sliced
3-4 sticks of cinnamon bark

Boil the first 4 ingredients in a pot of water that holds 5-7 liters (6-8 quarts). Once the ingredients have been boiling together for at least 15 minutes, add the cinnamon bark.  Continue cooking until the water has reduced to half the amount.Then it is ready to drink.  For best results let the ingredients sit in the covered pot over night and then pour the Yogi Tea into jars and store in the refrigerator to use as required.  (will last a long time in refrigerator, however we drink to fast)

When you are read to drink it, heat up add some non-dairy almond milk and honey to taste.

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Repetition on a fixed phrase is one way to meditate and detox past negativity is. This will take you to a deeper understanding of the truth of oneself.  It will purge you of past negative thoughts or actions and bring them to the surface to then allow them to leave the sub-conscious mind, freeing oneself of underlying stresses and tensions, leaving you feeling lighter and happier.

Right from the time when we are in the womb our parents and people in our environment can flood our minds with “untruths” which stem from their own insecurities and fears. These become a permanent part of our character and effect all of our actions.  This can be very damaging.

For example, a mother giving birth to a girl when she wants a boy may sigh with disappointment on finding out her baby is a girl.  This simple sigh which seems harmless sends a harmful message to the baby that they are unwanted and this can result in the child feeling a serious sense of abandonment and feeling unloved at such an early stage of their life.

We are constantly telling our children that they are not good enough. We tell them naughty boy or girl, without realizing these innocent minds take it to heart and believe that they are bad.  If you going around thinking you are bad, you will have a low self-esteem and a serious lack of confidence in yourself.  This will affect everything you do in a negative manner.

When you learn to have control of your breath, and you begin to breathe long and deep you become relaxed. When you are relaxed you can handle the simple dramas and traumas that do come, in a calm manner without reaction. Meditation on your breath is the greatest gift mankind has. It is free and always available.

Meditation, yoga, conscious eating, and positive mind will create a healthy, happy, and fulfilled life experience. Live life in love and an attitude of gratitude.

The Meditation

Sat Nam Meditation – Time 7 minutes

“Sat “ means truth and “Nam” means Name. Together they mean Truth is My Identity.

This is a bij (seed) mantra meditation.  Bij mantras such as Sat Nam are sounds which can totally rearrange the habit patterns. This meditation works to clear the mind of past painful thought patterns much as the ocean waves wash the shore. Practice for 7 minutes and the brain patterns begin to shift and the magnetic field surrounding the body increases in strength.

Sit in a comfortable easy pose. Eyes closed. Hands in Gyan Mudra resting on your knees. Concentrate on your breath and take a long and deep inhale through your nostrils. Imagine the waves of the ocean. Open the mouth and allow vibration of  “Saat “ to flow out in 6 waves.  (This becomes your exhale.) Naam (as in Vietnam) is the seventh wave and it chanted in one wave.

Sa     a      a      a      a     at,     Nam.

On each wave, carry the sound through the chakras, or energy centers, beginning at the first center, rectum; concentrate on the color red, the second is the sex organ; concentrate on the color orange, the third is the navel; concentrate on the color yellow,  forth center is the heart; concentrate on the color green, fifth is the throat; concentrate on  the color indigo, sixth is the brow point; concentrate on the color purple, and seventh center is the top of the head; concentrate on white.

Start out with 7 minutes, but increase the time as you like.

Asja, from Bosnia, came to see me in New Delhi to talk about the raw food diet. She was suffering from MS. I saw an angelic face, beautiful smile, warm heart, thin, frail, and a determination to heal herself.  I loved her immediately. Familiar with Kundalini Yoga, Asja started to attend classes that I offered. She came at least 3 times a week regularly. At first I treated her differently from the other students tuning into her “dis-ease ” and being very understanding and gentile with her. As a teacher I coach people to go beyond their comfort zone and get to the other side.  About 8 months later, Asja showed me her medical report. She no longer had MS.  She healed herself!

I CAN

By Asja Dupanovic

There was one yoga class with Soorya in Delhi, in which I won a battle that would change my attitude towards myself and life for good.

I happened to be alone in class that morning. Soorya gave me my exercise – I was to extend my both arms 90 degrees from the floor and make small, anti-clockwise, rotational movements with them. For 11 minutes, she said. If you ever attended her Kundalini yoga class, you would know how long these 11 minutes could be. Looooong. ! And you’d think you couldn’t do it. And you’d want to quit very soon, but not with Soorya there. The loving energy and support with which she empowers her student makes you cross over mountains (short on breath but with a big smile on your face!).

As soon as 30 seconds into the exercise, the pain sat into my arms. Soon after, the pain spread into my shoulders and than into my whole body. Before I knew it, my Ego sat in, with fine qualities of my it’s most favourite identities – I am weak, unable, unworthy, I can’t, I just can’t do it. I became overwhelmed with pity for myself (one of my Ego’s favourite defences), started crying a river and practically fell apart in pieces, right there on my yoga mat. But I kept on rotating my arms. How could I not – feeling all the love and encouragement coming from Soorya’s “YOU CAN DO IT, ASJA, YOU CAN DO IT…” All of the sudden, just as Soorya always told us it would be if we kept on breathing into the pain, as if I crossed some line and – I did it! I did it! The pain was gone! I have won the battle, which began to change the course of my life…The 11 minutes were over just as I was exhilarated with joy.

We enjoyed the moment together for a while and then Soorya said: “Now 11 minutes in the other direction.”
Needles to say – I smiled and did it! And I keep on smiling. The life changing experience of that, and many more yoga mornings with Soorya continues to follow me on my path. Now I know what I need to do when times get tough and I know just how much I CAN.

There are many reasons why I started to eat raw foods as my daily diet, and one of them was to get off of chocolate which I seemed to be eating daily.  Living in India at the time, it was quite a challenge getting good ingredients, but always managed to have raw cocoa powder and raw cocoa butter  in my kitchen.

For my birthday I took myself to a cleansing center in Ko Samui, Thailand.  During my juice cleanse, I attended a class on raw food preparation. The chef spoke about this new product called raw cocoa powder. He showed me a newly released book about the great benefits of raw cocoa powder, written by David Wolfe. He blended a cocoa drink for me to drink during my cleanse, telling me all the wonderful properties of it. Of course I loved it!  After not having any chocolate for 13 months, and happy without it, I was now drinking a chocolate drink on a cleanse! (Problem was he was using Dutch processed and not pure cocoa powder.)  Now I had enough reasons to start eating it again. And I did! This started my chocolate journey once again.  I always wanted to write the center to complain about this, but never did.

I ate raw cocoa treats that I made for many years sometimes daily, fighting the lack of energy during hot summer months in India. Finally, I had to stop as it caused some physical difficulties which no longer served my physical body.

Recently I taught a “Healthier Treats for You and Your Family” class on Maui. Cocoa hearts are always on the menu.  I joined in and ate some after a very long time, and of course loved them. I was so charged I had to take a long evening walk and a swim on the beach to wear myself out.  The next day I wanted more cocoa hearts. I was out of cocoa butter which is one of the ingredients in my recipe, so I used coconut oil instead.  This was faster, had a different texture, and tasted just as good.  However, this time, I could  sleep at night, no physical problems, or skin eruptions. Wow! Now I started to think that the cocoa butter has more stimulants than the cocoa powder itself.

I won’t be adding this treat to my daily diet, because it does have a physical effect on me, but now once in awhile I know I can enjoy without staying up all night!  Everything in moderation!

Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of the most beautiful quaint romantic places to be at Christmas time . The plaza is lined with luminaries, nativity scenes grace the park, often it snows, and people are enjoying going shop to shop, cafe to cafe. Living in New Mexico for 12 years I learned to love Mexican Food, especially Enchiladas.  All year round one can order Enchiladas X-Mas style. That simply means red and green chili on top.  This raw vegan dish is as good as the cooked one!

There are many steps to this. I suggest you start the day before making the Spinach tortillas first.

Spinach Tortilla

Ingredients:
8 ounces fresh spinach washed and dried
¼ teas salt
1 T lemon juice
1 T Golden Flax Meal
4  X ‘s this recipe to make 12 rounds.

Tools

Food Processor, Dehydrator with texflex sheets.

Tips:

Organic Baby Spinach works the best.

Instructions

Process the spinach first, then add the remaining ingredients and continue to process until all blended.   You will be able to make 4 per dehydrator tray.  Spoon approx 2 T and with the back of your spoon go in a circle forming the tortilla.  Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 3-4 hours. As soon as you can flip them over, dehydrate another 2 hours. Keep checking you want them to be moist but done.

Next prepare the Red and Green Chili.

Mexican Red Chili

¾ cup chopped tomatoes
1 ½ ounce dried chili flakes
1 teas chopped fresh oregano
1 teas minced garlic
1 teas ground cumin
1 teas lemon juice
½ teas apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon Chipolte powder
1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 ½ teaspoon date paste
Blend the above ingredients together.
Then add small cubed seeded tomatoes to it.

Green Chili Sauce

½ chopped jalapeno
¼ cup packed Cilantro
6 T lime juice
4 chopped green onions
½ teas chopped garlic
1 teas salt
½ teas cumin
1/8 teas freshly ground black pepper
¼ teas oregano
¼ up water if needed

Blend the above ingredients together.

Filling

Makes 1 ½ pate for 3-6 Enchildas

1 cup soaked sunflower seeds (at least soak for 4 hours)
1 Jalapeno pepper
¾ teas chopped garlic
3 T lime juice
1 chopped scallion using 4 inches of greens
½ cup packed, chopped cilantro
½ teas salt
2 teas tomato puree made from sun-dried tomatoes
1 teas Chipolte powder

Put the pate filling on one spinach tortilla and roll it.
Next put red and green  chili on top.
Top with a nut cream.

Serve with Guacomole and Calabisitas

Almonds are the only nuts that have an alkaline reaction to the body. One-fifth of the weight of almonds is protein. Almonds are power-packed with potassium, calcium, magnesium, folic acid, riboflavin, fiber, phosphorus, and vitamin E. Almond oil is one of the best oils for the skin and is most nutritious.
Almonds skins have a high concentration of tannic acid. Research has indicated that tannic acid may interfere with the body’s uptake of iron. Once the almond has been soaked, the acid may be leached out. It is preferably to remove the skins.

Soaking and Sprouting

Soak about 1 cup at a time. It is easy to remember to soak them before you go to bed and by morning they are ready. Once you remove the skins you can store in a glass jar in water, and store in the refrigerator. This can keep up to one week if you regularly change the water. Removing skins off the almonds. The skins of the almonds can pop off by squeezing the bottoms. Sometimes you have stubborn ones and a small knife may be useful. Another option if you are in a hurry is to plunge the almonds into bowl of hot water and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. The almonds skins will pop off easy. You need to add a little cool water to the bowl, so the temperature of the water can be handled. However, this is not the true raw food method, but convenient one when needed.

Tools

Blender
Nut Milk Bag

Ingredients

30 Almonds soaked and peeled
14 ounces of purified water
Makes 2 cups of Almond milk

Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients in a high-powdered blender, and blend until smooth.
2. To separate the “milk” from the almond pulp, squeeze through a cloth mesh bag or a double layer of cheesecloth. Reserve the pulp.
3. The milk may be stored in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
4. Store leftover almond pulp in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Use pulp in cakes and cookies,as is, or dehydrate and create almond flour.
Now that you have the plain almond milk you may use it as a base for smoothies and sauces.

Serves 2-4

When I lived in Los Angeles I often ate at a restaurant called “La Scala”.   My favorite dish to order was a chopped salad. I also ordered Cole Slaw and put it on the top. It was so good. I believe it was made with only green cabbage, but it was the dressing that I loved. When I thought about making my own recipe using raw techniques I came up with a dressing very similar but used my childhood recipe ingredients, which are carrots and cabbage.

What added to the taste of “La Scala’s” slaw was the way the cabbage and carrots were cut.  In my opinion that is why it tastes so great.

Tools

Saladacco, mandolin, or any tool that allows you to make very thin spiral slices.
For the cabbage all you need is a potato peeler to shred very fine. (new discovery for me)
Blender (mixy as they are referred to in India)

The Recipe

½ of medium size
Green Cabbage shredded fine
2 large Carrots shredded fine
1 cup Almond Milk (See Almond Milk recipe here)
1 T + 1 teas Raspberry Vinegar or Apple cider vinegar
½ teas of Salt or to taste
½ teas of Pepper or to taste
1
½ T Agave or honey
2 T Olive Oil
Mustard wet (optional)

Instructions

Shred the cabbage with the peeler. Next peel the carrots and put through the saladacco. To use the saladacco you will need to cut the carrot about 2 ½ to 3 inches to put into the machine. I always buy wide carrots for this purpose. This will make the carrot spirals very fine. In the blender add the remaining ingredients and blend.
If you have time, it tastes even better after vegetables have soaked in the dressing.