Yogi Bhajan

As a teenager Harbajan Singh became a master of yoga. Harbajan Singh left a lucrative job with the Indian Government to follow his calling to teach Kundalini Yoga to the West. This was an incredible act of selfless service and courage. Not only did it mean (initially) a period of intense poverty, and separation and hardship for his family, but by trying to liberate us from the narrow insanity of our daily existence, he was going against over a thousand years of prohibition by great Masters. Masters never taught the most valuable of oriental jewels in public. His death within a year of such a transgression was energetically predicted. It takes a truly great person to stand by them- selves against the tide of everything that made and nourished them. And it takes a saint to give their life entirely without complaint to serving people who don't understand, and whose lack of understanding and awareness sometimes took the form of ridicule, suspicions and treachery.

Since becoming the MahanTantric, (the only living Master of White
Tantric Yoga) in 1971, Yogi Bhajan conducted workshops in cities around the world. In 1987 he transferred these workshops to videotape, calling them "Renew to be New" Courses, which continue to be held worldwide.

Yogi Bhajan, as he was affectionately known to hundreds of thousands of adherents worldwide, left structures and communities that are spreading the message of service, prosperity and devotion (Happy, Holy and Healthy). Himself a devout Sikh for whom Guru Ram Das was his personal Guru, he inspired many of his students to follow his example and also become Sikhs. For this he was honoured in 1971 with the title of the Siri Singh Sahib, Chief Religious and Administrative Authority for the Western Hemisphere, and in 1974 he was honored with the title Bhai Sahib by the Al. 'Bhai' means brother and 'Sahib' means an honorable friend.

However Yogi Bhajan's express design was to create teachers (who through their own inner journey/way of being would reach out to others) rather than followers, and for that no particular faith was expected or necessary. Only a willingness to learn and to serve.

Yogi Bhajan passed from his physical body in October 2004, after years of sacrificing his own health to serve the mission he had undertaken. It is hard from a distance to understand his character, but he was a typical Saturn teacher. Tough as iron, strong as a mountain, he never held back from directly delivering the teaching required by the student, however hard it may have appeared to be. He did everything with absolute love, and with such humour and enjoyment in life, that he was greatly loved in return by those whose lives he touched. 

His legacy to humankind is a body of teachings and practice that offer us a direct experience of our real, divine identity. 

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FS 2006