I first heard about Guru Jagat a few years ago at Make Yourself Move. Undine was really into her, and when I saw Guru Jagat soon after this at a workshop in Berlin, I was struck by her incredible size. Not her physical size, rather her aura.
It was quite impressive. I’ve been practicing Kundalini Yoga with Guru Jagat via her online portal Ra Ma TV almost daily this past year. I love her way of saying it like it is, her humor that gives me belly-laughs and her fresh way of bringing spirituality to the world.
She’s a gem because she is different – she’s something special. Guru Jagat is a grown-up and doesn’t fit into the stereotype of the waifish Yoga fairy – she’s got something to say. And she’s really good at it.
A few weeks ago, I attended her Kundalini Yoga immersion in Palma and really enjoyed the community that has sprung up around her. As of this coming Friday, she’ll be touring Germany and Switzerland. Don’t miss this chance to practice live with her. She is a wonderful Kundalini Yoga teacher, and I suspect that we’ll hear quite a lot from her in coming years.
Guru Jagat, you often say that Kundalini Yoga is a technology. What do you mean by that?
What I mean by Kundalini being a technology is that it is an advanced, sophisticated system that works with the operating system of the human being, just as other technology is an advanced system that has a main frame and helps to sophisticate and advance all sorts of parts of our life, the technology of Kundalini Yoga does the same thing for the human computer, the human operating system.
Can anyone practice Kundalini Yoga?
Anyone can practice Kundalini Yoga – in any given class, like today, we had babies all the way up to people in their eighties. I had a paraplegic man in class yesterday. It really is for everyone.
I sometimes wonder how you do it all – you’re on the road a lot, have recently opened four successful Yoga studios, have even bigger plans and are basically unstoppable. You always seem strong and energized. What’s your secret?
My secret to being strong and energized is, well – I’ll give you three guesses (laughs) – Kundalini Yoga. No, really – it’s certainly my practice, it’s my relationship with my teacher, it’s my diet, it’s keeping my subconscious mind clean and keeping focused on the positive – optimism and focus in the right places are some of the greatest tools we have because they are clean-burning energy. And I don’t mean being unrealistic – just staying positive, keeping your eyes on the prize, and serving others is a big part of my mission and of what gives me unstoppable energy.
Is Harijiwan your spiritual teacher, after Yogi Bhajan? Or how else would you describe your connection?
Harijiwan is my spiritual teacher, after Yogi Bhajan. He’s my living teacher, Yogi Bhajan – I knew him briefly at the end of his life and now Harijiwan is my human, ‘in-body’ spiritual teacher.
You’ve also interacted briefly with Osho’s teachings. What caught your attention there?
Certainly, the freedom, and the kind of intellectualism, and the desire to ask questions about conventional life and why we do certain things – that definitely caught my eye and my heart in terms of Osho’s teachings. Osho certainly incarnated to rewrite human history in many, many ways, and that always catches my eye.
If you had to sum up your time with Yogi Bhajan in one sentence, what would you say that he taught you?
The time that I spent with Yogi Bhajan – which was very subtle and brief because he was very sick – basically, the biggest transmission at that time was put more into my aura. I couldn’t cognitively understand it, but ultimately what I could understand was ‘obey, serve, love, excel.’ So, what he told me to do, I did – I obeyed and it has gotten me everywhere.
Are you strict with yourself? If so, in what way?
I am motivated by a clear mind and body. I am also interested in contrast, because we live on a polarity-planet, and mastering polarity is, I think, a Yogi’s job. So, I would not say that I’m strict – I don’t look at it in that way, in terms of self-discipline – I look at it as self-discipleship. There are certain things that I need to do in order to be of greatest service, and there are certain ways I need to treat my body and perform in my life – exercise and meditation, and kindness to myself and others. Keeping my body clean and my environments clean – there are certain things that are a part of having to perform at a high level. I look at it that way, rather than strictness.
You recently started the Aquarian Women’s Leadership Society. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
Aquarian Women’s Leadership Society is a global online society of women who are challenging themselves in multiple ways – mind, body and spirit – socially, creatively, in their spiritual practice, in their relationship to themselves and each other, and in their relationship to the world. So, every month I curate a mandala of these types of challenges, practices, and invitations for more thought-provoking conversation and community throughout the world. It’s really shaping up to be such a deep and delightful experience for all the women across the world. It’s also very enriching – women’s lives are changing and it’s just an amazing part of the work I get to do.
I love your Yoga studio in Mallorca. What made you decide to open a space there?
I wanted to open a space in Europe because I wanted to have a flagship there – we have a lot of viewers on Ra Ma TV in Europe, we have a very international crowd. I wanted it to be kind of a fun place, more of a destination rather than the daily grind. I felt that Mallorca is going to be the next hot spot for wellness and thought-leaders, and just in the time we’ve been there it’s already becoming that more and more. I’m very excited, and it’s such a beautiful studio – it’s the crown jewel of the Ra Ma brand.
The Ra Ma festival is coming up this summer – what can we expect to experience there?
The first annual Ra Ma festival is happening this summer on Mallorca, August 17th-19th in Palma at our studio, Ra Ma Institute for Applied Yogic Science and Technology. We’re putting together a whole long-weekend experience of wellness leaders and thought leaders, panels, obviously Kundalini Yoga and meditation, sound science, nutritional science, community, music, mantric science – we’re going to have some beautiful musicians! We’re putting together this first edition of what will become a very big festival in the future of this Aquarian age of festival experiences – where the mind and the body and heart are all stimulated in a drug and alcohol-free environment. Meeting new friends and creating connections to other people who are doing amazing things in the world – so, that’s the vision, and already our roster is lining up to be quite an amazing collection of tastemakers and thought-leaders! I hope that you can actually do something, Madhavi!
Your book „Invincible Living“ is a best seller in the US and has just appeared in German. What’s the essence of the book?
‘Invincible Living’ just came out in German (unbesiegbar leben*), and the essence of the book is really that anyone who wants to better their lives, clear their minds, become healthier, can use any of the practices – you can just open up the book to any page and you’ll get a skillset, a practice or something simple that you can start to integrate into your life and it will better your life. I think everyone’s looking for optimization in their lives in some way or another, so the book really covers a huge amount of area in terms of all the aspects of our lives. There’s something for everyone, from sex, to relationships, to beauty secrets, to anti-ageing, to de-stressing, to taking your anxiety down – there’s just a plethora of material in there. It’s really a one-stop-shop!
What’s your take on nutrition? How do you eat?
I’m kind of a mono-eater in some ways. I like to eat really simply. I resonate with ancient ayurvedic cooking and macrobiotic cooking. The yogis also ate this way. I like to eat a couple of things at a time, at the very most. I was a raw-foodist in my 20s, I eat much more cooked food in my 30s, but just very clean, simple and nutritious food. And then you have your moments when you have a rich meal, and it’s delicious and it’s with friends and family and it’s a wonderful experience. I feel that food is here to serve us, and I think that our relationship to it in gratitude is really the most important part.
What’s the best Kriya for early spring?
The best Kriya for early spring is the P-fruit set that I’ve launched.
Which person, dead or alive, would you love to meet and why?
I would love to meet Yoko Ono – she’s really on my list. I think she’s an incredibly artist, trailblazer and woman. I think she’s done so much for the world of art and thought and society in general. I’d love to meet her.
Thank you Guru Jagat!
Raffle
I’m raffling two tickets for her Germany and Switzerland tour. Simply comment on this post on the Kaerlighed Facebook page. On April 4th, 2018 I’ll draw a lucky winner lottery-style. Important: please note in your comment which of Guru Jagat’s events you would like to attend! Good luck! All decisions are final. Recourse to legal action is excluded!! Good luck!
#staytrue
Madhavi
© Luigi Vitali
*Affiliate Link