Barbara Streisand, Blowfish and Boogie: Kundalini Yoga According to Gurmukh

Yoga guru Gurmukh is a superstar in her own right.

 

Picture: Gurmukh at Triyoga

On Friday 20th May 2011 I went to a life-changing Kundalini yoga workshop lead by US yoga guru and worldwide celebrity Gurmukh. Her great spiritual presence and sense of humour could light up the darkest room.

In a packed yoga studio at Triyoga Soho, a bunch of Gurmukh devotees religiously followed her gentle yoga instructions to achieve enlightenment and have a good giggle in the process.



I found it quite funny how Los Angeles-based Gurmukh name-dropped quite early on into her workshop by mentioning that she was talking to Barbara Streisand at a garden party. Having said that, her introduction to the benefits of meditation was accurate and hype-free. Meanwhile, a group of loud Friday night drinkers were talking and laughing holding their pints in a pub at street level and we could hear them from the serenity of the airy top floor of the building. Stress, according to Gurmukh, is the mind/ego that want to hold you back by making you focus on your past and your past mistakes. That is why people need their drink on a Friday night to be able to free themselves and finally get the courage to say what they really think. They probably don’t realise that they could achieve the same results by doing yoga and meditation! People choose to find a connection in a way that is right for them, be it in a pub or in a yoga class. Again, I found Gurmukh’s non-judgmental attitude extremely refreshing.

The 2 hour workshop aimed at freeing up the whole body from stress and stiffness using specific exercises (which reminded me of a mixture between Pilates and Jane Fonda’s ’80s aerobics) which mobilised the whole spine and joints. Even the face got a bit of a workout: in a technique where you literally end up looking like a blowfish, you can give yourself a mini-facial by bringing fresh blood and oxygen to the skin by filling your cheeks with air (just like when you try to blow a candle) without letting the air out. Then, while still holding the air in your cheeks, you had to roll your eyes in a clockwise and anti-clockwise motion. Silly as it may sound, this can help with improving your eyesight and your complexion.

Kundalini yoga is a very active form of exercise that can help focus the mind and reach higher states of consciousness. It is also fun and exhilarating, so much so that, toward the end of the workshop, we were all told to dance around like carefree children along to some vigorous drumming music.

The impression I got from the whole experience was that Gurmukh is a smart businesswoman. At first, having seen some of Gurmukh’s work on youtube, I was quite skeptical. Having been to the workshop and seeing the lady in action (at a very youthful 63 I should add), I must admit that I felt that Gurmukh has genuine compassion towards fellow human beings, and she has a warmth and sense of humour that are showbiz and down to earth at the same time.

Gurmukh’s website: Golden Bridge Yoga

Change the world from within. Credits: Gurmukh333’s youtube channel.