Tag Archive for: yogi bhajan

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck or in a rut, stagnant and confused? You want to move and you know you should, but for some reason you can’t. You may hear yourself saying statements like, “I don’t know what to do. I’m in a rut.” We all struggle with this sometimes, and if you’re struggling right now, I invite you to try this New Year Kundalini Yoga Meditation for a Fresh Start for your life. This guided meditation is designed to bring you Liberation!

Liberation by definition means: the act of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression; release. Freedom from limits on thought or behavior. Sometimes our imprisonment is self imposed. We get so caught up in our story that we do not realize we can walk out of it and create a new story. But how? This dynamic Kundalini Meditation can help move you off the hamster wheel into a Fresh Start. It can help push through mental and energy blocks and bring renewal and rejuvenation to your life.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

New Year Kundalini Yoga Meditation

Never assume that you’re stuck with the way things are. Life changes, and so can you.

You have the power to move forward no matter what obstacles block your path. The power is within you. You just need to shift your vibration. It’s like changing lanes on a highway or getting off the dead end onto a new pathway.  This meditation is designed to energetically put you on the right path. Try it for 9 minutes, everyday for 40 days and break through your blocks! Shift your energy and rise your awesomeness!

“For every beautiful thing, you have to pass through a valley of hardship. There is no liberation without labor. There is no freedom which is free. To create in you the power to create the intelligence which will give you power to be effective in your own living and give you satisfaction in your own joy, you have to work for it, you have to earn it.” Yogi Bhajan

So will you join us in a fresh start to your New Year? Only  9 minutes a day. We’d love to hear from you.Let us know how it works for you. Share your story here on the blog so we can all help each other on our Soul Journey.

 

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I’ll be sharing spiritual tools and tips here on Shine Your Light as I journey across the globe to the core of the soul. So sign up for the newsletter on the bottom of this page. I’d love to have you virtually travel with me on the Soul Journey.  And connect with me on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram

I share tools, tips and stories about my travels. And of course, more meditation techniques and free videos.

Feel free to share with someone who you feel might resonate with.

 

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If you would like go deep in your transformation… join me on two retreats in 2019.

ENERGY DETOX – LEARN THE ART OF ENERGY MEDICINE TO HEAL YOUR BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT in THAILAND 

Shift and Shape Your Reality to Create YOUR Greatest Vision of Life

APRIL 25-MAY 2019

https://jewelsbertrand.com/retreat-thailand/

 

EXPLORE YOUR SPIRIT in SANTORINI, GREECE

Spirit Voyage Kundalini Awakening and Akashic Records Retrieval 

OCTOBER 14 – 20, 2019

https://jewelsbertrand.com/santorini-retreat/

 

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Kundalini Full Moon Meditation

Sa Re Sa Sa

Happy Full Moon!

Today I share with you an ancient meditation that yogis and sages have done for thousands of years on the day and eve of the Full Moon. Meditating at the time of a full moon is very powerful. You can use this time to plant seeds of intention and to let go of that which is not serving you.  And on the night of the new moon you can revisit this garden of intention tend to it as you manifest your garden of dreams into reality. As you work through this cycle, it will help you to clear blockages and utilize the cosmic energies to bring about awakening and expansion.

I recorded this video on an enchanting beach in Thailand as the light of moon shined through the palm trees and cast its glow against the waters and rocks. It was a warm day in Thailand, but the night air brought in a cool breeze. I had spent most of the day quietly alone and recorded the meditation to share what it can do for you.

 

(Recorded in Tonsai, Thailand)

Under the full moon, your energy is amplified and pathways are open so that you are able look within. You become centered and able to release low vibrations that are causing inner conflicts. These conflicts can arise as stress, fear, sadness, indecision, dis-ease or blockages in your natural state of flow

With the moon’s alignment to the earth, you can harness the energy to become the authority. To transcend the mind and unite to the Divinity within. It allows you to release, cleanse and completes cycles, patterns and recurring situations. It’s a time where you can reset your course.

The meditation I show you in this video is called the Antar Naad.  It is a Kundalini Yoga meditation that is specifically done under the Full Moon. When the Kundalini Master, Yogi Bhajan brought this meditation to the west from India, he said that by doing it, it will give you the capacity conquer the wisdom of your past, present, and future. It brings you on a pathway to peace and prosperity even if you are far off that course.

It uses a mantra (chant) and mudra (hand movement) that effectively cuts through negativity from within oneself and awakens us to our Infinite Creative energy. The meditation is so powerful, that  burns away obstacles to that block us from achieving our higher consciousness. It’s acts as a keycode to activating the flow of the Kundalini energy that opens the gateway to your highest awareness. It balances your chakras, strengthens the aura and empowers your authority to make decisions. It allows you to release low vibrations that may be clinging to you.

I have had the opportunity to teach it countless times and it’s been a favorite and frequent request at many of my classes. Try it out and tell us what you think in the comments. Feel free to share it with those who you feel could use it. Together we can utilize these tools to uplift each and everyone of us.

Peace and blessings and may you Shine Your Light, big and bright.

Would you like to join us for the Sacred Journey Meditation and Healing Retreat on a tropical island in Thailand? Our next one is 29 Jan – 5 Feb, 2018. Early bird specials are happening this week. Message me for details at [email protected] 

For more info and photos, check out our full retreat page page at:  http://jewelsbertrand.com/retreat/ or

Can’t make it to Thailand but would like a personal yoga, reiki or cord-cutting session? Head over to the Work With Me section on my web-site. I can work with you via Skype or WhatsApp.

I also offer private Yoga, Meditation and Spiritual Retreats. Great for a personal one to one retreat or with your friends, family, wedding and business retreats. Email me to create your personal sacred journey in Thailand, Bali, Greece, California, Nepal or the land of your dreams.

Today I’m going to share with you a really awesome meditation for all of the super driven business and career minded, readers out there. If you have an intense job, or powerful aspirations and could use a little divine magic to help you get there, THIS MEDITATION technique is for YOU.

I know there’s a lot of type A personalities like me who are reading this. Honestly, I wish I had this meditation when I was back in my super intense, New York City, advertising days.

Does any of this resonate with you?

  • You push yourself super hard in your work
  • You always feel like you need to do more in your business
  • You don’t feel worthy unless you are successful in your business
  • You are overwhelmed in achieving your desired success

It takes a lot of focus and work to  drive success… but often times  this comes with a lot of stress. The intensity to keep up that level can build up and it becomes like a pressure cooker. That’s where this meditation can really help.

The posture and mantra used in this ancient Kundalini technique gives you ENERGY, STRENGTH and CONVICTION. It gives you the POWER to believe in yourself. It builds your foundation of SELF RELIANCE. And BEST of all is it turns the table whereby success serves you rather than you having to battle for it.

IT also allows you to SEPARATE your IDENTITY from your success…”So you don’t then get all caught up in EGO. Instead, you live in the JOY, CONTENTMENT and in GRATITUDE of you SUCCESS.

Watch the video below. Try it out for a week or you can cultivate it in a 40 day practice. Start with 11 minutes and you can work up to 31 minutes.

Let us know your experiences in the comments section and feel free to share it with someone you think can benefit from it. And if you like the video hit like below. And if you know someone who could benefit from this meditation, feel free to share.

Sat nam,

Jewels Bertrand

Stress Relief Spotlight – Reiki

As I write today’s blog entry, I’ve just come back from the Rocky Mountains where I completed my last Reiki training to become a Reiki Master Teacher. Now I am able to train others to be Reiki practitioners. For those of you don’t know quite what Reiki is, let me tell you. Because Reiki is a beautiful way to manage stress!

My first attunement to Reiki was in early 2009. And it came to me just at the time I needed it. It was during what I call my Divine Storm. My father had recently past-away from ALS and within a year, my childhood kitty and chocolate lab also died. Oh, and to make matters worse, I had just been laid off from my job along with 2000+ others from my company. It was at this time that I felt such a loss of identity that I needed a spiritual retreat.

mcleodSo I packed my bags, rented out my apartment and embarked on a three-month trip to India to further my yoga studies. I landed in Delhi and took an all day train ride up in the northern mountains to a little Tibetan town where the Dalai Lama lives called Mcleodganj. I was to spend the whole month there getting my Yoga 200 Hour Teacher Training Certification. I was so ready to delve into my studies, yoga and meditation. Honesty, I was exhausted. I had spent over a decade, wheeling and dealing in the demanding advertising world in New York City. All the while I was living with the harsh reality that any day my father could lose his life. Over 10 years of intense stress! I had enough.

As I arrived in Mcleodganj, I thought I was going to be able to relax. Ha! Not quite. The universe had more for me to deal with. On my 2nd day, I was hit with Delhi Belly. Ever hear of that??? I’m sure you can imagine! I’ve never been sicker in my life! I won’t get into the gory details but I was sick, in pain, dehydrated and delirious. At some point, I must have fallen asleep without locking my door. I had it unlocked because the yoga teachers were coming by to serve me with electrolytes and soup throughout the day. The lil apartment I rented was on the ground floor and there had been workers outside doing construction. At around midnight I heard a noise. In my hazy grogginess I looked up expecting to see one of the teachers… only to find a stranger in my home with his hand on my wallet and passport.

Holy Roar!

I don’t know who entered into my soul but I screamed in such a low, loud roar that I scared myself. The man stared back at me wide-eyed with fear, dropped my belongings and ran for the hills. Me… I sat on my bed, motionless, not quite knowing what to do. Geez, what more could happen to me???

With my emotions completely out of whack, the kind staff at Himalaya Yoga Valley suggested that I see an amazing Reiki healer they knew of in town. The said it would bring me back into vibrational alignment. I didn’t know much about Reiki at the time but I was desperate to try anything. So I went. I did three Reiki sessions in three days. I mean, I was off, so I was going for it. It’s strange, it saw really subtle, but super powerful. It was like a spiritual awakening.me in something in canyons It both grounded me and connected me with spirit. From it, I drew the power from within, was able shake away my fears; and gain the mental and physical strength to carry on with my month-long yoga teacher training. I passed the training with flying colors. Of course I did, my chakras where alive and spinning for the first time in years. I knew I had to help others experience this incredible sensation. So upon graduation, I headed to Nepal where I met a wonderful Reiki Master. Along with two other wayward siSTAR travelers I met on
a bus ride through Nepal, together we were initiated into the practice and became attuned to Reiki Level 1.

So what exactly is Reiki???

 Rei – means Universal or Divine Wisdom and Ki – means Life Force Energy. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided, life force energy.”

Reiki is a Japanese energetic healing therapy. In the East it’s used widely. And over the past decade it has gained popularity in the West. Here’s how the NCCAM, the Federal Government’s lead agency for scientific research on alternative medicine describes it:

Reiki is a healing method based on an Eastern belief in an energy that supports the body’s natural ability to heal. “It is natural and non-invasive. It is effective in relieving pain and reducing stress, restores and balances emotions and is effective in healing virtually all illnesses. It works both on your spirit-energetic level and the physical body.”

How Reiki is Performed

The Reiki practitioner lays her hands on or above the recipient’s body while the recipient is lying down or seated in a chair. Reiki can also be performed distantly, where the practitioner can perform a full session without actually being in the same room with the client. A session usually last an hour.

Whole Person Healing Properties

As Reiki treats the whole person — body, emotions, mind and spirit, the recipient can expect to feel more relaxed, peaceful and at ease. The sensation varies from person to person. Some clients describe it as a relaxing, gentle journey and other’s have described it as feeling a powerful release of negative energies that upon leaving them, allows them feeling energized and vibrant. It’s responds to what your body needs at the time and it will never feel the same.

I’ve been performing Reiki on clients since 2009. I owned a Reiki / Chakra Balance studio in Santa Monica, California and these days travel internationally helping clients in Greece, Thailand, Nepal and across the globe. I also work with clients via the phone or internet. The most common reasons clients come to see me is because they are feeling stuck in their lives, or they are experiencing emotional or physical pain. I love the before and after change from my clients when finished. They always look so relaxed, glowing and radiant.

If you’re feeling out of balance physically or emotionally, you might want to consider giving it a try. Message me to have a free consultation. After speaking, we can schedule a treatment that works best for your needs

I am also holding private Reiki Level 1, Level 2 and Master classes. Click HERE for more info 

Here’s to living Happy, Healthy and Stress Free!

Shine on,

Jewels Bertrand

Gypsy Jewels Bertrand Soul Journey Koh Phangan Thailand

 

Have you ever found yourself spinning out of control and stressing out on your projects? If you anything like me, a type A personality, then you probably know what I’m talking about. In fact, I found myself doing just that recently. 

 

Earlier last year, I embarked on a journey to expand my yoga accreditation and enrolled in Kundalini yoga teacher training. For me, Kundalini yoga is totally amazing and I LOVE the way it makes me feel. It’s quite different from traditional hatha or vinyasa yoga which I’ve been teaching since around 2007. Kundalini is known as yoga of awareness. It’s actually a science. It uses a mixture of movement, breath work, mantra and meditation to calm the body and elevate the spirit. The benefits are remarkable! After a class, you leave feeling incredibly revived and connected to the inner guidance within your heart and to the higher universal energies. Honestly, its magical!

 

Well… that’s the way I felt about it up until I signed up for the training. Now let me start by saying, my teachers are great. The best in the world! I have so much respect for them. The practicum is fabulous. But as per my usual type A personality, I started to stress out about it… all the reading, the final test, 12 hour days in class. My mind went into overload and I thought, oh God, can I really absorb all of this.

 

Why Do We Put So Much Pressure On Ourselves?

 

You see, right out of the gate, I started to worry about the end result. Nine months of work if ya look at it all at once is of course overwhelming. And the final test, YIKES. Why was I worrying about that now? So much unnecessary pressure! I was taking all the fun out of what I came to do… to learn more about this beautiful practice so that I can grow in my spirituality and in turn help others to grow. But here I was, getting all freaked out. 

 

Does any of this resonate with you? Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? 

 

As I explained this to a dear friend who is also a Kundalini yoga teacher, she looked at me quizzically and said, “Why in the world would you get so caught up on the tests? You said yourself you love kundalini yoga. You’ll learn more by living it, going to the classes, submerging yourself in the lifestyle… and then it will come to you naturally and organically.”

 

She proceeded to tell me a poignant story about her college days. That she did all kinds of things that were good for the resume. Becoming student president, joining clubs, doing all sorts of extra curricular activities. But she didn’t do all of these things because she felt she had to for her resume, rather she did this because she was enjoying all of them. 

sev-school-stress-mdn

Conversely a friend of hers had done all the same, but attached a ton of stress to it. You see, this person was doing it because she felt she had to do it. She overloaded herself not only with the workload, but with non-productive anxiety and pressure. Unfortunately for this girl, she crashed and

and actually dropped out of school.

 

Which brings me to a simple realization, we don’t have to fight through life. Do the things you love, because you love it. And let your grip release from the end results. You’ll be much more apt to enjoy the process. Stress out and put undue pressure on yourself, and you may very well crash and burn and perhaps lose the entire benefit or love for what you started out doing to begin with. And what a shame that would be!

 

My mantra for today is “Let go and do what you love for the love of it. Period, end of story. Attach nothing to it and let it all unfold beautifully.”

And do help you smoothly sail along your journey, here are three of my top three tips to Keep Calm…

1. STOP OVER ANALYZING AND START DOING. Yogi Bhajan would say, “When the time is on you, start and the pressure will be off.” Just by consciously engaging in the relationship of your project puts you in the game. Work on it, put your energy into it. The act of starting and taking steps everyday will get you closer to the finish line. 

2. CHOOSE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT YOU CAN HUMANLY GET DONE. Break it down. In my case, the training is broken down into 9 months. That’s a lot of time to get all that work and study done. In that 9 months, we break it down to weekly, and then monthly goals. So get out a pen and start to dissect your project into digestible, realistic chunks.

3. REWARD YOURSELF. What happens to a car if you drive it non stop? You will run out of gas of course. Set rewards for the work you have done. Once you’ve finished a chunk of the work, give yourself a gift. Maybe a walk to the park, have dinner with a friend, take a yoga class. And repeat this Love Mantra, repeat it until you believe it. ” have done great work. Congratulations. (insert your name here).

I hope you can translate this into your own life and KEEP CALM and do it for the LOVE.

 

If this story resonates with you, you think it could benefit someone else, feel free to share. After all sharing is caring and it just may help someone you know. 

Shine on,

Jewels Bertrand 

colorado mudra

 

burned, got sick

 

As some of you know, I have recently committed to expanding my yoga teaching accreditations to encompass Kundalini Yoga. I’m in a 9 month training course studying under some of the best Kundalini Teachers in the world. Guru Singh, Amrit Khalsa, Guru Prem Singh and Simran Khalsa, just to name a few.

 

Discipline 

As part of this intense teacher training, we were required chose and perform a specific 40 day kriya (physical yoga practice) along with a meditation. The direction was to do this practice for 40 days straight. If ya miss a day, ya have to start over. Needless to say, The discipline it took to finish this 40 days was at times extremely difficult and arduous.  And being the over achieve that my nature dictates, I chose a rather rigorous kriya. Ugh, what was I thinking???

 

No Time

Often times when I mention that I’m a yoga teacher, people tell me… “Oh, I wish I could go to yoga, but I just don’t have the time.” 

 

Ya know, life is pretty much always full. We manage our home life, personal life, work life, social life, deadlines and commitments. Most of us have a pretty full plate. But if we don’t take care of the most important aspect of our lives, YOU, what do you have? 

 

But what if…

And what if by doing spiritual practice like yoga or meditation it actually helped you along in your life? Helped things to move in and out more freely, helped you to feel better, be more peaceful and calm. And what if it actually helped to open doorways and opportunities for you? Wouldn’t it be worth it?

 

That’s pretty much been my experience with my spiritual practice since I first began my yoga journey almost 10 years ago. Oh I’ve gone through sh*t storms just like everyone else. But somehow, when I keep in my practice, I can draw the power to center myself in the eye of the storm. Chaos swirling all around me, but steadily and gracefully I stand. And just if by magic, things turn out just the way they should.

 

Transformation

During my actual 40 day Kundalini spiritual practice, I have experienced such transformation. I was joking to my fellow students during our last meeting. Saying that with all the change and movement, uncertainty and shedding that I’ve gone through this month, the old me would have mentally broken down or hid in bed. But with the Kundalini yoga and meditation, I was able to keep up and spiral up. 

 

I mean, my plate was full. I had to travel back and forth across the country, pack up and move from my Manhattan apartment I loved and called hOMe for almost a decade, sell all of my furniture, get through Christmas, entertain guests, start a new business, move my life to my new home and still go through 14 hour days of teacher training. 

 

Powering through

I needed to be extremely disciplined and dedicated. Yet during every single aspect of it, I endured. Oh trust me, at times I cursed it. Screaming up to the heavens to the beloved Kundalini yogi master, Yogi Bhajan saying, “I am too tired, can’t I just skip a day?”  LOL.  And then there were the times that I cruised through the practice with joy and ease. 

 

Victory 

I can proudly say, I finished it! And all I can say is, wow. I feel so radiant, so calm and strong. I have a sense of freedom. Like I unleashed the inner warrior within me and I’m ready to take on the world. 

free-flow-sign

 

I read a lot of books and articles about practices of successful people. And low and behold, ya know one common thread? A daily spiritual practice. Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, Gabby Bernstein, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Russell Simmons, Arianna Huffington, Russell Brand, Hugh Jackman, Gweneth Paltrow, Richard Gere, Sting, Orlando Bloom, Katie Perry, Howard Stern, I could go on. 

 

I’m telling ya, this stuff is powerful!!!

 

I leave you with these words by Yogi Bhajan referring to Kundalini Yoga. I find this quote so comforting

 

“Keep up and you will be kept up”

 

Please Share

If you enjoyed this blog, please share it with a friend. Sharing is caring. 

 

What Is Your Experience

I’d love to hear your insights. Do you have a daily practice or ritual that elevates you? The conversation continues below. Something you bring up may help someone else in their journey.

Sat nam,

Jewels Bertrand