Eat Your Stress Away Kundalini Yoga, like all yoga, is most effective when practiced as a lifestyle. In my very first class at a Kundalini Yoga ashram nearly 50 years ago, I became aware of the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen as they prepared their evening...
Gong Baths – No Clothes, No Problem? Why do people call gong healing experiences Gong Baths? In my experience so far, everyone seems to be wearing clothes. I suppose the “bath” name began with sound healers in the 1970s who coined the term sound bath to...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Goodies from Jupiter in Vedic Astrology Goodies from Jupiter! This is the month many Vedic astrologers have been looking forward to for a year! Jupiter finally leaves its most challenging sign of Capricorn and enters free-spirited...
Fly Like a Butterfly This month brings us an opportunity to reset our energy and our lives as we move toward the Equinox on March 21. The word equinox from Latin means “equal night.” It is a time when the length of the day and the night are equal in length, and there...
The Secret of Playing the GONG While the Gong is in some ways one of the most welcoming instruments to learn how to play, the secret to playing it well for healing and therapy depends upon our understanding of how the mind works in relation to sound. The human mind...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Love is in the Air in Vedic Astrology Love is in the Air (and Everywhere!) The absolute best astrological news this month is Venus entering the Vedic sign of Pisces beginning March 6! During its month-long sojourn in Pisces (March...
Going Neutral “The Yogi is one who the pair of opposites does not control. Neither heat nor cold, praise nor blame, affect the Yogi.” – Yoga Sutras II, 48 One definition of a Yogi is one who does not react. In Kundalini Yoga, we call this non-reactive state the...
Getting Close to the GONG In days of old, it was said that simply being in the presence of a Gong could bring great healing. And in southeastern Asia today, people still make a pilgrimage to the temples where the great gongs hang, simply to touch it, be close to it,...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Saturn’s Kiss in Vedic Astrology Saturn’s Kiss This month Venus enters the Vedic signs of Capricorn (January 27) and then Aquarius (February 20) – both signs of the zodiac ruled by Saturn. Venus is known as the sensual planet...
Sat Nam Building Blocks Mantras are prelinguistic and they came before all languages. The sounds of mantras are independent of meaning and their effects are universal. They are sonic formulas to facilitate healing and transformation, and each part of the formula can...
Gongs That Heal Do gongs heal? What is it about the sound of the gong that people find so beneficial for their physical, mental and spiritual well-being? And are some gongs more healing than others? One of the ways that sound healing has been said to work is that...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Where Should You Live in Vedic Astrology Where Should You Live? One of the questions I get as a Vedic astrologer is, “Where should I live?” There is a popular aspect of Western astrology (Astrocartography) that looks at your birth...
Total Transformation – 15 Minutes! The practice of Yoga takes place over multiple lifetimes, and every advance you make carries forward throughout the soul’s journey. No effort you make in yoga is ever wasted, and everything counts for now and forever. Success...
Gong Inside Your Head Like many gong players, I have moved my gong events online in webinars and trainings. I have managed through various instruments and recording techniques to get a gong sound online that is “listenable” and people are responding well to the...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: The Best for Last in Vedic Astrology Best for Last – An Amazing Astrology Month December 2020 arrives with strong energy and the portents of new energy rushing in to end this year. Here is what is happening: December 2nd to 22nd...
Self-Mastery and Community: A Kundalini Yoga Formula When attending Kundalini Yoga, you soon discover that there seem to be countless yoga sets, kriyas and meditations you can practice. Some teachers never repeat a class over the course of a year. And no wonder – it...
Sound Healing, Yoga and the Gong Healing can be defined as the restoration of the natural balance and flow of energy on all levels of existence: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. This definition asserts that health is the natural state of an organism, and...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Mars in Vedic Astrology If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Mars In astrology, everything is ruled or owned by one of the planets. Herbs, yoga postures, countries, gemstones – anything you can imagine can...
The Most Powerful Mantra in Kundalini Yoga (?) The job of a Preacher is to remind you that there is a God. The job of a Teacher is to remind you that you are God. Your job is to remind yourself. Fortunately, there is a mantra for that. Most of the mantras we use in...
The Gong Time Machine Gongs do many amazing things, but perhaps one of their most fascinating effects is their ability to change time. Yes, a gong can be a time travel machine. People who relax or meditate deeply with the gong sometimes report past events that have...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: What Sign is Your Chakra in Vedic Astrology What Sign Is Your Chakra? I admit that I am somewhat embarrassed by the title of this article. On the surface, it seems to be extra “woo-woo” and a superficial ploy to get your attention....
The Secret Sustainer While doing research for my upcoming Mudra Therapy course, I examined several hundred mudras from many yoga and spiritual traditions. I began to appreciate that Kundalini Yoga used several fascinating mudras that I had not been able to find in the...
Full Moon, New Moon, GONG! My favorite days to play the Gong for healing, therapy, and recovery are the days of the Full Moon and New Moon. And as a Vedic astrologer and longtime Yogi, I can tell you why. In the practices of Yoga, it is recommended to meditate and...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Full Speed — Backwards! Mars Retrograde in Vedic Astrology Full Speed — Backwards! Mars Retrograde On September 9th, Mars begins a two-month retrograde period. Yes, for two months that initiating, full steam, no-stop...
Mantras Meet Mudras A powerful yet relatively unknown practice in yoga is the conscious placement of sound into the physical body. This was one of the original tantric practices that reclaimed the physical body as the vehicle and implement of consciousness, and it is...
How Gongs Create Group Consciousness In a published November 2018 article, Dr. Tam Hunt, a psychologist from the University of California in Santa Barbara, proposed a “resonance theory of consciousness” that is based upon the understanding that all matter vibrates,...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Everybody’s Home in Vedic Astrology Everybody’s Home – Including the Planets! The month of August reflects the state of many people in the world as most of the planets in the sky, like us, are in their homes (or natural...
Magic Fingers The greatest secret in yoga is right at the tip of your figures. Literally. When you touch your fingers together in a specific way, you can take your Kundalini yoga practice and even your health to a completely new level. These finger positions are...
Show Us Your Gong Fingers When you relax with the Gong, what do you do with your hands? Some people simply turn their hands palms up, like in yogic relaxation. Some rest their hands on their body or over their heart. And a few of you (and you know who you are) take a...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Planets at Your Fingertips in Vedic Astrology Planets at Your Fingertips We know from astrology that the planets themselves represent different energies, psychological states, physical body areas, and states of mind. All thoughts,...
Classic Kundalini Quickies! One of the most common excuses people use to avoid committing to a daily yoga practice is they do not have any extra time in their day for yoga. Of course, no one has “extra time.” But everyone absolutely has “enough time.’ Especially if...
Yoga del Gong: Yo Hablo Español My first book about the gong, Gong Yoga, is now available in Spanish! Those of us who love the Gong know that it speaks to all people, all cultures. Its sound awakens a universal response in everyone, regardless of where they live and...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Backward to the Future: 4 Planets R-E-T-R-O-G-R-A-D-E Backward to the Future: 4 Planets R-E-T-R-O-G-R-A-D-E This month you may feel like you have seen this show before. For a period of time, we will be experiencing the retrogrades...
It’s Thyme for Yogi Tea! The health benefits of Yogi Tea, the beverage of choice for Kundalini Yoga practitioners, are well known: Improves digestion Increases circulation, Purifies the liver Strengthens the circulatory system Helps the lungs and respiratory system...
My Gong’s Name Is …. In southeast Asia, one of the origin points of gong making, the gong makers would often name the Gong they created, as a sign of respect and to honor the spirit that lived within the Gong. Such names as “Sir Earthquake” and “Honored Tiger”...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Lover Come Back in Vedic Astrology Lover Come Back: Venus Goes Retrograde On May 13th, Venus enters its retrograde period where it appears to go backwards for about six weeks until it goes direct on June 25th. Venus retrogrades...
Be Healthy – Ride the Camel! Sometimes the simplest things work best. In Kundalini Yoga, perhaps the most fundamental posture or exercise is the seated spinal flex, sometimes called “Camel Ride” for its approximation of the natural movement that can occur when...
Gongs Can Keep You Healthy For those of us who have experienced the effects of a gong well-played, there is no doubt that the sound of the Gong promotes healing all on levels. Could there also be a connection between using the gong to not only heal past conditions but...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: It’s Our Karma – Maybe, in Vedic Astrology It’s Our Karma – Maybe In my last astrology newsletter, the Vedic planet Rahu was designated as the harbinger of the current virus outbreak. Its current position is in...
Venus Gong: The Divine Lover Venus, the planet of love and beauty, is the closest planet to Earth and plays an important role in all the mythologies and cultures of the world as both the morning star and evening star. It is the brightest object in the sky besides the...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Rahu’s Back and Your Life Changes in Vedic Astrology Rahu’s Back and Your Life Changes Air travel interrupted, foreigners under suspicion, panic buying, and sweeping changes in our culture and society. Welcome to 9/11. Yes...
ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO As a Kundalini Yoga student and teacher, you may have chanted this mantra hundreds of times. It was a link to teachers and teachings that came before us and will come after us, a Golden Chain of a lineage and legacy. The Piscean explanation of...
Talking with Your Chakras In the practice of Kundalini Yoga, there is the understanding that creating a conscious relationship with others depends on which chakras you are using in your communication. Are you coming from your heart? Your intuition? Your gut?...
Gongs to the Rescue Perhaps the most common symptoms of spiritual malaise today are substance abuse and addictive behavior. Many researchers and therapists have recognized this connection between abusive addictions and spiritual disconnection, including psychiatrist...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Mercury Retrograde in Vedic Astrology Mercury Retrograde – The Good News Mercury begins the first of its three annual retrogrades for 2020 on February 16 and ends about three weeks later on March 9. Most people dread these...
The Secret of Consciousness In 1977, one of the first books to be published about Kundalini Yoga was “The Experience of Consciousness,” a small collection of lectures and meditations by Yogi Bhajan. The book is almost impossible to find today, yet it explains the...
The Perfect Gong for You People always ask me what is the best Gong for them? There are the practical questions of course: the cost, the size, the manufacturer, and so on. Yet the real question to ask: Does the Gong match your vibration, your frequency? Every object...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Saturn Makes a (Big) Move in Vedic Astrology Saturn Makes a (Big) Move This January 23rd, Saturn moves into the Vedic sign of Capricorn, and it affects us all in significant ways. Saturn, the slowest moving of the visible planets,...
The World’s Shortest Kundalini Yoga Practice It’s no secret that having a consistent and constant Kundalini Yoga practice is essential to physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. A daily sadhana will carry you through all the changes, challenges, and...
Gongs to the Rescue! Many of us see the Gong as an instrument of transformation, meditation and deep relaxation. Yet one of the early uses of the Gong was for rituals, ceremonies, and for removing or defending against negative energies, such as acts of nature and what...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Winter Solstice in Vedic Astrology Winter Solstice and the Light of the Soul Winter Solstice arrives at 10:19 pm CST on December 21st for those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere. In Vedic astrology, winter solstice is the...
Prosperity Flows: The Mantra That Works! Prosperity can be defined as not simply having the abundance you need to fulfill your needs, but to realize that all your needs are pre-fulfilled. Yogi Bhajan, the master teacher of Kundalini Yoga, said this about prosperity:...
Play the GONG, Heal the World With Jupiter entering the sign of Sagittarius this month (see my current Astrology newsletter), opportunities abound for learning, teaching and travel to foreign lands for spiritual advancement. And this is especially true for gong lovers...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Feeling Fine with Jupiter in Vedic Astrology Feeling Fine with Jupiter Jupiter is regarded as a positive influence in most people’s lives, and that is especially true this month as it enters it’s the Vedic sign of...
Kundalini Yoga: An Adventure in Consciousness When I first began practicing yoga in 1967, I found a book called Be Young with Yoga. Since I was only 17 at the time, I was actually more intrigued by the book’s pictures of women in leotards than with staying young. But...
Too Many Gongs? Is it possible to have too many gongs in your life? Have you ever said during a gong relaxation where more than one gong was playing: “Stop! Stop! There are too many gongs! I can’t hear them all.” Can you have too many gongs of your own to play? Do you...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Your Birthday in Vedic Astrology You Say It’s Your Birthday! The most important day of your life is the day your soul chooses to come into embodiment. In other words, your birthday. On this day, the planets and stars are in a...
The Master of Kundalini Yoga Yogi Bhajan is often called the “Master of Kundalini Yoga,” a title that was given to him at the age of 16 by his teacher, Sant Hazara Singh. The title of “Master” is often used to describe someone who has expertise in a particular area or...
The Sound of Earth “It has dimples!” she said as she looked at my gong. The Earth Sound Creation Gongs certainly look different from any other gong. They are distinguished by a pattern of small nipple protrusions all over the front of the gong, producing a seemingly...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Mercury & Venus in Vedic Astrology Waltzing with Mercury or Twerking with Venus? Until the end of this month, Mercury and Venus are dancing together through the Vedic sign of Virgo. The question is: who is leading and what does...
