The 8 Elements of Excellence

The Vision
to see your goal and keep it in your consciousness.
The Courage
to attempt it and to keep up.
The Grit
to go through it.
The Humility
to know who the Doer is.
The Knowledge
to substantiate it.
The Prayer
to feed it.
The Grace
to carry yourself through it.
The Determination
to achieve it.”

Yogi Bhajan
3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)
www.3HO.org/IKYTA
Course Curriculum
The Eight Elements
of Excellence:
COURAGE
IKYTA Teachers Conference
June 17, 2011

3HO International
Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association

Compiled By Shakta Kaur Kezios

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
Dear Teacher,

This ‘Kundalini Yoga for Courage and Fearlessness’ curriculum is designed just for you! It is an 8-
week series based upon the 3HO IKYTA Teacher’s Conference theme for 2011 - ‘courage.’ And,
who couldn’t use a little more courage in dealing with what the world has been sending our way
lately?!

‘Courage’ was originally chosen as a theme for the 2011 3H0 IKYTA Teacher’s Conference from a
quote of Yogi Bhajan’s called, ‘The 8 Elements of Excellence.’ It reads: “The 8 Elements of
Excellence: The Vision to see your goal and keep it in your consciousness. The Courage to
attempt it and to keep up. The Grit to go through it. The Humility to know who the Doer is. The
Knowledge to substantiate it. The Prayer to feed it. The Grace to carry yourself through it. The
Determination to achieve it.” (In 2010, the Teachers Conference theme was ‘Vision.’ In 2012 it
will be ‘Grit,’ followed by ‘Humility’ in 2013 and so on until all 8 elements have been featured.)

Each class in this 8-week curriculum includes one main kriya and one meditation. Obviously,
this is not a definitive list of all the kriyas and meditations you could possibly use in a curriculum
focusing on ‘courage.’ There are plenty more where these came from! It is my hope, however,
that you will not only find inspiration with what is shared here but that you will teach this or a
similar curriculum to those in your community soon!

May God and Guru continue to bless you, 3HO IKYTA and Kundalini Yoga Instructors,
Practitioners and Teachers worldwide.

Yours in service,

Shakta Kaur
Kundalini Yoga in the Loop (KYL), Chicago, IL, USA
www.ShaktaKaur.com – 312-922-4699

Here’s a paragraph to use when you market this ‘courage’ series:

YOGA FOR COURAGE AND FEARLESSNESS

Acting courageously means acting even though you may be afraid. How do you rise above the occasion
and let your inner royalty and radiance shine? How do you manifest—in a moment’s notice--courage
and strength to cut through the negativity and exceed your own expectations? Join [YOUR NAME /
STUDIO NAME HERE] in an inspiring series of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation classes to remember that
you are part of the Infinite’s light and power, to recognize your own magnificence and then reveal it. It
awakens the soul –the warrior within—and the higher self of the human being.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 CLASS ONE
“AWAKEN THE WARRIOR WITHIN”

Warm-Up: Archer Pose (3 minutes each side) breathing long, slow and deep.
Main Kriya: Creating and Preserving Pranic Energy (Self-Knowledge, p. 9).
Meditation: Chakkar Chalunee Kriya (Self-Experience, p. 31).

3 Key Concepts:
1) Archer Pose instills feelings of courage and fearlessness.
2) Guru Gobind Singh was born in 1666 as Gobind Rai. He exhibited great fearlessness and an elevated
consciousness at a very young age. At the age of 9 he advised his father to face martyrdom. As Guru he
trained peasant farmers in India to become warriors with Jaap Sahib--a prayer written at the age of 19.
Jaap Sahib describes all of the aspects/facets of the Creator. It awakens the soul –the warrior within—
and the higher self of the human being.
3) Prana is the life force we breathe in on the air. Prana’s natural resting place is at the heart center.

3 Key Skills/Practices:
1) Put 2/3rds of your weight on the front thing in Archer Pose. There should be no sway in the back.
2) When coming up after bowing rhythmically to Jaap Sahib straighten the spine and pull Mulbandh to
ensure proper form.
3) Chant ‘Chattr Chakkr Vartee’ using the tip of the tongue to hit the roof of the mouth (which stimulates
the hypothalamus and thalamus).

Playlist Suggestions:
Warm-Up: Sat Kirin Kaur’s ‘Chattr Chakkr Vartee.’
Main Kriya: Ex. 1, Gurunam Singh’s ‘Jai te Gang’ from ‘Silent Moonlight Meditation.’
Ex. 2, Sangeet Kaur’s ‘Jaap Sahib.’
Ex. 3, Simran Kaur’s ‘Tantric Har.’
Ex. 4, Gurunam Singh’s ‘Pavan Pavan’ from ‘Silent Moonlight Meditation.’

Class Timing:
10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.
10:35 am: Archer Pose.
10:45 am: Main Kriya.
11:25 or 11:30: Deep Relaxation.
11:40 am: Meditation.
11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 CLASS TWO
“TAKE CONTROL”

Main Kriya: Saahibee Kriya: To Control Your Domain (Inner Workout Manual, pp. 11-13; I Am
Woman Kriya Manual, pp. 89-90).
Meditation: For Strong Nerves and a Calm Mind (Radiance & Victory, p. 40).

3 Key Concepts:
1) When you ‘control your domain’ you act from the center of your being. Your mind is able to hold
and project an important thought. Your body is able to circulate blood from the core to all the
limbs and glands. This kriya gives you ‘command’ in both of these areas.
2) Your nervous system is constantly handling stimulus. Most people are sympathetically dominant
(the fight or flight nervous system). If the body constantly perceives emergency and stress it
tends to shut down. You’ll know your nervous system is weak and/or overtaxed when your body
becomes extremely out of balance and becomes fatigued easily.
3) Relaxation is as important in Kundalini Yoga as practicing the postures. In order to take control
you have to be willing to be a relaxed being. This means to calm the mind and to stimulate the
parasympathetic nervous system (the relaxation response) which allows your being to come back
into your daily life.

3 Key Skills/Practices:
1) Frog Pose (keep the heels touching and up as you raise the hips up and down).
2) Surya Mudra (thumb pad touches the pad of the ring finger).
3) Breath of Fire (like push-ups for the diaphragm; keep the inhale and exhale equal).

Class Timing:
10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.
10:35 am: Main Kriya (full times 34 minutes; includes 30 seconds transition between postures).
11:20 or 11:25: Deep Relaxation.
11:40 am: Meditation.
11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 CLASS THREE
“BUILD STAMINA”

Warm-Up: Archer Pose (3 minutes each side).

Main Kriya: Renew Your Nervous System & Build Stamina (Reaching Me in Me, pp. 38-38).
Meditation: Couples Meditation to Eliminate Fears (Radiance and Victory, p. 34).

3 Key Concepts:
1) Your (flexible!) spine holds your entire nervous system. That’s why the ancients called it the
‘great master’s stick.’
2) A few ways Kundalini Yoga helps the nervous system: a) helps the cerebrospinal fluid flow easily,
distributing to the base of the nerve root, the spinal cord and the brain b) which helps put room
in between the vertebrae so you have greater flexibility and c) balances the sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous systems.

3) To face adversities and/or the stress of life with courage, fearlessness and stamina we need to
renew the nervous system on a regular basis.

3 Key Skills/Practices:
1) Breathing through the ‘O-shaped’ mouth.
2) Chanting while pressing and moving the fingertips.
3) Sitting back-to-back with a partner during a meditation (and the feeling of being in their ‘space,’
i.e., their aura).

Class Timing:
10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.
10:35 am: Archer Pose.
10:45 am: Main Kriya (full times 30.5 minutes; includes 60 second transitions between postures).
11:20 or 11:25: Deep Relaxation.
11:40 am: Meditation.
11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 CLASS FOUR
“YOUR UNCONQUERABLE SPIRIT”

Warm-Up Kriya: Add Power and Will to Your Actions (Radiance & Victory, p. 66).
Main Kriya: Self-Healing (Physical Wisdom, p. 1). Each student will need either an apple or a
banana for this set.
Meditation: To Develop Unconquerable Spirit (Physical Wisdom, p. 24).

3 Key Concepts:
1) Fruit is often used as a kind of ‘pranic’ storage device. It has a subtle quality that lets it easily
absorb prana thereby becoming a useful tool in developing a fearless state.
2) The sound of Jaap Sahib rouses the soul and the higher self of the human being. It is good to
recite--or even to simply listen to--when your position is endangered or when you feel weak. It
brings grace, greatness and royal courage.
3) ‘Jai te Gang’ is a shabd (an extended mantra) which praises the sword that breaks through and
cuts down the demons of the mind and body. “If you know ‘Jai te Gang’ perfectly by heart and
can meditate on it at your navel point, nobody can conquer you: no enemy, no friend, no god, no
demon, no angel, nobody.” – Yogi Bhajan.

3 Key Skills/Practices:
1) Sat Kriya (roll the armpits toward each other to help keep the palms flat; squeeze the navel point
in and up as you chant ‘Sat’ and release the navel as you chant ‘Nam.’
2) Let the shoulder blades hold the arms up (instead of the deltoid muscles in the shoulder).
3) Mulbandh (Root Lock) feels like stopping a bowel movement, stopping a urination and pulling
the navel in and up; these three actions applied together in a smooth, rapid, flowing motion.

Class Timing:
10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.
10:35 am: Warm-Up Kriya (‘Add Power & Will to Your Actions’)
11:05 am: Main Kriya (25 mins.; includes 30 second transitions and 6 minutes to eat fruit).
11:30: Deep Relaxation.
11:45 am: Meditation.
11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 CLASS FIVE
“YOU SHALL COMMAND”

Main Kriya: Creating Magnetic Fields to Expand Your Inner Self (Infinity & Me, pp. 25-26)
Meditation: For Endless Courage and Endurance against the Universe (Sadhana Guidelines, 2nd ed., p.
163).

3 Key Concepts:
1) “You must work first to develop the spiritual power inside, then the power of the outside world
will become smaller and you shall command.” -- Yogi Bhajan.
2) There is a difference when shifting gears between the third (navel), fourth (heart) and sixth
(brow point/seat of intuition) chakras.
3) Yogis pay attention to the natural rhythms of nature. One of those rhythms is during the amrit
vela (early morning), 4-7 am and the other is prayer time, 4-7 pm. This meditation is to be done
at twilight as our energy naturally shifts from day to evening. We use the change to give us
strength.

3 Key Skills/Practices:
1) Feel a magnetic field build between your hands (in the kriya).
2) Bear Grip (keep a slight pull/slight tension in the mudra).
3) Eyes at the tip of the nose (sitting with the light evenly distributed overhead makes it easier to
keep both side of your nose in sight).

Class Timing:
10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.
10:35 am: Warm-Up Kriya (‘Add Power & Will to Your Actions’)
11:05 am: Main Kriya (25 mins.; includes 30 second transitions and 6 minutes to eat fruit).
11:30 am: Deep Relaxation.
11:45 am: Meditation.
11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 CLASS SIX
“STRENGTHEN YOUR RADIANCE”

Main Kriya: Coordinating the Mind, Body and Soul (Self-Knowledge, p. 10).
Meditation: To Develop the Radiant Body (Transformations Vol. 1, p. 38 and I Am a Woman Kriya
Manual, p. 38).

3 Key Concepts:
1) When the radiant body is strong the aura is tipped with a golden rim. We enhance the radiant
body (so you don’t give up) in this kriya by coordinating the body, mind and soul.
2) Chattr Chakkr Vartee (the last four lines of Jaap Sahib) removes fears, phobias, anxiety,
depression and brings victory.
3) When you chant Ajai Alai (from Guru Gobind Singh’s Jaap Sahib) you have the power to surpass
anything!

3 Key Skills/Practices:
1) When coming up after bowing rhythmically to Jaap Sahib straighten the spine and pull
Mulbandh to ensure proper form (as was taught in Class One).
2) If you don not know the words to a mantra just open your mouth and let the sounds come out
the best you can. If you do this meditatively you are not simply imitating the words--you are
recreating the creative essence of all sound, of the word (i.e., the naad). ‘Na’ means ‘nothing;’
‘-ad’ means primal. Naad = rhythmic primal sound.
3) The mudra and the position of the hands over the head in the meditation must be precise. Be
sure students’ hands are over the head and correctly positioned.

Class Timing:
10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.
10:35 am: Main Kriya (50 mins. full times; including 30 second transitions in between postures).
11:25 am: Deep Relaxation.
11:40 am: Meditation.
11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 CLASS SEVEN
“YOU ARE A RADIANT BEING”

Warm-Up: Varuyas Kriya (Sadhana Guidelines 1st ed., p. 69/2nd ed., p. 131) 1 ½ mins. each side.
Main Kriya: Set for Keep-Up Spirit (Yoga for Prosperity, pp. 73-76).
Meditation: Shabd Kriya (Transformations Vol. 1, p. 40 and Kundalini Yoga Manual, Student Manual
of Instruction as Taught by Yogi Bhajan, edited by Rama Kirn Singh, p. 50).

3 Key Concepts:
1) The human being is made up of ten bodies, not just one. The tenth body is the Radiant Body
which gives spiritual royalty and radiance. Its strength makes you courageous in the face of any
obstacle. You approach life with an ‘all or nothing’ attitude and give 110%. If the Radiant Body
is underdeveloped, you may be afraid of conflict or you may shy away from other people’s
attention because you are afraid of the energy and responsibility that come with the recognition
of your inner nobility.
2) Of all the Sikh Masters, Guru Gobind Singh personified the qualities of the Tenth Body best. He
not only advised his father (at the age of 9) to face martyrdom but later in life he sacrificed his
own sons so that others could maintain their freedoms. He formed the ‘Khalsa’ which means
‘the pure ones.’ And, he passed the Guruship to the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, which houses the
writings, teachings and sound current of the Gurus along with those of saints and mystics from
other faiths.
3) Radiance gives patience and patience is the first condition of love. In love, you give, without
attention to all the mistakes of another just as the sun radiates its light and warmth to all
without judgment.

3 Key Skills/Practices:
1) The spine is tilted slightly forward of vertical in Varuyas Kriya.
2) Cat-Cow (is more about moving the heart; move the lower back first, the stomach and the head
moves last).
3) Segmented breathing (while mentally chanting Sa Ta Na Ma Wha Hay Gu-Roo) and suspending
the breath (in) during the meditation.

Class Timing:
10:30 am: Welcome, tune-in and framing.
10:35 am: Warm-Up (Varuyas Kriya) 1 ½ minutes each side.
10:45 am: Main Kriya (35 mins.; includes 30 second transitions in between postures).
11:20 am: Deep Relaxation.
11:35 am: Meditation.
11:55 am: End with the ‘Long Time Sunshine Song’ and 3 long Sat Nam’s.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA
 “Your radiance projects into the universal radiance
and everything around you becomes creative and full of opportunity.” –Yogi Bhajan.
CLASS EIGHT
“VICTORY UNTO INFINITY”

Warm-Up: Varuyas Kriya (Sadhana Guidelines 1st ed., p. 69/2nd ed., p. 131).
Main Kriya: Bowing Jaap Sahib (I Am a Woman Kriya Manual, pp. 53-54 and Man to Man, p. 179).
Meditation: 2009 Meditation of the Year for Victory (www.dasvandh.org and www.shaktakaur.com)
OR
To Command Your Five Tattvas (The Mind, Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D. and Gurucharan Singh
Khalsa, Ph.D., p. 152)
OR
Basic Har Har Har Har Gobinday Meditation (Yoga for Prosperity, pp. 77-78).

3 Key Concepts:
1) When victory came, Guru Gobind Singh praised the Creator in naad (rhythmic primal sound). In
Jaap Sahib, he describes what the Creator is and what the Creator is not. “As many facets have
been explained there, that many facets you have to cover in your life.” Yogi Bhajan.
2) The mantra Aap Sahaee Hoa (used in the ‘Meditation to Command Your Five Tattvas’) is from the
Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It lets you penetrate the unknown without fear. In this meditation it will
totally eliminate enemies and block the impact of animosity forever.
3) The mantra Har Har Har Har Har Gobinday combines the Gobinday Mukunday Udaaray Apaaray
Hariang Kariang Nirnaamay Akaamay mantra (for the radiant body) with Har, the original force
of creativity. The four repetitions of Har give power to all the facets of the Creator plus provides
the power to break down the barriers of the past.

3 Key Skills:
1) In Varuyas Kriya the top of the back foot and the toes are on the floor. The toes are not
flexed.
2) Let the shoulder blades hold the right arm up instead of the shoulder muscles (in the 2009
Meditation of the Year for Victory).
3) Bowing Jaap Sahib may be done sitting on the heels in Rock Pose with either a) the hands on
the thighs or b) with the arms and hands in Yoga Mudra.

3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

www.3HO.org/IKYTA