Trainer Updates

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

In my various conversations this past week, I was again struck by the strong diversity of opinions in our
community. How will we talk about Yogi Bhajan in the future – in our books, manuals, and trainings?
With the delay of the report into the allegations of misconduct by Yogi Bhajan until mid to late July, we
won’t have that as a reference for a little while longer. But regardless of what is in that report, I think it
is important that we keep our focus on the practice of this yogic technology – our legacy – not on the
personality or certain specific actions of the man who shared this unique body of teachings. How
exactly that focus looks is something for us to talk about together.

Please come to the Trainer Forum and Summit July 9, 10 and 11th to begin this, and many other,
important discussions together.

These times are pushing us to polarize – there are those who think any image or mention of Yogi Bhajan
is unacceptable, and there are those that feel that not maintaining his presence would be a betrayal.
We are strong enough to gracefully handle this polarity! We can give ourselves, personally and
collectively, the time to be with our opinions and beliefs, the time for the report from An Olive Branch to
come out, the time for us to digest that report, and time for a new collective way of holding and
speaking about our practices and our history that is authentic, honest, and empowering.
Yes, these are messy and uncomfortable times. And they are going to stay that way for a little while
longer. But over time we will adapt and evolve a new and better culture and message. KRI will continue
holding the space for our entire teacher trainer community to go through this difficult growth process,
together, with openness, inclusion and transparency.

I am looking forward to seeing you online at the Trainer forum next month, and may Guru Ram Das bless
us all.

• Global Trainer Forum and Summit – Register for this important event here.
• Upcoming facilitator trainings in Italian and German – If you are open to facilitating calls with other
trainers, to hold the space for sharing and processing about our current circumstances, please
register for a facilitator orientation here.
o In Italiano – Martedi, 16 di Giugno 2020 dalle 15:30 alle 17:00 (Roma, Italia)
o Auf Deutsch – Mittwoch, 24. Juni von 19:00 bis 21:00 Uhr (Berliner Zeit)

• Full course catalogue of the Aquarian Development Series professional development online
courses – https://learntogether.sutra.co
Watch our course catalogue for updates and new courses! All “live” courses are pinned to the top.
If you can’t catch it live, just watch the replay one week later.
The catalogue is color coded: purple=pedagogy/art of teaching, blue=research, orange=chapter
content, green=inclusion & social justice

o Kundalini Now: Permaculture Perspectives on Organizational Change – Thursday June
18th, 10:30am EDT (New York City). Miguel Mendez, holistic wellness teacher and earth
regenerationist, explores supporting social movements that lead to real systemic
change! From a permaculture perspective let’s make sustainable progress in times of
crisis. Through observation, circular, non-hierarchical leadership, and the centering of
marginalized voices, we can tend to our organizations, together, and be fruitful.
Thursday June 18th 10:30 AM EDT. Join us and dialogue with us as he shares a vision for
truthful change!
o Our ongoing Embodying Anti-Racism: Being the Change! – jump in at any point in the
six-week series to unpack, explore & grow together.
o If you have a topic to present, email [email protected]

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

In the past few months, so many of you have served our teachers and students through online support – through group calls, individual calls, emails, and more.  Thank you for your compassionate service that has supported so many on their self-reflective journey following the announcement of the serious allegations against Yogi Bhajan.  Through your service, we believe many of our teachers and members of the ATA have felt the support that they needed as they struggled with difficult questions.  Most have found the path to remain Kundalini Yoga Teachers and Trainers. 

With the anticipation of the report from An Olive Branch being released in late June, we believe that it is more important than ever to strengthen our connections and continue to listen deeply to one another.  An Adhoc Community Dialogue Process committee has come up with a plan to offer Zoom calls in all regions, in many languages, for members of the Trainer Academy.  Everyone will be invited to join a call in June before the report comes out, and to join another call in July, probably after the report and before the Trainer Forum/Summit. 

Why More Zoom Calls?  The intentions of these listening zoom calls are to:

• Make sure that every member has the opportunity to share and/or express how the allegations have impacted their lives and practice
• Provide a space of dialogue to listen, heal, and reconcile
• Find in our collective wisdom a source of inspiration and commitment to deepen our practice and to serve the future
• Find where there is excitement and passion to work together as a community

Facilitators needed:  We know how much this community means to you, and that is why we are asking if you would be willing to facilitate one or more of these calls.  Here are some questions that might help you decide if you would like to serve in this way:  

• Are you able to maintain an open heart and a neutral mind during difficult conversations?
•  Are you in a personal space where you can hold space for others and keep your neutrality in listening?
•  Are you comfortable setting aside your beliefs and expectations to listen and facilitate this process?

If your answer to the above questions is yes, and are interested in serving in this capacity, we would start by discussing and preparing guidelines for these meetings, and if needed, provide training to help you.  We will organize facilitator orientation meetings as well as debriefing meetings to support you in this service. If you would like to discuss possibly being a facilitator, please contact Hari Charn Kaur at [email protected].  

      We hope you will enjoy these opportunities to connect and share and be heard.  And we look forward to co-creating our shared future with you, starting with the Trainer Summit/Forum July 9, 10, 11th on zoom. 

Sincerely, 

Hari Charn Kaur 

More on How We Are Moving Ahead Together:

• Leadership, social change and conscious activism – Check out Amrit’s video this week about service, and share this link for KRI’s upcoming donation-based 6-week webinar series on Embodying Anti-Racism: Being the Change, with all donations collected being donated to the George Floyd Memorial Fund and to Black Lives Matter.

• Global ATA Trainer Forum & Online Summit: Engage in critical conversation, meditate with community, and create meaningful connections – more details and to register, please click here: https://na.eventscloud.com/ehome/534606

• Kundalini Now: Permaculture Perspectives on Organizational Change Thursday June 18th, 10:30AM ET (New York City) – Miguel Mendez, holistic wellness teacher and earth regenerationist, explores how to support social movements that lead to real systemic change during this time as our community and orgs are searching for organic ways to evolve. He shares the wisdom from a permaculture perspective as a basis for making sustainable progress in times of crisis. Through observation, circular, non-hierarchical leadership, and the centering of marginalized voices, we can tend to our organizations, together, and be fruitful.  Join us and dialogue with us as he shares a vision for truthful change!

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

Blessings to the Global KRI Trainer Academy and community.

For the past several months, all of us within the KRI community have been finding individual and collective ways to process the allegations against Yogi Bhajan. There have been many conversations, reflections, face to face meetings, and online meetings with the intention of listening to each other and expressing our experiences, sympathies, and pain. 

For many, it has been a deeply moving experience. These circumstances have given us pause to reflect, ask important questions, and reexamine some of the foundations that we hold dear.

One thing is clear, change is needed! We have a unique opportunity to refine and renew our community and mission. KRI is committed to moving forward with the intent of honoring the inspiration that brought us to these teachings and, at the same time, making the necessary changes to create a safe, open, inclusive, and stronger community. KRI is dedicated to establishing a process with the opportunity for all voices to be heard.

There is a great deal that is unclear as we look to the future, but what we do know is each step forward must reflect values and opportunities to heal the deep pain within our community revealed during these last few months. We are ready to engage in this process in a broader sense and would like for you to join us. We are reaching out to invite and encourage you to collaborate with KRI on a path forward. Our prayer is that all members of the Academy engage wholeheartedly in this community-wide process and conversation.

Going forward together

As part of the next steps, we must ask ourselves (personally and collectively) a very important question:

“What do I need to see from the KRI community to stay engaged and inspired?”

This, in turn, will spark other questions, such as:

• What are the changes that I would like to see?
• How do we implement the required changes?
•  What are the values that we currently hold that you want to retain and enlarge?
• How do we build a community-wide decision-making process that reflects our values?

KRI’s Intention

The intention that will drive this process is: To honor the inspiration that brought us to this path and to make the changes needed to foster openness, safety, inclusivity and trustworthiness within our community and define our identity as kundalini yoga teachers and trainers.

Goal

The goals of this process are to:

• Make sure that every member has the opportunity to share and/or express how the allegations have impacted their lives and practice
• Provide a space of dialogue to listen, heal, and reconcile
• Find in our collective wisdom a source of inspiration and commitment to deepen our practice and to serve the future
•   Find where there is excitement and passion to work together as a community

 What comes Next:

1. Reach out – Community members, KRI staff, and volunteers will redouble their efforts to reach out to all members of the Academy and initiate or continue ant open dialogue. This will be done by electronic means, one-on-one calls, invitations to meetings, etc.

2. Engagement – Reassure that each Academy member knows how important their voice is to our community. Everyone will be invited to participate and engage in a world-wide conversation begin at our first the on-line Forum. 

3. Global Trainer’s Forum – KRI will host a world-wide online forum July 9th, 10th and 11th where every member of the KRI Academy will be able to share, propose and engage with conversations through dynamic group consciousness tools that will redefine our future. It will be a time and space to hear each other’s voices, and collectively define what we are working towards and how we will work together.

We will emerge stronger, brighter, and more inclusive from the challenges that we are facing today. The world now more than ever needs the yogic technology we can share. Please join us in this process so we can emerge from these challenging times better than ever. Let’s serve the world together. 

May Guru Ram Das bless us all,

Amrit Singh Khalsa 

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Some additional items for this week’s trainer update:

• Thoughts about research – watch this new video from Amrit Singh.

• Trauma Sensitivity for Trainers – Webinar Wednesday May 20th 11:30-1 EDT (New York) – Join us to explore together how to best serve your trainees more sensitively in these heightened times….. If so many trainees have some form of psychological, emotional or sexual trauma, what tips or techniques can we use to accommodate those needs? Join Sat Guru Kaur, Somatic Body Therapist, in this live interview or watch the recording afterwards! 

• New video from Amrit Singh – Some ideas about possible areas for KRI to focus on.

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

• Enjoy the entire Aquarian Development Series for academy members only – https://learntogether.sutra.co

• New webinars for the broader public – We recently moved the public courses (for yoga teachers and students) to a beautiful new website, please feel free to share with your community! https://drc.kriteachings.org

• Click these links to watch these newly released webinars: 
  • Healing with the Siri Gayatri Mantra, 
  • Understand & Support your Intersex, Trans & Gender Non-Conforming Students,  
  • Holding Space for Challenging Conversations

• How Kundalini Works – Upcoming webinar Thursday June 11th, 12:30 EDT (New York) – Q & A with Dr. Anne Taylor, Heart Rate Variability & Meditation, Polyvagal Theory and how the ancient wisdoms intertwine with science, why and how KY helps your heart and your nervous system. 

• Support for Teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic – check out and share with your community this new website from IKYTA.

New video from Amrit Singh – How can all of us together be of more service to the planet and each other?  More thoughts about moving forward, stronger together than separate.

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

• Trainer Licensing is now open – All active trainers need to re-license, but in recognition of the financial challenges many of you are facing, we are waiving the licensing fee this year, making it absolutely free.  Please take care of this now (by logging into your Trainer Portal account) and get it out of the way!  One trainer asked if they could donate toward the cost of licensing (normally $108) to support KRI at this time.  “Of course!,” is the answer, and it is important that each of you also feels the support of KRI.   If you can afford it, a donation of any amount to KRI would be much appreciated.

• Cold Depression webinar was delayed – Thursday May 7th , 12:30 EDT (New York) – Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur “Prevention of Cold Depression during Corona Pandemic” webinar delayed by one week to May 7th. Join the Sutra circle for additional info on this four week series to support your immunity in unprecedented times.

• Possible Zoom calls to share tips about training online – At this time some trainers have asked about Leading their Level Two Courses and 21 Stages courses on line.  Let’s discuss together and share best practices.  Please respond on this super short Google Form if you would like to participate in a Zoom call to discussion online teacher training.

• International Online Trainer Forum – The event will be held over three days in the second week of July and will accommodate various time zones around the world. It will take place through Zoom and Sutra. Registration and more details will be available soon. 

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

At this time within our trainer community, and the community at large, there are different opinions about how to move forward.  As trainers we remain united in our collective desire to serve humanity with these teachings.  Our teacher training programs, in all of the diverse forms and styles and approaches that you all bring to them, remain powerful vehicles for transformation for many, many people.  The times are demanding flexibility in HOW we deliver our mission, but the core remains – to inspire and teach, for the benefit of humanity, these precious yogic teachings. 

• Updated Level One Teacher Training Textbook and Manual – KRI is trying to balance two priorities – an urgent need to have a revised manual out by the fall, so that those trainers who need this to run their upcoming programs have something different than the current manual; and our commitment to an inclusive process in determining the details of that updated manual.  The reality of how much time a new, inclusive process will take would preclude having it done by the fall.   So the plan is to have a two-phased edit of the textbook and manual. 

The first phase of the plan is to prepare and have a digital version available in English by the end of the summer. This first phase version would utilize all of the collaborative input and small working group writings that we’ve been gathering for the last 2 years (which includes major re-writes of the Humanology, History, and Kundalini Yoga and Sikh Dharma chapters).  In addition, this version will include edits that broaden the focus of teaching while we will continue to recognize the contributions of Yogi Bhajan in bringing these remarkable teachings to the world. 

Next, we will begin working on a fully collaborative Phase Two edition of the Aquarian Teacher, via the to-be-determined group decision making process that all trainers will all be invited to help co-create.  This Phase Two version of a new Textbook would probably be ready in English for the fall of 2021.

• Aquarian Development Series Webinars this week and next – 
  • April the 29^th, 19:00 EDT (New York) –  Dhyan Bhakti Kaur Khalsa presents “Understand & Support your Intersex, Gender Non-Conforming, & Transgender Students” Live Webinar join the Sutra Circle today.
  • Thursday April 30^th , 12:30 EDT (New York) – Coronavirus: What to do! 4 Part Series, live and pre-recorded.  Join Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur live in this four part webinar series as she strengthens our collective immunity with specific information about viruses and how to strengthen the immune response in the face of pandemics.   Additional webinars will also be held Thursday May 14th 12:30 EDT (New York) & May 28th 12:30 EDT (New York).
  • May 6^th – 19:00 EDT (New York) – Sound & Mantra: Healing with the Siri Gayatri Mantra.  Dev Suroop Kaur reveals secrets to healing with this special mantra: Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung. She will share her research, experience, correct pronunciation and ways that you can use this mantra in your life to help heal and help others heal. Join us for fun, warmth and exploration of this most beloved of Kundalini Yoga mantras!  Replay available one week after live recording.
  • Every Thursday 12:00 – 14:00 EDT (New York) – Heartstorming with Hari Kaur NYC.  We invite you to join us as Trainers share Aquarian approaches for now and the future.  Weekly sharing with Academy members on Content, Issues and Themes to further your Teaching and offerings! Especially for trainers who are still processing our community’s challenges with the Yogi Bhajan investigation.  Join us for Cozy peer dialogue and best practices and tips in ways to bring the Teachings forward with verve and grounded in real practices.
  • Date and time TDA – Tommy Rosen shares about Recovery 2.0!  Through more than 20 years of recovery from addiction, noted yoga teacher and founder of Recovery 2.0, Tommy Rosen learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work in recovery. He shares his techniques and inspirations in this 2-hour long webinar.
  • 3 Wednesdays in June (3^rd, 10^th, & 17^th), 19:00 EDT (New York) – Journey Through the Chakras with Pavandev Kaur.  What are new and engaging ways to present the timeless teaching of the Chakras?  In this 3 part webinar series, Pavandev Kaur offers a very brief history of the chakras as they were developed and used in India and how the chakras came to the West.  She offers some tips and techniques for teaching the chakras to help the students have a deeper experience of their own energy system.
  • July 15^th, 17:00 EST (New York) – How to be Inclusive for different body types in Yoga Teaching with Ramdesh Kaur.  Ramdesh Kaur, author of “The Body Temple,” teaches trainers and yoga teachers how to use inclusion-friendly language to have accepting classes that support and include all body types. Join us for the live webinar. 

Video Message from Amrit Singh – Watch a short video message from Amrit Singh regarding his appointment as CEO of KRI beginning June 1^st.

• International Online Trainer Forum –  This summer, KRI will host an International Online Trainer Forum. While this event will not replace in-person Forums, in this time of uncertainty we want to maintain meaningful connection throughout our global trainer community. The event will be held over three days in the second week of July and will accommodate various time zones around the world. We look forward to a truly multicultural gathering that includes critical conversations, interactive workshops, peer sharing, and community building. Please support the development and planning of the event by taking this short survey: https://trainersupport.kundaliniresearchinstitute.org/international-online-trainer-forum-survey/

• The Global Healing Meditation continues – every morning at 6:30 AM New Mexico Time.  Everyone can now join through Sutra. Each morning 50+ trainers, teachers, students, and family members join together to send healing to the Planet.  We are separate yet powerfully together.  This meditation will continue at least until June 14^th.   Here is an article which you are encouraged to share with your teachers and students.  The meditation is led by a different participant each morning and in different languages.  We close each day by chanting Akal for those who have passed.  https://healing.sutra.co

Sat Nam. Greetings from New Mexico. 

What an amazing and unusual time we are living in right now! I know the pandemic has affected all of us very personally on many levels. I am so grateful for the beauty of our practice of Kundalini Yoga to help us maintain our elevated spirits and bring harmony to these wild times.

Many have been drastically financially affected as well.  In that way KRI is no exception.  We have had many layoffs here at KRI and are very sad to see some of these dedicated people go. KRI has been built and carried forward by the gifts and strengths of these people and many others as well who have donated time and money and skill to bring these great teachings to the world. 

I myself have learned much in my service as CEO for 14 wonderful years.  It has been my great privilege to witness, experience and help promote the immense gifts and growth and that these teachings give to thousands of people worldwide.  

So it is difficult for me to announce today that I will be retiring a bit earlier than thought, at the end of May.  I do this knowing, with humility and wisdom, that this is best to help the current financial aspects of KRI.  This decision was made after much inner contemplation and discussion with the KRI Board of Directors. It also allows for a passing on of the large responsibilities of CEO to our next generation of leaders. KRI has an excellent and robust future.  Amrit Singh is slated to be the new CEO and President of KRI.  He and I have worked closely together over the last several years and I am confident in his capacity to serve, innovate and lead. I will stay on part time to help with the transition.

Of course I will not be retiring my love and teaching of Kundalini Yoga!  I look forward to seeing many of you at courses and events and in life.  May we all rise and expand in consciousness,

And of course, as always, I am in your service,

All the best with Blessings,

Nirvair Singh

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• Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® – No decisions nor discussions have been had yet. There are rumors out there that KRI has already decided to make changes to the name, “Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®,” as well as to remove Yogi Bhajan from the Teachings.  This discussion has not happened and no decisions have been made.  Instead, we are working to set up a collective decision making process so that we can listen deeply to one another and move together into questions like this.  Amrit Singh is available to join a zoom call to address concerns such as this, if any group (of local trainers, or trainer teams) would like to arrange such a conversation.

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• Online Learning for Teacher Trainers & Teachers

• Visit the Course Catalogue for the Academy here.
• Please email [email protected] with your content expertise and what you’d like to share with the Academy and public!
• Just for fun: here’s an interesting article about cultivating the beginner’s mind by James Clear
• Upcoming Online Courses

• Pedagogy Series continues!
• Dhyan Bhakti K. Khalsa explains Intersex, Gender Non-Conforming & Transgender: ongoing series “Supporting LGBTQI+ Community”
• Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur: Coronavirus: What to Do! Ongoing Series continues
• Training for Now; with Hari Kaur NYC; Heartstorming the future and supporting the transformational training of Kundalini; beginning every Thursday April 23rd 10:00 to 11:30 EST(NYC)
• Sat Guru Kaur; How to Teach Level One Trauma Informed …date /time tba
• One more time slot added for the CRT update presentation – For any of you that were not able to make the previous zoom calls, we have added one more time slot.  If you’d like to hear about the current status of the investigation, what may come afterwards, and have a chance to ask questions, please join us at 8am Mountain Daylight time on Thursday 16 April at this zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/5254726198?pwd=M2FINUxsaHZaV3orZ0pvL3NRQytVZz09  

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• Please communicate with KRI in your native language – We are truly a global Trainer Academy, and English is not required.  Please rest assured that you can email us, anytime and about any topic, in your native language and we will get it translated.  

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• Level One Student Practicum Evaluation Form now available as a PDF form – Download this PDF form here to allow you to fill out practicum evaluations on your computer.

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

• Exploring Conscious Change – As the world around us is transforming so must we continue evolving our current decision making processes to design a truly collaborative world-wide system.  In an effort to move in this direction, instead of having our April TTEC meeting online as originally planned, we will look for a professional third party facilitator to help us design and then run an inclusive and transparent process for setting up a new KRI decision making system. The professional facilitator (or facilitator team) will need to meet the following criteria:
  • Experienced in facilitating large group processes, ideally with a variety of methodologies
  • Demonstrated passion for inclusive and transparent systems, and experience helping organizations find the right processes for them
  • Able to advise and guide communities to an appropriate balance of full inclusivity (slow) and delegated decision-making authority (more efficient)
  • Experienced in helping groups to design decision making processes
  • Experience working with spiritual communities
  • Experience working globally – being sensitive to the challenges of language, time-zones and cultural differences
  • Ideally experienced in planning and facilitating online group processes, not only in-person

Once we find the appropriate professionals to support the process, the next step will be the planning phase. The goal of the first phase will be to attain collective agreement on how we will make decisions going forward, and to clarify the scope of change that needs to happen. From there, we will be able to work on such initiatives as: how to begin finalizing the new edition of The Aquarian Teacher, decide what changes we need to be made to our certification requirements, etc.

The new process we will develop together will be a process to serve us in the long term as a worldwide community.  It is not limited to updating the training manual and training requirements. We are looking to involve stakeholders beyond trainers, such as teachers, in this decision making process. This will be an upgrade to how KRI functions, ensuring that KRI serves its worldwide community, and remains relevant and responsive to our times and able to continue to deliver the teachings in their integrity to future generations.  

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• Tips for more effective online trainings – 
  • Ask the group to keep the focus on the training (i.e., put away cell phone and don’t deviate into doing emails)
  • Ask the group to keep video on and gallery view open so you and everyone can be “seen” during dialogue times
  • Encourage the group to use the “chat” function; encourage them to use chats to ask questions AND pass notes to each other in class by sending private messages. Obviously not to the point of distraction but a small amount helps them keep going with the organic relationships of the in person experience.

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• Updates from the Collaborative Response Team – Zoom Call – Shanti Kaur and Sat Nam Singh from the Collaborative Response Team will join members of the Aquarian Trainer Academy on zoom calls for an informational update on the work of the Collaborative Response Team and a review of the issues regarding allegations of misconduct against Yogi Bhajan. They will be available to answer questions.  The remaining dates/times for these calls are Thursday, April 9 from 9 AM to 10:30 AM New Mexico Time and Thursday, April 9 from 5 PM to 6:30 pm New Mexico Time, and the zoom link is https://zoom.us/j/5254726198.

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• The Aquarian Teacher en español now available digitally – Those of you who are in a Spanish speaking country will be receiving a complimentary copy shortly, with instructions about how you can order them for your future trainings.  If you don’t see anything related to this in your email, please email KRI’s translation coordinator, HariShabad Kaur.  When the next edition of this manual is ready, these digital copies will automatically be updated.

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• North American Level Three Mela will be online this year! – We are working with participants to create an online experience for the Level 3 mela this year in June.  Depending on what happens with the European Yoga Festival, we will either have the mela in person, as planned, or move that one online as well.  If you are in Level Three already, or planning to begin this year, please look for details in your emails!

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• More free resources for Teacher Trainers!
  • 6-part webinar on Pedagogy – how to keep adult learners engaged.  Attend live or watch the recordings.  Practical suggestions on how to make lecturing more in line with the neuroscience of how adults learn, and how this knowledge can be carried into action in Level One Teacher Trainings.
  • Transformational Learning Online with Lorenz & Natasha, Sutra’s creators.  Tools and tips to teach online and engage people in a truly meaningful way!  Join us for this live webinar with Lorenz and Natasha Sell, watch the recording one week later: Tuesday April 7th 10 AM EST (New York City) and 15:00 (GMT+1 London) British Summer Time.  The link to join the live presentation is: https://zoom.us/j/3131045746.

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• Changes to our ongoing Zoom calls – Next week KRI will schedule zoom in different countries or groups of countries for trainers instead of the open zoom calls that we sponsored for the past two weeks.  Hari Charn Kaur will reach out to establish times for the calls.  The calls for South America will be in Spanish or with Spanish translation.  We want to continue to hear all voices and to support each trainer though these challenging times.  

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• New zoom link for the ongoing, global, healing meditation – The Global Ra-Ma-Da-Sa meditation is continuing through May 25^th.  You, and anyone in your community (so please share this link!), can join a zoom call to meditate together at 6:30am Mountain Daylight time here:

https://zoom.us/j/551818097?pwd=VXY1eWZaU1NqV2NHblNNUXZ0OUZOUT09

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• Yoga Alliance’s online training best practices – As it is helpful, check out Yoga Alliance’s online training best practices here.

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• Grants available for US based yoga teachers with income lost due to COVID-19 – More info and to apply can be found at the website for Reclamation Ventures here.

Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

In this unprecedented time of upheaval and of change, staying safe and staying connected are so important.  Together we can move through these times, strengthen our connection to one another globally and evolve and transform our lives and our collective culture. We believe in the power of these teachings and their importance during these times of challenge.  

Staying safe right now demands that most of us stay home but it does not mean we need to be isolated from our community of trainers, teachers and students.  We can support one another through these times. 

 KRI wants to support this growing interconnection between members of our global community.  To do this we are hosting the healing meditation each day (see info and link below), and we hope that this bulletin can grow as a clearinghouse of links to other free meditations.  Please send any links we could include to Hari Charn Kaur.

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• Keeping all Kundalini Yoga practitioners safe – The office of EPS, led by Guruka Kaur, has been spearheading our institutional efforts to make sure that our communities are safe from unethical behavior by teachers, trainers, and ministers. This multi-year effort has yielded significant results. Among them, structures have been set in place to hear and resolve complaints, procedures have been implemented to process them, and remedies have been defined and administered to reach resolutions. 

This office also recognized that education was a critical part of our collective efforts to prevent unethical behavior, abuse, and bullying. Last year an EPS culture of ethics committee, made up of volunteers from around the world, was formed to develop a Sexual Harassment & Ethics training strategy (prior to recent allegations) that would help teachers, trainers, and ministers prevent and address these behaviors. This work is still in progress, but a concerted effort is being made to have this course ready in a few months.

However, given the recent allegations and the calls from many community members, EPS and KRI recognize that the above measures are just part of the solution. We hear that more needs to be done, and soon.

We believe this work is a priority because we are committed to fostering a culture of trust and safety in our communities, free from bullying, abuse, harassment, and unethical behavior.

EPS, KRI, and a group of volunteers who have experience in this area have begun to work together to improve our collective understanding of these issues, explore how our institutions must change to support this goal, educate our communities about these issues, and improve the way we communicate these efforts to support trust in our institutions.

If you have any suggestions or comments or would like to be part of this effort and lend your expertise in this area, please email Amrit Singh.

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• Webinars to support you – KRI warmly invites all Academy members to participate for free in our Aquarian Development Series: Professional Development for Teacher Trainers. Please know that you will need to log into for Sutra (an ad free platform) where we host our webinars. You can see our entire course catalogue here.  You can join live, or watch the recordings.  Some examples of available courses are:
  •  Cold depression; Finding Hope in Isolation
  • Pedagogy: The Fine Art of Teaching Adult Learners
  • Legacy & Lineage of Kundalini Yoga
  • Best Practices for Teaching Online
  • What do I Say? LGBTQI+ Inclusion in KY Teaching
  • Coronavirus: What to Do!
• Exploring Conscious Change – Collective decision making is important to move forward.  We are asking for volunteers for a small working group to research possible inclusive group processes that can be used for our collective decision making to move forward.  Following the research, options will be presented to the Aquarian Trainer Academy.  This working group will not be making any decisions.  If you have expertise to offer in designing an Aquarian, inclusive, decision making process for us, please fill out this very short Google Form.
• Global Healing Meditation – KRI wants to support this growing interconnection between members of our global community.  Reminder – the global healing meditation is happening live, on zoom, at 6:30am Mountain Daylight Time (e.g., Denver, CO) each day.  You can join in here.  
• Research into the effects of yoga and meditation on anxiety – In these uncertain times, our practice is more important than ever.  Check out this summary article, from a previous KRI monthly newsletter, about the science behind the efficacy of yoga and meditation in dealing with Generalized Anxiety.
• Optimizing Online Trainings – As announced in last week’s trainer update, we are allowing you to hold your scheduled teacher training classroom days between now and June 30, 2020 online.  It is very important that we support one another as we learn together how to do this in the best way possible.  Please share what has worked and what hasn’t for your online teacher trainings in this Sutra circle.
• Important news about the European Yoga Festival – Please check out this announcement about this summer’s European Yoga Festival