March 23, 2020 Trainer Update

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Sat Naam Dear Teacher Trainers,

We pray that you and your families are healthy and holding up during these times of great challenge.

  • Moving Forward together – Based on your feedback, we hear that the commission we announced was not the best way to start.  Our goal now is to find a way to make this an inclusive process. KRI’s intention is to listen to our collective voices, establish the means to enable prompt and dynamic conversations, open the discussion to what leadership means to us, and establish processes to review the changes that we need to make. We are actively researching options that will allow us to move forward in a more inclusive way. We will keep you updated and informed as this moves forward. 
  • Online trainings – Given the unprecedented measures being taken against COVID-19 right now, we need to be flexible in allowing more online training (in both Level One and Level Two programs) than we normally do.  Watch the recording of Dr. Japa Kaur’s webinar with tips to do this most successfully here.
  • For scheduled classroom days between now and June 30, 2020, you can teach up to 3 consecutive days online.  Please contact Amrit Singh if you have more than 3 days in a row that you want to do online, as that begins to stretch student’s ability to sit before a computer. 
  • We will continue monitoring the COVID-19 situation, and be listening to your feedback, to see if this temporary exception should be extended.
  • Kriya against ‘viruses of the future”Here is a previously unpublished pranayama from 15 Apr 1986 that was said to “burn bacteria and viruses of the future.”
  • Additional Immune System Tools – Access an updated and expanded Immune System Toolkit here.  And you can watch the recording of Coronavirus: What to Do! with Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur.
  • 2nd Webinar on Lineage and Legacy – Tuesday 24 March at 18:00 Mountain Daylight time at this link: Legacy & Lineage of Kundalini Yoga.  This will be recorded and posted for viewing later if you can’t make this time! 
  • Today’s Challenging Topics: Best Practices – As Trainers, we’ve held space in the process and allowed for dialogue about tough topics, but none as challenging as now!  More than ever, let’s support each other to help the trainees center themselves in their Kundalini Yoga.  What are the best strategies you’ve used to move forward with trainees? What are other ways you may not have considered or other ideas?   This Sutra circle is to gather best practices, what has worked AND what hasn’t worked! We will also host group dialogue sessions on Zoom / live only / not recorded so that people can speak freely and we can support each other as a community. Time and presenter TBA.
  • Updates from the Collaborative Response Team – stay up to date on announcements from the Collaborative Response Team on their website, which has an expanded FAQ section now.

March 16, 2020 – Trainer Update

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Sat Naam Dear Trainers,

We are dedicated to keeping regular communication coming from KRI to all of you.  Let’s work together to re-imagine our training programs and the Aquarian Trainer Academy to best serve the future.

May Guru Ram Das bless us all,

Nirvair Singh

Amrit Singh

Hari Charn Kaur

  • Next Steps Together for ATA – KRI recognizes that changes need to be discussed in many areas, and some decisions are needed about our teacher training programs faster than our normal Forum and TTEC processes would facilitate.  Therefore, the KRI board of directors has set up a commission to gather input and make decisions regarding our course curricula, course requirements, course materials, and ATA structure.  We hope to use this as an opportunity to update how we are delivering the Teachings, so that they are most relevant and impactful for all people around the world in today’s Age.  It will be a delicate balance of remaining open to all voices and to the participation of everyone that wants to while still being able to quickly make some difficult decisions.  We will do our best to hold both of those values simultaneously.  This commission will actively solicit input and suggestions from all members of the Academy.  The members of our ATA community who’ve agreed to serve on this commission are:
    • Gurudev Singh (living in Mexico, serving in Mexico, South America, Canada and the USA)
    • Gurusangat Kaur (living in Brazil, serving in South America)
    • Gurujodha Singh (living in Mexico, serving in Mexico and South America)
    • Taran Kaur (living and serving in Germany)
    • Satwant Kaur (living in the UK, serving in the UK and Europe)
    • Tarn Taran Kaur (living in the USA, serving in Asia)
    • Nirvair Singh (KRI staff – USA)
    • Amrit Singh (KRI staff – Netherlands)
    • Hari Charn Kaur (KRI staff – USA)
    • GuruSahay Singh (KRI board member – USA)
    • Guru Jiwan Kaur (KRI board member – Italy)
    • Vedya Amrita Kaur (KRI board member – USA)
  • April TTEC meetings in Espanola – We are moving these meetings ONLINE.  We will also be crafting this meeting to gather input and set direction on the big, important questions that are before us.  Please email Amrit Singh if you want to participate.
  • Summer Trainer Forums in New Mexico and France – Either in-person or online (depending on COVID-19 concerns), these events will NOT be business-as-usual forums.  They will be places for you to give input into our future.  If you are interested in participating on the agendas for these forums, please email Hari Charn Kaur.
  • Recording of the Webinar “Corona Virus – What to Do” – with Dr. Shanti Shanti Kaur Khalsa will be available for you to view after Tuesday 17 March using this link: https://sutra.co/circle/76wv4
  • Additional Legacy and Lineage Zoom calls scheduled – We will be setting up another Zoom call about the history of our practices, in English and in Spanish.  These will be recorded and made available to you if you cannot make attend the live versions.  
  • Ongoing Check-in Zoom Calls – The small group zoom calls that we have been having – to connect with one another, ask questions, and receive support from KRI and from other trainers – have been very helpful.  We will continue them, but on a regular schedule – every Tuesday at 7am New Mexico time (Mountain Daylight Time) beginning on March 24th, and every Thursday at 17:00 New Mexico time beginning on March 26th.  Use this link to access these calls:  https://zoom.us/j/5254726198.  Please do not share this link so as to keep these call only for teacher trainers.
  • Global 40-day meditation for healing – will be live on Zoom for anyone who wants to join.  Every morning at 6:30am New Mexico time, on this zoom link, you and your students can join to meditate with others worldwide.  Each day it will be led by a different trainer from our global ATA.  If you would like to lead one, please contact Hari Charn Kaur.

January 2020 – Trainer Update

New Policies and Clarifications:

  • None

Important Information:

  • NEW Professional Development courses online – a new learning modality for teacher trainers that we are calling “The Aquarian Development Series.”  Read more about it here.  Check out the ever growing options, some free and others with special, reduced trainer pricing, here We invite you to share your wisdom globally:  please complete the Workshop proposal form here
  • Free, online, video supplement to the Aquarian Teacher textbook – Guru Prem Singh from Los Angeles has made short instructional videos about many of our basic postures.  You are welcome to use the videos in your classes and trainings, and/or to give your students these links for their home study and reference.  

Teacher Trainer Executive Committee (TTEC) Issues:

  • The European TTEC met Jan 14th in Belgium.  Read the notes here.
  • The first ever South American Regional TTEC 21 FEB 2020 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  It is open to all members of the Academy.  Email Amrit Singh if you would like to attend.
  • Upcoming: The Global TTEC meeting in the spring of 2021 will be held in Amsterdam 10 & 11 MAY 2021.  As a reminder, check out the role of TTEC in this info about how Teacher Training decisions are made.

Level 3 and Mela Issues:

  • The first South American Level 3 Mela will be held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil 23, 24, 25 FEB 2020.
  • The first Southeast Asia Level 3 Mela will be 13, 14, 15 MAR 2021 (and will be connected to a regional TTEC and trainer forum)
  • We are considering moving the time and location of the European Mela to January – making it just before the EU TTEC meetings.  Please share your opinions in this Sutra thread.
  • The first L3 Mela in China will be held in Suzhou 4, 5, and 6 Nov 2021.

Publication Issues:

  • A mistake was corrected in the English version of the Lifecycles and Lifestyles Level Two manual.  You can download the latest version here.  These corrections have been sent to translators so that non-English language versions will soon also be up to date.  You can see the corrections to all KRI’s publications here.
  • The Spanish translation of the Aquarian Teacher will be available in digital format by the end of March.  KRI will update trainers on how they can purchase this for their programs. 

Administrative Issues:

  • New Program Contracts and Paperwork Requirements – We are updating the contracts for Level One, Level Two and 21 Stages programs.  We also have updated requirements around insurance verification, and what student paperwork needs to submitted to KRI.  Please see this Sutra thread for details and the invitation to comment and ask questions.  This is the open comment period, so please speak up now when changes are still being made!
  • Upcoming new function in the Trainer Portal – expected in about two months, this function will allow Lead Trainers to give their administrators limited Portal access for programs. Admins will be able to submit student data, request certificates and pay program royalties directly through the Lead Trainers portal.
  • Trainer Licensing – Like many professional organizations, KRI uses annual licensing as part of our quality and compliance protocols.  If you are not current with your trainer license, you will not be able to participate on Level One or Level Two Teacher Training teams, or 21 Stages teams.  Login to your Trainer Portal to re-license starting on 1 May 2020.  The deadline for re-licensing is 1 July 2020, with late fees beginning as of 1 Sept 2020.

“Family Notes”:

  • Sat Nam Kaur of Mexico recently passed away.  A nice article about her can be found here.
  • Angad Kaur from Denmark was recently diagnosed with cerebral ataxia.  She is raising funds for an experimental treatment.  Here is her GoFundMe page.
  • Future Family Notes – If you have, or know of, a trainer with a major life event to inform our global family about, please email Hari Charn Kaur at [email protected] for inclusion in the next trainer bulletin.
  • The fires in Australia continue to burn.  Friends of many of our Kundalini Yoga Teachers have lost property and sangats are being deeply affected by this crisis.  Please keep the community in your prayers. 
  • Meditation to Stop the Drums of War
  • The highly contagious Wuhan Pneumonia in China continue to spread during the most important Spring Festival – Chinese New Year. Please pray for our community and their family in China. May Guru Ram Das healing light prevail. May our Sangats stay in peace and healthy.