About Us
Kundalini Yoga respectfully and lovingly belongs to those who practice it. It is a privilege to work and share with each other.
The Trustees are a team of experienced teachers who, through regular meetings and a prayerful, clear, grace-filled relationship with one another, seek to provide a nurturing space in South Africa for Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.
“Everyone has a mission and every mission has a magnitude. To fulfill and deliver the essence of magnitude,
one requires manners and attitude. When one does it with devotion and conviction, success comes from all sides. What counts is whether you serve your lineage* or whether you serve your legacy. If you serve the legacy, you will live forever. If you serve the lineage, you will not have a chance. There is a catch 22 in it. When you serve lineage* you will always be miserable. When you serve legacy, God will come through; you will only get credit. And this we call miracle.”
– Yogi Bhajan
* Lineage refers to nepotism and the gravy train.
Har Bhajan Singh Khalsa was sent back to South Africa by Yogi Bhajan in mid-1985 to start teaching Kundalini Yoga. After some years of travelling and sailing, Har Bhajan innocently thought he might make his home elsewhere, away from his ‘native’ South Africa. Then he met Yogi Bhajan, who gave him his spiritual name, and with his typical straightforwardness and insight, warmly suggested he go back and ‘start an ashram’. “When you meet your teacher, your ego might object and want to say ‘No’, but your soul knows and says ‘Yes’”. In those early days Har Bhajan travelled on his motorbike hither and thither and taught up to 10 classes a week. He started FRUITS & ROOTS, out of which grew EARTH PRODUCTS and he became intensely busy pioneering natural, vegetarian whole foods throughout South Africa. Currently Har Bhajan’s interests lie with nurturing the sustainable eco community in Robertson where he and Pritam, his wife, reside. His time is spent with his 3 horses, pursuing sustainable energy practices on the farm, fixing and beautifying his surroundings, and teaching Kundalini Yoga and Yoga Teacher Training.
Contact Har Bhajan at har.bhajan.s.khalsa@gmail.com
Pritam Hari Kaur lived and worked in the Ashram in Hamburg, Germany from 1981 onward for some eight years, translating the teachings and developing the yoga community, before she met Har Bhajan at the European Yoga Festival.
Yogi Bhajan (again!) wanted her energy in RSA. She delved into building their brands, FRUITS & ROOTS and EARTH PRODUCTS, teaching yoga and wellness classes and being a mom and wife. She loves doing Numerology readings, counsels through EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and has been training teachers as a Legacy Lead Trainer for Level I and II since 1999. She has taught in Burundi, Togo, the Gambia and Ghana and also regularly travels to Germany and Austria for trainings. She created a picture book in yoga, The Kundalini Yoga Fan. She and her husband are founding members of Long Valley Farm, an eco village retreat centre in the Langeberg. Their son, Hari Bhajan Singh and his family live nearby in the village of Robertson.
Contact Pritam at pritam.khalsa@gmail.com
Prithi Adesh Dr Tonja Blom is a Yoga Therapist, Life Transformation Coach, Trauma Practitioner, Applied Kinesiologist and Change specialist. She has authored many articles on the impact of stress, anxiety, fear and trauma as well as emotional empowerment and holistic wellbeing. Through years of leading individual and group work she realised that her life work consists of supporting individuals and groups experiencing change, and then harnessing and making sense of these change experiences to grow and improve our collective wellbeing. Her vision is a world where everybody has the emotional and spiritual support and agility to handle uncertainty with grace and ease.
Contact Prithi at blomtonja@gmail.com
Patwant Rhodes has been teaching for over twenty years. She is a healer, and a writer, having published a volume of devotional poetry. Her classes are at once deep, rousing and often rip-roaringly humourous. She teaches private classes, in studios as well as residential teaching in island settings such as Silver Island in Greece and the Maldives. Patwant is an example to the art of teaching and shares her insight and capacity in the Level One Teacher Training.
Contact Patwant at suryawellnessprogramme@gmail.com
Sibusiso Ngema is a yoga instructor and wellness coach based in Alexandra, Johannesburg. Certified in Kundalini and Vinyasa Yoga, he is inspired by ancient wisdom in a modern context. He is passionate about sustainability and community development and works as a mentor with a diverse group of young students, guiding them on their path to success. Recognizing the importance of mental clarity and focus in academic achievement, he incorporates breath work and movement in his sessions to foster concentration and mindfulness. The lens of yoga accelerates his work with content development and creating resources that promote holistic well-being for healthier and more balanced lives.
I remember celebrating my 33rd birthday during the Level 1 training in 1997, when Pritam remarked, “Today is a very special birthday for you!” This resonated with my Catholic roots: 33 was, we believe, also a significant age in the life of Jesus.
Exploring different faiths is close to my heart. The spiritualities of Yoga, Hinduism and Sikhism expanded my understanding of Catholicism by helping me interrogate how various tenets of my faith had been taught to me over the years. For example, one of the reasons Christians say yoga is incompatible with Christianity is that it focuses inordinately on the self, and therefore leads one away from God. Digging deeper, however, one discovers profound biblical passages: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1: 5); “Know yourself, and then you will be known.” (Gospel of Thomas Saying 3). Revisiting these texts (which we must also acknowledge reflect the Jewish foundations of Christianity) through the lens of Eastern philosophies filled the void left by years of impoverishing, often literal, interpretations of sacred writings.
Conflict transformation work has been my life’s calling. The first 25 years, as director of Phaphama Initiatives, were devoted to learning, cultivating and sharing the skills, attitudes and inner orientation needed to work constructively with conflict. The last ten years, as consultant to the Institute for Security Studies, have looked more at what is required to prevent violence systemically on community and societal levels.
I have also been a trustee and the chairperson of the 3HO Foundation of South Africa for many years. With the revelations of his physical, emotional and sexual abuse, I no longer give Bhajan a title. I was dismayed to find that he was not the person or teacher he pretended to be. He drew on a vast body of ancient teachings and, in my view, also made up a lot of dubious practices (more on this is written in an academic research paper – please let me know if you wish to see it). I also want to recognise that I did not personally know Bhajan. Many people who did had very positive, even life-changing, experiences with him.
Do these shocking discoveries mean Kundalini Yoga is no longer credible? Is Catholicism no longer credible because of the tens of thousands of child abuse cases at the hands of Catholic clergy? Or because the authority of priests to provide spiritual guidance is questionable? No. But it does mean we leave behind the ‘follower’ mentality. We also ask ourselves some hard questions about the sources of knowledge we turn to, and how we can, for the sake of learning, remain open to influence without giving away our power. I choose to remain part of the Kundalini Yoga structure, just as I choose to remain a Catholic, because I believe one works better for change from within. What are the changes I would like to see? That the leadership and strategic direction of Kundalini Yoga are taken up by more People of Colour in our country, and that yoga spreads to places where it would not previously have been accessible.
I don’t teach yoga anymore but I am grateful for how my practice helped get me through depression when I was younger and how it is helping me now as I learn to live with Parkinson’s.
Contact Simran Judy at judyphaphamaorg@gmail.com
Balwant Karin Ritchie’s love for yoga blossomed into putting the spiritual retreat centre Shakti Khaya on Linksfield Ridge on the map as a home for Kundalini Yoga; it saw many events, retreats and sadhanas. Her journey led her to living in India for two years. She consults at the Industrial Supply Company that she is CEO of and now lives in Sedgefield on the Garden Route. She practices as a Trauma Healing therapist using the Somatic Experiencing modality. When she doesn’t travel and teach nationally and internationally, she enjoys nature, new inspired experiences and spending time with her family and grandson.
Contact Karin on karinritchie3@gmail or 083 226 9834
Jo Bond is a a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and a registered homeopath based in Fourways. Her journey with Kundalini yoga started in the early 1990’s when she accompanied a friend to a class. Her curiosity was piqued and she started attending regular classes in her area. Without knowing it at the time, this set her upon a healing journey now spanning decades.
“I relate with the meaning ‘union’ of the word yoga, which speaks of connecting the individual consciousness to spirit. I also love that it is a time-honoured technology that focuses on the inner rather than always managing outwardly. Yoga emphasises scientific aspects and does not claim itself to be a religion.
And still, Kundalini Yoga is deep medicine for the soul. I noticed how good and connected and in a state of heightened awareness I felt when I attended class and how I missed it when when I didn’t.
This led me to embark on my teacher training so I could pass on this valuable information and help in the growth of consciousness. Best decision ever! The course was tough, challenging at times, but absolutely worth it. The personal growth I achieved was something I had not expected. I met an amazing group of people who I am friends with to this day. Kundalini Yoga filled a gap in my life; it eases and navigates my inner processing skills and grows me on so many levels. I feel it helps me be the child of the Universe i was meant to be. I am a better person because of yoga and also able to make a difference in other people’s lives. I am proud to be part of this lineage and to belong to a group of like-minded individuals. When I am with my yoga community, I feel like I am home.
I am a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and a registered homeopath, I teach kiddies yoga, am an animal lover, vegetarian, and bibliophile. Pledged to treading lightly and softly through this world, I am mindful that I share this planet with others and wish to leave it a better place one day.
PS I hope that anyone reading this gets to experience the medicine of Kundalini Yoga to enrich their life! ♡”
My name is Savanna Sibutha. I am qualified Kundalini Yoga instructor. Yoga helps me to be an understanding person and a compassionate person. It found me when I was at my worst and it has healed me. Because I know the power that comes with the practice, I am determined to reach and teach other people who might be in the same space that I was in.
I give yoga classes to young girls who have had the challenges of sexual harassment, trafficking and/ or being orphaned. I also teach at high schools in Johannesburg (chiefly in Alex, Sandton) where i offer mental-emotional support to leaners who are trying to complete their schooling. I also work with Stretch Education SA.
My name is James Dekker. Thamsanqa is my African (spiritual) name and comes from the Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu word meaning ‘blessing(s), ‘fortune’ or ‘luck’. The name is spoken with the ‘clicking sound’ typical of Southern African tribal languages and I was given this name after I survived a horrifying robbery one night many years ago. It took me half a lifetime to come to terms with what happened that night and Kundalini Yoga has been instrumental in helping me regain my balance and find my peace.
I am currently doing my Level 2 Teacher Enhancement Training with Pritam and I teach a regular mens class in Cologne in Germany where I live. My goal is to bring more men to the mat, assisting them in unlocking their own Divine Masculine. I am the webmaster of this website… seva for our South African sangat, and I also support teacher training for disadvantaged yogis through the proceeds from making beautiful personalised malas. You can view some of my malas here 🙂
Contact James at thamsanqa@kundaliniyoga.co.za
