Code of Excellence

CODE OF EXCELLENCE

of the 3HO International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA)

& Kundalini Research Institute (KRI)

Office of Ethics & Professional Standards & Conscious Conflict Resolution (EPS) epsweb.org • eps@epsweb.org • 1A Ram Das Guru Place, Espanola, New Mexico 87532

We recognize that as Kundalini Yoga Teachers we are committed to living in our higher consciousness. We conduct our lives in a spirit of integrity. In The

Teachers Oath, The Definition of a Yogi, and The 16 Facets of Perfection of a Kundalini Yoga Teacher, Yogi Bhajan gives us the guidelines for this journey of consciousness, the daily practice of which will support us as Kundalini Yoga Teachers.

The Teachers Oath

“I am not a woman.” (Mercury finger down)

“I am not a man.” (Sun finger down) “I am not a person.” (Saturn finger down) “I am not myself.” (Jupiter finger down)

“I am a teacher.” (Thumb stays up)

The Definition of a Yogi

The Yogi is not affected by the opposite polarities of life— neither by praise nor by slander, neither by riches nor by poverty, neither by health nor by illness, neither by life nor by death.

The Will of God is the will of the Yogi. He or she surrenders his or her personal will to the Will of God.

When Kundalini, the primal force of the Prana (life energy), penetrates and prevails throughout the chakras, the Yogi remains stable to the odds of Karma and walks the even path of Dharma. The Raj Yogi is a sage and a king in the face of all temptations, situations, events, and environments.

Those who meditate on Guru Ram Das are blessed through miracles to be royal sages throughout the ages.

Yogi Bhajan, September 1995

The 16 Facets of Perfection of a Kundalini Yoga Teacher

Sola Kalyan Sumpuran Yogi Bhajan, September 1995

A Teacher will never alter the teachings because of personal opinion. You will teach by example.

The higher you grow as a Teacher, the more humble you have to be.

The Teacher always serves the students, so they can become ten times stronger than you, because every student is a Teacher for tomorrow.

A Teacher has to be extremely kind, caring, compassionate, and forgiving.

As a Teacher you should always poke, provoke, confront, and elevate your students to excellence.

As a Teacher you have to continuously imagine, visualize, believe, expand in all directions, connect to everything, meditate, practice, and project that you are Ang Sang Wahe Guru (“With every limb, every part of me, I belong to the Divine.”), and that the energy of Guru Ram Das is flowing through you.

As a Teacher you will always be in Chardi Kala (elevated spirits) and con- nected to your higher self, never caught in emotional turmoil. Count your bless- ings, not your curses. Always be graceful. Glow and grow.

As a Teacher you will continuously graduate towards the Divinity and Infinity that is the essence of your existence. You are not a human born for a spiritual search, you are a spirit, an Atma (soul), born for an experience as a human. Your purity and piety as an Atma is always maintained, protected, exalt- ed, projected, as a priority over everything and kept in sight mentally, physically, and spiritually.

As a Teacher listen to, and obey all righteous teachings. If you read some- thing, you will know it; if you write something, you will understand it; if you teach something, you will perfect it.

It is perfection of your deliverance that gives you grace as a Teacher. Your success as a Teacher lies not in what you know, but in what your student receives.

A Teacher is measured by the growth, dignity, and excellence of the student. If you find any talent, nurture it, teach it, exalt it to the best of your ability and divinity.

As a Teacher do not relate to ego or politics. Always relate to the spirit, soul, and essence of a person. Always relate to the intelligence, talent, and consciousness of a person. Always relate to the manners, methods, and mentality of a person. Pure thoughts are the way to universal knowledge and will make you bountiful, blissful, and beautiful.

2016

God and Guru have blessed you with Karma (law of cause and effect). As a Teacher you must offer yourself in Dharma (lifestyle of righteousness) to honor the gift of God of life. Never create a drift or rift between you and your Atma.

A Teacher wears white cotton clothing while teaching. White clothing makes you as a Teacher look divine and represent light. The color white represents the seven colors. Cotton is the flower of the Earth. It is good for your psyche, your energy, and your nervous system. Your way of dressing should be saintly and make you glow with grace. You should look like a sage and a prince or princess of peace and divinity. A Teacher is a Ph.D.—Prince or Princess of High Divinity.

Just as a seed must transform and mature in order to bear fruit, Teachers who do not become perfect students do not become perfect Masters.

The Universal Spirit that rotates the Earth can take care of all your problems. As a Teacher you have to learn trust and faith. Regard every breath of life as a gift. Strive for conscious breathing, breathing one breath a minute.

The banner of a Teacher is: “In God I dwell.” The standard of arms of a Teacher is: “God within me I trust.”

The honor of a Teacher is: “In the Name of God I serve.”

The motto of a Teacher is: “Peace of mind and peace within the material world.”

A Teacher needs to commit to Nam, the God-given identity.

Without Nam, you cannot have the purity of self and the divine projected grace to master all the elements.

Without commitment there is no character. Without character there is no dignity.

Without dignity there is no divinity. Without divinity there is no grace.

Without grace you cannot sacrifice or serve others. Your compassion and pres- ence will not work, and you cannot be happy.

Remember once and for all, happiness is your birthright, and it is always right to be happy. So be happy, be healthy, and be holy.

We are all holy, because we all have nine holes. Adding two arms and two legs makes thirteen. You are born with thirteen, you will live with thirteen, you will die with thirteen. Thirteen (three and one) makes four—Cup of Prayer. Prayer is your power, your protector, and your provider. Sat Nam