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Lori:
How did you get your start in yoga?
Mandeep:In
2003 we had guest lecturer visit my psychopathology class in graduate
school. The guest lecturer was both a Kundalini Yoga instructor
and a counselor and spoke to our class about the therapeutic applications
of yoga. From this lecture, I knew I would be doing yoga and I knew
that yoga would somehow affect my counseling practice. I am really
floored by how much that lecture impacted my life.
Two
weeks later I took my first Kundalini class with Alice.
I loved it- I loved Alice, I loved the class and I loved the way
yoga made me feel. It was just amazing.
So
it all started from the class lecture. Before I even took my first
yoga class I started using some of the Kundalini principles she
talked about in the lecture and incorporated that into my counseling
sessions.
Tell
me how yoga and psychotherapy complement each other?
Yoga really is about raising awareness within the individual, and
as therapists we are often working with clients to improve self-awareness.
Yoga serves as a beautiful vehicle to direct our attention to the
body, thoughts and emotions and how they impact one another. We
have our mind-body connection and as a culture, we often forget
how much the mind impacts the body and how much the body holds onto
in terms of trauma, emotions, thoughts and patterns. The two fields
together really work on bringing the individual to a state of balance
and an ability to cope with the stressors life provides.
Do
you use asana, pranayama and meditation techniques with your clients?
Yes. I integrate yoga techniques more and more. My sessions seem
more yoga based now than talk therapy. Initial visits are primarily
talk based so I can understand the client's needs and then we usually
start out using pranayama. Depending on what the client is working
with I may start using gentle Hatha postures or move into a more
energetic Kundalini practice. Most of my sessions embrace pranayama
and meditation as they are key in establishing mindfulness and applying
that to the life.
What made you decide to become a yoga teacher?
In
2005 I spoke to Gurucharan and he encouraged me to use Kundalini
with my clients whether I was a teacher or not. So I continued integrating
Kundalini in my sessions, and then I really got moved to do the
teacher training in 2006 but the timing was not right. So alas I
took Kundalini
Yoga Teacher Training in 2007. I could not have asked for a
better group to do it with. They became my family. I initially wanted
to do teacher training to become more knowledgeable for my clients.
Little did I realize how much the training was truly a gift to me.
It transformed me. It is still transforming me.- I am so glad I
did that. It was truly beautiful.
How
would you characterize the effect that teacher training had on you
and your practice?
Warp
speed. Teacher Training is just a warp speed into your consciousness
and your own sense of who you are. And it is a great way to commit
to your own self-discovery process.
You
also took our Prenatal training with Lesley Lytle. Do you have a
particular desire to work with pregnant ladies?
Yes
I do. When you are working with the prenatal group, it is all about
embracing that shakti energy. Pregnancy is the time when women really
need to remember their own strength because they have so many different
people telling them what to do.
There
is a lot of fear that can go along with pregnancy but it doesn't
have to. It is really just about bringing that woman back to connect
with their own intuition. There is a beautiful community and bonding
experience that goes along with the prenatal group. Kundalini also
has that strong community, sangha, as well.
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Tell
me about your classes.
Really
my classes are a way for students to increase their awareness of
their breath, thoughts and actions and allow themselves to release
anything that takes them away from their true Self. And of course,
dance when I get the chance. I love the gong. It is my baby so I
use the gong in each of my classes. Sometimes I even use my Tibetan
singing bowls.
Are
there any meditations or sets that appeal more to you?
Recently,
I have taken to a set called "For Creativity". It is a
beautiful kriya for the throat center- just opening up to connect
with your truth. And Ra Ma Da Sa- that was my first 40 day meditation.
It's classic, it's simple, it's sweet and you connect to the healing
within you and around you. We actually used that song at our wedding.
When
did you get married?
Last
June. Our wedding service was based on the principle that yoga is
the concept of union, merging of the finite with the infinite. Marriage
is merging yourself with another. We developed our wedding concept
around that and principles we pulled from Yogi Bhajan and we developed
a really beautiful ceremony. Ra Ma Da Sa played before we walked
down the aisle.
Jodi at her yogic wedding in June 2008.
Where
do you see yourself going in the next 5 years? Both with your teaching
and your personal practice?
To
actually try to guess where I will be in 5 years is humorous. I
see my husband and I practicing and teaching together at some point.
That thought makes me smile. Whether it is 5 years or 15, I would
like to deepen my holistic services by offering nutritional consultation,
Ayurvedic and doula services. And of course still integrating counseling
and the yoga. Yoga is essential in my life, and I definitely see
yoga and wellness being a large part of people's lives in the years
to come.
Whose
classes do you love at Yoga Yoga?
Siri
Bahadur. He sings to my soul. He can look at you and see exactly
what you need. He is so gentle in his way of communicating his message
too. He really resonates with me. Guru
Karam's Kundalini Yoga for Women class is a lot of fun. But
everyone is so good in terms of Kundalini. I love trying different
teachers and different styles of yoga because each teacher has their
own message to offer.
Click
here to read more about Jodi.
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