Five Presenters At The Hanuman Festival, June 14-17, 2018, On Transformation
By Ashley Shires
We are so excited about the 9th Hanuman Festival in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, June 14-17, 2018. This four-day celebration of yoga, music and community is a transformative experience every year, and this year will be no exception. The location is amazing, with yoga classes located in spacious tents right beside Boulder creek, the sounds of water and music and laughter. With a line-up of world-renown instructors and musicians, the festival raises the vibration year after year. The theme of this year's festival, "Transformation Begins Here," was inspired by the revolutionary changes that take place, the way the Hanuman Festival instructors and musicians lead the community in opening their hearts and following the yogic path, embracing their authentic selves.
We asked five Hanuman presenters, Kia Miller, David Newman, Dayna Seraye, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa and Tiffany Cruikshank to comtemplate the theme, asking them how their transformation with yoga began and how it continues to this day.
My transformation began with learning how to connect to the present moment. First through addressing my physical body, then activating my energy in kriyas, and now through devotional and meditation practices.
Kia Miller is a renown and beloved yoga teacher, translating the subtle teachings of Kundalini yoga in a highly accessible and transformative way. She teaches workshops, retreats and teacher trainings throughout the world. kiamiller.com
My initial awakening moment with yoga was when I walked into a yoga class about 30 years ago with “troubles on my mind." When I walked out of the class, the “troubles” weren’t there, or so it seemed… and now I have an understanding that it wasn’t whether or not the so-called troubles were gone, it was that I had a more direct and clear association with my True Self. The many facets of yoga continue to offer powerful tools to remember and awaken to Truth.
David Newman is an inspired and celebrated singer-songwriter, sacred mantra artist and inspirational teacher. His world music albums have topped the charts, and his book, the Timebound Traveler, was a #1 Amazon Best Seller. davidnewmanmusic.com
Yoga has continually helped me to break through my limiting beliefs and insecurities and step into my empowered heart. At the beginning, it was healing for me to simply experience a connection to my body and to develop a loving relationship with myself. As I deepened my practice, yoga taught me that I can shift my experience - the way my body feels, the thoughts I am thinking and my energy. I don’t need anyone or anything outside of myself to do it for me. Yoga continually shows me new frontiers of growth and evolution in myself, and in that way invites me to always continue transforming my shadows with the light of awareness.
Dayna Seraye is the co-founder and director of Hanuman Academy and Hanuman Adventures. She is devoted to bringing the transformative teachings of yoga to our global community and has led sacred pilgrimages, yoga workshops and trainings, and healing ceremony for 15 years. daynaseraye.com
My transformation began almost 50 years ago in my first Kundalini Yoga class. From that time, my life has transformed and has grown into what it is today, which is a daily practice of Yoga, Meditation, Chanting, and Prayers that begins before the sun rises every day. My daily practice is my biggest blessing and self-discipline for transformation. I feel very blessed to have found this Path, and to be given the blessings to continue on this Path. Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan gives a lifestyle for how to live from the time we wake to the time we go to bed until the time we inhale and exhale our last breath. Yogi Bhajan’s teaching is that Seva, Selfless Service, is the most important part of our lives, and should be the center of our lives.
Gurmukh studied and served Yoga Bhajan from 1970 until he left his body in 2004, attending the Khalsa Women’s Training Camps, experiencing his White Trantric Yoga Courses, Solstice Gatherings and pioneering his first Yoga Center in Los Angeles. She teaches transformational classes and workshops all over the world. Follow Gurmukh on Facebook.
My transformation began as a teenager searching for tools and answers in a confusing world. I fell in love with the physical practice, but the longevity of my commitment over the past few decades has been the deeper impact yoga has had on my body, mind and spirit. As the founder of Yoga Medicine, I am also committed to bringing attention to yoga’s capacity to heal in a medical setting. My personal transformation happens every morning I step on my mat and even more importantly, in the small ways I am mindful through my day.
Tiffany Cruikshank is the founder of Yoga Medicine, a community of yoga teachers fusing anatomy and western medicine with the traditional practices of yoga to help people truly thrive, living their best, healthiest lives. Tiffany has worked with professional athletes and celebrities, as well as renowned medical professionals around the world. yogamedicine.com
To learn more about Hanuman Festival visit hanumanfestival.com.
