Oh, Almonte. Where do I begin?
This was my second Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training weekend (in a series of six). We took a little field trip 45 minutes out of the city to spend four days in the small town of Almonte, Ontario. I had heard of it before but truly didn't understand just how special it is. It's the cutest little town! There are adorable shops, restaurants, bridges, waterfalls, and the kindest souls! All within just a few blocks of each other. I've always considered myself a city girl but I quite enjoyed my time here.
This weekend we had the honour of being taught by the most famous Kundalini teacher in the world, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. She was joined her by husband and teacher partner, Gurushabd. They've been practicing yoga for 45 years and their wisdom is beyond anything I've ever seen before. When Gurmukh speaks, the room quiets. Her words are so intriguing. She must do yoga or something. Wink.
She owns the Golden Bridge Yoga Centre in New York and Santa Monica but also travels A LOT to India, Europe, Canada, and all over the world. If she happens to come somewhere near you, I'd encourage you to see her.
I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend four days with these incredible teachers, my teacher training family, and everyone in between. I want to specially shout-out to Christine (Kulmeet) for bringing everyone together and making this happen, it's truly her forte. This weekend had a profound effect on me. I came home feeling refreshed, inspired, and light. I felt like my priorities were straightened right out. Ha!
I had been feeling all wrapped up in my own mind about the things we all stress over: money, loneliness, FOMO, not having enough, wanting more, etc. But by the end of this weekend, I felt my heart was full and all my worries had shifted. I realized all that matters is love. To give, to help, to experience life's beauty, and to feel love.
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| The glow. |
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| Coffee shop to the left. Hello Yellow shop to the right. HOW CUTE? |
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| I rented an Airbnb with a few of my fellow students so we wouldn't have to make the drive on top of our 12 hour days. We had the best slumber parties! |
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| Pavan is to the left. She also taught us for some of the weekend! This awesome lady lives in India but was in Canada visiting her mom and decided to join us for the weekend. She's so cool. Gurushabd is to the right! |
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| Eeee! I love Diane. Wow. What a super woman. |
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| Lovely Gurmukh. |
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| This is what pure joy looks like. |
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| On Saturday, Gurmukh hosted a "Power of Love" public workshop in the Almonte Town Hall. At one point after our yogi dance party, we were asked to hold hands with the people beside us. Everyone in the room joined hands. I didn't know them, their names or where they're from, but we held hands. I felt the oneness and my heart filled to the brim in this moment. I can't explain the feeling. I hope you can experience this one day. |
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| There was also a bake sale and other goods for sale, all in support of four Syrian refugee families who are going to live in Almonte. Gurmukh taught us a lot about giving. Or you can call it tithing. Giving 10% of your income to charity or a cause. We also talked about other ways of giving like volunteering, helping someone with something, or teaching. She inspired us to find a way to give. She said "If you're feeling unhappy, go and help someone." Wow. It's so true. |
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| After the workshop, we got right back down to business. We studied each yoga posture, through and through. Gurmukh is a posture wizard so learning from her was absolutely the best. Pavan was a perfect model. Is there anything she can't do? |
I'm now onto the third training weekend beginning this Friday! Follow me on Instagram: @laurakidd and Snapchat: thefashionkidd for live updates.
Sat nam!
PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE, MYSELF AND POSSIBLY OTHERS!
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