Balwant Kaur

“All the people who come to do this amazing yoga grow in their practice and in themselves. Kundalini Yoga is the yoga of awareness. ”

For Kathy McLean, her personal experience with Kundalini Yoga is profound. After a motor cycle accident in Sydney that caused injury to her left arm, she sought techniques to help her effectively manage the pain and discomfort. After trying various conventional methods and different yoga techniques, she found that her only genuine sense of relief came from a Kundalini Yoga class. “Having never heard of it I had no idea of what to expect, I felt so relaxed and safe as we went through breath-work that leads onto the postures. I found that although I couldn’t move my arm a lot, it was freer than it had felt in 12 months. At the end of the class I realised that for the first time since the accident I had no pain. It made me interested in what this yoga was and how it worked. ”

But it was during a medical consultation that Kathy was diagnosed with a malignant nerve tumour. Despite being told that she had around two years to live, Kathy decided to manage her own treatment, which included Kundalini Yoga, meditation and macrobiotics. She has remained healthy for the last seven years. In fact, Kathy has alleviated the pain in her wrist, arm, shoulder, neck and back. “I put this down to building strength and stamina and developing a positive, productive attitude with my tool of the trade, Kundalini Yoga. ”

In 2004 Kathy had the opportunity to study under the guidance of Gurujivan Kaur Khalsa in Sydney. Today she is a fully qualified Kundalini Yoga teacher and is a member of International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA) and Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association, Australia and New Zealand (KYTAANZ).

In 2006 Kathy was given her spiritual name of Balwant Kaur. Balwant means strength and bravery. Kaur means the Princess/Lioness of God who walks with grace and courage throughout her life. Receiving the name Balwant Kaur means Kathy has the potential for great spiritual strength, and the grace and courage of a Lioness of God. It is her life time purpose to live up to her name.

In March 2008 Kathy undertook a teacher training course in Pune, India. She trained here with masters of the Iyengar Yoga tradition. Her aim was to learn more about alignment of the body to enhance her own practice and her teaching skills. Kathy’s practice continues to be Kundalini based; balancing the chakras with breath, movement, meditation and relaxation.

According to Kathy it doesn’t matter what you look like, what size you are or how flexible you are, everyone can benefit from Kundalini. “It is the yoga for the regular person who has a job, has a family and has commitments. It is a technology that we can use for living a harmonious, healthy and happy life.”