Yogi Bhajan Teachings Survey Results
The following is a summary of the results of a survey I put together and sent out over the internet with the help of Farah Jindani, a PhD candidate in the Psychology Department at the University of Toronto. We received 257 replies from September 20 to October 8, 2011.
1) Gender: The respondents were 75% female and 25% male.
2) Their upbringing was as follows: 42% European, 43% North American/Australian/NewZealander, 5% South Asian, 3% Latin American, 3% other (Aboriginal, Caribbean, East Asian, Jewish, Middle Eastern, South African).
3) The years since the respondents' first exposure to the teachings of Yogi Bhajan were as follows: 19% less than 3 years, 39% 3-10 years, 41% more than 10 years.
4) The respondents were asked to rank the following four categories of Yogi Bhajan's teachings based on their importance to them, using the numbers 1 to 4, 1 being most important and 4 least important. Their replies were as follows:
Community: 152 respondents (58%) rated this category as "1"
Exercise: 183 respondents (70%) rated this category as "1"
Meditation: 212 respondents (82%) rated this category as "1"
Wo/men's teachings: 144 respondents (56%) rated this category as "1"
5) The respondents were also surveyed on the intensity of their practice and their experience of improved quality of life associated with their practice of the teachings. Regarding the intensity of their practice:
36 respondents (14%) said they practised the teachings less than 10% each day.
69 respondents (28%) said they practised the teachings 10-49% each day.
33 respondents (13%) said they practised the teachings 50% each day.
66 respondents (26%) said they practised the teachings 51-90% each day.
49 respondents (20%) said they practised the teachings more than 90% each day.
6) As for the observed improvement in their quality of life, respondents were asked to assign a number from 1 to 10, 1 representing no change and 10 representing 100% change.
1: 0 respondents (0%) 6: 16 respondents (6%)
2: 0 respondents (0%) 7: 24 respondents (9%)
3: 10 respondents (4%) 8: 66 respondents (25%)
4: 3 respondents (1%) 9: 36 respondents (14%)
5: 13 respondents (5%) 10: 83 respondents (32%)
7) Testimonials -
153 of the 260 respondents offered testimonials about the effect the teachings of Yogi Bhajan had had on their lives. A few of these follow:
"Kundalini Yoga has taken me from tragic to magic. Depression, anxiety and drug addiction are now a thing of the past, thanks to Yogi Bhajan's teachings." - Female, East Asian, 3-10 years practice, 10-49% intensity, life improvement: 10
"Yogi Bhajan's teachings are one of the most precious things to come into my life." - Female, European, 3-10 years practice, 51-90% intensity, life improvement: 8
"My husband and I practice Kundalini Yoga together and it helps our relationship." - Female, South Asian, 11-24 years practice, 10-49% intensity, life improvement: 9
"I cannot conceive of where or who I would be without the teachings, example and influence of Yogi Bhajan. He turned me away from a life of drugs. He inspired me to participate in a successful marriage (after two failed ones). Within his teachings, I found meaning and purpose as a yogi, a teacher, a father, and a husband." - Male, North American, 25+ years practice, 51-90% intensity, life improvement: 10
"I was 19 years old, depressed, and had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I am now an Amritdhari Sikh, professional trainer, and I LOVE my life and what I do." - Female, North American, 11-24 years practice, 90%+ intensity, life improvement: 9
"I have a husband of 24 years and children and although I am the only member of my family practising yoga, the effect it has hd on the whole family has been amazing and transforming. I highly recommend Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan to anyone." - Female, Australian, 3-10 years practice, 51-90% intensity, life improvement: 10
"Kundalini Yoga has changed my life in so many ways: self-empowerment, family and friendships, lowered depression and anxiety by 80%, and greatly improved my quality of life." - Female, North American/ANZ, 3-10 years practice, 50% intensity, life improvement: 8
"Kundalini Yoga has been a vital asset to my health and wellness in my mid-20s, being one of the only systems that assisted me to live in a natural manner with myconic epilepsy, more recently being a fundamental component of my plan for therapeutic regeneration and recover from severe illness. I have used the teachings with many clients individually and more recently in group settings, now being a certified teacher (still and active student)." - Female, European, 11-24 years practice, 51-90% intensity, life improvement: 10
"I went from being extremely shy and afraid of people to teaching regular classes within one year of taking the KRI teacher training course. That was five years ago and I continue to see immense growth and transformation in myself and many of those around me. My husband is a baptised Sikh, but I consider myself more of a pagan Christian Sufi mutt with a Sikh heart. It works. These teachings are for everyone. Sat Nam!!" - Female, European, 3-10 years practice, 51-90% intensity, life improvement: 9
"It's all about sadhana - my personal sadhana of kriya and meditation every day. I have not missed a day in several years now. It keeps me sane. I am a teacher and my husband and I are now at the stage of creating more teachers. It is a profound privilege to share the teachings at this time. People are so grateful and impacted. I used to feel I was not truly a Kundalini Yogi because I'm not a Sikh. I'm over that now. The music is the key. God bless the musicians." - Female, North American/NZ, 11-24 years practice, 90%+ intensity, life improvement: 9
"It's wa-a-a-ay more than Kundalini Yoga. It's change on a cellular level and deliverance of one's destiny." - Male, North American/ANZ, 25+ years practice, 90%+ intensity, life improvement: 10
"I have been at a difficult time in my life. I have many people ask me where the calmness and serenity come from :0 I do tell them from Kundalini Yoga teachings, exercise, and especially the Mantras. I have no idea where I would be today without the Mantras. I would not want to think! I feel very, very grateful to Yogi Bhajan for bringing this wonderful teaching to the west! I have studied many religions looking for God and found no one. I believe I have met Him through the Mantras and am at peace with myself and my position in life." - Female, North American/ANZ, 11-24 years practice, 10-49% intensity, life improvement: 8
"I am a teacher and I have witnessed so much transformation in people's lives. It is truly a miracle." - Male, North American/ANZ, 11-24 years practice, 90%+ intensity, life improvement: 10
"Kundalini Yoga has changed my life totally. The time I found it was a hard time in my life. Although I was a Hatha Yoga teacher and good practitioner before I found K, but I still felt something was missing. I still remember I left my hometown to learn K and meet my K teacher. The first class, during relaxation I was teary, eyes full of water. I knew that is emotion releasing. Later I kept a daily practice and kept high vibration. Soon I joined teacher training and began to teach my mind, my body, to keep changing into a better way, and I learned how to connect my soul more. Every time I felt down, sad, confused, I practised! During it, I always got the right answer from deep heart and healed myself! Now my body got more sensitive, mind awareness, intuition, more happy and holy living! Spiritual path seems cannot stop, no matter what. I know I am on the way back home! Thankful! Wahe Guru!" - Female, East Asia, 3-10 years practice, 10-49% intensity, life improvement: 10
"Kundalini Yoga has helped me deal with depression. I have been able to discontinue antidepressants. Tremendous help in dealing with anxiety and chronic illness." - Female, European, 3-10 years practice, 50% intensity, life improvement: 8
"To have the ability to heal myself and help others with just simple techniques is wonderful. My whole life has gotten more meaningful, wholesome and fun because of the many technologies of Kundalini Yoga." - Female, North American/ANZ, 11-24 years practice, life improvement: 9
"I can't imagine my life without the teachings of Yogi Bhajan! I know profound blessings and grace in my life because of his presence in it. This is my 40th year of practising them. I'm very grateful." - Female, North American/ANZ, 25+ years practice, 90%+ intensity, life improvement: 10
Link to the Actual Survey Results here.