Satwinder Kaur Sran

Yoga is not a fitness or a fad, nor it is a competition with another person or another lineage. It is a science that connects our mind, body and soul for us to experience oneness within ourselves and the Universe. Kundalini Yoga is a sacred science that teaches us how to control our mind, teaches us that we can be the masters of our own mind and not let the mind be our master. This mastery can be achieved by practicing breath, movement, mantra and meditation. As a result, this practice makes us aware of the self (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual), gives us the experience of the benefits, and, most importantly, teaches us that with daily discipline we can attain Mastery over the mind and overcome any obstacles and challenges life presents. It is a life-long journey of self-practice and learning, eventually one day leading to self-mastery. Moreover, this practice teaches us how to maintain Grace in the most ungraceful moments in our lives and needs to be practiced with utmost love, reverence and humility. Yogi Bhajan has left thousands of yoga sets and meditations and I haven’t learned all of these yet. For me this is a practice of lifelong learning or maybe many life times of learning. It is truly an honor and privilege to learn and share these ancient teachings with my students, family and friends. My Deep Gratitude to Yogi Bhajan for his love, support, encouragement and blessings. Without his teachings I don’t know where I would be. Daily practice of Kundalini Yoga is a soul food to me. As we take the time to feed our physical body three times a day, it is equally important to feed our soul through the practice of daily yoga and meditation. ~ Satwinder
Satwinder was born in India and raised in the tradition of Eastern meditation and chanting. She first met Yogi Bhajan in 1982; however, her first experience with Kundalini Yoga was in 1985 at the Women’s Camp in New Mexico. From then on, Satwinder made numerous trips to New Mexico to be in the presence of Yogi Bhajan, but did not take yoga seriously until one morning in 1992 a serious back injury changed everything for her. In 1993, Satwinder traveled to New Mexico with the intention of studiously learning Kundalini Yoga from Yogi Bhajan. She vowed to practice these ancient techniques daily to bring herself out of chronic pain and into better health. Over the following two years Satwinder practiced Kundalini yoga daily and noticed her health improve at all levels. It was with the blessings and the encouragement from Yogi Bhajan she returned to university to complete her studies and obtain her BSc from the University of Alberta in 2000. She has been working for Alberta Health Services for the last 25 years as well as teaching Kundalini Yoga for over 20 years. Satwinder holds an International Kundalini Yoga Certification from the Kundalini Research Institute, New Mexico and has been very fortunate to learn from Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga. She is certified in Children’s Yoga, “Radiant Child” Levels 1-3 and has also completed additional training through the Guru Ram Das Center for Medicine and Humanology to teach people with Cancer, Diabetes and Immune Dysfunctions. Satwinder has completed Yoga Therapy training from the Mount Royal University and holds an International Certification in Yoga Therapy. She is also a certified Brain Longevity Specialist through the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation in Tucson, Arizona.
In addition to teaching Kundalini yoga, Satwinder has taught numerous workshops in Winnipeg, Lloydminster, and Edmonton on topics ranging from Healthy Breast, Insomnia, Divine Goddess and Accessing Your Inner Vitality. Satwinder has been teaching the chronic pain patient population since 2007 at the University of Alberta Hospital for the Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic. She has presented talks on Yoga and Cancer, and Yoga for Insomnia for the Complementary and Alternative Medicine program at the University of Alberta hospital. She has also presented for the Arthritis society of Alberta and NWT on the benefits of Yoga. Satwinder works together with her clients to design and create a personal yoga and meditation program that embraces each individual’s unique health challenges and facilitates optimal health and healing of the mind, body and soul.
Along with teaching weekly classes, Satwinder also offers workshops and special classes for the summer and winter solstices. She has been celebrating Yogi Bhajan’s birthday and his memorial since 2005 with a class dedicated to his teachings and memory. She has also done many fundraising events for the following organizations: One International, Red Cross, Library of the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan & Kundalini Research Institute, Guru Ram Das Centre for Medicine & Humanology, Helping Hands for India, Mustard Seed, Bissell Centre, Hope Mission, Edmonton Food Bank, Khalsa Aid International, Indian Residental School Survivors Society and Beerh World. This is her way of being at service and giving back to the teachings.