I went from knowing some things about Sikhi to following it by doing simran. I knew some things about Sikh history, and that inspired me enough to wear a turban. You could say I believed in the Guru but I didn't necessarily follow. I didn't see the need to go all the way.
A Singh invited me to do Waheguru simran. I had an experience that was overwhelming. It felt like an awakening - like I was being absorbed into something. It was scary, and I pulled away... but I wanted to experience it again.
I signed up for a Sikhi camp where we did simran and kirtan every day. I just tried to sing along with the kirtan and especially when we chanted Waheguru. This time it wasn't scary because I was expecting it. It was actually quite blissful and I started to fall in love with God and Guru.
I realized that Sikhi makes sense once you've had an experience of simran. There is a difference of people trying to follow Sikhi just because of morals. I felt so much love at the camp with the young people there.
My life changed. I went to receive Amrit shortly after (and later on started Basics of Sikhi). It was all through simran... and sangat. There were some mahapurkhs at the camps. The talks were really good. The love comes from all places, but the simran solidifies it.
I loved the camp so much, I wanted to make a testimonial video to let people know about it. Its funny to see how that was a beginning of what the Basics of Sikhi youtube channel is doing now.
I couldn't do my Banis so my Panj told me I could start with doing one hour of simran per day. So I started doing simran every morning at the Gurdwara in Southall.
Sikhi isn't just about the morals and values. It's about the experience of God.