and Los Angeles who gracefully left her body due to cancer on September 24, 2009.
Brazil is a huge country with more than 200 million Portuguese speaking people. It is the lungs of not only South America but also the entire planet. Its immense size comprises a full 1/3 of the continent. From the lush Amazon rain forests to the shining Atlantic Ocean, Brazil has such a diversity of people and cultures that it defies the imagination. Brazilians are happy, fun, smiling and generous. It is no wonder why the teachings of Kundalini Yoga and Shabd Guru have taken such a strong hold.
Our first stop in Brazil is Belo Horizonte, the country’s third largest city. Through the tremendous efforts of Dr. Guru Sangat Kaur and Kirn Jot Kaur there is a new Gurdwara and 31 yoga centers throughout the city. Yes, you are reading it correctly. Their nonprofit organization is called ABAKY [Brazilian Association of Friends of Kundalini Yoga] which includes teachers, students, friends and family and just about anyone who has a desire to serve. Their outreach includes langar, orphanages, elderly, the disadvantaged, and prisons. Their service of teaching extends to banks, government, hospitals and many corporations. They are organized professionals who have a deep sense of “mission without commission”.
Our first stop is teaching the men. Every year we hold a course where about 50 men get together and learn the sacred science of being a man. Through the process of 3 hours, the men learn techniques to handle the stress, stabilize their emotions and understand their relationship with themselves. At the same time as this course, Dr Guru Sangat Kaur is teaching about 80 women the grace of being a Khalsa woman. Through all of this process, the participants are transformed meditating, chanting mantra and doing yogic postures.
The following day we found ourselves visiting a day school for orphans where several members of ABAKY teach music, celestial communication and bring langar to these most beautiful young Brazilians. For 2 hours we visited with them where they showed us how they meditate and chant to Guru Ram Das. We served them langar which included chocolate cake [Yogi Bhajan’s favorite]. At the end they presented S.S. Gurubachan Singh Khalsa with 37 color drawings of Yogi Bhajan. It was a very, very emotional visit. You will see in the pictures the faces of these beautiful, innocent saints.
Next, the Lord of Miracles lecture was held at the University. There the entire auditorium was filled with all segments of Brazilian society. For 2 hours S.S. Gurubachan Singh led them in techniques to expand themselves during times of recession and crises. It was a wonderful blend of Spanish, English and Portuguese languages.
As many of you know, Ram Das Singh was married to Guru Simrat Kaur [a beautiful Brazilian from Belo Horizonte] during last Summer Solstice in New Mexico. From the lecture we went to the Yogi Bhajan Yoga Center in the mountains of Belo Horizonte where his in-laws live. Rai Singh and Liv Avtar Kaur [his parents-in law] fed the entire group langar at a beautiful reception honoring him and S.S. Gurubachan Singh on this Lord of Miracles Tour.
The following morning Siri Sahib Singh and Sat Kartar Kaur were married in the Gurdwara. The Lavan was performed by the Brazilians themselves in Gurmukhi and S.S. Gurubachan Singh was the minister. It was a beautiful graceful ceremony followed by a great langar and all the festivities.
Later that evening, the Tour flew to Brazil’s second largest city Rio de Janiero, the 13th city on this wonderful tour. Rio is everything you have ever heard of and has everything you can imagine. It is a beautiful jewel on the Atlantic Ocean where “everything goes”. The Sangat in Rio is young, full of vitality and diverse. For 2 days we were hosted by Harjinder Singh, Sat Mandir Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Jot Singh. And for two days we enjoyed ourselves eating pizza and Lebanese food, playing in the ocean and teaching the science of Kundalini Yoga and Shabd Guru.
At the Lord of Miracles lecture, the entire audience was meditating on Gurbani and learned different techniques to expand themselves during times of change. The following day we were invited to give a conference on Developing Self Esteem at Entre Amigas an NGO whose work is to help provide job training to underprivileged woman. The NGO where they teach is just amazing. The women learn advanced skills in cosmetology, hospitality [Rio is a huge tourist area] and crafts. After our tour throughout the complex, the participants learned techniques to handle stress and increase their self esteem. By the time the conference was over the women were relaxed, uplifted and rejuvenated as were we.
The following morning at 4am we found ourselves on a flight to Sao Paulo with connections to Bogota, Colombia our 14th city on this wonderful 7th Lord of Miracles Tour In Honor of Guru Ram Das.
Reporting from 41,000 feet somewhere over the Amazon of Brazil enroute to Colombia
S. S. Gurubachan Singh Khalsa
Ram Das Singh Khalsa
