and Los Angeles who gracefully left her body due to cancer on September 24, 2009.
For the first time on the Lord of Miracles Tour we had the blessing of visiting El Salvador and it is actually the first time we have had the privilege of teaching Kundalini Yoga and the teachings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in Central America. Everything about this tour is a miracle of Guru Ram Das and visiting El Salvador was no less of a miracle. As we were about to finalize our itinerary and finalize all of our plans for the extensive 40 day tour throughout South America, S.S. Gurubachan Singh received an email from a married couple that he had met a couple of years prior. They told him that they would be glad to invite the Lord of Miracles Tour to El Salvador. Before we knew it, our tickets worked out perfectly to fly from Colombia back to the U.S. with a stop-off in San Salvador (El Salvador’s capital). Basically, Guru Ji arranged everything and we just followed what he laid before us. So our 40 day tour became 45days and we were very excited to spend some extra time sharing the teachings.
Once we arrived it was hot and humid and the skies were overcast while the landscape was lush and full of green. Being welcomed by our hosts Sahib Kaur, Yuvraj Singh and Hari Mittar Kaur was a very sweet experience and given that we were entering a completely new foreign place we felt right at home from the beginning. From the airport which is at sea level we drove into the city of San Salvador which is at an elevation of 2,300 feet and is surrounded by several (active) volcanoes which can reach an elevation of about 5,000 feet. Everything you hear about Central America being thick jungle terrain is true, there was no lack of vegetation no matter where we were in the city. The ocean is a 30 minute drive from the city of San Salvador where the people live to surf. It truly is a change of landscape to what we were used to seeing throughout South America.
Throughout our stay in San Salvador it was becoming increasingly more of a realization to us that this country is very similar to the culture of the U.S. however, it is predominantly a Spanish speaking country. Many of the people do speak English as it is a part of their curriculum in school to learn English fluently by the time they graduate. Also, many of the restaurants as in other countries are U.S. fast food joints such as McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Not only that, El Salvador uses the U.S. dollar as its form of currency. It may have been these facts that we felt so at home while we were there or the fact that I would like to stick with is that the people are so loving and serviceful.
Our first item on the agenda after settling in to the hotel and meeting with our hosts and some of the other Sangat members was a visit to the house of Sahib Kaur and Yuvraj Singh for dinner. Everything about the meal was exotic, new (to us) and delicious. Besides the food, we were surrounded by great company and all new faces which were full of a yearning to learn and serve. It was a most gracious way to honor the House of Guru Ram Das and like the Siri Singh Sahib used to say; “Blessed are those who feed the hungry Sikh’s”. The following days during our visit were quite eventful and busy.
Our first morning was booked with private consultations and from there we went on to visit a cancer hospital for children who have been diagnosed with a number of different types of cancer. This hospital is organized and supported by two women who do quite an amazing job to bring free care to children of El Salvador whose families cannot afford proper health care. While we were there we served all the children juice and cookies and just blessed all of them in the name of Guru Ram Das. As you will see in the pictures it is very touching to know that people are so dedicated to service. They’re organization Ayudame a Vivir is currently seeking additional funding and support. If interested in helping them in any way please contact Roxana Galindo de Hinds at [email protected] or by phone at +503-2263-0575, +503-2263-0576.
Later on in the evening after a beautiful lunch on the coast of San Salvador S.S. Gurubachan Singh led the Sangat and many others from the public in a Kundalini Yoga class. During the class we were all taught a Kriya to get rid of all of our karma from our pasts, it was a very relieving feeling which left the whole class feeling lighter. The mantra during this exercise was surely enough Waheguru.
As practiced with Kundalini Yoga there is a creative and exact science which is used. The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) left us all with a library full of thousands of techniques just like this which are specific to any type of circumstance we can think of. This is what we have been able to share on the Lord of Miracles Tour with many and it is quite amazing to see the response and results of what Guru has brought to Latin America.
After the class we were hosted to a dinner at the house of Hari Mittar Kaur Ramos and Mauricio Ramos. An array of food was laid out beautifully of the most exotic types from popusas (an El Salvadorian dish made of corn flour stuffed with different condiments) to plantain bananas cooked in a red salsa. However, the company of so many beautiful and serviceful people was even more of a privilege.
The following day we left for an early morning radio interview followed by a television interview which were both broadcasted nationwide. S.S. Gurubachan Singh spoke on the importance of meditating on the breath and bringing the breath under one’s control “If you can control your breath then you can control your mind”. And if you conquer your mind you can conquer the world “Man Jeetai Jagjeet”. These were the types of conversations that reached thousands of El Salvadorian viewers nationwide.
We then visited a group of about 40 toddlers at a local day care facility and shared some celestial communications with mantras, bhangarha dancing and at the end served them cookies which left the children all smiling and happy.
In the evening S.S. Gurubachan Singh taught a class to the executives of a company where he lectured on living a tranquil and peaceful life starting by having peace of mind, as taught by Yogi Bhajan. He led them through a number of different meditations which help in training the mind to be directed by the intuition instead of the mind ‘playing boss’ over one’s actions. These simple techniques can serve to completely shift the way the mind works; from a reactive mind becomes an intuitive action oriented mind. All it takes is a want or true prayer to learn and experience and the patience to let God deliver it to you.
Following the class we drove to a local gathering of people who are followers of Amma. They had invited us for a short prayer and meditation in which a group of about 30 people participated; it was a very cleansing experience for everyone and by the end they all wanted hugs.
The next day S.S. Gurubachan Singh was asked to hold a conference for a local business and it’s executives. It was a group of about 15 people who sat and learned to meditate and listen to Mantras of The Sri Guru Granth Sahib. These people left with alleviated and unclouded minds, feeling renewed and now they want to start incorporating the techniques into their work schedule. This is a very fundamental aspect that Kundalini Yoga can bring to someone; with an unclouded mind one has the ability and opportunity to live a life which is clear and free of obstructions.
The classes and venues throughout the tour reached to a number of about 68 over a period of 45 days and in 15 different cities in 9 countries. It was a great experience throughout the entire tour no matter how extensive it may have been. After our last class led by S.S. Gurubachan Singh in a hall filled with over 100 people, we did not feel the tour to be over but rather we came closer to the realization of the vastness of work needed to be done in this world. The last class was filled with a diverse group of El Salvador’s leaders, sevadars and teachers who all came to gain an experience. And to say the least, an experience is what they got. Despite the increasingly hot hall everyone sat through 2 hours of lecture, meditations, kriyas and finally Bhangara. By the end we were all drenched in sweat, smiling and laughing and the whole group left feeling happy and lighter than when they came in to the class.
It was a privilege to have visited each and every country through the different landscapes, different cultures and different experiences throughout this tour. On our last day before we had to head home we were able to see some of the sights of San Salvador. After a nice group farewell lunch at a restaurant stationed near the top of a volcano which overlooks the city and where we got our last taste of popusas for the trip we headed to the top of the volcano to view it’s crater. The vegetation on the volcano was all tropical jungle with beautiful flowers, trees and other plants. Looking down from the clouds of the top of the volcano into the crater which is around 500 feet deep was quite a beautiful sight. As we then descended from the volcano to prepare for our departure and flight the next morning, we invited people of the Sangat to our hotel to chat and spend time before we had to leave. It was a beautiful and rewarding experience being able to share so much with all of the people we met in El Salvador. May Guru Ram Das continue to guide us all and cover us where he sees fit, may we all ever be blessed to serve this humanity and the grace of his sweet feet.
Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru Jin Siria Tine Savaria Pooree Hoee Karha Mat Ap Sirjan Hare Dhariaa.
It has been a great honor to report to all of our Sikh brothers and sisters via SikhNet on the Lord of Miracles Tour throughout the past few months and we look forward to reporting to you all for the 8th Lord of Miracles Tour in Honor of Guru Ram Das which takes place in October of 2010.
Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!
