Bolivia is a sacred land. It is the soul of South America and its capital is La Paz, the City of Peace. Situated 15,000 feet above sea level it is definitely a challenge for anyone not used to the altitude. It is also a city where traditional indigenous culture and modern society merge. The city is beautiful, the people are sweet and respectful and the air is definitely thin!
Our sangat in La Paz is a beautiful mixture of every aspect of Bolivian society. Their devotion to the Guru, the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and service to humanity is unparalleled. The incredible blend of the indigenous culture with their European roots and their spiritual practice is wonderful. This sangat lives to serve.
When we arrived in La Paz we immediately went to our first event, a national television show where we discussed who we were, the science of Kundalini Yoga and breath. For more than an hour we discussed and answered questions from callers throughout the country. We were seen by more than one million viewers while they listened to Sat Kirn Kaur singing in the background. When we finished we were still kept there to answer the questions from the workers in the studio.
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| On arrival in La Paz, S.S. Gurubachan Singh Khalsa, Dr Ardass Singh and S.S. Sham Kaur are being interviewed on the television show "Hoy Contigo" which is broadcasted live to an audience of over 3 million Bolivians. |
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| S.S. Gurubachan Singh leading the class at the Catholic University in La Paz. Meditating and chanting to Guru's word, the class was on the topic of expanding one's self through controlling the mind by conscious use of breath and mantra. |
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| A beautiful Indigineous mother and daughter sit and meditate to Snatam's version of "Puta Mata Ki Asees" in Spanish. |
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| Our teaching the Colonels of Bolivian police force was very successful. L to R: Colonel Cabrera, Hari Purkh Kaur, S.S. Gurubachan Singh, Dr Ardas Singh. |
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| Lieutenant Colonels meditating and learning to use the breath as a tool to control the mind in high pressure situations and as a daily practice. |
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| S.S. Gurubachan Singh receiving the Baston de Manda" which is the highest honor given by the Bolivian National Police. He was honored for his service in offering the teachings of Kundalini Yoga to their police force. |
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| Left to Right: Hari Purkh Kaur, Colonel Cabrera and S.S. Gurubachan Singh stand together after the conference. |
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| At a hospital for terminally ill children cancer patients, Dr Ardas Singh embraces one child with a healing touch. |
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| A young boy at the hospital who was born with leukemia holds high spirits and smiles for the camera. |
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| Angad Kaur (center in white) gets together with the children she often visits to teach them to meditate. For the past year, many members of the Bolivian sangat spend time by bringing langar to the Children's Hospital cancer ward. |
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| S.S. Gurubachan Singh (center) & Hari Purkh Kaur (rear left) with some of the children during our visit to the hospital. |
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| At the house or Bernard and Deva Kaur enjoying a lunch to celebrate Bernard's birthday. |
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| A morning of yoga meditation and recitation of Gurbani led by S.S. Gurubachan Singh and Dr Ardas Singh. |
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| S.S. Gurubachan Singh poses with a group of young Bolivian girls who practice yoga and meditation as an extracurricular activity. |
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| Left to Right: Ad Purkh Kaur, Martha Nunuez and Hari Purkh Kaur sit together after a dinner at the house of Tatiana and Jorge, local Kundalini Yoga practitioners and sangat members of La Paz. |
From the studio we were invited to speak at the prestigious Catholic University of Bolivia. For more than 2 hours S.S. Gurubachan Singh Khalsa led the attendees in meditation on breath and on Shabd Guru. The purpose of the class was to bring the tools of Kundalini Yoga to clear and master one's own mind. In turn students excel in their studies.
The next day began with a morning class for the National Police of Bolivia. We were welcomed by Colonel Cabrera who is now the Commandant General for Customs and Immigration for all of Bolivia. Knowing Colonel Cabrera brought back memories of the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan), our respected teacher, who would tell us stories of his experiences as a customs officer in India. The class was lead by S.S. Gurubachan Singh to many of the Lieutenant Colonels of the Bolivian National Police Force. This is the first time that we have been able to teach this high ranking level of the Bolivian Police. No matter how many times we have taught any police force we still cannot get over the sight of all of them meditating together to the Guru's Shabd. It is quite amazing to see how Guru's hand guides this tour and brings the teachings to places we never considered.
After a successful extended class with the Police, we ended up missing a scheduled television show interview. We headed to the National Children's Hospital of La Paz. As a seva Angad Kaur teaches yoga and meditation to the children twice a week. While we were there Dr Ardass Singh went to each child suffering from cancer. He blessed and treated them to promote their healing. It was a sight that really moved us all. As we walked through the hospital with "Guru Guru Waheguru Guru Ram Das Guru" playing on a stereo we really felt the presence of Guru Ram Das very close.
We were then invited to Don Bernardo and Deva Abendroth's house for a beautiful birthday lunch in honor of Bernardo. For the past six years Deva Kaur (a Kundalini Yoga teacher) and her husband, Bernardo, the unofficial minister of commerce for all of Bolivia, created the most beautiful Langar with the entire Sangat. It is always an honor and privilege to be welcomed by their gracious hospitality.
Later that afternoon Dr Ardass Singh led a long healing session to a packed room of Bolivians. Through his unique method of intuition, medical experience and yogic teachings Dr Ardass Singh would transform the lives of everyone who attended. Also that evening S.S. Gurubachan Singh taught the Lord of Miracles Tour lecture. The class was on eliminating anger and connecting with one's self. The evening ended with a delicious pizza dinner with the Sangat.
In the morning we all participated in a wonderful yoga session at the home of Sham Kaur and her husband Gianbir Singh. Sham Kaur who is the first Sikh minister of Bolivia and member of Khalsa Council is a leader of the Sangat. Her professional life consists of being the head of an NGO for global warming as well as consulting other nations about global warming. Gianbir Singh is also involved in the improvement of Bolivia's environmental infrastructure which includes the cleanup of waste in Lake Titicaca, the world's largest natural lake. For four hours both Gurubachan Singh and Dr Ardass Singh led the group with physical postures and meditation. The many that were there felt uplifted, motivated and with a clear mind.
In the evening the tour was invited to the house of Tatiana and Jorge where we enjoyed a beautiful spread of Bolivia's vegetarian cuisine. Though weary of leaving the next day we departed in the morning for Santiago, Chile the third city on this most wonderful 8th Lord of Miracles Tour in Honor of Guru Ram Das.
From 33,000 feet somewhere over the Andes Mountains en route to Chile. This is Ram Das Singh Khalsa reporting.