RA MA Institute of Applied Yogic Sciences

Written by: Talia K., December 11, 2019

The RA MA Institute of Applied Yogic Sciences in New York City is a learning center and place of gathering for a community dedicated to studying and using what it calls Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. The RA MA Institute does not explain online why it chose its name, but the syllables ra ma appear to be derived from the mantra “Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung,” which is practiced by the Institute.[1] Ra, being the name of the ancient Egyptian Sun God, describes the “sun energy.” Ma represents the “moon energy.”[2]

 

Any person is welcome at the RA MA Institute. Its teachings and tools are meant to be used by householders to help manage challenges and stressors in daily life. The mission of the Institute is to introduce its dedicated audience of “wellness trend setters” to the science of Kundalini Yoga, used to “chemically release, strengthen and activate the genetic code.”[3] The RA MA Institute has studios in Venice, Los Angeles, Mallorca, and—my focus here—the Lower East Side of New York. Classes offered focus on a wide range of subjects, including the basics and daily practices of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, guides for practicing the Kundalini Kriyas (a complete yoga set, including posture, breath and sound), astrology and the lunar cycle, motherhood and family yoga (geared towards mothers and their children), business and creative success, nutrition, and certain healing modalities. The Institute also offers a wide range of special events, immersive workshops, and retreats focused on Kundalini Yoga and other cultural experiences considered to be essential for growth, including  levels 1 and 2 teachers’ training, special workshops during holidays, and classes taught by renowned visiting Kundalini teachers. RA MA Institute also runs a website and streaming service called RA MA TV, which provides site visitors both free and subscription-based content. These videos include in-depth courses taught at the studio, classes taped exclusively for the website, and live streamings of events at the studio.

 

The Kundalini philosophy taught at RA MA Institute is based on the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, the founder of Happy, Holy, Healthy Organization, also known as 3HO or Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere. Yogi Bhajan first introduced his version of Kundalini Yoga to the West in 1969. Yogi Bhajan, who passed away in 2004, was a Punjabi Sikh. During his life Yogi Bhajan introduced his following to the Sikh culture and religion. He taught that the first Sikh Master, Guru Nanak, initiated an oral tradition of studying Kundalini Yoga based on the Shabad Guru (syllable or sound guru) “technology” found in the Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak’s best-known poetic composition. These were offered to his followers with the purpose of awakening the Kundalini within each person’s subtle body, so as to realize Divine Reality.[4]

The RA MA Institute’s studio is clean and bright. At the front of the studio is an aesthetically pleasing gift shop housing statues, artifacts, books, crystals and a rack of white clothing. Beyond the gift shop is a small yet bright, warm and colorful space decorated with bright Tibetan prayer flags and thangkas, traditional Japanese windows known as shojis, crystals, a large gong, and several portraits of Yogi Bhajan. These serve as a way of paying respect and homage to various religious cultures of the East, but it is stressed that RA MA Institute does not affiliate with any religion as such. People from all backgrounds are welcome.

RA MA Institute was founded in 2013 by Guru Jagat, a former student of Yogi Bhajan’s. Guru Jagat is described on the RA MA website as a “leading global figure helping to create, delineate, and refine the new feminine matriarchal archetype.” By founding RA MA Institute she has dedicated her life’s work to creating a future that invites women leadership. Guru Jagat explains that her name, which was given to her by Yogi Bhajan, is classically used in India only by men. By embracing her given title, she serves as an example to other women in her community, “show[ing] what it looks like when a woman is a spiritual leader, or a woman is a political leader, or a business leader.”[5] Thus, RA MA Institute serves as a pioneering space within the world of 3HO, inviting women to wear turbans, become teachers and gurus, and serve as leaders of a more inclusive future.

<p style=”text-align: center; background-color: #dddddd;”>From the RA MA Institute of Applied Yogic Sciences.</p>

Local website: https://ramayogainstitute.com/nyc/
TV website:  https://rama-tv.com/

[1] “Healing for Our World: Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung,” July 6, 2018. https://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/mantra/kundalini-yoga-mantras/healing-our-world-ra-ma-da-sa-sa-say-so-hung.

[2] Ramdesh. “Mantra for Healing: Ra Ma Da Sa.” Spirit Voyage Blog, September 8, 2017. https://blog.spiritvoyage.com/mantra-for-healing-ra-ma-da-sa/.

[3] “About RA MA Institute for Applied Yogic Science and Technology,” ramayogainstitute.com/about-ra-ma-institute/.

[4] “Kundalini Yoga.” 3HO. https://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga.

[5] Amanda Baudier, “Guru Jagat,” Sakara Life, https://www.sakara.com/blogs/mag/guru-jagat-interview.