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Q&A with Gabrielle Bernstein: Kundalini + Meditation

December 8, 2021
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by Kathryn Budig: I’ve admired your work as a life coach and symbol of inspiration for years. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you keep inspired in your line of work?

Gabrielle Bernstein: In my early twenties I ran a nightlife PR firm in New York City. On the outside everything looked great, but on the inside I was a mess. I regularly stayed up till 5 or 6 a.m. partying, and thanks to cocaine I weighed about 98 pounds. My friends had tried an intervention, but it didn’t work. Then, one night, I finally let it go. I wrote in my journal, “I need help. God, Universe, whoever is out there … I need a miracle.” The next morning, October 2, 2005, I woke up to a loud inner voice that said, “Get clean and you’ll live a life beyond your wildest dreams.” I knew I had no other choice than to listen.

I am happy it happened the way it did. I found God in my own way. I got clean. My conscious surrender was when I asked for help in my journal. I received an answer right away, and I have been sober since that day.

My own personal journey is what set me on the path to become a teacher. For the past eight years I’ve been leading lectures, writing books, and teaching others how to shift their perceptions and create miracles in their lives.

Kundalini Yoga + Meditation

KB: You practice and now teach Kundalini yoga. How did you get interested in this?

GB: I never really liked yoga until I found Kundalini. In fact, I don’t think I found Kundalini—rather, Kundalini found me. I was invited to a private class and dinner with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. I was more excited about the dinner than the yoga, but I showed up anyway. The moment I walked in the door a sensation of excitement and a rush of inspiration came over me. I took it as guidance that I was in the right place. Within the first five minutes of the kriya I knew I had found my yoga. I loved Gurmukh and the teachings so much that I became a regular student and within a month I signed up for the teacher training. I’ve been a Kundalini yogi ever since!

This yoga changed my life. It taught me how to access my greatest source of power: my presence. Through the mantras, kriyas, and meditations I’ve found a freedom I had never known. My practice has made me happier, healthier and holier in every area of my life.

KB: You often speak about manifesting. Tell us more.

GB: For the unfamiliar, manifesting is the practice of tuning your body and mind’s energetic vibration to a high frequency. That may sound heady, but we’re all beings of energy. When our energy vibrates at a low level we attract low-level circumstances. But when our energy is in a high vibration we attract positive outcomes.

To create powerful manifestations, we must believe in our desires. As Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “I’ll see it when I believe it.” Our faith carries powerful energy that supports the process of turning our dreams into our reality.

To truly manifest you must be able to feel the feeling of the experience before it even happens. How do you access this groovy feeling? It’s simple: Use your imagination! Sit in stillness and think your way into the experience you want to create. Let your imagination guide you to tap into the images you want to see and the feelings you want to feel. Your imagination is your greatest resource for creating new experiences in your life. Spend five minutes a day practicing this imagination exercise.

Yoga Fashion + Empowerment

KB: Slight change of subject: You are super fashion savvy. (You seriously rock the turban!) Do you think fashion can be used as a tool for empowerment?

GB: I love fashion, though most days I’m super happy to be in my sweats and a T-shirt! I love to get dressed up for a lecture or a night out with my friends. I use fashion as a way of telling my story to the world and elevating people around me. For instance, I started wearing a lot more white once I became a Kundalini teacher. White reflects my light and protects my energy field. When I’m in white I feel good, and everyone around me picks up that feeling. Each day we have the opportunity to adorn our bodies with what feels beautiful to us. When we feel good in our clothes, the world picks up on our energy and what we feel is reflected back to us. In these ways, fashion is a form of self-love.

Try this Meditation from Gabrielle Bernstein

KB: Can you share one of the meditations in your new book, Miracles Now?

GB: I call this one Peace Is in Your Pulse. It’s great for people who are new to Kundalini. It improves your concentration and brings calm to even the most scattered mind. Practiced daily, it will develop your intuition, as well.

1. Sit in Easy Pose (comfortably cross-legged on the floor) with a slight neck lock, which means your chin slightly down and your neck is straight.

2. Lightly close your eyes and focus on the space between your eyebrows (the third-eye point).

3. The mantra is Sat Nam (which means “truth identified”).

4. The hand position (mudra) is simple. Place the four fingers of your right hand on your left wrist and feel your pulse. The fingers are in a straight line, lightly pressed on the wrist so you can feel your pulse in each fingertip.

5. On each beat of your pulse, mentally hear the sound of Sat Nam.

This meditation is suggested for 11 minutes, but you can experience great benefits in just one minute.