Today we’d like to introduce you to Tej Khalsa.
Hi Tej, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Like many of us, I grew up in the Kali Yug, the age of darkness & confusion, and my environment reflected this. I was constantly overwhelmed (honestly horrified) by the people and the relationships around me. I kept thinking there had to be better ways of being, but I had no mentors to look to. So I spent endless hours in libraries, studying books on Hinduism, Buddhism, Esoteric Christianity… you name it, I read it. But nothing really spoke to me. Finally in college a social psychology professor started talking about yogis who could move things with their minds. I thought, “Finally, something fascinating!” When I walked out of the class, there was a sign on a telephone pole, “Yoga as a Form of Therapy.” Right up my alley! I was getting a BA in psychology. I called the number and got signed up for a three months course in Kundalini Yoga. From then on the experiences, I had brought me daily out of my confusion and slowly helped me to recapture my self-esteem and self-reverence.
I’ve been on this path since I was 18 years old, and like anything — I’ve seen the hills and the valleys — but I’ve kept going only to get deeper in my understanding of my soul’s journey this lifetime.
That’s a big part of growth — keep going and study the lessons put before you. There’s a powerful saying in Kundalini Yoga, “Keep Up and You’ll Be Kept Up.” It involves everything – grit, courage, a sense of Trust that you’re being guided and things are happening FOR you, not TO you.
So I put that saying to the test all the time — whenever I discover new areas of subconscious cleansing that need to happen, mostly revealing itself in very self-critical phases, I remember, “Keep Up!” And I tell myself, “You’ll figure it out! You can do it!”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I basically grew up with my spiritual community, and as with a lot of groups where people are forming themselves, there are a lot of rules, a lot of social mores, and in some ways a small community can be like high school politics all over again. Through the years, I’ve watched us all grow in different ways. Many people went in different directions. And the lessons for me have been to be understanding to my own inner self. I might get caught up in others’ judgments, but I try to constantly bring it back to the question: what feels right for me? And that can change, it should change as we grow.
For me, the biggest lesson is to not compare myself nor live in criticism of what other people are saying or doing. I’m trying to adopt the attitude that “We’re all just doing the best we can.” That attitude helps me a lot.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Nine Treasures Yoga, & Tej TV?
I run a yoga center called Nine Treasures Yoga at 1605 S. Robertson Blvd, where I hold classes and workshops there daily. I also have an online teaching platform called “Tej TV” that reaches people all over the world. I was given the title “Custodian of the Archives” of Kundalini Yoga. I am constantly working with the yogic teachings — diving deeply into what the Masters from Centuries ago are bringing through to us via these teachings. And then, I can bring it to the students and student teachers.
I am proud that I survived the pandemic as a business. I believe that we are forming a team of spiritually awakening people (it’s a process) who are bringing in a new and deeper consciousness for the world. After all, this is actually the “Dawning of the Age of Aquarius,” and I’m excited to see what comes next!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think that with technology, we are reaching people in tiny towns, large cities, and remote jungles — all over the world — and we’re uniting in our humanity. I sincerely believe people are now expanding psychically and let’s see where that vast ‘knowing’ takes us!
Contact Info:
- Website: tejtv.yoga ninetreasuresyoga.com
Image Credits
Jamila Tazewell
