What is Yogi Bhajan?
Yogi Bhajan (born Harbhajan Singh Puri, August 26, 1929 – October 6, 2004) was an American entrepreneur, yoga guru, and spiritual teacher who introduced his version of Kundalini yoga to the United States and served as spiritual director of the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) foundation, which grew to over 300 centers in 35 countries. He was accused of sexual abuse by several dozen of his female followers; an investigation called the Olive Branch Report found the allegations most likely true.
Origins & Lineage
Harbhajan Singh Khalsa was born on August 26, 1929 into a Sikh family in Kot Harkarn, Gujranwala district in the province of Punjab (now in Pakistan), where his father, Dr. Kartar Singh Puri, served the British Raj as a medical doctor and his mother was named Harkrishan Kaur. He studied comparative religion and Vedic philosophy in his undergraduate years, received his Masters in Economics with honors from Punjab University, and later earned his Ph.D. in communications psychology from the University of Humanistic Studies in San Francisco.
In September 1968, Yogi Bhajan left India for Canada to teach Kundalini Yoga at Toronto University, carrying a letter of recommendation from Sir James George, Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi. After two months in Canada, he was invited to Los Angeles and began teaching Kundalini Yoga classes at the East West Cultural Center. In July 1969, 3HO was incorporated in California and included the teachings of the science of Humanology, Kundalini Yoga and meditation and selfless service.
The historical origins of Yogi Bhajan’s Kundalini Yoga are contested. Philip Deslippe, a historian of American religion, wrote a 2012 article using 3HO archive material and news articles concluding that in the early years of 3HO, Yogi Bhajan was using the physical yoga of Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari and the persona and mantra of Baba Virsa Singh, and that the figure of Sant Hazara Singh only became prominent after the first trip to India in 1971.
How It’s Practiced
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan combines specific physical exercises, breathing techniques, meditation, and mantra. The physical elements likely came from Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari’s system, which fused elements of haṭha yoga with vyāyāma (an indigenous system of physical exercises used by wrestlers) to produce what he called “Sūkṣma Vyāyāma” (Subtle Exercise). The practice emphasizes rapid diaphragmatic breathing (“Breath of Fire”), holding specific postures, and chanting mantras.
Yogi Bhajan Today
More than five decades later, Kundalini Yoga is practiced by millions of people and is taught in schools, universities, hospitals, and studios in more than 100 countries, with thousands of certified teachers and trainers. However, the community has been profoundly affected by revelations about Yogi Bhajan’s conduct.
In 2019, Yogi Bhajan’s former secretary Pamela Saharah Dyson published the book Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage: My Life with Yogi Bhajan, reporting abusive sexual relationships. In March 2020, the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation commissioned An Olive Branch (AOB) to investigate allegations. The AOB report, published in August 2020, found that it was “more likely than not” that Yogi Bhajan raped three women, injured eight women during sex, engaged in nonconsensual touching of nine people, and employed various methods to control his students. In 2024, HBO ran the series Breath of Fire about the mental and sexual abuse.
Common Misconceptions
Yogi Bhajan is not the originator of Kundalini Yoga as an ancient practice—the concept of kundalini energy dates back centuries in yogic and tantric traditions. Research argues that Yogi Bhajan’s specific system was a bricolage created by Yogi Bhajan himself and derived from two main figures: a hatha yoga teacher named Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari (1924–1994) and the Sikh sant Maharaj Virsa Singh (1934–2007).
Although 3HO claims to practice Sikh teachings and values, the organization is largely condemned by the wider Sikh community, with some calling it a cult. In 1977, Gurucharan Singh Tohra, former President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), stated that Harbhajan Singh was not the leader of Sikhism in the Western World as he claimed.
Yogi Bhajan’s Kundalini Yoga is one teacher’s interpretation, not a comprehensive representation of kundalini practices across yoga traditions.
How to Begin
Those interested in kundalini practices should approach with discernment. Many contemporary Kundalini Yoga teachers have distanced themselves from Yogi Bhajan’s personal conduct while continuing to teach adapted forms of the physical practices. The Kundalini Research Institute maintains an archive of teachings at libraryofteachings.com. Practitioners may also explore kundalini concepts through other lineages, including classical hatha yoga texts, Sivananda Yoga, or Kashmir Shaivism traditions that predate Yogi Bhajan’s system.