Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization

(est. 1969)

   Yogi BHAJAN (1929–2004) inaugurated the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO) in the United Harihara, iconic deity that unites Vishnu and Shiva (calendar print) States and India in 1969, with the declaration “Happiness is your birthright.” The mission of 3HO is to assist the interested public in develop-ing a happy, healthy, and holy lifestyle to meet the challenges of the modern world. Based on ancient yogic techniques taught by Yogi Bhajan, 3HO offers KUNDALINI YOGA, MEDITATION, information on a healthy diet, tantric practices, and a compas-sionate philosophy.

   3HO is an affiliate of the larger religion of the Sikh Dharma. There are over 300 3HO centers in 39 countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Australia, South Africa, and coun-tries in Europe. 3HO centers offer holistic health treatments including books, tapes, videos, and health supplements. 3HO publishes a quarterly journal called the Aquarian Times, featuring tips and tools for health and happiness. The organization’s headquarters are located in Espanola, New Mexico.

   Yogi Bhajan established the 3HO after travel-ing to the United States and seeing a need for yoga in the West. He reached out to the youth of the 1960s, recognizing that their experimentation with drugs expressed a need for liberation and wholeness. Yogi Bhajan introduced many young people to kundalini yoga as a natural and healthy alternative. As word of his teachings spread, the organization grew and centers were established throughout the United States. Since then the 3HO has become a popular and dynamic community dedicated to personal growth and sharing of the ancient techniques upon which the organization is founded. The organization has fulfilled one of Yogi Bhajan’s stated intentions, “I did not come to collect students, but to train teachers.”

   The practice of kundalini as taught by Yogi Bhajan is based on kriyas (ritual action). It is an integrative and authentic system that combines physical exercise, breath control, and medita-tion. These yoga techniques constitute a spiritual technology that expands awareness, opens the potential of mind, and draws forth one’s inner being. The benefits of kundalini, as cited by 3HO, include the strengthening of the nervous system, the reduction of stress, self-awareness, concentra-tion, and peace of mind.

   Further reading: Yogi Bhajan, Guide to Aquarian Preg-nancy: Birth and Child Care through Yoga (San Diego: 3HO Foundation, 1977); Yogiji Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, The Inner Workout Manual: Kundalini Yoga (San Ber-nardino, Calif.: Borgo Press, 1990); ———, Kundalini Yoga for Youth and Joy (San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press, 1990); Yogiji Harbhajan Singh Khalsa and Hari-jot Kaur Khalsa, Owners Manual for the Human Body: Kundalini Yoga (Eugene, Oreg.: KIT Catalog 1993).