I thought I needed to go shopping for some new outfits for our upcoming tour, but found some treasures with what I already have!
October 2018 USA and Canada Tour Dates: click here!
Dressing as a woman of grace and beauty takes a focused effort. I have become keenly aware to this fact, after many years of finding myself on stage in front of thousands of people, and seeing how important it is to dress in clothes that help me to deliver my best self in the moment. It is wonderful to be attractive to yourself and to others and we all have God given shapes that are beautiful. The problem lies when our end goal becomes those shapes. For example, when outfits are such that the eyes fall straight to a woman’s chest, we are left with nothing but that, her chest, which is a finite form. It creates insecurity in her and those looking at her because that finite form will not last in its beauty. If instead when looking upon her we are brought to a sense of higher consciousness within ourselves, and she is brought to a sense of higher consciousness within herself, just by her clothing choices, the matter is ended. That is dressing as a woman of grace and spirit.
I have been blessed with a lifestyle from the Sikh and Kundalini yoga traditions that celebrates both beauty and spiritual strength through clothing. I’d like to share some of the beliefs and yogic science and practices in hopes that you will be inspired to find ways to bring grace and spirit into what you wear.
Turban: As I chant the sacred mantras the tip of the tongue taps the roof of the mouth. This stimulates the hypothalamus gland, which then sends positive messages to the glandular and nervous systems of the body. This is all happening in the center of the skull, and there is an incredible amount of energy that builds. By wearing a turban this energy is stabilized and encouraged to remain within the being so that the chanting becomes a self-nourishing system.
White: I wear the white color, to remind me that I am one with all beings, as white is a mixture of all colors in the spectrum.
Veil: Every man and woman has an arc-line. This is depicted in pictures of saints as a hallow. The more we meditate and pray, which helps us to manifest our spirit energy on the earth plane, the more our arc-line shines. A woman has two arc-lines; the one from ear lobe to ear lobe, that is like a hallow, and then from nipple to nipple at her chest. A woman is given a chuni, or a type of veil to wear to bring her awareness back to her arc-line, to relate to it, and live from it, and then also to bring protection, grace and honor to her. It drapes over my turban, and then across my chest. I totally feel its effects, and wear one now for every concert or Kirtan performance.
Sat Naam,
Snatam Kaur