3HO IKYTA (International Kundalini Yoga Teacher’s Association) is Formed
The Planning of IKYTA
An Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from Europe, Mexico, Canada and the United States, worked with Yogi Bhajan, to create a standardized curriculum for training Kundalini Yoga teachers.
As standardized Teacher Training was one of the main goals of both the membership and Yogi Bhajan, we outlined three levels of KRI Certification.
IKYTA was Formed on the 10th Anniversary of 3HO
In 1994, on the 25th anniversary of 3HO, Yogi Bhajan founded the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA) is formed as part of 3HO, with a mission to uplift, nurture and serve Kundalini Yoga teachers through programs, resources, benefits, and educational offerings. He said, “It is very fortunate you have this Association. When I’ll be physically gone, search me out spiritually. You’ll need to sit together to do it.”
When Yogi Bhajan first heard the acronym IKYTA, he pronounced it “ik-ta,” and said, “Perfect, it means Oneness.” Yogi Bhajan said there was one IKYTA and that all teachers belonged to it, and that “the fundamental principle of Kundalini Yoga is to Unite.” He saw the National Associations as key parts of the one IKYTA. He stated that IKYTA belonged to all teachers and was a place of inclusion for all teachers.
Today IKYTA serves thousands of teachers internationally.
Read more about this important history in the following articles:
- “The Past, Present and Future of 3HO IKYTA“, written in July 1999 by the original Executive Director of IKYTA, Nam Kaur Khalsa
- “The Formation of IKYTA in 1994” as shared in “The History of Sikh Dharma in the Western Hemisphere”.