Amritsar’s - Parsva Bakasana: Side Crow Pose

Guru Nanak founded Sikhism, to question the prevalant traditions, in all major religions in India at the time. He advocated for “one god” who resides in every human being, “Guru Granth Sahib” their religious text incorporating teachings from many religious texts and from Sufi mystics and poets of the time, including his own poems and teachings . Today Sikh religion has evolved to have its own rules and traditions.

Harmandir Sahab or more popularly known as “Golden temple”, is coated with Gold, an epitome of worldly riches, though Nanak himself was a humble poet and saint. Perhaps this is the irony of all institutions of religious worship, think Vatican, Bejeweled Buddhas, or Tirupati (richest Hindu god)

In this paintings I emphasize the equal status of Sikh women, one playing dhol, while another performs the famous Punjabi Jalebi, which involves rotating her body weight on her hands.

Mata Khivi cooks a meal for thousands of devotees, a feat that established the tradition of “Langar”. Mai Bhago, surrenders her sword to the god, after she has won the war against Mughals with only 40 soldiers in her battalion.

The Punjabi Jalebi pose that resembles the side crow pose, needs tremendous hand and shoulder strength as the entire weight of the body is resting on it. It also stretches the muscles of the spine, core and glutes. As an arm balance it builds heat, confidence, stamina, balance, coordination, focus, energy and strength