:: July/August 2003 Volume 2/Number 4

Teacher Profile: Kali Ray

by Adam Skolnick

“Life comes in waves,” explains Kali Ray from her vast ashram-yoga studio overlooking Zuma Beach. “Even the spine is a wave.” Her words exemplify that Kali Ray can no more be separated from the soothing, eternal timbre of the Pacific than the “Surf or Die” Malibu archetype. Everything about Kaliji, including her blonde hair, sunny eyes and calming presence reflects harmony with her environment, as does TriYoga, the style of yoga she created.

Kali Ray’s story is the stuff of miracles. “My whole life has been about seeking,” she says. She began meditating at seven, and before long was having prophecies. She shared one with her parents, it proved true and family members and friends took note of young Rae’s mysticism. By the time she was twelve she was leading group meditations at school and in the woods nearby.

Her seminal experience came at age 20 after a sailing accident on Lake Erie that nearly took her life. Inclement weather spawned treacherous, rolling swells, and she was thrown into the frigid water. The boat quickly passed and the crew had trouble turning back in the stiff gusts. Ray fought to keep her head above the giant waves. As the minutes ticked away, she was forced to confront imminent death. She welcomed it. Peace penetrated her mind and heart as she let go, ready to fall fearlessly into the glorious abyss. After a long fifteen minutes in the hypothermic water, her shipmates righted their course and Kaliji was pulled back on board. She collapsed on deck, weakened yet exhilarated by her glimpse beyond.

Soon after while in meditation, she had “a spontaneous kundalini experience” that lasted twelve hours. Healing energy circulated up and down her spine. She felt her chakras open and vibrate with power. “It was a profound state of awakening,” she says with a smile. “A divine revelation was occurring. My guru was revealed as the universal truth that resides within us all.”

Similar experiences followed until one evening, five years later, she began pulling knowledge from the bliss. To her surprise, without ever taking a class she could recall an in-depth familiarity with yoga. According to ancient texts what happened to Kaliji is termed Kriyavati. Hatha Yoga had manifested to her in a complete form, and through this revelation she channeled the TriYoga system.

“TriYoga is based upon the natural movement of prana and is structured to tune into every part of the body and mind,” asserts Ray. It is a cyclical, and not surprisingly, wave-like practice. There are seven levels with five series in each, beginning with 108 postures in Basics. Ray erms her asana technique prasara (to flow without thought) and incorporates different turns that enable the entire practice to flow seamlessly, even while students shift their position on the mat.

From the first breath to the final chant, the practitioner is in constant motion as prana undulates through their spine. A guiding principle is the maintenance of spinal alignment from one posture as it dissolves into the counter pose. “It’s a duality,” Ray explains. “To go into a forward bend we begin with a back bend.” Mudras are another important feature. Each and every asana calls for a specific one. “Mudras allow us to connect from the physical to the subtle. They channel energy,” she says. There is order to the fluidity. “Sequence is so important,” implores Kaliji. “Two people can have the same ingredients in the kitchen, but how they put it together makes the difference between the cook and the master chef.”

At the core of TriYoga philosophy, is the universal notion of the “trinity.” Ray is engrossed by this concept which she has seen manifest in religion (father, son, holy ghost), nature (birth, growth, death) and in the Bhagavad Gita where Krishna explains that there are three types of yoga: Jnana (knowledge), Bhakti (devotion) and Karma (service). Kaliji also points out that millennia ago, Patanjali embraced the trinity when he taught that “one’s yoga practice begins with effort, is sustained with effortless effort and finally becomes effortless.”

As the sun sets on Zuma Beach, Kaliji beams with pride in her students and waxes passionately about her myriad projects that include disseminating the TriYoga techniques to hundreds of teachers throughout Europe and North America, recording kirtan and meditation music with her longtime collaborator Mercury Max and even producing a line of DVDs. Despite her full plate Kaliji is decidedly laid back and exhibits a profound gratitude for the gifts bestowed upon her. Perhaps it is this appreciation that has allowed her life’s work to become so effortless.

For more information about TriYoga or to contact Kali Ray go to www.triyoga.com or call 310.589.0600.

Adam Skolnick is a journalist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles.