About James Dekker
If I am at peace, then I will reflect that and people will pick it up.Yogi Bhajan
My name is James Dekker. I come from South Africa and I have been many things during this lifetime. Today, I identify primarily as a husband, a father, a grandfather and a Kundalini Yoga teacher.
Thamsanqa is my African name. It is a given name, from the Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu word meaning ‘blessing(s)‘ ‘fortune’ or ‘luck’, and is spoken with the ‘clicking sound’ typical of Southern African tribal languages. I was given this name after I survived a horrifying robbery late one night in Cape Town. I was extremely lucky to survive so the name fits perfectly to the person, as African names so often do.
My name is James Dekker. I come from South Africa and I have been many things during this lifetime. Today, I identify primarily as a husband, a father, a grandfather and a Kundalini Yoga teacher.
Growing up in South Africa, we were exposed to the raw nature of the African continent from a very early age, with the incredible beauty of the country’s natural wonders contrasting so starkly with the mind-numbing violence affecting everyday life there.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world. Literally everybody is exposed to this dreadful phenomenon on a daily basis and living under these conditions for a long period of time does something to your mindset.
It took me half a lifetime to come to terms with this and today, almost 30 years after leaving South Africa, Kundalini Yoga has been instrumental in helping me find my peace.
Thamsanqa is my African name. It is a given name, from the Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu word meaning ‘blessing(s)‘ ‘fortune’ or ‘luck’, and is spoken with the ‘clicking sound’ typical of Southern African tribal languages. I was given this name after I survived a horrifying robbery late one night in Cape Town. I was extremely lucky to survive so the name fits perfectly to the person, as African names so often do.
Growing up in South Africa, we were exposed to the raw nature of the African continent from a very early age, with the incredible beauty of the country’s natural wonders contrasting so starkly with the mind-numbing violence affecting everyday life there. South Africa has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world. Literally everybody is exposed to this dreadful phenomenon on a daily basis and living under these conditions for a long period of time does something to your mindset.
It took me half a lifetime to come to terms with this and today, almost 30 years after leaving South Africa, Kundalini Yoga has been instrumental in helping me find my peace.
Now, as a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor I feel destined to fulfil Yogi Bhajan’s vision as I position myself in the service of teaching Kundalini Yoga to others.
Vitae
1965 – Born in the Netherlands
1966 – Moved to Guernsey, Channel Islands
1974 – Immigration to South Africa
1984 – 1987 – Fireman in the Cape Town Fire Brigade
1988 – 1990 – Soldier in the South African Army
1990 – 1992 – Training as an Architectural Draftsman
1993 – Immigration to Germany
1993 – 1997 – Draftsman at Hoffmanns & Hügel Architects
1997 – 2000 – Draftsman at Walter von Lom & Partner Architects
1998 – 2000 – Studied Architecture part time at BUGH Wuppertal
2000 – Web Designer at internetkampagne.de
2001 – 2002 – Draftsman at Heider Kürten Langwagen Architects
2003 – 2018 – Freelance Draftsman and Web Designer
2019 – today – Head of Design at Worley Projects GmbH
2013 – 2019 – Aikido training with Bernd Hardekopf 5th Dan Aikikai in Bergisch Gladbach
2020 – Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training with Gurumarka Singh Khalsa and Shanti Kaur
2022 – Begin Level Two Kundalini Yoga Teacher Enhancement training with Pritam Khalsa ( evolving )
2022 – Level Two Conscious Communication with Pritam Khalsa in Austria
2022 – Kundalini Shaman workshop with Guru Dharam
2023 – Level Two Mind & Meditation with Pritam Khalsa in South Africa
2023 – Becoming an Instrument of the Divine – Mantra workshop with Snatam Kaur
Now, as a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor I feel destined to fulfil Yogi Bhajan’s vision as I position myself in the service of teaching Kundalini Yoga to others.
Vitae
1965 – Born in the Netherlands
1966 – Moved to Guernsey, Channel Islands
1974 – Immigration to South Africa
1984 – 1987 – Fireman in the Cape Town Fire Brigade
1988 – 1990 – Soldier in the South African Army
1990 – 1992 – Training as an Architectural Draftsman
1993 – Immigration to Germany
1993 – 1997 – Draftsman at Hoffmanns & Hügel Architects
1997 – 2000 – Draftsman at Walter von Lom & Partner Architects
1998 – 2000 – Studied Architecture part time at BUGH
2000 – Web Designer at internetkampagne.de
2001 – 2002 – Draftsman at Heider Kürten Langwagen Architects
2003 – 2018 – Freelance Draftsman and Web Designer
2019 – today – Head of Design at Worley Projects GmbH
2013 – 2019 – Aikido training with Bernd Hardekopf 5th Dan Aikikai in Bergisch Gladbach
2020 – Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher training with Gurumarka Singh Khalsa and Shanti Kaur
2022 – Begin Level Two Kundalini Yoga Teacher Enhancement training with Pritam Khalsa ( evolving )
2022 – Level Two Conscious Communication with Pritam Khalsa in Austria
2022 – Kundalini Shaman workshop with Guru Dharam
2023 – Level Two Mind & Meditation with Pritam Khalsa in South Africa
2023 – Becoming an Instrument of the Divine – Mantra workshop with Snatam Kaur
You have to understand the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to do something which will live forever.Yogi Bhajan
Thamsanqa is a given name, from the Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu word meaning ‘blessing(s)‘ ‘fortune’ or ‘luck’.