Gurubhai Singh Khalsa

Gurubhai Singh Khalsa, beloved bodyworker, teacher, artist and friend, left this world on Jan. 30 after a two year battle with colorectal cancer. Gurubhai, age 66, was an amazing human being who touched many hearts and lives during the past 35 years of living in New Mexico. Since 1983 he taught Shiatsu and Massage at the N.M. School of Natural Therapeutics, Santa Fe School of Massage and Crystal Mountain, all the while maintaining a thriving private practice in various bodywork modalities.



Born Francisco Lochen in Mexico (though his father was Norweigan and his mother was Basque), Gurubhai attended medical school for a year before he quit to pursue his passion for art. While working on an art commission, a portrait of a Sikh guru, in a yoga ashram in Mexico, he was profoundly captivated by the image, ultimately migrating to the Yogi Bhajan ashram in Espanola, where he remained a committed yogi and Sikh for over forty years.


Gurubhai is deeply loved for his big, open heart, his gift for making people laugh, his skill in creating gorgeous tile mosaics, his wisdom, his strength, and his unflagging and joyous commitment to his spiritual growth and development. He is survived by his wife, Har Nal, his son Jason (Gurusimran) Heartisan and wife Hilary of Prescott AZ, grandchildren Arwinn and Avalon, daughter Tenaya Clark of Haddonfield NJ, foster-mother Gloria Nunn, and countless clients, friends, mentees, students, and others who have been uplifted by his healing touch and presence. Those left behind can derive comfort from Gurubhai’s own words as he faced his death: “Be a flexible, willing learner rather than a stubborn resistor, and you will enjoy learning the lessons of life and death.” A memorial service will be held on Feb. 3, 2 pm, at the Rivera Family Funeral Home in Espanola