Sahaja Yoga a living experience to know your self - by Giuseppe Di Munno

SahajaYoga is based upon a living experience coming from. within, which paves the way to a state of consciousness beyond both the mind and the emotions. This state of thoughtless awareness, developed by practising Sahaja Yoga, enables us first to discover and then to become the real « Self », thus finding the self-fulfilment that human beings have always sought , guided in their search by the various prophets and religions over the ages. The ultimate stage in this search, and in human evolution, is for us to become one with the primordial energy that is our creator.. Every religion and philosophy speaks of Union with the Divine, yet not one of them is able to tell us how to achieve it.

This knowledge is only made available to us in writings and words that remain fixed in our minds, but do not give us access to the real, pure knowledge that springs from within. Sahaja Yoga entails spontaneous union with the Self. « Saha » means with, « ja » means spontaneous, while Yoga represents Union with the omnipotent Power of Divine Love. This experience is our second birth, and it frees us from the domination of our minds and our emotions. It announces the pure universal religion known as « Vishwa Nirmala Dharma » in Sanskrit.

This transformation comes about when a subtle energy called Kundalini is awakened and rises within us to establish our Yoga, or Union, with the primordial energy.

1) What is Sahaja Yoga?
Sahaja Yoga is the next stage in the evolution of human consciousness. This experience, which started to spread in 1970 thanks to Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, has since been extended to more than 70 countries. The knowledge of Sahaja Yoga is very old, yet it was kept secret and mainly only transmitted from guru to disciple. Therefore for a long time,only very few people had access to it. Now Shri Mataji has made this knowledge accessible to all, and Self-Realisation has become a reality for hundred of thousands of people all over the world.

Sahaja Yoga was foretold a long time ago by numerous spiritual traditions and religions. Until the advent of Sahaja Yoga we manifested our concepts and our ideas by means of our ego and our conditionings, without being able to achieve a state of thoughtless awareness, which is a collective dimension. Because there is no absolute norm for distinguishing an authentic teacher from a false one, many seekers of truth have allowed themselves to be misled by following false and self-proclaimed "gurus", who are driven by power and money.

Sahaja (= spontaneous) Yoga (= union with the Self) takes our awareness beyond relative thinking and into the realm of reality which can be perceived in a tangible manner on our central nervous system. The result of this experience, also called Self-Realisation, Second Birth, Baptism, Satori etc., is that our spiritual evolution happens without effort, just like a seed which transforms itself spontaneously into a great tree. The spiritual evolution which is the moving force behind this process brings us into physical, mental and emotional balance. As Shri Mataji says, "You cannot know the true purpose of your life unless you are connected to the power that created you!"

2) Why is Sahaja Yoga different from other forms of yoga?
To quote Shri Mataji's own words, "Sahaja Yoga is different from other yogas because it starts with Self-Realisation instead of that being a distant and inaccessible dream." In these modern times, which Shri Mataji calls the blossom time, She brings a method by which this experience (Self-Realisation) manifests spontaneously (Sahaja), without any effort.

A small light is lit inside us - a new dimension is accessible to our awareness - and, through Sahaj meditation, we can grow without having to undergo any hardship, by living a normal family life within society. It is in the light of this new awareness that we become our own master, our own guide. After Self-Realisation, we can feel a gentle, cool breeze coming from the top of our head (through the fontanel area) and also in our hands (thanks to the connection with the central nervous system). We can identify blockages in our energy centres (chakras), and we become capable of cleaning these centres with the help of our subtle energy, the Kundalini.

We enter into a state of collective consciousness. That means that we can feel the energy centres of other people and purify them too. The fact that we are one cell integrated in the whole becomes a tangible reality in our everyday life. To become one with the pure spirit within us is the ultimate goal of human life. That goal has been described in different ways, but it remains the essence of all the religions and all the spiritual traditions in the world. Self-Realisation is the first stage. Once this connection is established, it needs to be nurtured by our attention. Regular meditation allows us to become aware of our true identity.

3) What are vibrations and the Kundalini ?
The Kundalini is the power of pure desire within us - a maternal, spiritual energy which resides in a latent state in the triangular sacrum bone at the base of the spine. The awakening of the Kundalini was always the goal of all the religions and all the spiritual traditions throughout the world.

"The Kundalini cures you, improves you and showers you with blessings. It keeps you free from all the problems of the material world," says Shri Mataji. The manifestation of the Kundalini energy is known as vibrations, from the Sanskrit word Chaïtanya. After Self-Realisation (the awakening of the Kundalini) these subtle vibrations can also be felt in the form of a gentle, cool breeze coming from the fontanel region of the head (on the top of the head) and also in the palms of the hands.

Sometimes, when the Kundalini encounters no obstacles on its way through our subtle system, this refreshing, soothing sensation can also be felt inside the body (particularly along the spinal column, which corresponds to the central channel of our subtle system.

4) When and how did Sahaja Yoga start ?
Shri Mataji had always known that She had the power to awaken the Kundalini and that She had come to make that awakening accessible to all human beings. But She wanted to wait until her family obligations permitted Her to achieve her true mission. Saddened by the extent of the damage done by dishonest so-called ‘gurus', Shri Mataji's wish was that all the seekers of truth should attain their Self-Realisation. Accordingly, in Her meditation on 5th May 1970, Shri Mataji opened the seventh chakra. The Sahasrara chakra (which has a thousand petals) is at the primordial level of the personal evolution of every human being, that of spiritual integration.

Shri Mataji started by giving Realisation to a small group of seekers in India. Then a first group of a dozen seekers received the awakening of the Kundalini: Realisation en masse had started. Sahaja Yoga spread very rapidly in the villages in India, where innocent people were ready to receive this divine gift with an open heart.

When Shri Mataji's husband was appointed as Secretary-General for Maritime Affairs at the United Nations, London became their place of residence. Some Western seekers started to receive their Self-Realisation ... then, gradually, Sahaja Yoga spread through Europe and the United States. In 1989, Sahaja Yoga spread like wildfire in Russia and in the Eastern European countries, where thousands of seekers filled the stadiums and public meeting places to hear Shri Mataji speak and receive their Self-Realisation. Today, Sahaja Yoga is established on the five continents and is present in more than 70 countries.

5) Is Sahaja Yoga easy to practise? What effect does it have ?
It is the sincere desire of the seeker which is the driving factor of the Kundalini. When the seeker is thoughtless, it is his desire that allows the spontaneous energy of his subtle system to transport him into the silence of meditation. Meditation requires neither physical nor mental effort. It is a spontaneous happening. The benefits:

Very quickly, the benefits of meditation are felt in various aspects of our life.

A. Physical benefits:It is our subtle system which co-ordinates all the work done by the organs and the cells in our body. When one of our subtle centres is blocked, physical dysfunctions appear in the organs it controls. It is then that most illnesses appear. Traditional medicine tries to cure the symptoms. Sahaj meditation allows us to attack the causes directly, by rebalancing our subtle system and by cleaning our centres. Thus, even so-called incurable illnesses can be cured in a spontaneous manner by the purifying work of the energy of the Kundalini.

B. Mental benefits:When we enter a state of meditation, we enter a realm of silence ; the thoughts which assail us fade away, and the reality of the present is revealed to us in all its intensity. Our senses send us a direct image of the world which is not altered by our mind or our conditionings. The mind even becomes the enlightened servant of our illuminated spirit.

C. Emotional benefits:When the Kundalini is awakened and we are immersed in a state of meditation, our emotions are also brought into balance. All the weaknesses which hinder the expression of pure and sincere sentiments, such as greed, insecurity, jealousy etc. are reduced when the joy of meditation is felt. This joy is absolute, devoid of all duality. This same joy becomes the motivation of our emancipation.

D. Spiritual benefits:Last but not least, Sahaj meditation reveals to us the Eternal,Divine being that is Truth, Awareness and Bliss. We become part and parcel of the whole,like a drop in that ocean of Love,and in meditation we melt into that Primordial being. This experience is the next stage in the evolution of an ordinary human being's awareness: that person is said to be born again or realized. This means that our spiritual essence, that had been hidden until then, becomes Reality. We can now set about purifying our inner being, with the help of the self-knowledge that Shri Mataji gives us and the relationship we establish with Her in our meditation. Our union with the Divine will become stronger and stronger as we go along and that is without doubt the most precious benefit that Kundalini awakening can bring us. This Middle Way that is established within us day after day by our Kundalini will shower blessings of all sorts upon us, not only of a physical, emotional or psychological nature, but also material, social and professional benefits.

>From the very beginning, the Vibrations help us to decipher and decode messages from the collective unconscious informing us of problems affecting the different chakras. Thanks to our own enlightened attention and the observation of our inner being during meditation, we will be able to know the vibratory state of our own or anyone else's subtle system..

The effect of Vibrations on the environment:

Scientific research done in Russia on the effect of the Vibrations on problems caused by radioactivity has shown a marked drop in the level of radioactivity when objects previously exposed to radiation are exposed to the Vibrations. It was also found that the Vibrations had a positive effect on polluted lakes: when exposed to the Vibrations, pollution levels dropped.

Experiments in agriculture show that the Vibrations improve plant growth and seed germination potential,and better crop frequency and yield. At a time when whatever is "100% articial" is all the rage, we have a glimpse here of what tremendous potential the Vibrations have for mankind. The strong point of these resources, that can be used as therapy, in ecology or in food production, is that they are part of an entirely natural process.

Priority to the inner transformation of our awareness, however. It is essential to understand that the purpose of Realisation is not to cure or bring about improvement; these are only the side-effects. The purpose of Realisation is, and always will be, to achieve our union with the Divine. Therefore, the most miraculous of all the benefits made accessible to us is this new dimension to our awareness.

Shri Mataji explains that in this way, the human being becomes universal:" Gradually,the person no longer identifies with whatever is false or artificial.Thus,he notices the intrinsic beauty of things, and not their material value as belongings. With full knowledge, he identifies with the truth." As the subtle centres open,their qualities begin to manifest in us. Innocence, forgiveness, detached generosity, satisfaction, peace, security, diplomacy and humility will spread like the scent of a flower that blossoms, as our meditation grows deeper and more sincere.

6) What is the Self ?
The Self is what we really are. This final stage in our evolution that enables us to become our real being, the Self, can only be reached when we manage to rid ourselves of all false identifications with our physical, mental and emotional perceptions. The Self resides in our heart, and its awakening by the Kundalini can be felt in the fontanelle area on top of our head, in the chakra of a thousand petals known as Sahasrara. The instant when we experience this awakening is called Self-Realisation.

There is nothing revolutionary about the theory behind this experience, as it was described not only by saints and prophets in days gone by, but also by the Swiss Carl Gustav Jung in more recent times. However from a practical point of view Sahaja Yoga is revolutionary, in that now, thanks to the technique brought to us by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, it is at long last possible to experience Self-Realisation tangibly and collectively, check it easily day by day and gradually go deeper and deeper.

7) How much will this cost me?
Self-Realisation is free. We cannot pay for a living and spontaneous experience, just as we cannot get a seed to sprout by paying Mother Earth. On the other hand, we consider it our privilege to create this Internet site and we are willing to pay for doing so, just for the pleasure of sharing with you what has become of our lives since we received our Self-Realisation.

Our Website describes the practice of Sahaja Yoga and how it works. We also propose a first approach to Sahaja Yoga, in the form of a simple exercise that can be done at home

Sahaja Yoga Switzerland