Sahaja Yoga - Frequently Asked Questions
What
is Sahaja Yoga Meditation?
Who
can Practise Sahaja Yoga?
Benefits
of Meditation
What
is Yoga?
Sahaja
Yoga is Absolutely Free
The
Aims of Sahaja Yoga – a Grass Roots Collective
Freedom
of Choice
Sahaja
Yoga is a Personal Journey Towards Self-Mastery
Contribute
to Improving Our Society
Meditation
is the Essence of Religion
A
Personal Experiment
Who
is Shri Mataji
Nobel
Prize Nominee
What
is Sahaja Yoga Meditation?
Sahaja
Yoga Meditation is a non-intrusive, self-regulated approach to addressing
a great need within society. The meditation technique, which is basis
of the spiritual path, is easily learned by the average person. There
is growing acceptance within society of the positive role Sahaja Yoga
Meditation can play in the reduction of stress, leading to an enhancement
of the individual’s physical and psychological well being, and an improvement
in the sense of balance, equanimity and self control.
Who
can Practise Sahaja Yoga?
Everyone
can. There is no restriction of caste, creed, religion, nationality, age,
or sex.
Benefits
of Meditation
People
who meditate regularly often find that they become healthier and calmer,
with an improved outlook on life. Regular meditation and the mental peace
that it gives us can improve our understanding of our psychological, physical
and spiritual being. It also helps us understand others so that we become
more compassionate and positive towards the people around us.
Scientific
research done (with illnesses such as asthma, epilepsy and high blood
pressure) both overseas and in Australia has proven that Sahaja Yoga is
effective in improving physical and psychological wellbeing.
What
is Yoga?
Yoga
literally means union or connection. The traditional purpose of all yoga
techniques is to give us a connection with the inner peace and silence
that exists deep within each of us. This is why meditation is actually
the essence of all yoga teachings. Only recently have people begun marketing
yoga as physical exercise alone. Sahaja means effortless or spontaneous.
Sahaja Yoga meditation gives us the ability to use the power already within
us to effortlessly and spontaneously achieve a peaceful state of balance,
well-being and self knowledge.
The
Sahaja Yoga meditation technique encourages us to develop a new awareness
of ourselves so that we can grow and evolve toward becoming truly balanced,
peaceful and compassionate for the benefit of ourselves and others.
Sahaja
Yoga is Absolutely Free
There
is no charge for Sahaja Yoga. It is a non-profit, grass roots organisation
and costs nothing for the individual to learn.
Sahaja
Yoga is, in fact, taught in over 80 countries around the world- always
free of charge. It has been taught this way for almost thirty years.
The
Aims of Sahaja Yoga – a Grass Roots Collective
The
aim of Sahaja Yoga is to give as many people as possible the opportunity
to try the technique regardless of their cast, religion, social position
or economic status. It is then up to the individual to decide if it suits
them and whether or not they would like to practice it regularly to experience
its benefits.
Sahaja
Yoga is an authentic means of personal and spiritual growth. As each individual
becomes more peaceful so too will our society as a whole.
Freedom
of Choice
Just
as a tree cannot be forced to grow it is not possible to make someone
meditate. This is why freedom of choice and personal freedom are essential
for the practice of Sahaja Yoga meditation.
Sahaja
Yoga is a Personal Journey Towards Self-Mastery
Sahaja
Yoga emphasises the importance of each of us becoming our own master and
teacher. Sahaja Yoga meditation gives us the capacity to gauge our own
progress and adjust our practices accordingly so that we can guide our
own development. For this reason there is no official form of membership
or subscription. Just as there is no formal organisation there is also
no hierarchy of authority or power structure. There are local co-ordinators
who administer the day to day mundane activities of Sahaja Yoga in each
country. They can help you to get in touch with other Sahaja yoga practitioners
in your local area.
Contribute
to Improving Our Society
Sahaja
Yoga meditation does not require us to go to any form of extreme behaviour.
In fact, the aim of this meditation technique is to help us become normal,
balanced, productive and responsible members of society.
As
each individual becomes more balanced, peaceful and compassionate, society
as a whole will also benefit and improve.
Meditation
is the Essence of Religion
All
of the major religions have taught something valuable to humanity. The
experience of Sahaja Yoga improves our understanding and respect for all
the religions and their founders as they are part of the one tree of life.
Meditation and the inner peace that it gives us is actually the essence
of all these religions.
A
Personal Experiment
Sahaja
yoga does not require us to believe anything that cannot be proven with
our own experience. There is no blind faith or dogma. The best approach
is to treat it like a personal experiment- make an honest attempt at meditation
for, say, one or two weeks and see for yourself whether or not it gives
you any benefit.
Who
is Shri Mataji
Shri
Mataji Nirmala Devi is the founder of Sahaja Yoga, which she established
in 1970. Since then she has given thousands of lectures, and has taught
millions how to practice the technique.
Shri
Mataji was born to Christian parents in 1923, into one of India’s most
reputed royal families. She studied medicine until she became a student
activist in Gandhi’s Free India movement, during which time she was imprisoned
and tortured by the British.
In
1949 she married Sir C.P. Srivastava, a very distinguished diplomat who
later came to serve as Secretary General of the UN International Maritime
Organization for a record term of 16 years. Sir C.P. Srivastava is himself
distinguished not only as India’s most decorated civil servant but also
as the first Indian to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution
to the United Nations.
Shri
Mataji has lived a very normal family life, and has children, grand-children,
and even great grand-children. Shri Mataji is the highest advocate of
morality and the importance of the family.
Nobel
Prize Nominee
Shri
Mataji has been widely acclaimed around the world for her selfless efforts
towards social improvement and world peace. She has initiated a number
of organisations for community service, including The International Hospital
and Cancer Research Centre in Mumbai (Bombay) India; a charity house for
poor people in Delhi; a drug rehabilitation centre in Italy, and others.
She
has received many commendations:
- 1986:
Declared Personality of the Year by the Italian Government.
- 1989:
The 1989 UN Peace Medal.
- 1993:
Appointed as Honorary Member of the Presidium of the Petrovska Academy
of Art and Science. In the history of the Academy, only 12 people have
ever been granted this honour, Einstein being one of them.
- 1993:
The Ayatollah Medi Rouhani of Iran, a prominent proponent of religious
moderation, and one of the four Ayatolla has who lead the Shi’ite Muslim
faith, has called for a convocation of a World Congress of religious
leaders aiming at the creation of a charter for peace based on Shri
Mataji’s teachings.
- 1998:
Recipient of the Unity award for international understanding by Unity
International Foundation
- 1995:
Shri Mataji has been an honoured speaker at many high level forums such
as the United Nations, where she spoke on ways of achieving peace, and
the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, which was attended by
a select group of prominent women of the world.
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