Ellouin Festival in the Altai Region, Russia

Ellouin Festival, Altai Region

Ellouin is a traditional festival of Altai people’s folk games conducted in picturesque places of the Altai mountains near the settlement of Ongudai. Ellouin is the most important cultural event in Altai Republic and is yearly visited by more than 10,000 people. 
 
Folk arts and crafts were widely presented  at this festival. In the valley, surrounded by the mountains, there gathered about 20,000 people. The concert ground was the setting for Altai music. In yurts there were organised performances based in folklore. There were also many unusual crafts. In such a multiform seething stream we set our tents with Sahaja Yoga stalls, comfortably enjoying what was happening in the shade of the trees. 
 
There gathered about 60 Sahaja yogis which created the atmosphere of a little Sahaja camp. 

Mehendi painting at Ellouin Festival

There was work for everybody. Several  mehendi painters sitting under a shelter were working for several hours on end painting people’s hands, not even raising their heads, and giving Self-realisation to everyone as there always was a queue . Other Sahaja yogis told people about Sahaja Yoga. Our brother Vladimir was actively giving Self-realisation using his own approach. First he arranged a rope between the trees and then started going on it to and back with brilliant skill, thus constantly attracting people. Many of the latter tried to do the same thing but, as we all know, to keep equilibrium one should gain inner balance. That is why the queue of people willing to get balance did not end, either. 

Sahaja Yoga Bhajan group, Ellouin Festival

All this was taking place to the accompaniment of bhajans. Two music groups settled down in two tents. Both the groups were constantly creating a dense circle of viewers around them. Kawwalis were of special interest, gathering audiences of 50-70 people. Some people were leaving, having got their Self-realisation, but immediately others came up.

Altai people are simple and sincere and they take Self-realisation very easily as they worship Mother-Earth, River and Mountains. That is why Sahaja Yoga is also close to them. We saw an old woman (about 90 years old) getting her Self-realisation and then she sat and listened to bhajans for a very long time. 
 
We also got an opportunity to perform one bhajan, “Guruoke Guru”, and an Indian dance on the main stage before a large audience.
 
In such a way, in a very interesting and intensive manner, two days passed. And of course, we had an opportunity, though not for a long time, to enjoy Altai nature, as after the Festival we returned to our Sahaja camp which we set on the bank of a rapid river in a secluded wonderful place. There were huge boundless fragrant meadows painted with multicoloured grasses. In the distance there were herds of cows and horses and around us there were mountains. What else does a Sahaja yogi need after an intensive day? To sit at a swift river in meditation, to lie on soft and tender grass looking into the  high Altai sky, to sit in the company of the closest and dearest people – his brothers and sisters – at a fire drinking hot tea prepared from meadow herbs.
 
The trip turned out to be very fruitful as about 1500 people got their Self-realisation during the two days.  
 
With love from the Novosibirsk Sahaja family

(Photographs: news.sahajayoga-russia.ru)

For more news about Sahaja Yoga programs in Russia, please follow this link.

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Add comment September 2nd, 2010

The Power of Love

Shri Mataji

But the attention should be on the Power, attention should be on the connection that we have with this Power…. Thank God and thank yourself, thank your luck you’re so fortunate that you are very few who have achieved this connection, and that you are sucking that Power within yourself so easily….

And you have to trust this Power fully. Those days when people were in difficulties, they were always attacked, they had not got their Self-realisation. They had to put their trust into the divine Power; they had to put. But now when you have got realisation, you have got your freedom, should never forget that you have to trust this divine Power all the time, that it will look after you….

And if you people do not use your power – out of any nonsense, any fear you may have; you may have any kind of a, because of a temptation or restriction, anything –
if you’re not going all out to use your power of love, then you cannot ascend. So the whole thing if you see it so clearly, the whole power of your Mother is of love.
Whatever She does is out of Her love for Her creation.

Shri Mataji, 1990

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1 comment September 24th, 2009

New Time for Sahaja Yoga Radio Program

Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program is now at a new time of  9.30 – 10.30am each Sunday morning on Radio 2SER 107.3FM.

The Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program first went to air in 1995 on Radio 2SER at an 11.00 – 12.00 timeslot and was the initiative of two Sahaja yogis.  What a great initiative it has been! Thirteen years later we are still on air, offering a unique program where people can experience the state of meditation over the airwaves.  To the best of our knowledge we conduct the only program of this type.

Each program always includes at least one substantial guided meditation to enable listeners to deepen their meditative experience in the comfort of their own homes. The content is at the discretion of each presenter. Included are diverse descriptions and discussions/interviews about the many aspects of Sahaja Yoga, including ancient traditions, the religions of the world and history’s great spiritual personalities. Also we make use of music conducive to the meditations, or to illustrate points being made.  The music is varied and often original, sometimes performed live in the studio or from recordings made by Sahaja Yoga practitioners around the world.  Occasionally, we have a delayed outside broadcast, wholly with live performances.

All programs to air have been paid for solely from contributions volunteered by Sahaja yogis, rather than by sponsorship.

The aim of Sahaja Yoga, in Australia and worldwide, is to offer the experience of Self-realisation to everyone regardless of race, creed, religion or age. This is something that has never happened before in the history of human evolution.  Traditionally, achieving Self-realisation was very difficult and perhaps only one person in a hundred years would receive it.  It was also always a one-on-one practice of guru and disciple.  However, the guru who was able to give Self-realisation had disappeared in these modern times until the coming of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the founder of Sahaja Yoga.

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Add comment June 26th, 2008

“Freedom and Liberation” in Brisbane

On Sunday 25 May 2008, “Nirmala Devi – Freedom and Liberation” was shown at the Logan Entertainment Centre. Preceding the film, the Brisbane Sahaja Yoga music group, “Sahaj Sangeet”, performed for 40 minutes.

Even though the film had been shown previously during March this year, this was the Brisbane Sahaja yogis’ first event at a large venue. We had decided to go all out and the music group had been practising for weeks. More than 25,000 flyers were distributed in 13 suburbs and posters placed in most of the libraries. A broadcast email was sent out to all Queensland subscribers. The Entertainment Centre also promoted the event on their website and in their weekly newsletter. Glenda, Coralie and Robert did a radio interview and a newspaper article with photos appeared in the “Logan and Albert News”.

During the planning stage, it soon became apparent, as Glenda constantly reminded us, that the venue staff were extremely professional and their desire to give us the best chance of success was foremost. At 10.00am on the day of the event, the musicians arrived for sound checks which were thoroughly performed by the audio technicians. We rehearsed a few of our songs while adjustments were made. It certainly sounded impressive.

Dr Akshay was to be our “anchorman” and to finish our rehearsal, he went through his introduction after which we did our run-on behind closed curtains.

It soon became time to change into our kurtas and saris and get ready for the big event. Ten minutes before curtain time, we lined up in the order in which we would be sitting and silently raised our kundalinis, sitting in quiet meditation.

Then we heard Dr Akshay’s voice welcoming everyone and announcing the sequence of events. We had no way of knowing how many people were sitting behind that curtain but we hoped there were many.

Suddenly, Glenda waved us forward and we quickly took our places on stage. As the curtain drew back, we started singing the “Maha Mantras”.

We looked into the audience but saw only complete darkness! All the lights were on us! At first this was a little disconcerting, but then we forgot about the audience, and just gave it our all. The mood lights were constantly changing and sometimes we would get a glimpse of a few faces.

All too soon, we had finished our performance and the curtain drew back again. Now the audience was actually clapping!

We made our way backstage to the welcome lunch which the yoginis had provided. After the 20-minute interval we joined the audience on the balcony to watch the film.

Everyone seemed to be intently interested and at the conclusion of the film, Dr Akshay demonstrated where to place the hands. Then the screen faded to Shri Mataji giving Self-realisation. Only one couple left at this point and even the two audio technicians got their realisation.

We found out later that a little over one hundred people had attended. For Queensland this is probably our best result so far. We later mingled with the crowd in the foyer, handing out flyers and talking to interested people. All the comments we received were favourable and it certainly gives us encouragement to do more events of this kind in the future.

Peter Hewitson

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Add comment June 1st, 2008