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Sahaja Yoga Meditation

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Yoga Meditation

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 http://www.sahajayoga.ch
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

Sahaja Yoga Swiss association

www.sahajayoga.ch

Yoga Therapy (In The Light Of Contemporary Psychotherapies)

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Yoga Therapy (In The Light Of Contemporary Psychotherapies)


Introduction

The dimensions of yoga therapy become quite vast and in fact, immeasurable when we look at the different aspects, principles and approaches. As far as the approach is concerned, it is preventive, curative and promotive in nature and treats the individual as a whole. Therefore it is a holistic system of cure. In the system of yoga therapy we find some important underlying principles, which guide the entire process of transformation or cure.

Yoga therapy is a systematic and individual oriented therapeutic process, which treats the individual as a whole and is not a disease oriented therapeutic methodology. The goal of the yoga therapy is to harmonize both the internal and the external environments of the individual, so that the growth and integration of the personality become possible.

Yoga is surely a system of psychotherapy, for its whole aim and purpose is to lead man from unhappiness and suffering to the state of lasting peace and harmony. In this pursuit yoga psychology has put forth many of the theories and methods now being rediscovered by modern psychology. All the different branches of yoga aim at establishing harmony at different levels of human functioning. In yoga, the body, energy, emotion and mind are considered as the different facets/ levels of human functioning and all the different practices/techniques available in different branches of yoga, aim to establish harmony at all these different levels.

In the entire process of yoga therapy the therapist works with the individual concerned, considering the limitations of the person in the mind. The therapist and the client work together to enable the training in self awareness and self regulation of the body, breath, diet habit patterns, emotions, attitudes, likings and disliking, unconscious processes, desires etc., in an integrated and efficient manner. If any area is left out the therapy is incomplete. The therapist ensures that the teaching of yoga is not restricted to the class room only but the individual makes an effort to change his perspective to the events of life. So the therapy actually works at all different dimensions of personality, from physical, energetic to deep emotional and psychic levels.

Whenever we deal with the term “psychotherapy”, we are dealing with a systematic methodological process based on well defined paradigms of psychology. The most classic definition of psychotherapy is, any intentional application of psychological techniques by a clinician to the end of effecting sought after personality or behavioral changes. All systems of psychotherapy start from the fundamental assumption that human behaviour can be changed.

In the system of yoga therapy the practices are tailored in such a way that they suit the individual’s needs and bring about a change on the levels of one’s thinking, feelings, attitudes and behavioral patterns. There is a point of contrast also between these two systems of treatment. In psychotherapy the main concern of the therapist is the refinement of behavior, whereas in yoga, the aim is not only to refine the behavioral and thinking patterns, but also, to transform the consciousness. Yoga is the science of consciousness, therefore one of its aims is to transform and refine the individual consciousness. The different principles and theories found in the different systems of yoga, they all pursue the same goal i.e. the transformation of the human psyche or personality. Modern psychologists are for the most part unaware of yoga science as a systematic and comprehensive basic and applied psychology. However, if one studies both modern psychology and yoga psychology, one would find that many of the psychological processes described in modern psychology are strikingly similar to conceptions found in yoga texts dating back more than a thousand years. In yoga psychology one will find that there is a considerable integration of seemingly divergent principles expounded by the various systems of modern psychology. Yoga psychology has a balanced admixture of the principles of psychology and modern therapeutic systems which give a comprehensive understanding of the nature of human being and the different levels of human functioning.

The idea in the traditional yoga therapy is that the practices are adapted to suit the conditions of the individual to help them with suffering at the psycho emotional levels and it uses the various techniques to bring about the state of harmony at the different levels of the human functioning.

Objective of the study

The purpose of this theoretical work is to study the principles, techniques and the process of yoga therapy in the light of contemporary psychotherapeutic techniques/systems of psychology.  Therefore, our aims will be:

To systematically present the underlying principles of yoga therapy; with special reference to the existing principles in the contemporary psychotherapies.
To focus on the psychotherapeutic aspects of the various methods/techniques employed in yoga therapy.

The principle of yoga therapy

The principle of holism. In the eastern medicine and therapy the individual is always perceived as a unified whole hence the whole philosophy and the science of treating a person becomes very much holistic and complete in itself. The underlying principles of yoga therapy are based on the assumption, “treat the individual not the disease”. In yoga therapy the therapist treats the person by paying considerable attention on the environments (internal as well as external) of the individual. We find the similar theme throughout the process of the Client centered and the Existentialistic approaches of the contemporary psychotherapy. In the above two systems, for example, the primary concern of the therapist is to look at the individual from the holistic perspective and try to understand the problems from his perspective so the individual and the level of functioning of the individual become the pivotal point in the process of treatment. The main role of the therapists here becomes to facilitate the right healthy environment around the individual, which provides the opportunities to the individual to flourish and grow. Therefore the aim of yoga therapy is not restricted alone to the cure or the treatment of the diseases but it focuses on the overall growth of the individual concerned. In modern psychology we do not seem to have a comprehensive theory and methodology which considers all of the facets of human functioning and explains their proper place in the total person. But in the ancient psychology of yoga, such a comprehensive approach exists. Modern psychology seems to divide the individual into different parts, each to be worked with by a different school. Thus each school or the approach is incomplete and partial. But in yoga, teachers have for ages tried to understand and treat the whole person. Neither behavior, the unconscious, interpersonal relations nor one’s emotional life is taken as the sole or primary target of intervention in leading the student towards growth. All are seen as important and are systematically dealt with.

Together these techniques become an integrated therapy to help the individual free himself from all those limitations.

The principle of purification.

The eastern system of therapy presents a very interesting and positive way to look at the disease. For a yoga therapist disease is always an alien state and is imposed on the individual. The natural state of being in yoga is the state of health and harmony and is considered as the permanent or the eternal state of being. This is the essential state of being (swabhava). This state of being which is characterized by the state of perfect harmony, balance and bliss, is what desirable in yoga. Since the state of health of health is considered as the essential nature of the human being, it is always a possibility in yoga, when all the alien elements are eliminated. The state of purified being as pure consciousness is when obscured because of some impurities, the vicious cycle of suffering starts. This principle of purification runs like an undercurrent throughput the process of yoga therapy and is used while working with all the different techniques of yoga. The process of purification in yoga is the process of deconditioning/detoxification of the human personality. The various pollutants, found in various forms condition the self and the personality of the individual and yoga aims to dilute the level of conditionings which give rise to the notion of limited self and results in suffering. This state of purity is achieved at different levels, from gross (body) to the subtler levels (energy, emotions, feelings, attitude etc.), using appropriate techniques and methods of yoga.

The principle of relaxation. The principle of relaxation is in fact, another aspect of the principle of purification. The state of relaxation is the state of being. This is the state of harmony and unconditioned awareness, where the individual is in contact with one’s essential state of being. The state of relaxation is the result of purification. Relaxation, in broader sense, denotes “letting go of the tension that creates the illusion of the ego’s individuality and separateness”. Thus relaxation is not merely the relaxation of the body but also of the mind, our opinion, concern, hopes and attitudes. Whereas, in modern psychotherapeutic techniques the primary concern is to reinforce the ego of the person, which is considered as the centre of integration. On the contrary in yoga, letting go of ego is emphasized.  The concept of letting go of the ego implies the meaning of transcending the notion of the limited self. Although, most western psychologists do not accept an experience that is beyond the ego or empirical self. Freudians have viewed any such phenomenon as regressive and psychotic. Jung emphatically denies the possibility of an experience without ego as the centre of consciousness. Indian literature on the contrary not only accepts the transcendence as a possibility but also consider it a life goal. In some western schools of psychology e.g. transpersonal psychology, this concept is accepted. As the name ‘transpersonal’ denotes that the transcending of the personality and its many aspects as one of the basic premises of this school. The practices of yoga attune one’s awareness to different levels of being through the process of relaxation. So, with the process of relaxation the range of conscious awareness increases.

Goals and strategies of psychotherapy.

The goal of therapy has been put in terms of removing symptoms, restoring earlier levels of functioning, freeing the person to be self realizing( in Roger’s term, “a  fully functioning person” and according to Gita, becoming a “sthita prajna personality”), helping the person find personal meaning and values or restructuring defenses and character. The behavioral transformation is the main concern of both eastern and the western therapists. The dissimilarity we may find in the approach to look at the problems. Mind in western therapy is considered as a clinical entity whereas in yoga it is used as a tool to actualize one’s essential state of being. In both systems of yoga and psychotherapy the following may be instrumental for a change or transformation of personality:

1. Insight: To increase awareness and understanding of how and why we act as we do is fundamental to many therapeutic approaches like Psychoanalysis, Analytical psychology, Gestaltism, Existentialism etc. In yoga therapy different tools are used to expand the range of awareness. Developing self understanding and knowledge is what aspired in yoga.

Correcting emotional experiences: There are different approaches to deal with the emotional experiences of the individual. To relive the traumatic experiences and to give a safe vent to the feelings are important features of the psychotherapeutic process.
Reeducation: In both yoga and psychotherapy reeducation is emphasized. It is accomplished by replacing an infantile, pathologic or maladaptive attitude by more mature and healthier ones.
Growth: Successful therapy removes the obstacles to growth and permits the process of self actualization to continue.

Psychotherapeutic values of the yogic techniques:

As it has already been mentioned that yoga is a system of psychotherapy. And the various tools which are employed in the yoga therapy are potentially capable to bring about a change in one’s thinking, feeling and behavior. Working with the body is an important aspect of the yoga therapy. Through the appropriate postures, breathing techniques, and purificatory practices, the therapist tries to transform the physical, mental, emotional and the energetic beings of the individual.  Relaxation practices such as Yoga Nidra and other meditation practices help to release mental and the emotional tensions. It has been a well accepted fact nowadays that mind and the body are intimately interrelated. Therefore tension carried in the body is intimately related to emotional and mental tension. When one works on body through asanas, pranayama or shatkarma (a group of six bodily cleansing practices), one experiences that the long held tensions (both muscular and the emotional) are released from the body and the feeling of ease and comfort developing from inside. As one learns to become more aware of the experiences of his body while doing the yogic practices, he becomes increasingly aware or sensitive to the body’s tensions and its dis-ease. He experiences the states of physical, mental and the emotional well being.


I started yoga teaching 10 years ago after completing my Post Graduation in Yoga Psychology from Bihar Yoga Bharati (Deemed University). After completing the study there I started sharing my learning with yoga aspirants, in the same university as Lecturer in the Dept. Of Yoga Psychology. The field of yoga has been an awakening and life transforming experience for me. It opened a completely new perspective to see the reality and participate in the flow of life! And I do believe that every particle in the UNIVERSE is participating and contributing to the eternal flow of life..