Editor
The Sahaja Yoga Realise Australia Tour visited southern New South Wales during the first weekend of October 2006.
The Realise Australia tours were inspired by the visit of Shri Mataji and her husband, Sir CP Srivastava, in early 2006. Sahaja Yogis in Australia had received so many blessings and love from Shri Mataji and Sir CP that they wanted to spread this love to those who were not able to experience it directly.
The first tour began on the first weekend of October 2006 with Sahaja Yogis travelling south to Wollongong, Kiama, Nowra, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay, Canberra and Bowral before returning to Sydney.
Participants’ comments provide an indication of the joy, love and dynamism experienced during the tour.
I joined the Tour in Canberra. There was an amazing dynamic. Everybody’s heart was so open, vibrations were flowing so freely from one to another, supporting, encouraging each and everyone who was giving out their best. We were all swimming in such bubbling joy! MP, Canberra performance
A lasting image in my mind will definitely be of Ulladulla where, upon opening my eyes after a gentle and beautiful guided meditation given by Caroline, I saw in front of us a row of brand new yogis – self-realised souls – with that look of the deepest meditation on their serene faces. It was the most beautiful sight on that whole magical tour – a journey right into the depths of our hearts.
With that attention to giving Self-realisation and explaining the subtleties of Sahaja Yoga, one can’t help but feel the language of vibrations spontaneously expressing through the strength of our collectivity. CL, Bowral performance
One Sahaja Yogi was speaking to a young man who had been watching intently for most of the programme at Batemans Bay. Afterwards he asked about Shri Mataji, and the yogi explained to him all that Shri Mataji had done for the people of the world within the last thirty years or so: how She has completely dedicated all her time to giving en masse Self-realisation and spreading peace all over the world without ever charging for anything – just giving. She then asked if the young man knew of anyone else who had done such work in these days. His reply was, “Yes, Jesus and Buddha”. Batemans Bay performance
NSW SOUTHERN REGION FOLLOW-UP PROGRAMS
Weekly follow-up programs are now being conducted in the following centres:
Kiama: Every Monday, 7.30 – 8.45 pm at Kiama CWA Hall, Shoalhaven St, Kiama
Nowra: Every Tuesday, 10.30 am – 12 noon at Nowra Scout Hall, Cnr Shoalhaven and Jervis Sts, Nowra
Fairy Meadow (Wollongong): Every Tuesday evening, 7.30 – 8.45 pm at Fairy Meadow Community Centre, Fairy Meadow
Albion Park Rail: Every Wednesday, 10.30 – 11.30 am at Danze Gallery, Shaban St, Albion Park Rail
All enquiries: 1300 724252 or go to the Realise Australia Tour site
On one of my many travels to India I purchased a beautiful book entitled, The Devi Gita – The Song of the Goddess: A Translation, Annotation and Commentary, by C. Mackenzie Brown. In the Introduction there is a description of Kundalini Yoga:
The Kundalini system presupposes an esoteric or subtle physiology, consisting of several mystic energy channels or arteries (nadis) within the body, connecting various psychoenergetic centres (chakras, padmas) lying along the central axis or spine.
In the lowermost centre, the Base Support (Mooladhara) at the bottom end of the spine, resides the Kundalini or ‘Coiled One’, thus refered to as the Serpent Power. The Kundalini is none other than the Goddess manifesting within our bodies as the guiding psychospiritual power of our being. In unenlightened, ordinary beings, she lies dormant. The goal of this yoga is to awaken her in the Base Support Center and to cause her to ascend the central axis, breaking through the other centres until she reaches the uppermost center at the top of or slightly above the head, where she unites with her male counterpart, Siva.
This is exactly what takes place in Sahaja Yoga. Sahaja Yoga actualises Kundalini Yoga.
In times gone by, to achieve Kundalini Yoga the aspirant had to go through penances or tapas, to purify and gain understanding, and then mastery of the different aspects of their nature. Eventually, maybe many lifetimes later, the aspirant may encounter a guru who is a yogi, and at the hands of that guru-yogi, attain their self-realisation, meaning the opening of their Sahasrara Chakra through Kundalini awakening. This was a very long process.
When Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, founder and sole guru of Sahaja Yoga, started this work in 1970, She realised that we, the people of this modern, Technological Age, didn’t have the luxury of time on our sides anymore. Through all the advancements we had achieved, and through blindly following the false gurus who had sprung up everywhere like mushrooms, we were destroying our brains and our subtle systems. Our Sahasraras were entangled, over-developed masses of nerves, our chakras and nadis torn, shrivelled and disconnected.
So for a jet age people, a jet age process was devised by Shri Mataji, and this system She named Sahaja Yoga. In this process the Kundalini is awakened “sahaja” which means spontanaeously (click on the image on the left, to see a demonstration of the kundalini rising). To use the analogy of skyscrapers, this process takes us up to the penthouse in one swift and beautiful moment. We are then given the tools to understand both the vista and the floors below. Then, armed with this knowledge, we have to correct our own chakras and nadis and thereby bring about balance in our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies, synthesising them into a complete whole.
Greta More
Anti-Domestic Violence / Happy Relationships Day will be held on Saturday November 25, 2006 at Villawood Family Park, Villawood (opposite the Go-Lo shop). Sahaj Band will be present between 1.15 pm and 1.45 pm.
It is a very significant place for Sahaja Yoga to be represented, as it provides an opportunity to share the spiritual tools given to us by Shri Mataji for rising above stress, anger, jealousy, fear and other factors that contribute to domestic violence.
Sahaja Yogis will be present to help seekers gain an understanding of Sahaja Yoga.
A beautiful daughter, beachside home, family and friends close by, a well-paid, part-time job within walking distance of home and a great social life that came with free babysitters – that was my life before I came to Sahaja Yoga. Compared with our previous home, a small cramped house in inner Sydney, I felt as though I was on a permanent holiday. However, I kept yearning for something else. I described it once as wanting to find my spirit’s home.
When I told a friend about this yearning she brought me the local paper to show me an advertisement about a Sahaja Yoga program, complete with Indian music, food and meditation. It was a four-week course at a library in a nearby suburb and it was free. It sounded great and I told my friend that I would go.
I was not a “new age” person and knew nothing about the Kundalini or self-realisation. I did, however, have dreams from time to time that were premonitions. These dreams always left me with a strong awareness of their message when I awoke.
I had a strict deadline at work and, as usual, was behind schedule. So, the day before the program I decided not to go. However, that night I had one of those dreams. I dreamed I was at the library walking around with a pile of books in my arms. I came to a doorway and looked in. There were two men standing in the room getting ready for the Sahaja Yoga program. I kept walking. When I passed the room a second time, the two men approached me and asked if I was going to the program. I said that I couldn’t because I was too busy. One of the men smiled at me and said, “What a shame! Because you think you are so busy, you will miss out, and this is just for you. It is what you are looking for.” When I awoke the next morning, I remembered the dream and knew that I had to go to the program.
As I got there, I was puffing away on the last of my daily packet of cigarettes.
When I walked in, I was dumbstruck. The room was exactly as it had appeared in my dream and, amazingly, two of the men present were the same ones who had approached me in my dream!
When the presenter was explaining the process of self-realisation, I found it very difficult to believe and decided to leave. However, as I was about to leave, a video began. It was Shri Mataji. I couldn’t take my eyes from Her, and Her opening words captured my attention. She asked us to keep an open mind like a scientist and to see for ourselves how it works. I decided to listen. Every word that Shri Mataji uttered, provided the missing pieces of the jigsaw that formed my life. I hung on Her every word.
Before I knew it, I was doing exactly as I was told to get my realization. When I held my palm over the top of my head, I felt the cool breeze that I had scoffed at in the beginning. It was there! I felt transformed, but I didn’t realise the magnitude of this transformation until later, when I realised I had forgotten to buy my essential packet of cigarettes.
I saw another friend on the way home who exclaimed, “Whatever you’ve had, I want a ton of it! Look at your eyes! You look amazing!”
Unused to such a greeting, I mumbled something about a wonderful meditation program and raced home to see for myself. When I looked in the mirror, I saw that I had a glow and my eyes were sparkling. My whole face looked softer. I had changed! My spirit had come home.
I continued to meditate and, before I knew it, nights on the town, alcohol and smoking were replaced with peace, joy and an amazing feeling of contentment. I am forever grateful to Shri Mataji for finding me.
LB