Music
"Freedom and Liberation" at Newcastle theatre
It was our first warm day.
We waited for the audience of “Mama Mia” to exit the theatre in Newcastle, Australia, where we were to present Shri Mataji’s film, “Freedom and Liberation”. Only four people filed out. For a moment we felt doubtful whether anyone would come to see “Freedom and Liberation” given that it was election day, a good beach day and even “Mama Mia” faired badly!
Within a few minutes a slow trickle of people began to steadily enter the theatre. This theatre was one of three in the complex and so some people came to see any old film, but opted for Shri Mataji’s.
When the lights dimmed we had sixty-five new seekers in the audience. Our kundalini shot up in a shower of joy as we saw Shri Mataji’s image on the big screen. As I had grown up around this area, this was something that I had dreamt of but never considered possible in Newcastle.
As the film came to an end the audience applauded! Again, something unimaginable. Through Shri Mataji’s grace, the sixty-five people were given their realisation. The silence was awesome. No one left. Everyone stayed and enjoyed a short meditation.
Afterwards, some members of the Sydney Sahaja Yoga music group played bhajans in the foyer. Many people stayed to listen to the music. Some filled out feedback forms with comments describing tingles up the spine and in the hands, an enlightening experience. One read “in lightning” and I couldn’t help but wonder whether this newly-realised person knew that their inner light had been turned on!
Shri Mataji’s humour was subtly at work, as the musicians had unwittingly set up next to a poster advertising a film showing a girl sitting in meditation, with thought bubbles showing a clutter of all the objects associated with the materialistic, hectic Western lifestyle. The teenage girl’s expression was one of rejection. We all had a chuckle when we realised!
As we were leaving I noticed another poster showing words to the effect: “He always knew what he had been built for. Now he knew what he was meant for.” Shri Mataji was truly letting us know that she was with us. After all, doesn’t this describe in very basic terms the revelation of truth that we all receive through Self-realisation? It was a great summary of the whole event!
Lisa Barron, on behalf of the Newcastle Sahaja Yoga collective
When was the last time you had a day you could describe like this:
“A most enlightening and enriching experience.” Sushil
“Wonderful, positive…and truly was attuned to the individual spirit.” Katrina
“I experienced calmness and tranquillity.” Murali
“Lovely atmosphere and a beautiful place to be.” Alan
“I felt very peaceful of mind, which was hard lately…having very kind and warm people around was a good feeling too.” Indiana
Sahaja Yoga Meditation workshop, Sydney
These are just some of the glowing comments received from people who attended Sahaja Yoga’s free one-day meditation workshops in Sydney. If a day like this appeals to you, please read on to learn how you can participate.
Seeking truth and peace
Most people at some time have felt stressed or out of balance or found themselves seeking an indefinable something “more” in their lives. As a result, many people have now discovered the benefits of true meditation with Sahaja Yoga, and enjoy the peace and enlightenment they find when attending our free weekly classes in locations across Australia. The meditation is very easy and no prior experience is needed.
Here in Sydney, over some time we had requests for more in-depth sessions, more than we could possibly fit into our local weekly meetings of an hour or two. So one bright Sunday morning, some years ago, we held our first half-day meditation workshop, which proved to be very popular with both absolute beginners and regulars alike. Demand simply kept growing. So we now hold free one-day meditation Sunday workshops in Sydney, about three or four times a year.
“A beautiful experience – what a lovely day we had!” Anita
“This was a touch of love in my life.” Carlos
“It is one of the most amazing and wonderful experiences, coming to the meditation workshop. Enjoyed each minute of it.” Nandini
“Thanks for helping me to see how much power and energy I have in myself. It was really an amazing experience – I enjoyed it very much.” Manpreet
“Brilliant workshop! Theory is clear and the meditation makes it a very rewarding day.” Sandra
Sahaja Yoga Meditation workshop session
Workshops
Though the topics and presenters may vary with each workshop, by request the workshops have an emphasis on blending lots of practical sessions and meditations along with the theory.
Sahaja Yoga meditation workshops are provided free, as a non-profit community service, with very experienced meditators there to help with any queries.
“In this age of commercialisation and business orientated activities, I am delighted to see such activities being done on a volunteer basis at no cost to the participants. This speaks a lot of the true intentions of the organisers, who are there to really help the community. Keep it up!” Yan
Meal breaks
Lunch and morning tea are provided ($5 by donation on entry).
When is the next workshop?
Please note, the next Sydney workshop date has not yet been decided. Once the date is set, we notify people in our database by email, about two weeks before the event. If you’d like to be notified, see how to subscribe below.
To be notified by email of our next workshop, subscribe to our database here.
For further workshop details and frequently asked questions, follow this link.
We look forward to meeting you.
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to experience the peace of true meditation, and would like to join us at a workshop, you are welcome to come along. Who knows? Maybe next time it will be you writing to give us your feedback!
Kind regards
Sahaja Yoga collective in Sydney, Australia
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.
On Saturday 31st May 2008, we invited people who had been attending regular weekly meditation programs to come to the Sahaja Yoga Centre at Wamuran, 60 km north of Brisbane, for an advanced meditation workshop. We had emailed subscribers to the newsletter as well, but as it turned out, the weather had other ideas!
Heavy rain, storms and flooding hit the Sunshine Coast area that weekend and some people indicated they might not be able to attend. Preparations were well in hand, however, and plenty of food and refreshments had been organised.
Despite the conditions, ten guests braved the elements and the muddy driveway, to further their knowledge of Sahaja Yoga. After the introductions, some light refreshments were offered, and then it was into the meditation room to start the proceedings.
After a formal welcome to Wamuran, a brief introduction to Sahaja Yoga followed. After this we went through the Self-realisation, as some people had never attended a program. Then out came the footsoak bowls. Yogis helped in clearing chakras during the guided meditation and we could feel the vibrations increasing. A demonstration of working on one’s own chakras was then given and instructions for meditating at home.
A period of quiet meditation followed, accompanied by some sitar playing. The vibrations were strong during the meditation, and people’s faces seemed to take on a more serene appearance.
A talk by Shri Mataji called “Establishing Your Self-realisation” followed. We rounded off the workshop with some bhajans, ending with the Maha Mantras. Meditation then continued, accompanied by some quiet music.
The delightful smells from the kitchen soon brought our attention to our nabhi chakras, however, and then it was time to mingle around the dining table savouring the cuisine. Our guests were genuinely happy and at ease, and most didn’t want to leave, staying for cups of tea, laughing and chatting with the yogis. Some even helped with the washing up!
Amazingly, it was only after everyone had gone, that we realised that it hadn’t rained at all during the entire program, even though destructive winds and torrential rain had been forecast.
The feedback from the guests was extremely positive. We are planning to hold monthly workshops in the future on the last Saturday of each month.
Peter Hewitson
Wamuran