Music
If you live in Brisbane or are lucky enough to be visiting in the area, please come along to our free monthly meditation workshop at Wamuran, (60 minutes north of Brisbane) on Saturday 30 January 2010.
People who have previously attended the seminars have remarked that they felt much more relaxed and balanced, and could feel their tensions melted away by this simple, effective technique.
Here’s a sample of some of the things participants said about the workshops:
“Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, for the peace and friendship.”
“I felt welcome and enjoyed the experience.”
“I am grateful for such a beautiful experience. I felt welcome and believe the experience has opened me up to many possibilities.”
“I found it interesting and enjoyable. The people were kind and friendly. The atmosphere was warm and hospitable.”
“It’s a great opportunity to discover what is within us. We can learn to use the meditation properly for the benefit of our souls and the health of our physical body.”
The workshop, which commences at 2.00 pm, will include a very enjoyable, live concert performed by talented Sahaja Yoga musicians.
The workshop is intended for new participants, as well as those who have never attended before. Please come along, even if you have never meditated before.
Program:
2:00 – 2:30pm: Arrival and refreshments
2:30 – 3:00pm: Meditation – How to achieve the state of mental silence
3:00 – 4:00pm: Clearing techniques to improve your meditation
4:00 – 4:20pm: Video lecture from Shri Mataji (founder of Sahaja Yoga)
4:20 – 5:15pm: Meditation and live music
5.30pm: Dinner
Cost: There are no costs or payments required for your attendance.
Directions to Workshop venue in Wamuran:
The address is: 95 McClintock Road, Wamuran. From the M1 motorway, take the Kilcoy exit and proceed along D’aguilar Hwy until reaching Wamuran. Opposite the IGA store, turn right and then right again into Station Rd. Turn left at the small roundabout into Newlands Rd for approximately 3km, then left into Patane Rd which leads to McClintock Rd. Number 95 is just over the top of the hill on the left.
Click here for Google Map directions to the venue.
Are you thinking of coming? For planning purposes, please email us at [email protected].
Gurrumul Yunupingu
A reader has written to recommend listening to two recent releases of what he describes as remarkable Australian music.
“I have just heard a most incredible Australian CD, Cannot Buy My Soul – The Songs of Kev Carmody. The musician and songwriter, Paul Kelly, pulled together a stellar cast of the cream of the Australian music scene to host a concert playing the songs of Kev Carmody, an Aboriginal drover turned musician.
“Kev Carmody wrote his songs from the 1960s through to the 1980s. There is so much dignity and eloquence in these songs, expressing the story from the soul of the Australian Indigenous people. Sometimes music can express the inexpressible qualities of a country – such is this music.
“Also highly recommended when contemplating Australian indigenous music is Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s widely acclaimed album, Gurrumul. There are many good reasons to recommend his music, which is mostly sung in various Indigenous languages, with scenes drawn from the Aboriginal “Dreaming”.
“Gurrumul, blind since birth and a former member of the internationally acclaimed band Yothu Yindi, has released an album of quiet beauty. His voice has been described as having being touched by angels. If you are interested in some really great Australian music perhaps take a chance to listen to these.”
(Photograph: geelongadvertiser.com.au)
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