self-realisation
Many thanks to Greta and Melike for their report on the joyful day at Woodstock Community Centre in Burwood, Sydney, where Sahaja Yoga participated in Burwood Council’s 2008 International Women’s Day celebrations.
“Everything in Sahaja Yoga is always sahaja, i.e. spontaneous, and this day wasn’t any different. Room 2, upstairs, was allotted to us. Just as we had set up the room the way we wanted, the organiser came to tell us that we had to move to Room 1, downstairs, because the television set was too big to be brought up. Dismantling quickly, we set up again in the new room, only to realise that it was much better and perfect for our needs! We were located just off the main auditorium with a lot of traffic. We had planned to screen a lecture given by Shri Mataji which was on DVD but when we got to Room 1, we found only a video machine. So once again, a change of tack was required, and the three meditation sessions scheduled before the screening of the film turned into one long session while the right equipment was obtained.
The organisers were very helpful and supportive of our efforts, steering people towards us throughout the day. About 40 to 50 people got their Self-realisation. There were many interesting activities which vied for visitors’ time, thus preventing many from participating in the meditation sessions. However, handbills for the film, Freedom and Liberation, flyers showing the nearest Sahaja Yoga public programs, and Sahaja Yoga information pamphlets were distributed, with everyone expressing a sincere desire for follow-up.
The meditation session helped to clear the atmosphere in the room, lightening it as the heart chakra opened. Just as we finished the meditation, people flowed into the room for the screening of the film, only to find the fuse had blown! This created another glitch, with most of the people streaming out again to get refreshments. By the time the electricity problem had been solved an almost new group of people had settled into the seats. These people watched the screening of the film, The Vision, and enjoyed the experience of the guided Self-realisation meditation. Everyone felt the peace and quiet of the Cool Breeze of the Spirit. Many of the women live locally and expressed their desire to attend the free Sahaja Yoga programs at the Belmore Community Centre in Burwood.
Somewhere in the morning I found a few minutes to get a cup of tea. One of the ladies who had come in during the meditation session came up to me and said, “I don’t know if I’m imagining it or not, but I am moving much more freely”, indicating that she felt much freer in the joints. I looked at her smiling, calm face and told her that it wasn’t her imagination but that this is what happens when people do Sahaja Yoga, and that there is often an instantaneous relief of whatever problem they may have had previously. It was very satisfying to know that we had made a difference.
No-one left without feeling the Cool Breeze, and right up to the last minute people were coming to take their Self-realisation. A few women’s organisations asked for introductory meditation sessions to be held at their own venues. We also left flyers and brochures on the community centre’s information table for any future visitors to the centre.
A special thank you to Aunty Joy whose initial research had made it possible for Sahaja Yoga to contribute towards the celebrations for International Women’s Day 2008, “Women’s Business: Celebrating 100 Years of Paid and Unpaid Work” sponsored by Burwood Council. We would also like to thank the staff of Burwood Council for making our participation an enjoyable event. ”
Greta and Melike
Charities Day is to be held at Chatswood Shopping Mall at Chatswood, Sydney on Friday 7th March 2008.
There will be a Sahaja Yoga Realisation stall from 9.00am to 4.00pm. The stalls are held out in the open, just down from Chatswood station.
Everyone is welcome to come along and have the experience of Self-realisation.
On Thursday 6 March 2008, a festival will be held at the Woodstock Community Centre in Burwood, Sydney to celebrate International Women’s Day. There will be yoga and relaxation sessions, craft workshops, information stalls, guest speakers, and performances and entertainment. Lunch will be provided.
A candid film lecture by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi wil be screened from 11.15am to 12.50pm. Shri Mataji is an extraordinary woman, a saint of modern times who has brought the truth of spirituality to humanity and developed a unique method for achieving Self-realisation.
The film will be screened upstairs in Group Room 2. Short meditation sessions will be held before the film screening, at 9.30, 10.00 and 10.30am.
Contact: Greta More 0410 550 551
It is now widely acknowledged that our life and what happens to us on the outside, in our relationships, at work, at home, depends on the state of our being on the inside, that is, how we think and feel and how we act, whether it be with kindness, selfishness, anger or compassion. This is because all human beings have inside them a “subtle system”, which is a blueprint that incorporates all the ways we should conduct ourselves in our lives. Our lives on the outside are a reflection of the condition of this subtle system. If we live in accordance with this blueprint and are able to balance our subtle system, then our lives will be happier, healthier and more productive.
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, who founded Sahaja Yoga in 1970, has given many public lectures about this subtle system and how it works. The subtle system consists of seven chakras, three channels and the residual life force, which is a dormant energy called the Kundalini which resides in the sacrum bone at the bottom of the spine.
Each of the seven chakras has certain qualities which manifest in our lives when the chakras are clear. For example, if our heart chakra is clear we will show the traits of courage and compassion in our lives. If there is a blockage in a chakra, it manifests in our lives. For example, a blockage in the Nabhi chakra may lead to us having problems with money. When the Nabhi chakra is cleared either the financial difficulties will disappear or we just won’t be worried about them any more and we will find a way to manage.
The three channels need to be in balance. When the left side and the right side are balanced we can operate in the central channel, which is the present. In order to be in the present, we need to achieve our Self-realisation, which occurs when the Kundalini rises up the central channel, through the limbic area in the brain and out of the fontanelle bone area at the top of the head to unite with the All-pervading Power of the universe.
When this happens, we become connected to the universal, Divine power that created us. We become more knowledgeable about ourselves and are able to know the state of our subtle system, our chakras and channels. As we begin to meditate and strengthen this connection after attaining our Self-realisation, we become “thoughtlessly aware” and our Kundalini flows through our chakras, clearing them. As a consequence we become better people, we automatically act in more constructive ways and all our bad habits drop out. We begin to demonstrate the positive characteristics of the chakras in our behaviour, and the positive qualities of the chakras manifest in our lives.
Recent research has shown that people are happiest when they demonstrate the “virtues” in their lives. It is already well-known that people who are happy have stronger immune systems and are healthier than those who are not. Investigation of over 200 religious and philosophical texts including the Upanishads, the Koran, ancient Greek philosophers and Christian texts has demonstrated that there are six universally accepted traits that are regarded as virtues that are revered in every society. They are wisdom, courage, compassion, judgement, self-discipline and forgiveness. The universality of these traits indicates that they are innate and are part of the blueprint of human beings. The fact that people feel happiest when they express these virtues in their behaviour also indicates that they form an innate part of the human experience.
It is time that we looked inside and looked to our roots, in order to find happiness and fulfillment that will be for our good, and for the good of our family, our town, our country and ultimately for the good of the whole world. As Shri Mataji considers it the birthright of every human being to have their Self-realisation and the knowledge of the subtle system, Sahaja Yoga is always taught free of charge.
Kay Alford
(Photograph: wikimediacommons)