"Until your attention reaches the Spirit, it is absolutely useless to talk about it, to do anything in this connection. You have to be born again. Realization must happen. It is not talking, not performing rituals or anything like that. It must happen within you."
"Rejoice and let joy spread through you. Feel your Spirit and enjoy this beautiful life... the life of a realized soul!"
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi,
Founder of Sahaja Yoga
Sahaja Yoga was discovered by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970 as a simple and profound method. It is the awakening of the Kundalini energy within a person and the attainment of enlightenment. Sahaja Yoga is the path to enlightenment and the way to deepen it by applying it in our lives.
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi says: “The method of Sahaja Yoga implies that every person who has come into this world has the right to enlightenment from the very moment of his birth. This is the last step that a person has to take, and for this there is a perfect living mechanism.” These words explain that Sahaja Yoga is a natural and simple path for every person to attain enlightenment.
Since 1970, Sahaja Yoga has spread to more than 110 countries around the world. The word “sahaja” in Sanskrit means “spontaneous” and “yoga” means “unification with oneself”. That is, Sahaja Yoga helps a person spontaneously move towards enlightenment. The knowledge of enlightenment is ancient, but it was available only to a few. Previously, this knowledge was difficult to access, but Shri Mataji made this wisdom available to everyone, and enlightenment became a real experience for millions of people.
With Sahaja Yoga meditation, our consciousness rises to a new level, allowing us to directly experience the Absolute Truth. It is like the growth of a large tree from a small seed - the process happens by itself, without effort. The natural harmony that comes with spiritual growth is a natural result of this process.
It is very important for each person to know their roots. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi says: “Sahaja Yoga allows everyone to become their own spiritual guide.” This gives us the opportunity to find our inner truth and understand ourselves.
There are three conditions for the practice of Sahaja Yoga. The first is the attainment of enlightenment. Because if the Kundalini is not awakened, we cannot understand the state of our chakras and we cannot meditate properly. Without the Kundalini, our only means for spiritual growth are our mind (consciousness) and the unconscious. However, the mind cannot solve the problems that it creates, and behind every solved problem there is a new one. The unconscious cannot act directly, as it is beyond consciousness. But the Kundalini is a tool that surpasses these two tools, it helps us move forward on the path of spiritual development.
The second condition is the willingness to change. It is important to be honest with yourself, to accept your shortcomings and virtues as they are, to see evil as evil and good as good. At this stage, the main thing is to trust yourself. After the Kundalini awakens and illuminates our chakras, we can clearly distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.
And finally, the third condition is meditation. Daily meditation is important and it is better to do it not alone but in a group. Joint meditation can give more energy and experience.
Sahaja Yoga is not a fad or an alternative method. It is simply a lifestyle. Therefore, the Sahaja Yoga organization does not exist in the form of a formal association, membership or lists. It is not a dead organization but a living collective organism. Like cells in the body, people who have achieved enlightenment also benefit from this positive energy and become enlightened. A person who seeks truth creates a new life for himself only through the awakening of Kundalini.
Understanding all this, a person feels his inner truth more deeply and begins to live with this new understanding.
What is enlightenment?
"Sahaja Yoga gives us knowledge about our subtle energy body."
All religions say: "Know thyself." This simple but profound teaching directs us to the greatest truth - to our inner world, to our true nature. Enlightenment is the light that helps us on this path, illuminating our inner world.
Enlightenment is not a rite or ritual, it is the process of awakening a special energy (Kundalini). This energy is a pure and sublime desire, a hidden force present in each of us. It awakens at the right moment, rises along the spine and illuminates the chakras, revealing their qualities.
Enlightenment is known under different names in different religions. In Christianity it is "rebirth", in Islam - "resurrection", in Buddhism - "awakening", in Hinduism - "awakening of Kundalini". Each religion in its own language, but with the same meaning, speaks of the inner turn of a person.
Kundalini awakening is not an artificial process or an understanding achieved through the mind. It is a process that is directly felt as coolness on the crown of the head and on the fingers. After we gain enlightenment, we can feel this energy as coolness. If Kundalini flows freely through our chakra, we feel coolness on the fingers. If we encounter an obstacle, we feel warmth, tingling or slight numbness. This warns us of blockages in the chakra that need to be cleared.
With the help of Sahaja Yoga methods, we can help to clear and raise this energy. Each cleared chakra gives us certain qualities, which allows Kundalini to rise freely.
Kundalini brings us peace, security, satisfaction and freedom. It also fills us with compassion and love. It is not only a physical but also a deep spiritual transformation that invites us to a deeper, more sincere and peaceful life.
On this path, each of us goes together to find our inner truth and discover our true essence. We believe that with enlightenment everything in our lives will become clearer and more loving.
Kundalini
Self-realization - awakening of Kundalini
Kundalini is the energy that, when awakened, unites all the chakras and gives us Yoga, i.e. "union" with the All-pervading energy of Divine love. In the human body, She is present in the form of energy threads intertwined like a rope. The number of threads is 21 to the power of 108. Kundalini is our own Mother. She is a living energy, She knows everything about each of Her children. She has the ability to think and make decisions, i.e. She has superconsciousness. As an aspect of God, She is the primordial, transforming, healing force designed to achieve the optimal state of existence for our human system. She is pure, nourishing love. Each of us has a Kundalini, and She is our Divine Mother. Her attention is directed at us from within 24 hours. Kundalini knows everything we do. Kundalini is also called the energy of pure desire.
Awakening of the Kundalini energy is a phenomenon of Self-realization or "second birth". When awakened, Kundalini rises up the spinal column, passes through all the subtle centers and crosses the limbic region of the brain, connecting the person with the all-pervading energy of the cosmos. In this case, a state of meditation is achieved, i.e. a state of awareness without thought, in which cosmic knowledge is reflected in the central nervous system, allowing one to know Reality.
In the Christian tradition, this phenomenon is described as "baptism by spirit and fire". Awakened Kundalini really looks like tongues of flame and has the properties of fire, but it does not burn, but coolly pacifies a person with the help of vibrations of the Holy Spirit (Paramchaitanya).
When this energy is not awakened, it is in a coiled state (Kundalini is translated from Sanskrit as "coil", in the masculine gender - kundal, in the feminine - kundalini) is located in the triangular sacral bone at the base of the spine (in Latin it is called "Sacrum" - Os Sacrum, implying that it is the most sacred part of the human body. "Sacrum" in Latin means "sacred"). The ancient Greeks knew about this, and therefore they called it "Hieron Osteon", they attributed supernatural powers to it. The Egyptians also knew the special value of this bone and considered it to be the location of a special energy. In the West, the sacrum bone is symbolized by the sign of Aquarius and the Holy Grail, the Vessel of Living Water. Kundalini, which feeds the tree of life within us, is coiled like a snake, which is why She was called the "Energy of the Snake".
Being in this bone in a coiled, dormant state, nothing can threaten Her, because She is protected by the energy of the first chakra - the muladhara chakra. Some people incorrectly believe that Kundalini resides in the first chakra. This is wrong, Kundalini is located a little higher (the area above the muladhara chakra is also called "muladhara"). When awakened, Kundalini rises along the central energy channel. When self-realization is achieved, the energy of Kundalini reaches the top of the head and is felt above the head as a cool breeze.
Chakras
The subtle body of a person
Chakras are subtle energy centers located in the places of nerve plexuses. Chakra in Sanskrit means "wheel". In our subtle body there are seven main chakras, each of which corresponds to a stage of evolution. Each chakra is responsible for the embodiment in a person of certain spiritual qualities, which in most people are in an unmanifested state. After awakening (i.e. receiving self-realization), they begin to emit "vibrations", expressing the principles of Divinity in us. It is in this sense that we are created in the image and likeness of God. Physical, mental and emotional problems can be a consequence of imbalance in one or more chakras. Self-realization allows you to awaken the Kundalini energy, which is in a dormant state, which then, rising along the central channel and filling all seven centers with pure energy, makes possible the spontaneous manifestation of all spiritual properties inherent in people.
Let's list all seven main chakras:
- The Muladhara chakra is located at the base of the spine on its outer side. It is responsible for innocence, wisdom and purity.
- The Svadisthan chakra is located at the level of the appendix (a palm's width below the navel). It is responsible for creativity, for constructiveness.
- The Nabhi chakra (another name is Manipura) is located at the solar plexus. It is responsible for our search, for satisfaction.
- The Anahata chakra is located at the level of the heart. It gives us fearlessness, courage. Our Spirit also resides in it.
- The Vishuddhi chakra is located at the level of the jugular notch at the base of the neck. It is responsible for collectivity, for the absence of guilt, for self-respect and respect for other people.
- The Agnya chakra is located at the level of the middle of the forehead in the place where the optic nerves cross. This is a very important chakra, it is a "narrow gate", in order to pass this chakra, it is necessary to forgive everyone. It gives us awareness without thoughts.
- Sahasrara Chakra (the "Thousand-Petalled Lotus") is located at the top of the head, in the crown area. Here is what yoga strives for - a state of awareness without doubts, when we are completely one with the All-pervading energy.
Nabhi is surrounded on all sides by the Void (translated from English as "emptiness"), which is figuratively called the "ocean of illusions". The small energy center, which is part of Vishuddhi and is located between the eyes on the bridge of the nose, is called the Hamsa Chakra. Two more small energy centers, also located near Vishuddhi, but distributed symmetrically on the left and right, are called the Lalita Chakra and the Sri Chakra
In the subtle body, three more so-called knots can be additionally distinguished: the knot of Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra (Shiva). The knot of Brahma is the knot of material attachments. It is located two centimeters below the navel. If the knot is not untied, then Kundalini cannot rise along the central channel. The knot is responsible for the energy balance in the human body. The Vishnu knot is located at the intersection of the horizontal connecting the Lalita Chakra and the Sri Chakra with the Sushumna Nadi channel. Its untying helps to dissolve the ego and superego. The Rudra knot is located in the head between the center of the forehead and the base of the hair. Its untying helps to achieve thoughtless awareness and awareness without a doubt of the greatness and power of God.