Sahaja Yoga

Sahaja Yoga
Founder Nirmala Srivastava (aka Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi)
Established 5 May 1970
Practice emphases
kundalini, meditation, self-realization[1]

Sahaja Yoga is a religious movement[2][3][4] founded in 1970 by Nirmala Srivastava (1923-2011), more widely known as Her Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi or as "Mother" by her followers, who are called Sahaja yogis.[4][5]

Sahaja Yoga is not only the name of the movement, but also the meditation technique the movement teaches and the state of awareness that is said to be achieved by the technique.[6] According to the movement, this state is the state of self-realization produced by kundalini awakening and is accompanied by the experience of thoughtless awareness or mental silence.[7][8] The movement teaches the belief that self-realization through kundalini awakening is a transformation which can be experienced on the central nervous system and results in a more "moral, united, integrated and balanced" personality.[9]

Srivastava described Sahaja Yoga as the pure, universal religion integrating all other religions.[4] She also claimed that she herself was a divine incarnation,[10] more precisely an incarnation of the Holy Ghost, or the Adi Shakti of the Hindu tradition, the great mother goddess who had come to save humanity.[4][11] This is also how she is regarded by most of her devotees.[9]

Fit with other religions

The teachings, practices and beliefs of Sahaja Yoga are mainly Hindu-based, with a predominance of elements from mystical traditions, as well as local customs of India.[11][4] There are however important elements of Christian origin, such as the eternal battle between good and evil.[11][4] References to a variety of other religious, spiritual, mystical as well as modern scientific frameworks are also interwoven in Srivastava's teachings, although to a lesser degree.[11][4]

Countries where active

Sahaja Yoga ashrams are present in diverse countries which include the following : Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kuwait, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States of America, but are not limited to the aforementioned countries.[12]

Meaning of the name

The word 'Sahaja' in Sanskrit has two components: 'Saha' meaning 'with you' and 'ja' meaning 'born'.[10] A Dictionary of Buddhism gives the literal translation of Sahaja as "innate" and defines it as "denoting the natural presence of enlightenment (bodhi) or purity."[13] and Yoga means union or yoking and refers to a spiritual path or a state of spiritual absorption. According to a book published by the movement, Sahaja Yoga means spontaneous and born with you meaning that the kundalini is born within us and can be awakened spontaneously, without effort.[7]

The term 'Sahaja Yoga' goes back at least to the 15th Century Indian mystic Kabir.[14] and has also been used to refer to Surat Shabd Yoga.[15]

In 2000, the term 'Sahaja Yoga' was trademarked in the United States by Vishwa Nirmala Dharma.[16]

History

Before starting Sahaja Yoga, its founder Nirmala Srivastava earned a reputation as a faith healer.[11] With a small group of devotees around her, she began spreading her message of Sahaja Yoga in India in the year 1970. As she moved with her husband to London, UK, she continued her work there, and year by year the movement grew and spread throughout Europe, by the mid-80's reaching North America. In 1989, Srivastava made her first trip to Russia and Eastern Europe.[3] Srivastava charged no money, insisting that her lesson was a birthright which should be freely available to all. "There can be no peace in the world until there is peace within," she said.[17]

Beliefs

Sahaja Yoga beliefs are seen by the organisation as a re-discovered ancient knowledge[18] that should be treated respectfully and scientifically, like a hypothesis[19] and if found by experiments as truth, should be accepted.[20] Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is considered to be an "avatar" by many of her followers and as a carrier of the divine presence which leads some critics to find the organization as cultic. Advanced concepts are not generally taught until a beginner is understood to have gained enough knowledge of their own subtle system through actual experience. Without direct experience of the meditation, some people have reported difficulties understanding or proceeding to the more advanced material. Sociologist, Judith Coney, for example, reported facing a challenge in getting behind what she called "the public facade".[n 1] She described Sahaja yogis as adopting a low profile with uncommitted individuals to avoid unnecessary conflict.[22]

Sahaja Yoga also states that spreading Sahaja Yoga techniques should be free for everyone.[23]

Judith Coney observed that the movement tolerates a variety of world views and levels of commitment with some practitioners choosing to remain on the periphery.[24]

The Subtle System – Chakras and Nadis

Chakra Kundalini Diagram

Sahaja Yoga believes that in addition to our physical body there is a subtle body composed of nadis (channels) and chakras (energy centres). There is no biomedical evidence of chakras.[25] Psychoanalyst Sudhir Kakar writes that Nirmala Srivastava's additions to this widespread traditional 'tantric' model include giving it a scientific, neurological veneer, an elaboration of the health aspects and an introduction of notions of traditional Christian morality.[n 2] Nirmala Srivastava equates the Sushumna nadi with the parasympathetic nervous system, the Ida nadi with the left and the Pingala nadi with the right sides of the sympathetic nervous system.

Kundalini, Self-Realization and vibratory awareness

Sahaja Yoga believes that the chakras can be balanced by awakening the kundalini in the sacrum bone, which is conceived of as a normally dormant 'mother' energy. Nirmala Srivastava has said that the kundalini is the reflection within us of the Holy Spirit or Adi (Primordial) Shakti. She has said that kundalini "is the desire of God.... and the desire of God is the Shakti"[27] and that yoga is impossible without kundalini awakening.[28] As the kundalini rises through these centres, the qualities of the chakras are said to begin manifesting spontaneously. Most illnesses are said to be a result of damage to the chakras, and kundalini is said to repair them.[27]

According to Sahaja Yoga, once the sahasrara (topmost) chakra is pierced by the kundalini, a person will feel a cool breeze on top of their head and/or on their hands.[29] The chakras and nadis are believed by Sahaja Yoga to have associated places on the hands. Sensations of heat or coolness in the hands, head and/or body are used to make purported diagnoses of imbalances in the different chakras and nadis.[30][31][32] These sensations (referred to as 'vibrations') are interpreted in Sahaja Yoga as indicating Self-Realization or an "encounter with Reality."[33] The vibrations sensed are believed to be an objective divine energy that can even be caught on camera.[34]

A Sahaja Yoga belief is that upon self-realization, the practitioner may also experience thoughtless awareness (Nirvichar Samādhi).[8]

Organization

Vishwa Nirmala Dharma (trans: Universal Pure Religion, also known as Sahaja Yoga International) is the organizational part of the movement. It is a registered organisation in countries such as Colombia,[35] the United States of America,[36] and Austria.[37] It is registered as a religion in Spain.[38]

The organisation is governed by the World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga (WCASY), proposed in 2003 and formed the following year.[39][40]

In addition to directly promoting Sahaja Yoga, the council promotes Sahaja culture, runs schools, a health centre, a youth movement, and a project for the rehabilitation of "destitute women and orphaned children".

Membership statistics

There are no available statistical data about Sahaja Yoga membership. In 2001, the number of core members worldwide were estimated to 10,000, in addition to which around 100,000 practitioners more or less in the periphery were estimated to be found.[10] There are varying reports about the movement's distribution worldwide. According to the Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Sahaja Yoga World Foundation, Sahaja Yoga centers are established in over 95 countries.[41] In a news article in Indian Express published on the occasion of Srivastava's death in 2011, however, Sahaja Yoga centers were told to be found in over 140 countries.[5]

Schools

  • The International Sahaja Public School in Dharamsala founded in 1990, teaches around 250 international students annually and has accepted children from the age of 6.[42] India is said to be free from harmful Western influences, and children benefit from what is considered to be a more favourable environment[10]
  • The Shri P.K.Salve Kala Pratishthan is an Indian Classical Music and Fine Arts academy that was founded in Vaitarna, India, in 2003.[43]
  • The Cabella Primary School in Italy was scheduled to open in September 2008, with the children attending the local village school in Rocchetta Ligure.[44]
  • An international kindergarten was opened in Borotin, Czech Republic.[45]
  • A small kindergarten and primary boarding school was opened in Canajoharie, New York in 2004.[46] As of 2006 it had an enrolment of fourteen students from pre-kindergarten through grade 3.[47]
  • The DEVI School was opened in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2017, originally offering grades 6 through 10 with plans to expand to grade 12 by 2019. [48]
  • There has been a Sahaja Yoga school in Rome.[49]

Yuvashakti

Sahaja Yoga's youth movement is called "Yuvashakti" (also "Nirmal Shakti Yuva Sangha"), from the Sanskrit words Yuva (Youth) and Shakti (Power).

The movement is active in forums such as the World Youth Conference[50] and TakingITGlobal which aim at discussing global issues, and ways of solving them.

The Yuvashakti participated in the 2000 "Civil Society & Governance Project"[51] in which they were "instrumental in reaching out to women from the poor communities and providing them with work".

Vishwa Nirmal Prem ashram

The Vishwa Nirmala Prem Ashram is a not-for profit project by the NGO Vishwa Nirmala Dharma (Sahaja Yoga International) located in Noida, Delhi, India, opened in 2003. The ashram is a "facility where women and girls are rehabilitated by being taught meditation and other skills that help them overcome trauma".[52][53]

Funding

The methods for practising Sahaja Yoga are made available free of charge to those interested. According to the official Sahaja Yoga website there is a fee for attending international pujas to cover costs and voluntary dakshina.[54]

According to author David V. Barrett, "Shri Mataji neither charged for her lectures nor for her ability to give Self Realization, nor does one have to become a member of this organisation. She insisted that one cannot pay for enlightenment and she continued to denounce the false self-proclaimed 'gurus' who are more interested in the seekers' purse than their spiritual ascent". However, the movement had been criticised because of encouragement of its members to make donations to pay the travel charges for Mataji's visits to their respective countries.[55]

Cult allegations and refutations

Judith Coney found that most people who leave the movement voluntarily still had positive things to say about it.[n 1][56] A smaller group of ex-members have made complaints against the movement which have been reported in the press. In 2001, The Independent reported that certain ex-members say "that Sahaja Yoga is a cult which aims to control the minds of its members" and ex-members claim that the organisation insists all family ties are broken and all communication with them cease. The article further details a number of beliefs - including that crying children are possessed by daemons, that negative and positive vibrations need 'clearing', advocates husbands slapping their spouses and hides many of the more occult practices from new members - including the high costs for participating in rituals. [57] In 2005, The Record reported that some critics who feel that the group is a cult have started their own websites.[58] In response to this, Sahaja yogis in one centre reflected on the ways in which some of their beliefs are disguised when in contact with non-members. Coney described this discussion as a "frank and revealing".[n 1]

A 2008 court case in Brussels ruled that Sahaja Yoga had been wrongly labelled as a cult by a Belgian state authority and awarded the group compensation.[59][60][61]

In 2013, De Morgen reported that the Belgian Department of State Security monitors how often politicians are contacted and lobbied by organisations. The list of organisations includes Sahaja Yoga, as well as Scientology and The Muslim Brotherhood.[62]

In 2001, The Evening Standard reported that Sahaja Yoga has been "described as a dangerous cult" and "has a dissident website created by former members". The reporter, John Crace, wrote about an event he attended and noted that a Sahaja Yoga representative asked him to feel free to talk to whomever he wanted. He remarked, "Either their openness is a PR charm offensive, or they genuinely have nothing to hide." He proposed that "one of the key definitions of a cult is the rigour with which it strives to recruit new members" and concluded that there was no aggressive recruitment squeeze.[63]

A 2001 INFORM leaflet says that the emphasis on complete devotion has led to problems and controversy. There is a culture amongst a minority of Sahaja yogis to believe that those who deviate in particular ways may be possessed by 'negativity' or may be said to be mentally abnormal. Those who fight the pressure to follow the Guru's suggestions and radically change their lifestyle risk being expelled. It is claimed that this may bring problems for those who still believe in the power of the Guru and fear 'losing vibrations'.[10] This expulsion is not enforced but is something understood socially and other yogis are not expected to change the way they react to those who have been expelled. It is also not a permanent expulsion; there have been cases of returning Sahaja yogis following brief periods 'out'.

David V. Barrett wrote that some former members say that they were expelled from the movement because they "resisted influence that Mataji had over their lives". According to Barrett, the movement's founder's degree of control over members' lives has given rise to concerns.[55] The Austrian Ministry for Environment, Youth and Family states that "Sahaja Yoga" regards Nirmala Srivastava as an authority who cannot be questioned.[64]

Sahaja meditation and associated research

In the meditation practice of the Sahaja movement the focus is on thoughts ceasing. [65] [66] [67] [68]

A study comparing practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation with a group of non-meditators doing a simple relaxation exercise measured a drop in skin temperature in the meditators compared to a rise in skin temperature in the non-meditators as they relaxed. The researchers noted that all other meditation studies that have observed skin temperature have recorded increases and none has recorded a decrease in skin temperature. This suggests that Sahaja Yoga meditation, being a mental silence approach, may differ both experientially and physiologically from simple relaxation.[69] Other brain characteristics have also been found. [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76]

Sahaja meditators appear to benefit from lower depression[77] and scored above a broad control group for emotional well-being and mental health measures on SF-36 ratings, but this may reflect other factors, such as meditators being more interested in self care.[78][79][80]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Judith Coney wrote in her book Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, "Finally, throughout the study I faced the challenge of getting Sahaja yogis to let me get behind the public facade. This was achieved with varying degrees of success. On one fortunate occasion, for instance, I attended a national puja, after which there was an extremely frank and revealing discussion of why Sahaja Yoga had been seen as a cult in a particular press article and of the level of secrecy in the group. There I listened to a number of speakers talk about the ways in which they disguised some of their beliefs when in contact with non-members."[21]
  2. ↑ Sudhir Kakar wrote in his book Shamans, Mystics and Doctors, "Essentially, Mataji's model of the human psyche is comprised of the traditional tantric and hatha yoga notions of the subtle body, with its 'nerves' and 'centers,' and fuelled by a pervasive 'subtle energy' that courses through both the human and the divine, through the body and the cosmos. Mataji's contributions to this ancient model are not strikingly original: as a former medical student she has sought to give it a scientific, neurological veneer; as a former faith healer, she has elaborated upon those aspects of the model that are concerned with sickness and health; as someone born into an Indian Christian family she has tried to introduce notions of traditional Christian morality into an otherwise amoral Hindu view of the psyche."[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Experience Your Self Realization". sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  2. ↑ Jones, Lindsey, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Religion (2nd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA [Imprint]. ISBN 978-0-02-865997-8.
  3. 1 2 Melton, J. Gordon (2009). Encyclopedia of American religions (8th ed.). Detroit: Gale. p. 1005. ISBN 978-0-7876-6384-1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Coney, Judith (1999). Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement. Richmond: Curzon Press. ISBN 0-7007-1061-2.
  5. 1 2 ""Sahaja Yoga founder Nirmala Devi is dead"". Indian Express. Express News Service. 25 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Administrative Panel Decision 'Vishwa Nirmala Dharma a.k.a. Sahaja Yoga v. Sahaja Yoga Ex-Members Network and SD Montford' Case No. D 2001-0467". WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. 16 June 2001.
  7. 1 2 Srivastava, Nirmala (1989). Sahaja Yoga Book One (2nd ed.). Australia: Nirmala Yoga.
  8. 1 2 "What Is Sahaja Yoga". sahajyoga.org.in.
  9. 1 2 "Prophecies and Fulfillments". Sahaja Yoga Meditation. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. 2017-05-07.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 INFORM staff. "Meditation and Mindfulness". INFORM - the information network on religious movements. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Kakar, Sudhir (1982). Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 211–212. ISBN 0-226-42279-8.
  12. ↑ "Sahaja Yoga Worldwide Contacts - Locate Sahaja Yoga Near You". www.sahajayoga.org. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  13. ↑ "Sahaja". A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. 2004. ISBN 9780191726538.
  14. ↑ Ray, Nihar Ranjan (October 2000). "The concept of 'Sahaj' in Guru Nanak's theology". The Sikh Review. 48 (562). Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  15. ↑ Soami Ji Maharaj (1934). Sar Bachan: An Abstract of the Teachings of Soami Ji Maharaj, the Founder of the Radha Soami System of Philosophy and Spiritual Science: The Yoga of the Sound Current. Translated by Sardar Sewa Singh and Julian P. Johnson. Beas, India: Radha Soami Satsang Beas.
  16. ↑ "Sahaja Yoga". Trademark Electronic Search System. United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  17. ↑ Posner, Michael (11 March 2011). "Spiritual leader founded Sahaja yoga movement". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  18. ↑ "Home Page". sahaja-europe.net. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  19. ↑ "The subtle system of Sahaja Yoga". sahajayoga.org.au. 5 December 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  20. ↑ "Sahaja Yoga in Detail". irelandyoga.org. The Life Eternal Trust. Archived from the original on 2009-12-31.
  21. ↑ Coney 1999, p. 214.
  22. ↑ Coney, Judith (1999). Palmer, Susan J.; Hardman, Charlotte, eds. Children in New Religions. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813526201.
  23. ↑ "Sahaja Yoga Meditation". sahajayoga.org.uk. Life Eternal Trust. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  24. ↑ Coney 1999.
  25. ↑ Shermer, Michael, ed. (2002). The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 538. ISBN 9781576076538.
  26. ↑ Kakar, Sudhir (1984). Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions. University of Chicago Press. p. 196. ISBN 0226422798.
  27. 1 2 "Ch. 3: The Instrument". Sahaja Yoga Intro Book. Sahajayoga.com.au. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  28. ↑ "Sahaja Yoga-Tamil Nadu: Meditation". tnmeditation.org. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  29. ↑ "Kundalini And Self Realization". sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  30. ↑ "Ch. 2: The Experience". Sahaja Yoga Intro Book. Sahajayoga.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  31. ↑ "Ch. 4: The Nadis". Sahaja Yoga Intro Book. sahajayoga.com.au. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30.
  32. ↑ "Subtle System". Sahajayoga.ca. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  33. ↑ "Sahaja Yoga – Self Realization". Sahajayoga.org.in. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  34. ↑ "Shri Mataji Radiates A Divine Energy". sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  35. ↑ "Registro Publico Entidades Religiosas 30-06-2004" [Public Registry of Religious Entities]. Ministry of the Interior and Justice: Republic of Colombia. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28.
  36. ↑ "List of ECOSOC/Beijing and New Accredited NGOs that attended the special session of the General Assembly". un.org. United Nations. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  37. ↑ "Austria - 2006 Report on International Religious Freedom". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor: US Dept. of State.
  38. ↑ "Religion in Spain". Sahaja Worldwide News and Announcements (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. 19 July 2006. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  39. ↑ "Historic video affirming the role of World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga". Sahaja Worldwide Announcements and News (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  40. ↑ "Message to all the Sahaja Yogis of the world from Arneau, Coordinator of the World Council". sahajayoga.org.in. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  41. ↑ Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Sahaja Yoga World Foundation (2017-05-07). "From Nimala Srivastava to Shri Mataji". Shri Mataji: A Life Dedicated to Humanity. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  42. ↑ Coney 1999, p. 159.
  43. ↑ "About the academy". pksacademy.org. The Life Eternal Trust. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.
  44. ↑ "Cabella Primary School Enrolments". Sahaja Worldwide Announcements and News (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. Archived from the original on 2014-04-12.
  45. ↑ "Growing Sahaja Kindergarten In Borotin". Sahaja Worldwide Announcements and News (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. Archived from the original on 2006-09-26.
  46. ↑ "The Opening of Canajoharie Sahaja School". Sahaja Worldwide Announcements and News (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. 28 July 2004. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  47. ↑ "Teachers and Aunties Needed for International Sahaja School at Canajoharie". Sahaja Worldwide Announcements and News (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. 2 December 2006. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  48. ↑ "DEVI School". www.devischool.org. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
  49. ↑ "A Wonderful Evening with Shri Mataji". Sahaja Worldwide Announcements and News (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. 10 July 2005. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  50. ↑ Wittkamper, Jonah, ed. (2002). "Guide to the Global Youth Movement" (PDF). youthlink.org. Global Youth Action Network. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-22.
  51. ↑ Tatke, Vinita (February 2000). "Case Study Civil Society & Governance Project". Archived from the original on 2004-01-03. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
  52. ↑ Khanna, Arshiya (16 Nov 2006). "A New Childhood". The Times of India. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  53. ↑ "An interview with Gisela Matzer" (PDF). Blossom Times. 1 (3). 31 August 2007. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2007.
  54. ↑ "Puja/Dakshina Costs". Sahaja Worldwide Announcements and News (SWAN). sahajayoga.org. Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. 20 July 2005. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  55. 1 2 Barrett, David V. (2001). The New Believers. Cassell. pp. 297–8. ISBN 0304355925.
  56. ↑ Coney 1999, p. 184.
  57. ↑ "Shri who must be obeyed". The Independent. 2001-07-13. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  58. ↑ Chadwick, John (24 July 2005). "Hundreds fill weekend with devotion, bliss". The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. Archived from the original on 2007-03-20.
  59. ↑ Fautré, Willy; Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) (6 October 2008). Religious intolerance in the OSCE space. OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting: Working Session 10: Tolerance and Non-discrimination. Warsaw: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
  60. ↑ "Sahaja Yoga is geen sekte" [Sahaja Yoga is not a cult]. De Morgen (in Dutch). 22 July 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  61. ↑ Auteur: jav (19 June 2006). "Sahaja Yoga is geen sekte" [Sahaja Yoga is not a cult]. De Standaard (in Dutch). Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  62. ↑ Martin, Buxant; Samyn, Steven (2 February 2013). "Staatsveiligheid houdt Wetstraat in de gaten" [State keeps an eye Wetstraat]. De Morgen (in Dutch).
  63. ↑ Crace, John (18 July 2001). "Monday night with the divine mother". London Evening Standard.
  64. ↑ Ministry for Environment, Youth and Family: Austria (1999). Sekten! Wissen schützt [Sects! Knowledge Protects]. lermanet.com. Translated by cisar.org (2nd ed.). Vienna: Druckerei Berger. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  65. ↑ "...real meditation, which is a state of thoughtless awareness" http://www.sahajayogaportal.org/en/meditation/how-to-meditate.html
  66. ↑ "Four meditations guided by Shri Mataji". sahajdhyana.blogspot.co.uk.
  67. ↑ "How to do meditation, many people ask. Don’t do anything, to just go into thoughtless awareness. Try to go to the thoughtless awareness. If you can get into that condition of thoughtless awareness, you’ve done your job, because that’s the point where you are with the truth, with the reality, with the joy, with everything that is so fundamental." https://tricitiesmeditation.com/founder/on-thoughtless-awareness/
  68. ↑ "Mentally, you may initially find that your thoughts wander to the past or are planning future events. Try to watch them and let them go. Some time later, you can get to the interval between two thoughts and reach a state of deep meditation, that is, complete thoughtlessness." https://sahajayogaarmenia.wordpress.com/meditation-armenia/
  69. ↑ Manocha, Ramesh; Black, Deborah; Spiro, David; Ryan, Jake; Stough, Con (March 2010). "Changing Definitions of Meditation – Is there a Physiological Corollary? Skin temperature changes of a mental silence orientated form of meditation compared to rest" (PDF). Journal of the International Society of Life Sciences. 28 (1): 23–31.
  70. ↑ Hernández, Sergio E; Suero, José; Rubia, Katya; González-Mora, José L (2015). "Monitoring the Neural Activity of the State of Mental Silence While Practicing Sahaja Yoga Meditation". The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 21 (3): 175. doi:10.1089/acm.2013.0450. PMID 25671603.
  71. ↑ Hernández, Sergio Elías; Barros-Loscertales, Alfonso; Xiao, Yaqiong; González-Mora, José Luis; Rubia, Katya (2018). "Gray Matter and Functional Connectivity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex are Associated with the State of Mental Silence During Sahaja Yoga Meditation". Neuroscience. 371: 395–406. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.12.017. PMID 29275207.
  72. ↑ One study has led to suggestions that Sahaja meditation involves 'switching off' irrelevant brain networks for the maintenance of focused internalized attention and inhibition of inappropriate information. Aftanas, LI; Golocheikine, SA (September 2002). "Non-linear dynamic complexity of the human EEG during meditation". Neuroscience Letters. 330 (2): 143–6. doi:10.1016/S0304-3940(02)00745-0. PMID 12231432.
  73. ↑ Aftanas, LI; Golocheikine, SA (September 2001). "Human anterior and frontal midline theta and lower alpha reflect emotionally positive state and internalized attention: high-resolution EEG investigation of meditation". Neuroscience Letters. 310 (1): 57–60. doi:10.1016/S0304-3940(01)02094-8. PMID 11524157.
  74. ↑ Aftanas, Ljubomir; Golosheykin, Semen (June 2005). "Impact of regular meditation practice on EEG activity at rest and during evoked negative emotions". The International Journal of Neuroscience. 115 (6): 893–909. doi:10.1080/00207450590897969. PMID 16019582.
  75. ↑ Manocha, Ramesh (2014). "Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness". Acta Neuropsychiatrica. 23: 46. doi:10.1111/j.1601-5215.2010.00519.x.
  76. ↑ ADAM, MORGAN, (25 May 1999). "SAHAJA YOGA: AN ANCIENT PATH TO MODERN MENTAL HEALTH?".
  77. ↑ https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/jcim.ahead-of-print/jcim-2016-0163/jcim-2016-0163.xml
  78. ↑ "Quality of Life and Functional Health Status of Long-Term Meditators". Hindawi Publishing Corporation. 15 January 2012.
  79. ↑ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/acta-neuropsychiatrica/article/meditation-mindfulness-and-mindemptiness/CDA506C3D0FBB58C5B2407CB982CC6A9#
  80. ↑ https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/1969

Further reading

  • Srivastava, Nirmala (1997) Meta Modern Era, (Vishwa Nirmala Dharma) ISBN 81-86650-05-9
  • Pullar, Philippa (1984) The Shortest Journey, ISBN 0-04-291018-8
  • Coney, Judith (1995). "'Belonging to a Global Religion': The Sociological Dimensions of International Elements in Sahaja Yoga". Sociological Analysis. 10 (2): 109–20. doi:10.1080/13537909508580732.
  • Rai, Umesh (1993) Medical science enlightened: new insight into vibratory awareness for holistic health care (New Delhi: Life Eternal Trust) ISBN 81-900325-0-X
  • Descieux, Flore (1995) The Light of the Koran: Knowledge through Sahaja Yoga (Paris: La Pensee Universelle, 1995; English translation: New Delhi: Ritana Books, 1998) ISBN 81-85250-02-6
  • Apte, Arun (1997) Music and Sahaja Yoga (Pune: NITL)
  • de Kalbermatten, Gregoire (2003) The Third Advent (New York: daisyamerica, 2003; Melbourne: Penguin Australia, 2004; Delhi: Penguin India, 2004) ISBN 1-932406-07-7
  • Powell, Nigel (2004) Meditation: The Joy of Spiritual Self Knowledge Through Sahaja Yoga Meditation (Corvalis Publishing) ISBN 0-9548519-0-0
  • List of research papers, conferences and publications relating to the Sahaja Yoga research and health center.
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