Jump to content

Sahaja Yoga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Teamantime (talk | contribs) at 11:26, 28 January 2008 (NPOV????). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sahaja Yoga
FounderNirmala Srivastava (aka Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi)
Practice emphases
Kundalini Awakening, Puja, surrender, Self-realization[1]
Related schools
Kundalini Yoga, Siddha Yoga, Laya Yoga

Sahaja Yoga is a new religious movement founded by Nirmala Srivastava, more widely known as 'Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi' and affectionately as 'Mother' by her followers (Sahaja Yogis). The movement says that Sahaja Yoga uses a process of Kundalini awakening to produce Self Realization, experienced as a cool breeze and thoughtless awareness.[2]

Sahaja Yoga started in India and England (where Nirmala Srivastava moved in 1974) and there are now Sahaja Yoga centers in almost 100 countries worldwide.[3] The Sahaja Yoga organization is known as Vishwa Nirmala Dharma (Universal Pure Religion)[4] or Sahaja Yoga International.

Sahaja Yoga has been a subject of criticism and has been associated with a number of problems, some arising from "Sahaja Yoga's emphasis on complete devotion to Nirmala Srivastava".[5] Various sources have also described Sahaja Yoga as a cult.

The term

The word 'Sahaja' in Sanskrit has two components: saha meaning 'with' and ja meaning 'born'.[5] Sahaja means natural, simple or innate[6] and Yoga means union or yoking and refers to a spiritual path or a state of spiritual absorption.

The term 'Sahaja Yoga' goes back at least to the 15th Century Indian mystic Kabir.[7] It has also been used as a synonym for Siddha Yoga[8] and Surat Shabd Yoga.[9] The term is also used to describe the basic meditation practice of Ananda Marga.[10] Rajneesh (aka Osho) also answered a question on 'Sahaja Yoga' on the afternoon of 5 May 1970 at a meditation camp in Nargol[11] attended by Nirmala Srivastava.[12][13]

In 2000 the term 'Sahaja Yoga' was trademarked in the United States by Vishwa Nirmala Dharma.[14] In 2001 a complaint by Vishwa Nirmala Dharma to the World Intellectual Property Organization regarding the use of the sahaja-yoga.org domain name was rejected (despite the dissenting opinion of the presiding panelist), in part due to the determination that 'sahajayoga' is not only a descriptive Sanskrit word but is also a concept dating back to Buddhism adopted by saint Kabir and then also taken up by Guru Nanak in Sikhism'[15] There has recently been significant expenditure by Sahaja Yoga to legally protect the term in Europe.[16]

Beliefs

Coney reported hearing a number of Sahaja Yogi speakers at a national puja "talk about the ways in which they disguised some of their beliefs when in contact with non-members." She also reports facing a challenge in getting Sahaja Yogis to let her "get behind the public facade."[17] Coney wrote that because "established devotees are usually prepared to discuss their more 'advanced' beliefs only with people who have followed the practices laid out by Sri Mataji for some time, Sahaja Yogis at different stages of membership have recourse to different amounts of information."[18]

It is sometimes suggested that Sahaja Yoga beliefs, seen as re-discovered ancient knowledge by Sahaja Yogis, be treated as hypothesis until found to be truth.[19][20][21] On the other hand, Nirmala Srivastava has stated that "the method of science is not employed in Sahaja Yoga" as it "is already researched."[22]

Chakras and nadis

Sahaja Yoga, like many Eastern and New Age systems, claims that in addition to our physical body there is a subtle body comprised of nadis (channels) and chakras (energy centers), which look after our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being[23]. These concepts, first found in ancient Indian scriptures, have been modified by Nirmala Srivastava. Kakar writes that her additions to this widespread traditional 'trantric' model lie in traditional Christian morality, an elaboration of the health aspects and a scientific, neurological veneer.[24] Kakar also writes that Nirmala Srivastava, as a former medical student has sought to give the theory a scientific, neurological veneer by "following the theories of Vasant Rele, equates sushumna [nadi] with the parasympathetic nervous system, ida [nadi] with the left and pingala [nadi] with the right sides of the sympathetic nervous system and the chakras with the plexuses."[25]

Sahaja Yoga teaches that there are seven main chakras [14] that each chakra possesses different qualities. Neglect of these qualities is said to damage them and bring disease.[15] Each chakra has a presiding deity who may become deactivated in extreme cases causing cancer. [16] For example, the deities residing in the Sahasrara chakra are said to be Kalki and Adi Shakti (who Nirmala Srivastava claims to be) and the chakra is said to be damaged by atheism and doubt in God[26].

Kundalini, Self Realization and vibratory awareness

Sahaja Yoga teaches 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 Ghost or Adi (Primordial) Shakti. Nirmala Srivastava has said that Kundalini "is the desire of God.... and the desire of God is the Shakti"[17] and that yoga is impossible without kundalini awakening.[18] As the Kundalini rises through these centres, the qualities of the chakras are said to begin manifesting spontaneously. Most illnesses are said to result of damage to the chakras and Kundalini is said to repair them.[19]

Sahaja Yoga teaches that when 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. [20] These sensations (referred to as 'vibrations') are interpreted in Sahaja Yoga as indicating Self Realisation or an "encounter with Reality."[27] The vibrations sensed are believed to be an objective divine energy that can even be caught on camera.[28]

If there is a feeling of warmth or heat, it is interpreted as the Kundalini working to achieve this state.[21] Sensations in the hands, head and/or body are also used to diagnose imbalances in the different chakras and nadis. [29] [30]

Upon 'Self Realization', the practitioner may also experience thoughtless awareness (Nirvichar Samadhi).[31]

Healing

Overactivity of the ida and pingala nadis is said to cause mental tension, psychopathological conditions and connection to the world of dead souls while clogged chakras are said to cause mental and physical disease.[32] Sahaja Yoga claims that it has cured patients of "high blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, etc."[33][34] In an interview, Nirmala Srivastava stated Sahaja Yoga has cured people with AIDS.[35] She has also said that Sahaja Yoga can cure mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.[36] Relapse or failure to be cured in the first place are seen as indicative of a lack of faith in Nirmala Srivastava and her divinity.[37]

Nirmala Srivastava

Nirmala Srivastava is said to have made a Unique Discovery of a way to grant Self Realisation en masse[22] after attending a Rajneesh meditation camp in Nargol[citation needed] on May 5, 1970.[23] Nirmala Srivastava, who claims to reside in the Sahasrara chakra [24], is said to have opened the primordial Sahasrara and thereby cleared the path for the Kundalini to rise effortlessly in all who desire Self Realization.[25] The ability to grant en masse 'Self Realisation' is held to be proof that Nirmala Srivastava is the 'Avatara of our times'.[26] Nirmala Srivastava has claimed to be the complete[38] incarnation of the Holy Ghost or Adi (Primordial) Shakti.[39] Nirmala Srivastava "is regarded as an authority who cannot be questioned and is venerated as "Shri Mataji" ("Divine Mother") and as the carnation of the Holy Spirit."[27].

Sahaja Yoga holds that the incarnation of the Adi (Primordial) Shakti was prophesied in the Markandeya Purana and the Nadi Grantha.[40] Religious texts have been used to support the claims of other self-professed deities, avatars and messiahs.

Practices

According to followers, the practice of Sahaja Yoga results in spontaneous Self-realization[41] which, according to the official Sahaja Yoga website, can even be obtained online as one sits in front of one's computer,[42] although it is usually experienced at a Sahaja Yoga program.

Apart from those practices listed below, there are other practices such as prayer,[43][44] havan[45] raising one's Kundalini using one's hands and attention[46] and putting on 'bandhan'.[47]

The methods for practicing 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[48]. In the US, the dakshina has only been collected separately from the costs since 2005, when the customary dakshina was $121 per adult.[49]

Meditation

Sahaja Yoga meditation was developed during the 1970s[50] by Nirmala Srivastava, and is followed and promoted among and by the Sahaja Yoga movement. It aims to enter a state of "thoughtless awareness" - where the practitioner 'purifies' his/her attention, achieving clarity of mind.[51]

It is suggested a candle or oil lamp is lit in front of a photograph of Shri Mataji, which is believed to emit a constant stream of "positive, cool vibrations (energy)".[52] The practitioner sits comfortably, breathes normally and holds the hands out, palm upwards, as if receiving something precious.[53]During meditation, the attention is focussed on the Sahasrara chakra.[54] Sahaja Yoga meditation can be practiced while listening to music or in silence.[55]

Nirmala Srivastava has stated that meditation is not thinking "about your problems at all, whatever chakras you have, anything", rather it "means exposing yourself to God’s grace."[56] She has described meditation as "an individual journey towards God."[56]

The practice has been taught to prisoners in Italy and the United States, such as at Rikers Island to "help the prisoners' social, psychological and spiritual recovery"[57][58] Nirmala Srivastava has said that the younger children practice meditation the better.[59]

Medical studies

Some studies have suggested that Sahaja Yoga meditation may have some effect in addressing some medical ailments. One study reports results with asthma patients. [60][61] Short-term effects on asthma have also been noticed, by both objective and subjective measures.[60] According to an article in the Medical Observer Weekly, Sahaja yoga meditation was found to be "significantly more effective than a generic form of meditation in reducing stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms"[62].

A pilot study (N = 14, no control group) on the effect of Sahaja Yoga meditation conducted by Dr Ramesh Manocha of the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Dr. Barbara Semmar of the department of Psychology at Bond University and Dr. Deborah Black of the Faculty of Medicine at the School of Community Medicine of the University of New South Wales on menopausal symptoms showed that "Changes in vasomotor symptoms, especially hot flashes, were most prominent as a significant decrease of 67% at post-treatment and 57% at follow-up" [63] The lead sentence of a news report on a preliminary study suggested that Sahaja Yoga meditation "may be the most effective form of treatment for occupational stress". [64]

It should be noted that the (senior) researcher of all the above studies is a Sahaja Yogi and attends to Nirmala Srivastava's personal medical needs. [28]

A case study showed that test subjects who were practising Sahaja Yoga meditation had "significant improvement in VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity)", and that meditation appeared to bring about changes in some of the electrophysiological responses studied in epileptic patients.[65] Another study indicated that Sahaja Yoga meditation results in fewer and less acute epileptic seizures [66][This quote needs a citation] It should be noted that one of the authors of the latter study was a Sahaja Yogi and was appointed by Nirmala Srivastava as the first director of the International SahajaYoga Research and Health Center.[29] A review of the studies determined that there was insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about the efficacy of Sahaja Yoga meditation in treating epilepsy.[67] and that further studies were needed.

Mishra reported that Sahaja Yoga meditation resulted in a "significant increase" in beta-endorphins between control and meditating subjects. [68] SY's commentary on a study by Mishra [RK], et al., 1993, suggests that an observed increase in beta-endorphins for meditating males could explain "so-called miraculous cures"[69].

Puja

Puja is a traditional Hindu ceremony. In Sahaja Yoga, Sahaja Yogis express their devotion to particular deities.[70]. In some pujas, followers worship Srivastava as the Adi Shakti[71]. This may include ghee, honey, yoghurt, milk, sugar and water being poured on Nirmala Srivastava's feet and then drunk.[5] Nirmala Srivastava has said that Puja is necessary to achieve a state of "Shiva Tattwa" [72]

Puja is one of the things by which you can excite the forms into formless. Now your centers are the centers of energies, but they too have a guiding deity sitting on all these chakras. They are also the formless made into forms. And when you do the puja, the forms melt into formless energies. And these formless energies start flowing, and then blows the wind. And that is how these misidentifications, these superimpositions on the Spirit are removed.

— Nirmala Srivastava, [73]

According to a Canadian Sahaja Yoga website, puja is defined as: "the act of showing reverence to a God, or another aspect of the Divine through invocations, prayers and songs" and notes that a Sahaja Yoga puja involves "the same kind of ceremony as practised thousands of years ago in the East when mankind had a much closer relationship with God"[74]

Pujas are recommended for realized souls (people who have received their Self-realisation - knowledge of Self) for them to gain from these pujas [75]

Cleansing techniques

Some cleansing techniques involve the natural elements in the form of candle flame, camphor flame, the earth and salt water. Others techniques involve ice, lemons, chillies [30], coconuts, ajwain, affirmations, mantras and "shoe-beating"[76][77]

Nirmala Srivastava has developed a liver diet to promote better health. White cane sugar, white rice, yogurt, ginger, fruits and vegetables promote the "cooling" of the liver. Alcohol, fried foods, red meat, fish, cream and chocolate are among the foods that are "heating" and thus may be harmful if taken in excess. [78]

Water can be spiritually vibrated, according to Sahaja Yoga, changing the characteristics of the water, and resulting in purification.[79]

Marriages

During Nirmala Srivastava's active years, Sahaja Yogis would generally consult her before marrying.[5] Sahaja Yoga hosts a voluntary arranged marriage system. Those interested and their leaders have to fill out a form concerning the candidate's qualities and involvement in Sahaja Yoga.[80] detailing their backgrounds and involvement in Sahaja Yoga. The official Sahaja Yoga website still states that the matching is performed by Nirmala Srivastava[81], although the matching may be done by a Sahaja Yogi eg a leader.[5] The official site also states that Sahaja Yogis believe in the sanctity of marriage and have mostly been married by this means.[82] 'Mass marriage ceremonies'[83] are sometimes held at puja events.[84] Judith Coney has written that partnerships have been broken up by Nirmala Srivastava on the basis of being destructive, and that while breakdown of relationships arranged by Nirmala Srivastava is officially unknown, unofficially it is known to occur.[85][This quote needs a citation]

Divorces

It is said that Sahaja Yogis are encouraged to separate from partners who are not Sahaja Yogis.[5]. In few cases, it is also said that the leader has personally asked member's of the group to get divorced from their partner's for no apparent reason,[86] or reason cited, may not have been a valid ground for divorce legally. It is also alleged that the leader has forcefully separated children's from their parents, which according to some media report creates psychological problems amongst those children's. [87]

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 many countries such as Columbia[88], the United States of America[89], France[90], and Austria[91]. It is registered as a religion in Spain.[92]

The organization is governed by the World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga and, in addition to directly promoting Sahaja Yoga, promotes Sahaja culture, runs schools, a health center, a youth movement, and a project for the rehabilitation of "destitute women and orphaned children".[93]

World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga

The World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga (WCASY, also known as the "Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Sahaja Yoga World Foundation") is the highest authority in Sahaja Yoga.[94] It was proposed December 2003 and formed the following year. [95][96][97] In July 2005 the role of the WCASY was affirmed by C. P. Srivastava Hon KCMG speaking on behalf of his wife, Nirmala Srivastava. [98]

The WCASY has 31 members, "World Leaders" who represent Sahaja Yoga collectives from across the world. Among the latest additions to the WCASY is a Dr. Bohdan Shehovych, Gagan Ahluwalia, Paul Ellis, Alan Wherry, and Alan Pereira in 2005[99] According to an official Sahaja Yoga website, Guido Lanza, a World Leader, was suspended from all activities in Sahaja Yoga in 2005, for disrupting a havan ritual and threatening members. An Italian ashram was "temporarily closed"[100] The same website announced that a Russian World Leader[101], Sergey Perezhogin, resigned his position in 2005.[102]

Schools

  • The International Sahaja Public School in Dharamsala was founded in 1990, teaches around 250 international students annually and has accepted children from the age of 4.[103]
  • The Shri P.K.Salve Kala Pratishthan is an Indian Classical Music and Fine Arts academy that was founded in Vaitarna, India, in 2003.[104]
  • The Cabella Primary School in Italy will open in September 2008, with the children attending the local village school in Rocchetta Ligure.[105]
  • An international kindergarten was opened in Borotin, Czech Republic.[106]
  • A small kindergarten and primary boarding school was opened in Canajoharie, New York in 2004[107]. As of 2006 it had an enrollment of fourteen students from pre-kindergarten through grade 3.[108]
  • There has been a Sahaja Yoga school in Rome[31] that, according to Judith Coney, has accepted boarding infants from the age of 2[109].

Health center

The organization runs the International Sahaja Yoga Health and Research Centre in Mumbai, India, which uses Sahaja Yoga methods. Daily activities at the center include meditation, clearing techniques, listening to Nirmala Srivastava's lectures and bhajan singing.[32] This health center claims to have been successful in curing incurable diseases such as (refractory) high blood pressure, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.[62][110] The center's website states: "What really counts in this Health Centre is that Our Holy Mother Shri Mataji has Her Divine Attention here and it is evident that She effects all cures."[33]

On 9 May 2007 a conference called Towards Sustainable Global Health was held. The conference was organised by the United Nations, UNESCO-UNEVOC and the University of Bonn. Sahaja Yoga was presented at a conference symposium by doctors from the Sahaja Yoga Research and Health Centre, Mumbai, India, Prof Katya Rubia, King’s College, London and others.[111]

Yuvashakti

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

As well as helping organize Sahaja Yoga events such as Realize America tour,[112] The European realization tour,[113] and Realize Australia,[114] Yuvashakti is active in forums such as the World Youth Conference[115]and TakingITGlobal which aim at discussing global issues, and ways of solving them.

An example of this is the participation in the 2000 "Civil Society & Governance Project" in which Yuvashakti were "instrumental in reaching out to women from the poor communities and providing them with work".[citation needed]

Sahaja Yoga culture

Because of the diversity of cultures practicing Sahaja Yoga, a range of different projects focusing on the similarities and differences between cultures was born, including the formation of theater company called the Theater of Eternal Values (TEV) and musical groups playing fusion of different genres, such as Nirmal Bhakti, Sahaj Unlimited and Indialucia including Flamenco, Qawwali and Indian classical music.[116][117] As Academy of Indian Classical Music and Fine Arts state : music is Divine Inspiration to become the spirit[118]

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"[119] In 2005, 21 girls were housed, most of them full orphans, aged between 5 and 12 years, and a "reasonable number of destitute women" [34].[120]

Other projects

The World Council supports the creation of an 108-room Ashram complex in Chhindwara, near the birthplace of its founder.[121] Another project is the transfer of her audio and video tapes, many in delicate condition, to digital media. [122][123] The founder is said to have given several of her homes to the trust run by the World Council [124] to be used in future projects by the organization. The International Sahaja Yoga Book Project aims to publish 10 or 11 books by Nirmala Srivastava. Sahaja Yoga also broadcasts radio programs[125][126]

Criticisms

A leaflet produced by INFORM says that, although the initial emphasis is on free involvement, Sahaja Yoga's emphasis on complete devotion to Nirmala Srivastava has led to a number of problems and controversies.[5] Sahaja Yogis are expected to accept Nirmala Srivastava's view that the more you give, in time and money, the better you will feel. This can lead to Sahaja Yogis cutting themselves off from relatives and former friends and accepting only Nirmala Srivastava's advice about child rearing, whom to marry or when to divorce. Some of those who deviate may be told they are possessed by evil spirits or may be said to be mentally abnormal and risk being expelled from Sahaja Yoga. This may bring problems for those who still believe in the power of Nirmala Srivastava and fear 'losing vibrations' and the possibility of a form of demonic possession.[5] INFORM is an independent charity, based at the London School of Economics, that was founded in 1988 by Professor Eileen Barker with the help of British Home Office funding and the support of the mainstream Churches.[127]

As of 2001, according to the author David V. Barrett, the movement had been criticized because of encouragement of its members to make donations to pay for Mataji's trips and "expensive properties."[128] Barrett further wrote that some former members say that they were expelled from the movement because they "resisted influence that Mataji had over their lives."[128]According to Barrett, Mataji's degree of control over members' lives has given raise to concerns. [128]

Also in 2001, Australia's AAP reported that a general practitioner named Dr Bohdan Shehovych had been fined after grabbing a Sahaja Yoga critic "round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence"[129] The physician had been part of a group delivering a letter to the critic from Nirmala Srivastava[129]. In 2004 an Australian medical practitioner[35] called Dr Bohdan Shehovych was made a World Leader in Sahaja Yoga and appointed to the World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga. [36]

There has been a Sahaja Yoga school in Rome[130] that, according to Judith Coney, has accepted boarding infants from the age of 2[131]. A 1988 Italian television program surreptitiously filmed children sleeping 6 to a bed and there has been negative press coverage in Le Figaro, 16/5/91; Paris Match, 30/1/91 and Marie France, February 1992[132]. Coney also reported the allegation that "when Swiss parents protested to Sri Mataji about their children going away from the age of three, thinking that the command to send their offspring came from the national leader rather than her, she personally reinforced his orders and, moreover, ordered them to have no contact with their children for at least a year."[131]

John Crace writing for The Evening Standard in 2001 reported that the allegations against the Sahaja Yoga organisation are typical of those levelled against alleged cults. Crace wrote that ex-members say that Sahaja Yoga has extensive assets and makes large profits. A member of 25 years said: "All the organisation owns is a few properties in various countries. If we were into making money, that would be a pretty feeble return."[36]

"Cult" allegations

A French National assembly report has referred to Sahaja Yoga as a 'cult'[133] and some newspaper articles have reported on "cult" allegations directed at the movement. 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"[134]. In 2005, The Record reported that some critics who feel that the group is a cult "have started Internet sites to detail their accusations."[135]

The Evening Standard reported that Sahaja Yoga has been "described as a dangerous cult" and "has a dissident website created by former members listing alleged abuses and about which the respected Cult Information Centre says it has been handling enquiries for 20 years from parents who claim their children have become lost to them." The writer said of the Sahaja Yoga devotees at the event attended 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 said "one of the key definitions of a cult is the rigour with which it strives to recruit new members" and remarked that he'd "had more trouble getting rid of a double-glazing salesman.".[36]

See also


References

  1. ^ Experience Your Self Realization
  2. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org.in/SYIntro.asp a unique living process
  3. ^ - The Hindu A message for one and all... Monday, Apr 07, 2003 viewed 6 November 2006
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Information about Sahaja Yoga published by INFORM
  6. ^ Buddhism Dictionary (Oxford University Press) definition of 'Sahaja'
  7. ^ The Concept of Sahaj in Guru Nanak’s Theology
  8. ^ Siddha Mahayoga FAQ "This approach has gone under many names such as siddha yoga, sahaja yoga, mahayoga or siddha mahayoga."
  9. ^ Singh, S. S., & Johnson, J. P. (Translators). (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. Beas, India: Radha Soami Satsang Beas.
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ Osho, In Search of the Miraculous Vol 1 "Sahaja yoga is the most difficult of the yogas, because there is nothing more difficult than to be sahaja -- effortless, natural and spontaneous. What is the meaning of sahaja? Sahaja means: let whatever happens happen, don't resist it. Of course, it is the best, but it is also very difficult. Because nothing is more difficult for man than to be natural..." [ch 8, 5 May 1970 pm]
  12. ^ Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p 220
  13. ^ "NIRMALA DEVI'S CLAIMS REFUTED" Indian Skeptic (1990, June) Vol 2 No 2
  14. ^ 'G & S: educational services, namely, conducting classes, workshops and seminars in the field of techniques of meditation, relaxation and self-improvement. FIRST USE: 19700000. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19730000 Filing Date: March 2, 1999, (REGISTRANT) Dharma, Vishwa Nirmala NONPROFIT RELIGIOUS CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 15445 VENTURA BLVD., #900 SHERMAN OAKS CALIFORNIA 91403 [3]
  15. ^ WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center 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
  16. ^ [4]
  17. ^ Judith Coney, Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement (1999) p214
  18. ^ Judith Coney, Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement (1999) p43
  19. ^ Sahaja Yoga in Europe
  20. ^ The subtle system of Sahaja Yoga
  21. ^ Sahaja Yoga in Detail
  22. ^ Nirmala Srivastava, Doctor's Conference, 7 August 1993, Moscow "I call Sahaja Yoga as meta science because the method of science is not employed in Sahaja Yoga, e. g. in the medical science when we want to search something then we take a hypothesis. We think possibly this might be the solution of a particular disease... Unless we know what are we made of and what is our inner being, and how these diseases are caused, we will not be able to do some thing accurately. Specially allopathic medicines are very heat creating. So we have to take something to neutralise the heat that is also another blind alley, Sahaja Yoga is a meta science. Here you do not have to research anything. It is already researched and we do not have to go working hard for it for years"
  23. ^ Chakras and the Channels of Energy
  24. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p196 "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 fueled 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 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."
  25. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p197
  26. ^ [5]
  27. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org.in/SelfRealization.asp
  28. ^ Shri Mataji Radiates A Divine Energy
  29. ^ Sahaja Yoga Australia
  30. ^ Sahaja Yoga Canada
  31. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org.in/SYIntro.asp a unique living process
  32. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p204 "In summary, besides the overactivity of the left and right channels, which creates mental tension, gives rise to psychopathological conditions and may connect an individual to the world of dead souls, upset or clogged chakras are held to be a second root cause of mental and physical disease. If the chakras are not linked together by the flow of energy, there is no "integrated" personality, while a "catch" on a chakra prevents its presiding god from sending out his particular "virtue" into the body-mind system."
  33. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org.in/Benefits.asp
  34. ^ http://www.apsahaj.org/benefits.html
  35. ^ VOA ITV Interview with Shri Mataji - 1/8/2003 p14 "Shri Mataji: And now you see also so many diseases we have cured - cancer, everything. Except for AIDS and this Alzheimer’s. Not that we cannot cure, we have cured. But they’re extremely rude people, specially these Alzheimer’s people are. They abuse you, say all kinds of things. And the other ones think they’re martyrs. AIDS people think they’re martyrs."
  36. ^ a b c "Monday night with the divine mother.", The Evening Standard, London, England, July 18, 2001, John Crace
  37. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p206 "The cult members of course consider such temporary cures as showing a lack of faith in Mataji and her divinity. Given their premise that faith in Mataji can permanently cure the most intractable disease, a patient's persisting symptoms "prove" that he lacks faith, which in turn "proves" the correctness of the premise. As Paul Watzlawick and Leon Festinger, among others, have pointed out, once a tentative explanation has taken hold of our minds, information to the contrary may produce not corrections but elaborations of the explanation."
  38. ^ http://www.tnsahaj.org/AdiSakthiByThirumoolar.htm
  39. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (1983, 21 March) Birthday Puja, Sydney, Australia "I am the Holy Ghost. I am the Adi Shakti. I am the One who has come on this Earth for the first time in this Form to do this tremendous task. The more you understand this the better it would be. You will change tremendously. I knew I'll have to say that openly one day and we have said it. But now it is you people who have to prove it that I'm that."
  40. ^ N B Salkune (2002) "Raising Kundalini With Sahaj Yog" The Times of India. Editorial 1 Mar "Shri Markandeya Purana has prophesied the incarnation of the Adi Shakti for the salvation of human beings... Indian Jyotisha Acharya Kaka Bhujandar Tatvacharya noted in his renowned Nadi Grantha, some 2,000 years ago, that a great yogi will appear on the earth and this yogi will have all the powers (shaktis) of the Adi Shakti."
  41. ^ http://www.austinsahajayoga.org/testimonials.htm
  42. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/experienceitnow/default.asp
  43. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/role_of_prayer.htm
  44. ^ The Agnya Chakra Australian Sahaja Yoga website
  45. ^ http://sahajayoga.la/materials/Turya-course%20Ceremonies.pdf
  46. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/raising_kundalini.htm
  47. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/bandhan.htm
  48. ^ Puja/Dakshina Costs
  49. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_358_2005.asp
  50. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.at/shrimataji/page4/page12/page12.html
  51. ^ http://www.scotlandyoga.com/meditation/thoughtless.html
  52. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.la/Discovery-course%20AboutSY.pdf
  53. ^ http://www.tnsahaj.org/Meditation.htm
  54. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.la/Discovery-course%20AboutSY.pdf
  55. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/music.htm
  56. ^ a b What Is Sahaja Yoga Meditation?
  57. ^ An Unlikely Source for Meditative Study - Queen's tribune online
  58. ^ Rome prison (Italy) will begin offering meditation and yoga to inmates
  59. ^ http://www.tnsahaj.org/Meditation.htm
  60. ^ a b Manocha R, Marks G.B., Kenchington P., Peters D., Salome C.M. "Sahaja yoga in the management of moderate to severe asthma: a randomized controlled trial", Thorax 2003;57:110-115. URL: [6]
  61. ^ Manocha, R. "Sahaja yoga in asthma", Thorax 2003;58:825-826. URL: [7] "The authors sincerely regret any misunderstanding ... They sincerely and gratefully acknowledge the important and crucial role played by HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi and the Sahaja yoga practitioners of Australia in the execution of this study, and sincerely regret not having made more appropriate acknowledgements in the original article."
  62. ^ a b "Making sense of meditation", August 13, 2004, Medical Observer Weekly
  63. ^ A Pilot Study of a Mental Silence Form of Meditation for Women in Perimenopause Clinical Psychology in Medical settings viewed 15 November 2007.
  64. ^ "The preliminary study by the Royal Hospital for Women's (RHW) Natural Therapies unit trialled the sahaja yoga technique of meditation based on "thoughtless awareness"." NSW: Meditation found to relieve occupational stress AAP News Australia June 15 2001 "A meditation technique may be the most effective form of treatment for occupational stress, a new study to be unveiled in Sydney tomorrow has shown. The preliminary study by the Royal Hospital for Women's (RHW) Natural Therapies unit trialled the sahaja yoga technique of meditation based on "thoughtless awareness".
  65. ^ Panjwani U., Selvamurthy W., Singh S.H., Gupta H.L., Mukhopadhyay S., Thakur L. "Effect of Sahaja yoga meditation on auditory evoked potentials (AEP) and visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) in epileptics", Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2000;25(1):1-12

    "Sahaja Yoga meditation appears to bring about changes in some of the electrophysiological responses studied in epileptic patients"
  66. ^ Panjwani U, Selvamurthy W, Singh SH, Gupta HL, Thakur L, Rai UC. "Effect of sahaja yoga practice on seizure control & EEG changes in patients of epilepsy." Indian J Med Res 1996;103: 165-72.[ISI][Medline]
  67. ^ Ramaratnam S, Sridharan K. Yoga for epilepsy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 1999, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD001524. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001524
  68. ^ Ram Mishra, (a.k.a., Prof. Ram K. Mishra[8]), Cia Barlas, A. Pradhan), "Effect of meditation on plasma beta-endorphins in humans", 1993, (publication details unknown). Mishra's study abstract no. 257 was web-posted at U. of Arizona Center for Consciousness Studies, Department of Psychology, abstracts page, for speakers on Friday, April 7, (2006?) (server page last modified 2006-03-29). Quote: "The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the meditative practice of Sahaja yoga on plasma β-endorphin levels. .... There was a significant increase (p<0.01) between control and meditating subjects when controlled for age and gender. Female subjects, however, displayed less increase in the β-endorphins as compared to male subjects. ...."
  69. ^ "Alterations in physiological parameters during Sahaja Yoga meditation", reference-commentary (9)
  70. ^ Invitation to Shri Adi Shakti Puja 2005
  71. ^ Invitation to Shri Adi Shakti Puja 2005
  72. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (29/02/1984). Mahashivaratri puja (Speech). Belapur, India. {{cite speech}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  73. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (18/06/1983). Importance of Puja and Havana (Speech). Paris, France. {{cite speech}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  74. ^ Sahaja Yoga Turya Course session seven"The authentic format of the ceremony has changed very little over the years, except that in the case of Sahaja Yoga the whole focus of the program is to move closer to the Divine and experience a Spiritual communication which goes much further than simply singing a few songs. The vibrational impact of a Puja can be simply astonishing".
  75. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (06/04/1991). Puja in Brisbane (Speech). Brisbane, Australia. {{cite speech}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)

    "All the gain that you have from Puja is only possible when you are a realised soul otherwise it is useless to do any Puja, any worship, people go to church, sing few hymns and come back, they are just the same and afterwards go to the pub because they think pub is the only place where they can get some joy."
  76. ^ elements in SY - viewed 25 November 2007
  77. ^ Sahaja Yoga treatments - viewed 25 November 2007
  78. ^ Sahaja Yoga: Liver Diet
  79. ^ Research on the effect of vibrations on water
  80. ^ Sahaja Yoga Marriage Ceremony, Christmas Puja 2005 Viewed 25 November 2007
  81. ^ Sahaja Yoga and marriages
  82. ^ Sahaja Yoga and marriages
  83. ^ International Sahaja Yoga Seminar at Ganapatipule, Dec. 2003 Viewed 13 December 2007
  84. ^ Invitation for Shri Ganesha Puja, Weddings and Navratri Puja Viewed 13 December 2007
  85. ^ Judith Coney, Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement (1999) p166
  86. ^ http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/s/sahaja/test3.htm Testimonial-1
  87. ^ http://prevensectes.com/sahaja3.htm Nirmala Yoga No. 4 1984 Children can be very young sent abroad without their parents, regardless of the possible psychological effects of such a separation. Over the past year, several children under the age of 4 have been conducted abroad and left in ashrams for several months without their parents, children or adolescents of school age were sent to school movement in India.
  88. ^ [9]
  89. ^ [10]
  90. ^ [11]
  91. ^ [12]
  92. ^ Vishwa Nirmala Dharma - Religion in Spain
  93. ^ Project description interview with Director
  94. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_512_2006.asp Historic video affirming the role of World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga
  95. ^ Message to all the Sahaja Yogis of the world from Arneau, Coordinator of the World Council
  96. ^ [http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_369_2005.asp A productive second session of the WCASY at Guru Puja in New Jersey
  97. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/worldcouncil/default.asp
  98. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_512_2006.asp Historic video affirming the role of The World Council Of Sahaja Yoga
  99. ^ http://sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_260_2004.asp
  100. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.com/swan/view_swan.asp?mode=print&swanid=503
  101. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_332_2005.asp
  102. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_373_2005.asp
  103. ^ Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p159
  104. ^ http://www.pksacademy.com/about.htm
  105. ^ Cabella Primary School Enrollments
  106. ^ Growing Sahaja Kindergarten In Borotin via web archive.
  107. ^ The Opening of Canajoharie Sahaja School
  108. ^ Teachers and Aunties Needed for International Sahaja School at Canajoharie
  109. ^ Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p159
  110. ^ Medical research literature on Sahaja Yoga meditation
  111. ^ [13]
  112. ^ http://realizeamerica.com
  113. ^ http://europeanrealisationtour.org
  114. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.com.au/realise_australia
  115. ^ http://www.youthlink.org/globalguide.pdf
  116. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/Music
  117. ^ http://turiyasangeet.googlepages.com
  118. ^ http://www.pksacademy.com
  119. ^ A New Childhood Arshiya Khanna Times of India 16 Nov 2006, viewed 4 November 2007
  120. ^ [http://www.blossomtimes.org/site/pdf/BlossomTimes_issue3.pdf Interview with the Ashram Executive Director
  121. ^ Shri Mataji’s Holy Birthplace: Chhindwara Project
  122. ^ Safeguarding the Original Audio and Video Tapes of Shri Mataji
  123. ^ An Appeal: Safeguarding The Original Audio and Video Tapes Of Shri Mataji
  124. ^ Gift of Cabella Properties to the World Sahaj Collective
  125. ^ Sahaja Yoga Radio Programs
  126. ^ http://www.2ser.com/programs/shows/sahajayoga/?searchterm=sahaja
  127. ^ INFORM
  128. ^ a b c Barrett, David V. The New Believers (Cassell 2001) ISBN 0-304-35592-5 pages 297-298 “Sahaja Yoga, like many other new religious movements, is involved in charitable social work, including a hospital and a cancer research centre – both using Sahaja Yoga methods for healing – a classical musical school, and a shelter for the poor in Delhi. Sahaja Yoga makes a big point of its teaching being free: - Amazingly, without any financial support from any person, Shri Mataji neither charges for Her lectures nor for Her ability to give Self Realization, nor does one have to become a member of this organization. She insists that you cannot pay for enlightenment and to-date she continues to denounce the false self-proclaimed ‘gurus’ who are more interested in the seekers’ purse than their spiritual ascent. - But in fact this is one of the major criticisms of the movement, that the often middle-class members are encouraged to make regular donations to pay for Shri Mataji’s trips around the world, and to buy her expensive properties, such as Shudy Camps Park House near Cambridge, England, in 1986 and an Italian castle in 1991. (...) Devoted member refer to her as the Divine Mother, and she has called herself Adi Shakh, Primal Mother of All; many take her advice on child-rearing, and some ask her to choose their marriage partners. This amount of influence over her followers’ lives has caused concern in several countries. Some former have said that they were expelled from the movement because they resisted Shri Maraji’s influence over their lives.”
  129. ^ a b "Qld: Doctor fined over yoga dispute", AAP General News, Australia, November 12, 2001.
    Brisbane's District Court has been told a GP grabbed a man round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence -- accusing him of befouling members of an Indian cult. The court was told Dr BOHDAN MYRON SHEHOVYCH was among a group delivering a letter to the man from the founder of the meditation religion, Sahaja Yoga. The 52-year-old doctor from the New South Wales central coast today pleaded guilty to entering a house at Mount Ommaney in Brisbane' west and assaulting TERENCE RICHARD BLACKLEY on March 3 this year. The court heard the group was delivering a letter to BLACKLEY from spiritual leader SHRI MATAJI NIRMALA DEVI, alleging spiritual and criminal wrongdoings. Judge KERRY O'BRIEN today told the doctor that someone of his intelligence should have known better than to behave in that manner. He's fined Dr SHEHOVYCH $1,500 but did not record a conviction.
  130. ^ A Wonderful Evening with Shri Mataji
  131. ^ a b Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p159
  132. ^ Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p243
  133. ^ French National assembly report on cults
  134. ^ "Shri who must be obeyed; She's been hailed as a saint: a selfless distributor of goodness and light. But, on the eve of her appearance at the Royal Albert Hall, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is under attack.", The Independent, London, England, Mary Braid, Beatrice Newbery, July 13, 2001
  135. ^ "Hundreds fill weekend with devotion, bliss", The Record, John Chadwick, July 24, 2005, Bergen County, New Jersey. (Local Section)
    The movement has its share of critics, some of whom describe it as a cult and have started Internet sites to detail their accusations. One site portrayed Mataji as a manipulative leader who exercised a high degree of control over members' lives, including arranging and breaking up marriages. "I have witnessed Mataji order loving couples to divorce," one former member wrote on a Web site.

Further reading

  • Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2
  • Srivastava, Nirmala (1997) Meta Modern Era, (Vishwa Nirmala Dharma) ISBN 8186650059
  • Pullar, Philippa (1984) The Shortest Journey, ISBN 0-04-291018-8
  • Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8
  • Coney, Judith (1995) “‘Belonging to a Global Religion’: The Sociological Dimensions of International Elements in Sahaja Yoga.” Sociological Analysis 10(2):109-20.
  • 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 8185250026
  • 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) Sahaja Yoga Meditation (Corvalis Publishing) ISBN 0-954-85190-0
  • List of research papers, conferences and publications relating to the Sahaja Yoga research and health center.
Official Sites
Critical sites
Neutral or mixed sites
Puja related
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sahaja_Yoga&oldid=187448081"