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 Sahaja Yoga follows the
Indian system of mapping the energy flow in the body through nadis
or channels. According to this theory, prana or vital energy enters our
body through the three channels of ida, pingala and the
sushumna, which run alongside the spinal cord. Ida or the
moon channel is on the left, pingala or the sun channel is on the
right and sushumna is the central channel. According to Nirmala
Devi, when the foetus is two to three months old, a column of rays of
consciousness from the Higher Power passes through the developing brain to
enlighten it, which gets refracted, into these channels. Entering through
the fontanelle bone (the seat of the sahasrara chakra), the energy
passes into the medulla oblongata where it leaves a thread-like line and
settles at the base of the spine in three-and a-half coils. This is the
kundalini. On its way down, the rays activate six more centers,
adding up to the principle seven chakras running along the spine,
regulating the activities of adjacent organs. The right-hand side of the
body is governed by the pingala, the activity center of the body,
creating the ego (equivalent to the left brain). The left-hand side is
governed by the ida and is the seat of the subconscious (right
brain).
When the kundalini is awakened, which Mataji says
can be done by anyone whose own kundalini has been awakened, it
heals and balances the over activity of the right and left sides. "In
Sahaja Yoga our dormant spirituality is awakened to achieve true
meditation. We are completely alert, yet our thoughts are slowed down and
the mind is silent. Our hearts are full of joy and love but we are
emotionally detached from what is going on around us." |
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I walk into a center at Napean Sea Road, Mumbai, India, run by
Willy. Today, she is absent, and a young Angana Shroff puts us through our
paces. The 20-odd meditators are affluent, relatively young and
predominantly women. Angana came in contact with Sahaja Yoga through Willy
three years ago. Says she: "I realize now that it is not what happens to
you but your perspective that really matters. I'm far more aware of my
actions, personality
and ego." Adds Grishma Dattani: "You know what is appropriate and what is
not. Surrendering to Mataji has saved me from all fears."
Sameer
Desai, a young stockbroker, was suffering from recurring high fever when he
came in contact with Sahaja Yoga. "After Willy raised my kundalini,
I had no fever for the next three days." Now fully recovered, he also
claims to be more composed.
The Sahaja Yoga brochure says:
"Through Sahaja Yoga meditations, blocks of the subtle body are
released, cleansing the chakras and channels. This practice can be
regarded as a sophisticated internal biofeedback
process which demystifies stress, improves health and heals the harried
nervous system."
The organization has opened a hospital in
Belapur, in New Mumbai, called the Sahaja Yoga Research and Health
Center that only treats ailments with Sahaja Yoga. Set amidst
lush green lawns and singing birds, the three-storeyed structure has a
serene charm. Inside, I meet Dr Hule, an allopath who converted to
Sahaja Yoga when he found that a patient who was also practicing
yoga healed much faster than others did. Dr Hule claims to have cured
thousands of asthma and bronchitis patients. Other diseases receptive to
this healing include diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, migraines,
insomnia. Steeping the foot in warm salted water to dissipate negative
energy and the application of ice on the heat-congested chakras are some
other treatments.
Hari Prakash, a software engineer from
Hyderabad, has been at the Center for the last two months. He says: "I was
feeling lethargic and so weak that I could not work. I'm much better now.
My blood pressure and sinus problem are also under control."
Jenny Cook, a care assistant for the learning disabled in the
UK, is here to treat depression after an operation to remove her right
ovary. "I feel much happier now," she says.
So Sahaja Yoga
helps its practitioners. But how do you contend with their assertion that
it's the only way to self-realization? One may add that they are hardly
the first organization to make that claim. Moreover, Mataji is unusually
emphatic in denouncing most spiritual leaders as frauds.
According
to Willy: "Sahaja Yoga is the only way which gives enlightenment
first and then works its way backwards. The other way, you may not be
liberated for lifetimes; with Sahaja Yoga you are likely to be so
within one lifetime itself."
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