From Drugs and Darkness to Light- real transformation

With the help of sahajayoga meditation many of the people who have successfully given up smoking, drinking and came out of darkness in the life to the real light full of contentment and self development\

Following is one of the testimonial in this regard shared by one sahajayogi. 

I am a forty-one year old artist who lives and works in Austria. My wife and I have a successful art work-shop in Vienna. We have a very strong, healthy son in his seventh year who also keeps us very busy. We have dear and gracious friends in many countries all over the world. Every day we discover new sources of joy and inspiration which we love to share with everyone we meet. We are Sahaja Yogis, individuals who have, by the grace of H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, achieved the breakthrough to Mother Nature's highest and most sought after blessing: Self­Realisation; Sahaja Yoga; Second Birth; Union of the individual awareness with the all-pervading Source of beauty and joy. Since experiencing this essential transformation seventeen years ago, I have been living a completely new life filled with the dignity, compassion and fulfillment which could only manifest through actual enlightenment.

I was born into a large family in a city in Canada. My parents were then chronik alcoholics and most of my memories, which reach back as far as my third year, are dark and fearful. Myself and two younger brothers were raised mostly by our older sisters. Our parents often fought. When my father left the family he was replaced by a man who I deeply feared as he treated us harshly and sometimes beat my mother. Twice, as a small child, I badly broke my right elbow. The second break was so severe that I almost lost my arm. My mother was not there that time to comfort me as she was being kept in a mental hospital, withdrawing from alcohol addiction.

Throughout my early school years I used to pray from my heart that I could live without fearing people. I was always drawn into the company of trouble-makers and began stealing at the age of seven.

When I was fourteen, my father, who had returned to us for five joyful and prosperous years, began drinking again and divoriced my mother. This is when my indulgence into alcohol and drugs, including cokaine and LSD, began. I was just fifteen years old when I took a massive over-dose of LSD and went temporarily insane; I would say, became possessed. For two weeks after this hellish experience I was in a dream-like depression. My personality changed and I often went out on weekends with bizzare clothes and painted face. Eight months after this fall I stumbled into another self­destructive trap: I was seduced into a cunning organisation that brain-washes its members, taking their money and destroying their mental and physical health. It was called Transcendental Meditation.

In the following eight years I became more and more tangled in self­doubt and anti­social sentiments. I lacked all normal motivation for pursuing a productive life. I sought escape from my numbness and frustration in drugs, alcohol and parties. I was always watched carefully by the police because of my illegal activities, and lived in fear of them. I could not relate to normal, productive adults and saw them as strange and frivilous. I spent my time with younger people who admired my wild lifestyle. I reached the age of twenty­ four with no professional qualifications; no position in society; no confidence; and little hope of fulfilling the countless desires which haunted me. I desperately wanted to know myself; to feel the joy and love of nature which sometimes overwhelmed me in my child-hood. But I found only noise and heaviness within.

One morning a friend of mine came over. I thought he wanted to buy some drugs but he said he had found something important. I knew him as a dull and lethargic person but now his eyes were shining with enthusiasm and delight. He asked if I would come to meet some special people. I insisted that Sunday is the best day to party and that I wanted to get drunk and go to the beach. At his insistence I agreed to attend a meeting on the following Tuesday. I was then completely unaware that it would become the single most precious day of my life.

The experience which I had during that first real meditation was quite vague. I had just begun to become aware of just how much I had ruined my delicate nervous­system. Gradually, as the days and weeks passed, I was realising that my fears and habits were fading away. The urge for intoxication was loosing its hold on me. A definite peace and clarity was growing inside of me. I moved away from my circle of crazy friends and a lifestyle which felt like deadweight over me. Small changes in my health came to my attention. After many years of suffering from painful hemmorhoids, this problem disappeared. My hair suddenly stopped falling out and later grew in again. Psycologically I became more secure. Nightmares about losing my eyesight and being possessed by demons did not come anymore. I slept deeply and awoke fresh. Even my eyesight improved, to a level above normal ( 105% ).

My parents were deeply impressed, especially when I had my beard and long hair cut and started wearing attractive clothes. The subtle, cool, pure vibrations which I began to feel and direct for my own better-ment and that of others, had a noticable effect on many. My mother suffered from emotional depression and even relapsed into alcohol and drug use. For nine months I did not see her, but often applied myself to directing these purifying vibrations to her. When I contacted her again she was like a new person. For the first time in about ten years she was rising early from bed each day, and even had a job caring for small children.

Another person who was astonished to see this change in me was a police detective who had watched me for many years in my home municipality. I happened to meet him one day, and he just congratulated me again and again. I think it gave him great hope.

By chance, or by divine intervention, my first fulltime job was a position with the city police department as a community­worker in an anti-theft campaign. I continued with similar work until, perhaps again through divine intervention, I married and moved to Vienna where my dreams to become a successful artist have been fulfilled.

In these few years I have met countless individuals from all walks of life ­ from London to Calcutta and from Moscow to Los Angeles ­ who have lived this miraculous metamorphisis and are using this natural power to transform others. It is my sincerest desire that anyone who reads these words will not judge the message mentally but will make an honest, scientific investigation into the historic subject which now faces them. If their desire is pure and their determination for revealing the truth is undaunted, I have no doubt that they will also achieve this magnificent inner-awakening which is dawning to the human-race.

reference -https://www.sahajayoga.org/Testimonials/default.asp#13

Birthday of Adishakti Mataji Nirmaladevi

 

Mataji Nirmaladevi, the founder of Sahaja Yoga was born on 21^st March 1923 at Chhindwara in India. In one of her lectures she had clearly told that she had taken birth not as per her wish but due to demand from public at large, becuase of their call and desire, the adishakti had to take rebirth. 

She belonged to Christian family and her surname was Salve before her marriage.  She was the daughter of a very affluent family .  Her father was a  great lawyer and fluent in 14 languages. Mr . Prasad Salve, her father translated the Quran into hindi language.  He was also  member of legislative council of India and helped in writing the Indian Constitution.    Though he was highly respected and honored by britishers, he did not hesitate to join the Indias freedom movement.  He actively participated in the movement also had been jailed for that. He also burnt his own foreign  made clothes in the public square of Nagpur.

Mataji nirmaladevis mother was also freedom fighter and had been to jail for participation in freedom struggle.  She was the first Indian woman to receive an honors degree in mathematics.  She was scholar in Sanskrit and deep knowledge of Indian culture. 

Matajis parents chose the name “Nirmala” which means  “Immaculate”.  Mataji had a very satisfied family life with two daughters.   From the childhood she was aware of a unique gift which she desired to make available to all mankind.  She was fortunate to have close association with Mahatma Gandhi since childhood along with her parents.  Gandhiji was aware of her power from her childhoold and hence sought her advice on spiritual matters at times.   Mataji was actively involved and played a role in quit india movement and hence had to undergo jail term.    She had studied Medicine and Psycology at the Christian Medical College in Lahore.

Mataji Nirmaladevi had  used her life for expansion and spreading of Sahaja yoga all over the world by using her own money and time.  She was aware of the hidden spiritual power in every human being which was known as Kundalini in Hindus, as Ruh in Muslims and known as cool breeze in Bible.   She helped mankind to know this all pervading power .  She found out and established a system whereby people can experience this divine power in the form of cool breeze over the whole body, more particularly on both palms of their hands and on the top of their head – around the fontanel bone area.

Mataji Nirmaladevi is the only guru on this planet who spontaneously gave the experiences of self realization completely freely throught the life.   Even after her passing away the sahajayoga is tought free of charge all over the world.   She was the only one who could awaken the spiritual power  (kundalini) at an en mass level.   A very rare and significant aspect of sahajayoga. 

Sahajayoga is now spread in more than hundred countries and enjoyed by people from all walks of life  without any discrimination as poor or rich, black or white, belonging to all religions and sects of the world.   They are practicising sahajayoga while carrying on their normal family life without any disturbance.  It is the only form of yoga which provides complete satisfaction, and numerous medical beneifits along with mental peace and harmony of body and mind.   For this reasons everyday there are so many seekers all over the world who want to join sahaja yoga and live peaceful life in the world.

For her contirubiton to the human society at large number of national and international awards have been conferred upon her.

On her Birthday all sahajayogis of the world assure her to follow the principles of “Wishwa Nirmala Dharma”.  The values she cherished throughtout the life like Love, Affection, Compassion, would be spread by sahajayogis. 

Mr. Klaus Nobel  once said –

Now, Alfred Nobel thought basically about peace as absence of war, but I assure you that peace is much more than absence of war. I see that peace exists in four specific areas. The first area is the peace that an individual has in him or herself. How do we treat our mind, our emotions and our feelings? How do we treat our body? Are we slaves to other masters or are your own master? Until we have the inner peace in ourselves, we can never have an outer peace in the world.

The safest and best way of finding world peace is to have massmovements that include all religions and philosophies, all enterprises whether they are of political or scientific nature, to realize what inner peace is.

Ladies and gentlemen, the self in us is the divine cosmic power that exists in each and every individual but which is dormant in most people around the world. The spiritual leaders from ancient lore, they knew about this and they spoke about it but this secret of secret has been suppressed deliberately until Shri Mataji, with great courage and great wisdom, being an old soul who decided by herself to come back to the earth at this critical time in our history in order to share her knowledge and wisdom, which is the Sahaja yoga, which is instant self-realization, which is to activate the dormant principle that we all have, the Kundalini, and have the Kundalini to raise up and thus we become what it says in the Bible, you are created in my image. That was the first category, first sphere of peace. The one we have in ourselves.

Worst Enemy of Liver is Alcohol

If your liver is not all right, your attention cannot be all right...and to keep a good liver, keep your eyes down."-H H Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (8.03.1979)

.......But the worst enemy of liver is alcohol. Absolutely it’s the worst enemy. I mean, if you want to die… best thing is go to a pub, take drinks and die. It’s like buying your death. Like calling a bull, 'Come and hit me. I will give you money.' It is something like that. It’s absolutely self-destroying. And only after Realization you are so relaxed and you enjoy your company so much that it is very easy to give up.

........If your liver is not all right, your attention cannot be all right. So those people who have a habit you see – sometimes they’ll see through the back of their eyes, or from here – there – they think they are doing something great by doing these things – such people can never have good livers. So to keep a good liver, keep your eyes down. Don’t give them too much work. We are giving too much work to our eyes and that’s how it is keeping our attention all the time wobbled out, and if your attention is out, then you can never feel happy. So the liver sustains the attention and for you to be best Sahaja yogi is to put your eyes down, on the Mother Earth. Walk with less raising of your eyes. Respect your eyes. You’re not to waste your eyes on all the time anybody coming up your… I’ve seen even in meditation people can’t keep their eyes straight. You have to keep your eyes all the time in a mood that you’re enjoying yourself, and not enjoying others. But just enjoying yourself, you cannot enjoy others, you have to enjoy yourself, to enjoy somebody else’s vibrations. You can only enjoy others through their vibrations, not through their seeing. And because of this, once you have this kind of a habit, then your liver always gets into it. Then you curse yourself, you do all kinds of things… that’s no good. Just tell yourself- “Hold my eyes on the Mother Earth.” She sustains, She takes away all your problems and everything............

(An Extract of Talk of H H Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi at Delhi ,India, 8th March 1979. )

Bandhan -its uitility, importance in Sahaja Yoga

Bandhan is a special action of hands expected to be done before starting meditation and ending meditation in any sahajayoga program.   It is very simple and can be learned just by having a view of fellow brother or sister in the program.   It is an important step before starting any important work or to protect ourself when we are going out  It is a kind of protection aura around us like the devi kavach given to us by adishakti Mataji Nirmaladevi. This action is like putting a protective shield around ourselves to keep the calm in, and the disturbances out.

Placing a bandhan gives protection to the subtle system from attention disturbances and also protects the aura. Hold the left hand out on your lap, palm upwards. Place your right hand over your left hip and slowly raise your right hand up the left side, over your head and down the right side of your body. Then raise the right hand up the right side, over your head and down the left side. This is one bandhan. Repeat seven times (one for each Chakra).

‘Any time you have a problem, give a bandhan,’ Mataji has said. 

It’s helpful to do this both before and after your meditation. Before helps you balance more quickly and bring the energy up, afterwards to help you stay balanced throughout your day.  The movements are also a simple way to signal to your mind and body “now we are going to meditate” (before) and “let’s try and keep this state of peace and calm throughout the day” (after).

Please view following video on Youtube wherein Mataji Nirmaladevi explains as to how to take bandhan properly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALtbHk6QCRA&ab_channel=SYIndia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEaKmeHo7GM&ab_channel=ParamChaitanyaFoundation

Bandhan (noun) means a bond, literally

Bandhan (verb) means to tie up

Bandhan in Sahaja Yoga means to “tie up” (Kundalini) or “wind up” vibrations (to get something done).

(-Indian Yogi)

Here are different types of bandhan we use in Sahaja Yoga.

 Bandhan we use when we get out of the house for protecting ourselves from sometime not so pure energy that is outside. If we are a parent, we can give bandhan to our little kids as well.

 Bandhan we give to somebody during workshop. When we work on somebody, we give ourselves a bandhan and so we do for the other person to protect him or her and also ourselves from “catching” from one another.

Bandhan we give on the chakras of somebody else. This is a simple circle we draw with the right hand in a clockwise direction (if we work from front) or counter clockwise (if we work from behind)

Bandhan we give to our chakras when we perform workshop on ourselves

 Bandhan when we check our vibrations, i.e. the status of our subtle system. We put our attention in the left hand (that sits still). We can write our name using the right index finger on the left hand. We draw, using the right hand, few circles around the center of the left palm. Then we keep our hands upward and check the sensation in the palms and fingers. Cool is good, hot is less good 

 Bandhan that we give when we want to know about a certain item. This can be a person, place, book, movie etc. Similar to the previous one, we just write the name of the item. Cool is good, hot not so much.

 Bandhan when we want to decide about something. Similar to the previous one, we just write the question

 Bandhan for getting help in a specific situation.

 Bandhan that we do for somebody’s problems

 Bandhan when we ask for a certain thing to happen.

Of course, when we want to use the bandhan to decide about some course of action or when we inquire about a person or place, we first have to be in good shape ourselves. That is, when we ask about the status of our subtle system, we should feel cool in all the fingers and above Sahasrara.

reference - taken from various websites on the subject.