How does Sahaja Yoga work?
The practice of meditation is central to the practice of Sahaja Yoga.
The meaning of yoga is commonly misunderstood as a system of postures, breathing and stretching exercises. But the true meaning of yoga, traced back to its origins several thousand years ago, is union. In Sahaja Yoga, this union is the profound connection of the Kundalini energy that we all have within us to the all-pervading divine energy — the force of nature that created this universe and everything and everyone in it.
When this powerful union takes place, our chakras (energy centers) are nourished and energized for our personal advancement. The regular practice of meditation causes this vital flow of energy to provide a powerful boost to our physical, mental and emotional faculties.
During the practice of meditation, Sahaja Yoga can raise the Kundalini energy, whenever we wish, to the crown (Sahasrara) chakra, the final step in the journey of the union of self with the divine energy.
It is at the level of this chakra that we experience Sahaja Yoga’s unique state of thoughtless awareness, a powerful realm of consciousness that allows us to transcend the ordinary mental and physical planes of our existence. In this state of meditation, we have complete control of our attention. We can maintain inner silence. This pure consciousness is the truest self, not one’s body, mind, senses or thoughts. This is essentially the phenomenon we often hear referred to as experiencing the “inner self.”
The flow of the Kundalini energy during the meditation, also confers upon us a soothing experience of vibrations on our palms and fingers, the real and tangible proof of its awakening. Over time, the nourishment of the chakras through various meditation and energy balancing techniques also helps us improve every aspect of character and personality and ultimately the quality of our lives.
Enlightened medicine: Western science and Eastern wisdom
Sahaja Yoga Meditation addresses the symptoms of disease while at the same time acting on the roots of the problems. It is based on the knowledge of the subtle system whose six main centres of energy are located at the level of six nerve plexuses and endocrine glands. They are integrated and controlled by the last and seventh centre, which corresponds to the limbic system, the emotion- regulation centre of our brains.
The state of Thoughtless Awareness is achieved when the subtle energy ascends through the spinal cord. When it reaches the brain it activates the parasympathetic nervous system and the limbic system. The serene state of “Mental Silence” and joy which the practitioner experiences subjectively has actual measurable physiological correlates. Thus, Sahaja Yoga Meditation has been shown to lead to changes in physiological parameters that enhance parasympathetic activity, leading to stress relief and restoration of bodily functions, such as decreases in blood pressure, heart, breathing and pulse rates, oxygen metabolism and stress hormones.
Modern brain imaging studies have shown that the state of Mental Silence leads to increased activity in the limbic brain areas that mediate positive emotions. In addition, there is a release of beta-endorphines, the so-called “happy” mood- stabilising chemicals in the brain that lead to relaxation and enhance the immune system.
Long-term practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation have larger amounts of grey matter in the regions of attention, self-control and emotion control than non-meditators. This enlargement of brain structure due to long-term use of these regions through meditation is thought to reflect a delay in the normal age-related decline in the structure of these regions, suggesting that long-term meditators have younger brains
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