Sahaja Yoga A Unique Discovery

“The peace has to be first found inside and then it manifests outside”

- H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction

Ø What Does Sahaja Yoga Mean? .....................................................................................................3

Ø The Kundalini Energy & Our Subtle System ..............................................................................4

Ø The channels of Attention .............................................................................................................5

II. Shrimataji Nirmala Devi - The founder of Sahaja Yoga................................................................6

III. Sahaja Yoga & Medical Science

Ø Few Recent Medical Investigations..............................................................................................8

Ø Therapeutic Applications.................................................................................................................8

IV. Meditation

Ø Introduction to meditation ...........................................................................................................10

Ø Experience it Now.............................................................................................................................11

Ø Daily meditation................................................................................................................................14

Ø Raising Kundalini................................................................................................................................16

Ø Putting Yourself in Bandhan..........................................................................................................18

Ø Cleansing Technique - Foot Soaking ...........................................................................................19

V. Learnin more about our Subtle System

Ø The Seven Chakras .........................................................................................................................20

Ø Tracking Our Growth .....................................................................................................................20

Ø Self Help Questionnaire ...............................................................................................................27

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Introduction

Human beings today, seek joy in money & possessions, in power & unlimited love, and ultimately in religion. All these elements are external factors. The challenge is to turn one’s attention inward. In our search of joy and happiness we are running away from our ‘Self’, which is the real source of joy. We find ourselves very ugly and boring because we don’t know our Internal Self.

The inner being, which is our awareness, is an energy. Let us call it the energy of Divine Love. All evolution and the manifestation of material energy is guided by the supreme energy of Divine Love. We do not know how powerful and thoughtful this unknown energy is. The silent working of awareness is so automatic, minute, dynamic, and precious that we take it for granted.

After Self-realization, this energy appears to us as silent throbbing vibrations flowing through our being. But we have been unable to achieve Self-realization because we cannot fix our attention on something that lacks form (Abstract or Nirakar). Instead, our attention wanders outside on forms (Sakar).

A simple and scientific method to attain Self Realization and thus, tap the Divine power is through Sahaja Yoga Meditation.

What does Sahaja Yoga mean?

The word “Sahaja” (Saha + ja) means born with you or inborn. Whatever is inborn, manifests without any effort. Hence Sahaja Yoga is the name given to the technique of meditation which is effortless, easy, and spontaneous.

To understand spontaneity of life, let us consider the case of something that is living - a seed. The seed germinates on its own when given an appropriate environment, grows by itself into a tree, blooms into flowers, and then the flowers become fruit. Any human effort cannot change the process of growth of a seed into a tree. We can only look after the growth of the tree. In the same way, the process of the growth of our consciousness takes place spontaneously.

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The Kundalini Energy & Our Subtle System When a foetus is about two to three months old, in the mother’s womb, columns of rays of consciousness, pass through the developing brain to enlighten it. The shape of the human brain being prism like the column of rays falling on it gets refracted into four diverse channels corresponding to the following aspects of our nervous system.

These are:

• Parasympathetic nervous system (Sushumna Nadi)

• Left Sympathetic nervous system (Ida Nadi)

• Right Sympathetic nervous system (Pingala Nadi)

• Central nervous System

The set of rays that fall on the fontanelle bone (apex of the head known as Taloo) pierce in the center and pass straight into the medulla oblongata through a channel (called Sushumna Nadi in Sanskrit). The residual energy then settles down in three and a half coils in the triangular bone at the base of the spinal cord (Sacrum bone). This coiled energy is known as Kundalini. The Kundalini energy is a living force which is unique to each individual.

When this subtle energy enters through the center of the brain (Called Sahasrar / Brahmarandhra in Sanskrit), it precipitates through six more centers on its way down to the Sacrum Bone. These centers (also called Chakras) are called plexuses in Medical Science.

These three channels, the center of the brain, and the six plexuses form our Subtle System. In Medical science this subtle system is called the autonomous nervous system, meaning the system that works spontaneously-on its own.

When the child is born and the umbilical cord breaks, a gap is created in the Sushumna (the central channel). On the gross level, one can see that there is a gap between the solar plexus and the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system. This gap is known as the void in the Zen system of religion and Maya (or Bhav Sagar) in Indian thought.

Further as the child grows, the ego and the superego bloat up like balloons and cover our brain at the apex of the left and right sympathetic nervous systems and the fontanelle bone calcifies. At this point, the all-pervading vital force of Divine Love gets cut off completely. The human being identifies himself as a separate entity and the consciousness of “I” (Aham) presides.

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The Channels of Attention Both, the sympathetic system and parasympathetic system, act on the plexuses, but in opposition to each other. The parasympathetic relaxes the plexuses while the sympathetic squeezes the energy by constricting them. One fills in the vitality and the other consumes it.

Further as we know, there is a gap in the parasympathetic nervous system (Sushumna nadi) but no gap in the sympathetic nervous system (at the navel). It is like three ladders, two of them touching the ground while the central one is hanging in the air. So whenever we try to rise in our consciousness, we move on to the sympathetic system.

If we pass toward the right side we enter onto the activity that goes on bloating in the balloon of ego. Thus we feel responsible and active. When this activity increases beyond limits, it causes tension, sleeplessness, high blood pressure and in extreme cases deadly diseases like cancer. These diseases are caused by the constricted plexuses that have been drained of their energy. If you can make the parasympathetic dominate the right side, then we can antidote the effects of over activity. Then all the diseases and the effects caused by the over-active right side get cured automatically.

The left side sympathetic nervous system (libido) has the power to store all that is dead in us. It connects us with the subconscious mind and with the collective subconscious. At the backside of the brain, at the apex of this channel, the super ego exists like a balloon. If our mind is extremely conditioned by events of the past or if we dwell too much in our past life, the Superego becomes very heavy and breaks into many fragments. So in our pursuit of truth, if we take to further efforts and indulge in extreme concentration, forced abstinence, forced meditation, or complete slavery to the emotional attachment of the mind, our left side becomes extremely weak. Just like the Right Channel, this can also be corrected with the help of the parasympathetic Nervous system.

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Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi The founder of the Technique of Sahaja Yoga Meditation

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi was born on the day of equinox, the 21st of March, at noon in the town of Chindwara, MP, India. She came into the world with none of the stains of birth on her skin. For this reason she was named “Nirmala”, which means “pure”.

Her family of Christian denomination descends from the famous Shalivahana dynasty which governed India aeons ago.

From early childhood the young Nirmala showed an unusual nature. Her charisma not only won over her relatives and playmates but also the most feared animals such as reptiles. The cries of the housemaids did not dissuade her from catching snakes (symbol of the Kundalini coiled up three and a half times in the sacrum bone). She also spent a part of her childhood life during the school holidays at Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram. Gandhiji immediately noticed the exceptional nature of the child placed in his care. Her counsels were a source of inspiration for his philosophy.

Her father Sri P.K.Salve, spoke fourteen languages and was the author of the Hindi translation of the Koran. Her mother, Sri Cornelia Salve, a mathematician, stood by her husband in the fight against colonialism.

Having reached the age for university studies, Nirmala studied medicine at the Christian Medical College in Lahore in order to find out for herself the extent of the knowledge reached by human discoveries. Her choice had a purpose to it since the science of the Kundalini rests on the subtle potential of the nervous system.

In 1947, Shri Mataji married Sir. C.P. Srivastava, one of India’s most dedicated a civil service officer, who was knighted by the Queen of England. He held the post of the Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister’s office of the late Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri in the years 1964-66. Later on he was elected to be the Secretary General of the United Nations International Maritime Organization, for 16 consecutive years.

Shri Mataji, devoted herself to the duties of a diplomat’s wife and mother upto the time of marriage of their two daughters. From the beginning of their life together, it had been agreed that the girls’ departure from the family house would mark for Shri Mataji the turning point of a new phase to be started for the future of the world.

This is how, on the 5th of May 1970, at Nargol, on a beach near Bombay, while in meditation, Shri Mataji inaugurated the technique of awakening the Kundalini, thanks to the opening of the Sahasrara, the last chakra in our subtle system. Thus Sahaja Yoga was born. Mr. Srivastava’s professional destiny, brought the couple to London in 1974. In London at that time, one could see Shri Mataji on an average twice a week at public conferences between 1979 and 1981. From 1981 to 1989, She continued to receive large number of people in Her home. Her activities were to speed up in the years to follow and soon Shri Mataji’s time was spent between airports, and public programmes where seekers from all over the world were eager to welcome her. Today Sahaja Yoga has spread to over eighty-five countries across the globe.

Shri Mataji has been recognized and honored worldwide by several prestigious institutions for Her selfless work and for the powerful results of Her spiritual teachings. To name a few: Ø Shri Mataji was declared ‘Personality of the Year’ in 1986 by the Italian Government.

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Ø In 1993, She was appointed as Honorary Member of the Presidium of Petrovskaya Academy of Art and Science. In the history of the academy only twelve people have been granted this honour.

Ø Shri Mataji chaired a scientific conference in Russia on the state of spirituality in the modern world. The scientists in the conference all agreed that Sahaja Yoga is a new break through and offers almost unbelievable possibilities for the development of man’s highest faculties.

Ø She has also received the United Nations Peace prize. Shri Mataji had been invited to the United Nations several times to lecture on universal peace and give self-realization to U.N diplomats from all over the world. She has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace prize.

Ø In 2001, She became the only recipient of the “Manav Ratna” – the highest award for Humanitarian works from the Government of India.

Shri Mataji remains particularly discreet as to the mystery of her personality. For more than thirty years she has been spreading the science of Kundalini, and no one throughout her conferences has obtained much information about Shri Mataji herself. Her nature can be discovered only through one’s inner being, like the private talk of a child questioning his mother about the mystery of life. She says over and over again that one must not take her word for it but must test for oneself the truth of her message. And when most of the people in the audience put their hand’s up to acknowledge that they have felt the cool breeze of the Primordial Energy on their palms, on the top of their heads or in their bodies, and a voice from amongst them asks, “But who are you to have achieved this mass phenomenon?”, she looks down with a modest smile and gives an answer which could be summed up as follows: “ Yes, indeed, there must be something special about me, but there would be no point in me telling you anything about it yet in the present circumstances because you have not yet tried out the Reality of your Kundalinis. Whatever I might say would be of no use to you and would only irritate you. I do not want to be crucified as Christ was for having revealed his identity.” Then, still smiling and calm, She adds “But, thank Heavens, today this cannot happen either to me or to the realized people. The time for martyrdom is over!” She adds, “There is no reason for you to be jealous of me. There are so many things that you can do and that I cannot. I do not know how to drive a car or how to type and so many other things. I am a traditional house wife. But I am a good cook and whether I like it or not or whether you like it or not, I have perfectly mastered the art of the Kundalini. It is my nature and there is nothing I can do to change this. If someone could take my place in this task of mass Kundalini awakening, I would gladly make way for him.” Well! She is what She is. In fact, She IS!!

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Few Recent Medical Investigations Recent medical research conducted on varied groups of individual Sahaja Yoga practitioners has revealed that the practice of Sahaja Yoga is accompanied by a decrease in tension, anxiety, depression, neuroticism and hypertension. With the meditation there is an experience of inner peace and harmony and one moves in the direction of great self control, self awareness, actualizing ones potential and thus moving towards great happiness.

Electrical Brain Activity Electroencephalograph (EEG) reports indicate the following changes in the brain activity during Sahaja Yoga Meditation sessions.

1. At the initial stage, on commencing meditation, the alpha brain wave pattern increases which create a sense of relaxed awareness.

2. As the meditation progresses, the brain activity shifts to a long chain of low voltage

Theta activity, signifying deep physiological relaxation as it is attained during deep sleep stages and during a very deep meditation state

3. Further, the EEG pattern again changes. This time bursts of high frequency Beta peaks

occur. It appears from all the studies conducted that the human nervous system begins to function in an entirely different way after Sahaja Yoga practice. Some other dramatic changes clearly reported are:

1. Oxygen consumption decreases within five minutes after the start of meditation. 2. Heart rate and respiration rate also decreases. 3. Blood lactate concentration which is associated with high states of anxiety also

reduces. 4. Adrenaline, which correlates with high Blood pressure drops. 5. The galvanic skin response (GSR) is a measure of the activity of the sweat glands. This is related to the Sympathetic nervous system that regulates the level of tension or relaxation. The Sahaja Yoga practice increases skin resistance thereby significantly reducing tension. All these experimental studies have been conducted by Dr. D. Chugh at the Lady Hardinge Hospital, New Delhi.

Therapeutic Applications Sahaja Yoga has achieved tremendous success in treatment of innumerable chronic and fatal deceases. Several research centers have been set up all over the world and highly qualified doctors run a Sahaja hospital in Vashi (Mumbai) where no medicines are administered. Curing is done only by correcting imbalances of the energy centers & channels. Two of the doctors have also got their MD from Delhi University for advanced research in Sahaja Yoga. Recent medical investigations reveal that individual suffering from hypertension, cancer, chronic, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes; arthritis and heart ailments have recovered completely after practicing Sahaja Yoga meditation. Another astounding medical breakthrough documented from Australia is the cure and treatment of AIDS cases by using Sahaja Yoga techniques.

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The healing effects of Sahaja Yoga have encouraged doctors and others in the “caring professions” to develop centers where Sahaja Yoga techniques would be applied to patients suffering from a variety of ailments. In a specific case, one child, with an 11 inch liver was treated by Dr. Valentina Gostera, who works as a pediatrician in a General Hospital in the Soviet Union. All diagnostic and surgical recommendations made by a team of doctors had failed to yield any results in this case. Dr. Valentina treated the child on the principles of Sahaja Yoga and the liver started to heal gradually. After a few weeks, the liver shrunk back to its normal size. Dr.Chugh’s pioneering work presents experimental evidence to show the beneficial effects of Sahaja Yoga on hypertension and bronchitis asthma. Using his work as significant reference, several strategies are underway in western countries to gain credibility for Sahaja Yoga within the scientific community. Further studies are being conducted on diabetes, cancer of the blood, kidney troubles and heart attacks.

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Introduction to Meditation Meditation is best understood as a state which you can achieve and not an activity to be performed. It is a state of consciousness into which we spontaneously enter as the Kundalini pierces through the Sahasrara. It is the “yoga” - the union with the Divine and the beginning of an altogether new awareness. It is this awareness that we must now sustain. However, in our busy distracting environment, this is not always easy. Our attention ("chitta") is easily distracted and tends to return to its old, familiar habits. Our attention needs to be strengthened and settled into its new seat at Sahasrara or Brahmanandra. To practice Sahaja Yoga all we have to do is to take our self realization and meditate regularly ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the evening. There are no do’s or don’ts – we don’t have to give up anything, it does not cost any money and can be practiced as we carry on with our daily life chores. With a little practice of Meditation for a few minutes, once or twice each day, it is not difficult to derive benefits in many areas of your life, particularly health. These come naturally as your nervous system develops more of its own inner qualities. After starting on our free course you should notice something within hours or days and not just after some weeks.

Just like watching television is very simple, but the engineering within the machine (TV) is extremely complex and a qualified engineer is needed to explain the technology behind its working, the working of Sahaja Yoga is very simple while the operation within is quite complex. Thus one needs appropriate guidance to attain Self Realization.

Let us now, try to understand Sahaja Yoga as a means to attain Self Realization. Let us begin with experiencing and enjoying the energy within us. Once we can feel this energy, it will become easier for us to understand the mechanism behind it.

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Experience it Now!

"It is everyone's right to achieve this state of one’s evolution and everything necessary is already inbuilt. But as I respect your freedom, you have to have the desire to achieve this state; it cannot be forced upon you!"

-- Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Sit with your back straight but comfortably. Taking off your shoes might also help since the Mother Earth sucks all negativity through our feet.

Place both your hands with palms upwards on your lap, look at Shri Mataji's picture and relax.

Say in your heart, with all your pure desire, "Mother, please give me my Self-Realization". Say this three times.

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Read through the following steps once and then repeat them with your eyes closed and deep, sincere desire in your heart.

1. Now put your left hand towards Shri Mataji’s picture and right hand on your heart. With complete conviction and love, say, “Mother, I am neither this body, nor the mind; I am just a pure spirit.”

2. Now put the right hand on the left side of your neck and say “Mother, I’m not guilty. A spirit can never do anything wrong and I am the spirit, so how can I be guilty!”

3. Next, put your hand on your forehead and press the both the temples (as we do when we have a headache) and say, “Mother I forgive everyone completely. But first and foremost I forgive myself!” You do not need to remember any particular person or incident – just forgive everyone completely, including yourself.

4. Now put your hand at the back of your head and raise the head towards the sky. For your own satisfaction say, “Mother if knowingly or unknowingly, I have committed any mistake against the almighty, please forgive me.”

5. Now, stretch out your right palm and put your put your hand on the center of your head (The fontanelle bone area or the Taloo). Rotate your hand in a clockwise direction 7 times, pressing hard enough to rotate the skin on your scalp. Repeat in all sincerity, with each rotation, “Mother, please give me my Self Realization”

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After the end of the meditation, see if you are feeling relaxed and if your thoughts have slowed down or gradually disappeared. This is the first stage of meditation - thoughtless awareness - where you are fully alert but without any thoughts, in a state of pure and peaceful consciousness.

Now see if you can feel a sensation of a gentle cool breeze in your palms and above your head. It might be warm in the beginning which is a sign that your Kundalini energy is purifying your chakras, but it will eventually cool down. You can verify it by placing your left palm 6-12 inches above your head, then trying with the right palm.

If you are unable to feel it, you have probably not forgiven everyone. Say again from your heart, "Mother, I forgive everyone" a few times and check again if you feel the cool breeze above your head.

This is the beginning of a fantastic journey into your own spiritual existence. It is a door opened to a new dimension of your awareness, which you can open and explore. I f sustained through regular meditation, you will be able to feel your subtle centers (chakras) as well as the chakras of others on your fingertips, and correct them using your spiritual energy (Kundalini).

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Daily Meditation

In a clean, quiet place, set Shri Mataji’s picture with a candle before it.

Sitting directly on the Mother Earth is ideal.

Sit comfortably with hands open relaxed on your lap, palms upward. Keep your attention loose; see what sensations (i.e. tingling, numbness, slight heat) you may feel in your fingers or in the location of your body at the location of the Chakras. These sensations tell you where the blockages are in your Chakras. After some time these sensations will disappear, and you will start to feel coolness in your hands. This means that the Chakras have cleared and that some strands of Kundalini have risen unimpeded.

Sometimes you may feel Cool Breeze at first, and then heat in the hands and the body. This happens as the Kundalini starts to burn away the impurities that are clogging the Chakras, and is a good sign.

Balancing :

1. If the heat is more in the left hand and also you do not feel vibrations on the left hand, put that hand towards Shri Mataji’s photograph and the right hand palm down on the Mother Earth.

2. Also you can hold the left hand towards a flame of a candle, palm upwards and very near the flame (not so near that the finger gets burnt) and the right hand on the Mother Earth.

Balancing Right Balancing Left

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3. If the right hand is hot / warm or no vibrations are coming, put that hand towards Shri Mataji’s picture and left hand palm facing upwards towards the sky.

4. Finally if you are disturbed by thought or mental activity, do not fight them. Just witness your thoughts and let them go. Gradually you will find yourself in thoughtless awareness, without any effort.

Breathing in/out will be equal, quiet and slow. Keep the attention on the top of your head. Slowly close the eyes. Enjoy the bliss of meditation.

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Raising Kundalini

"Now raise your Kundalini slowly, very slowly, raise it the first time, you have to do it very slowly. Now push back your head and give it a knot, one knot. Second one, let's do it very slowly and knowing what you are, you are a Saint. Do it properly, not in a haste. Push back your head and give it two knots there, one and two. Now let's do the other one. Again the third one you have to give three knots. Very slowly do it. Very slowly. Now do it properly. Now push back your head. Now give it third knot. Three times. Now see your vibrations..."

- H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Place the left hand in front of your lower abdomen, palm facing the body

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Raise the left hand up slowly, moving from the base of your torso to the top of your head. While the left hand is rising, the right hand rotates around it clockwise, (up from within, and then down)until both hands are above the head.

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Then use both hands to tie a knot

Repeat this three times, once for each channel. The second time, tie the knot two times. The third time, tie the knot three times

"Kundalini cures you, she improves you, she bestows all the blissful things upon you. She takes you away from the worries of the grosser level."

- H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Self Realization is the awakening of the Kundalini through the central channel, piercing through the six chakras above the sacrum bone and emerging at the top of the head (fontanelle bone area) as a gentle "fountain" of coolness. The word fontanelle itself means "little fountain" which shows again the ancient knowledge about this phenomenon of Self Realization.

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Putting Yourself In Bandhan

A bandhan protects us and balances the energy in the left and right channels. It is helpful to put yourself in bandhan before and after meditation.

Hold the left hand out on your lap, palm upwards. Place your right hand over your left hip (A)

And slowly raise your right hand over your head and down the right side of your body. (B)

Then raise the right hand up the right channel, over your head where the kundalini is flowing, and down the left side.(C)

This is one bandhan. Repeat this seven times, once for each chakra. It is helpful to put yourself in bandhan before and after meditation. Give yourself a bandhan before and after getting in a car, playing sport, going to sleep, shopping, or anytime. It is very strong and comforting.

"So now let give ourselves a nice bandhan. In the Bandhan of Mother let us move our left to right. One. Nicely. Understand what you are. What are your auras. Now again second. Now the third one. Now the fourth one. Now the fifth. Now the sixth one. And now the seventh."

--H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

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Cleansing Technique: Foot-Soaking

When the day is over (also anytime), relax by soaking your feet in salt water while meditating. This technique relieves the body of stress and allows for a peaceful and relaxed night's rest.

Ø Light a candle in front of Shri Mataji's photograph. In addition you can also burn some incense.

Ø Sit comfortably, on a chair, facing Shri Mataji’s photograph. Ø Keep a basin / tub of water near your feet – add a handful of salt to it. Ø Raise your Kundalini, and put your self in bandhan. Ø The water should reach your ankles. Place your feet in the salt water. Ø Meditate for 10 to 15 minutes. Ø Rinse and dry your feet. Ø Flush the water down the toilet. Try not to look directly in the bucket before flushing. Ø Don’t use the foot-soak bucket for any other purpose.

Foot Soaking is best done in the evening. In this technique we use all the elements --- fire (with the candle), air, water and earth (with the salt). The element of water rinses away, and salt (earth element) sucks or absorbs away negativity. Vibrations are the key to helping these processes work.

If you have a hot right channel or have heat in your right hand (right-sided), you can experiment with using cool, cold or even ice water.

if you have a cold left channel or tingles and blockages indicated in the left hand(left-sided), you can use warm or hot water.

For the center channel, use ordinary water.

One needs to experiment to find the most suitable for oneself. Amounts of physical, mental, and emotional energy used during the day and also the environment or Seasons may affect this.

Foot Soaking in a river, lake or sea is be very beneficial. Walking barefoot on Mother Earth and pouring water over your feet will also help to clear your subtle system. In addition walking barefoot in the morning dew is of great help. Sometimes having a full salt bath followed by a short shower, can be just the right thing.

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Learning More about our Subtle System – The 7 Chakras

1. The Mooladhara Chakra The first chakra is situated below the sacrum bone in which resides the Kundalini. Its main aspect is the innocence. Innocence is the quality by which we experience pure, childlike joy, without the limitations of prejudice or conditionings. Innocence gives us dignity, balance, and a tremendous sense of direction and purpose in life. It is nothing but simplicity, purity and joy. It is the inner wisdom that is ever present in the little children, and gets sometimes clouded by our modern lifestyles. But it is a quality, which exists eternally within us and cannot be destroyed, waiting to be manifested as pure joy when the Kundalini rises. Affirmations: Ø Center Mooladhar: O Divine Mother, please make me innocent. Please give me

wisdom and discrimination. Ø Left Mooladhar: O Divine Mother, by Your Grace, I am the powerful innocence of a

child. Ø Right Mooladhar: O Divine Mother, truly, You are the destroyer of all false knowledge.

2. Swadishthan Chakra The second chakra is the chakra of creativity, pure attention and pure knowledge. It is the one which connects us to the inner source of inspiration, and enables us to experience the beauty around us. The pure knowledge given by this chakra is not mental, but it is direct perception of the Reality, that can be felt in our palms and indicates our subtle blockages. Also this is the center of pure, steady attention and power of concentration. On the physical level it looks after our liver, kidneys, and the lower abdomen. When we think too much, this center gets drained of energy and diseases like diabetes or blood cancer can occur when this chakra goes completely out of balance.

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Affirmations: Ø Center Swadishthan: O Divine Mother, please give me the pure knowledge Ø Left Swadishthan: O Divine Mother, by Your grace, I am the pure knowledge of the

Divine that acts Ø Right Swadishthan: Divine Mother, please take away all my thoughts and worries and

give me the inner peace. Mother I do nothing. Verily You are the doer and You are the enjoyer.

3. Nabhi Chakra The third chakra is the one that gives us the sense of generosity, complete satisfaction and contentment. On the left side, the main quality of this center is peace - clearing this chakra can relieve stress and tensions. On the right side, it looks after our liver which is the organ of our attention and power of concentration. When enlightened by the Kundalini, the Nabhi chakra gives us our spiritual ascent, righteousness and inner sense of morality, and complete balance at all levels in our life. Affirmations: Ø Center Nabhi: O Divine Mother, please make me satisfied Ø Left Nabhi: O Divine Mother, by Your grace, I am satisfied and peaceful. O Divine

Mother ,by Your grace, I am a generous person. Ø Right Nabhi: O Divine Mother, Verily You are the royal dignity within me. You are the

peace and contentment within me. Verily You solve my money/family worries and take care of my well-being.

The Void Surrounding the second and the third chakra is the Void which stands for the principle of mastery (guru principle) within us. In many spiritual traditions, this area is the "ocean of illusions" that needs to be crossed with the help of a spiritual guide. When the Kundalini is awakened and passes through the Void, this principle of mastery is established within us. Thus, as Shri Mataji says, in Sahaja Yoga you become your own guru, your own spiritual guide since you can feel on your fingertips all your subtle problems and have the power to cure them using your own Kundalini. Moreover, establishing this center helps us get rid of all our habits, laziness, gross attachments, and everything that enslaves us in a way or another: we become our own master. Following false "gurus" who are more interested in power tricks or your purse can damage very much the Void area. But after Self Realization, everything can be cured through the purifying power of the Kundalini in meditation. Affirmations: Ø Center: O Divine Mother, Please make me my own master.

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Ø Left: O Divine Mother, am I my own guru/master? O Divine Mother, by Your grace, I am my own guru/master. O Divine Mother, by Your grace, as I am the pure knowledge, I am my own guru.

Ø Right: O Divine Mother, verily You are my Guru/Master.

4. The Heart Chakra or Anahat Chakra The fourth chakra, the chakra of the heart, is the place where resides our Spirit, our true Self, which is eternally pure and unaffected by anything, like a shining diamond hidden within us which witnesses all our actions. After Self Realization, our attention becomes for the first time connected to our Spirit and we gradually become aware of it. Our misidentifications with our ego or conditionings drop and we start becoming identified with our Spirit, which is our true nature. On the physical level, this chakra looks after our heart and lungs - if affected it can cause asthma or various heart conditions. It is from our heart that the compassion and love manifests, and also the heart chakra is the one that gives us the sense of responsibility and pure behaviour towards others. The heart chakra manifests in the center (at the level of the sternum bone) as complete security and confidence. All our worries, doubts and fears are destroyed when the heart chakra is fully enlightened by the Kundalini. Affirmations: Ø Center: O Divine Mother, please fill my heart with pure love and compassion. Please

make me fearless and confident. Ø Left: O Divine Mother, By Your Grace, I am just a pure Spirit. I am not this body, I am

not this mind, I am not this intellect, I am not this ego or super-ego, but By Your Grace, O Mother, I am the Spirit. Please forgive me for any mistake if I have committed against the Spirit.

Ø Right: O Divine Mother, Verily You are the sense of responsibility within me. You are the boundaries of good conduct and the benevolence of a loving father.

5. Vishuddhi Chakra The fifth chakra is the chakra of diplomacy, of pure relationships with others, and of playful detachment. It removes all our guilts and remorses when it is opened by the Kundalini, and gives us a kind and compassionate voice. The tendencies to dominate others or to feel dominated by others, the feelings of superiority or inferiority and all jealousies are removed when this chakra is nourished by the Kundalini. Also, the Vishuddhi is the chakra which gives us the connection with the whole, enabling us to feel our oneness and the fact that we are all part and parcel of the whole. Affirmations:

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Ø Center: O Divine Mother, please make me a detached witness. Please make me a part and parcel of the whole.

Ø Left: O Divine Mother, I am not guilty at all. Since I am just a pure Spirit, how can I be guilty?

Ø Right: O Divine Mother, please take away my aggression and dominance. Please give me a sweet voice. Please make me collective. O Divine Mother, verily You are the sweet countenance of my words and deeds.

6. The Agnya Chakra The sixth chakra is the chakra of forgiveness and compassion. Forgiveness is the power to let go of anger, hatred and resentment and to discover, in humility, the nobility and generosity of the Spirit. It is the one that dissolves all our ego, conditionings, habits, false ideas of racialism, and all our misidentifications. It is the narrow gate which opens the way for our consciousness to ascend to its final destination, which is the seventh center. Roving eyes, watching impure things, or self-centeredness damage this chakra. Watching the sky, earth or nature can help cleanse it. Affirmations: Center: O Divine Mother, please make me forgiving and sacrificing. Left: O Divine Mother, By Your Grace, I forgive myself. Please forgive me for any mistake if I have committed against the Divine, knowingly or unknowingly. Right: O Divine Mother, I forgive everyone and I forgive myself. O Divine Mother, Please keep me in Your attention.

7. The Sahasrara Chakra The seventh center integrates all the chakras with their respective qualities. It is the last milestone of the evolution of human awareness.

Nowadays, we are at a level which corresponds to this chakra, and our consciousness is able to easily enter into this new realm of perception, which is beyond our limited mind and concepts, and which becomes absolute at the level of the Sahasrara.

This chakra gives us the direct, absolute perception of Reality on our central nervous system.

This is precisely what is achieved by Self Realization, through the spontaneous awakening of the Kundalini given by Sahaja Yoga. Affirmations: Ø Center: O Divine Mother, please establish my Self-Realization. Ø Left: O Divine Mother, By Your Grace, I am protected from all the challenges to my

ascent and I will be victorious over all the challenges to my ascent. Ø Right: O Divine Mother, Verily You are the victory over all the challenges to ascent.

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Checking & Giving Vibrations

Subtle System Chakra Body Location

7. Sahasrara Top of the Head

6. Agnya Forehead

5. Vishuddhi Collarbone

4. Anahata Sternum Bone

3. Nabhi Belly Button

2.Swadisthana Belt Buckle

1. Mooladhara Tail Bone

Physically, you may at first feel some heat or tingling in your fingers or in your body. This indicates in a very precise way which chakras are blocked. This can be cleared in various ways:

Ø With a bandhan to the finger that is tingling Ø By taking the affirmation of the specific chakra Ø By placing the right hand on the corresponding place in the body (for example, on the

forehead for right Agnya chakra).

The Subtle System has three channels and seven chakras that are located along the spine. We can learn how to discover imbalances and 'catches' in our subtle system and cure them through giving vibrations.

Check your fingers by seeing if one is tingling, hot, or heavy. Find the number on the hand, and match the number with the body area above. Now put your left hand open. Now put your right hand to the area of your body that you have discovered. Move your hand in a clockwise circle, always down to your left. Move your hand for one minute and stop. See now if that heavy, hot, or tingling feeling is gone and has been replaced with a cool sensation.

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Tracking your Growth

Name: ____________

Date: ____________

Raise your Kundalini and give yourself a bandhan. Sit comfortably with your palms upward toward Shri Mataji’s photograph. See if you begin to feel tingling, coolness, heat, heaviness, lightness, pleasant or painful sensations, or a wind within or around your fingers and hands. It is also helpful to check for cool or hot vibrations above your head with your hands as well. Record and mark these signal sensations on the ‘Before’ pair of hands below.

Decode these sensations by using the subtle system chart. Check off which chakras, areas, and channels that are indicated on your left and right hands. Balance and/or give vibrations to these chakras, areas, and channels through some of the suggested treatments below. Then check the vibrations on your hands again. Record your signal sensations on the ‘After’ pair of hands below. Note the changes in your vibrations, and emotional, mental, and spiritual state.

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Before After

Left Right Left Right

Description:

Description:

Chakra ? Sahasrara ? Agnya ? Vishuddhi ? Anahata

Hand

O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right

Chakra ? Void (Area) ? Nabhi ? Swadisthan ? Mooladhara

Hand

O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right

Chakra ? Sahasrara ? Agnya ? Vishuddhi ? Anahata

Hand

O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right O LeftSO Right

Chakra ? Void (Area) ? Nabhi ? Swadisthan ? Mooladhara

Hand

O Left.O Right O Left.O Right O Left.O Right O Left.O Right

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Self Help Questionnaire 1. Please mark the fingers on which you have any sensations during meditation and/or any other time, such as tingling, cool, hot, warm feeling, prickling etc.

Left Hand Right Hand

2. Please describe any sensations anywhere else in the body (head, legs, arms, feet, etc.) _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. You meditate?

Every Day 2-3 Times a week

Once a week Few times a month

4. You use balancing technique?

Every Day 2-3 Times a week

Once a week Few times a month

5. You use foot soak treatment?

Every Day 2-3 Times a week

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Once a week Few times a month

Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

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Sahaja Yoga Centre address

Day & Time Contact Ph No

Parsi High School, Near Chenoy, Trade Centre, Park Lane, Secunderabad. Sunday - 11 AM 27844855, 27802473

Annapurna Human Resource Association Hall, Behind Over Head waterTank, Andhra Bank Lane. Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar.

Sunday - 5PM 27157038, 23814938

Secretariat Campus, 2nd floor, K.Block, Saifabad, Hyderabad

Monday - 1 PM 23341645, 27620343

Adarsh Convent School, Opp. Linga Plaza, Karkhana, Vasavi Nagar, Secunderabad. Monday - 6.30 PM 27220489, 27974484

DAE Sports Club, DAE Colony, ECIL ‘X’ Roads, Hyderabad. Tuesday - 6.30 PM 27226460, 27223690

Saradhi School, beside Suprabath hotel, Habsiguda Wednesday - 6.30PM 27157038, 27173725

Amaravathi High School, Sri Krishna Nagar, Yousufguda, Hyderabad. Thursday - 6.30P M 23542623, 23543188

National High School, R K Nagar, Malkajgiri, Secunderabad. Friday - 6.30PM 27240965, 27061885

Meditation Hall, Vivekananda Nagar colony, Kukatpally, Hyderabad. Friday - 6.30PM 23058414,

Siddhartha Model School, Vanastalipuram, Hyderabad. Friday - 6.30PM 24125270 ( Radha Krishna Murthy)

Hindi Maha Vidyalaya, O.U. Road, Vidyanagar, Hyderabad. Saturday- 6.30 PM 27152521, 27150714, 27401589,

55616298 Ganesh Mandapam, Jagat Giri Gutta, Hyderabad. Monday - 6.30 PM 27869742

Mahila Samajam Community Hall, Opp. Chief Engineer’s Office, PR Erramanzil Colony, Hyderabad.

Sunday - 6.30 PM 5528531, 9246104691

A.P. Housing Board, Opp. Gandhi Bhavan, Nampally, Hyderabad. Thursday - 1.00 PM 27620343, 23341645

Bharath Gunavrdhak Samstha, Opp. Sudha Talkies, Sha Ali Banda, Hyderabad.

Sunday - 11 AM 24413278, 24521375

Shopping complex, beside BHEL POST Office, Near Community Center, BHEL Township, Hyderabad.

Monday – 6.30 PM 23022500

Auditorium, State Arts Gallery, Hitech City, Near Police Station Friday – 7 PM 9866306303 (Sarita) ,

9393020042 (Jitesh) Vinay Nagar Community Hall, Santosh Nagar X Rds, I.S. Sadan. Sunday - 6.00 PM 24530121

Behind Sai Baba Temple Road, SainathaPuram, Sri Ramakrishna Vidyaniketan School, A.S. Rao Nagar.

Sunday – 4.00 PM 27226460, 27220489

Community Hall, Central Government Employees Colony, APSRTC, Opp. Bus Depot Building Unit, Miyapur.

Sunday – 6.30 PM 23044170

Oxford Grammar School, Sikh Village. Sunday – 6.30 PM 27756754 (PP) Shri Venus Public School, Nirmal Sadan, Kothapeta Rhythu Bazar, R.K. Puram X Roads, Saroornagar.

Sunday – 5.30 PM 24033597

Padigayya High School, near Apna Bazar, Sithaphalmandi Sunday – 6.30 PM 27620343

Nirmal Kutiramu, 7-70/48, Maheshwarinagar, Road No.8, Habsiguda Thursday – 7.00 PM 27152521

Appendix Sahaja Yoga Centre Addresses, Hyderabad & Secunderabad