COME MEDITATE IN CONNECTICUT
The Way to Self-Realisation – the Knowledge of the Spirit
To Be Born Twice
This post about the meaning of Eastern in a Sahaja context was written by Ioana
Some Christians (the Orthodox for example) celebrate Easter this coming Sunday and in some of these Christian traditions the eggs are boiled and painted in a variety of colours and on Easter Sunday the meals start by knocking and breaking the coloured eggs and this custom is done with the loud announcement : “Jesus Christ is risen!”. There is almost like a “contest” of knocking eggs and who breaks the most eggs that belong to others is declared “the winner”. While exploring more on this theme: “Easter Eggs – Traditions and Symbolism” one can see that it’s always about life and death or while going even deeper in the pagan traditions the egg is associated with the spring fertility rituals. So let’s start sharing the Sahaja perspective on this interesting theme, by diving into the pure and sacred knowledge related to the Tree of Life that lies within us, where the chakras (the subtle energy centers) are the fruits that nurture our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual layers of our being.
Actually the 6th energy centre, Agnya chakra, known as The Third Eye, according to the Sahaja knowledge about the subtle system of energy channels and centers resonates to Jesus Christ and we all are familiar with his declaration: “I am the door to …“.
Imagine that this centre actually represents the small door towards the realm of Sahasrara (7th) Chakra – the lotus with 1000 petals, where the true yoga (union) takes place, where the microcosm and macrocosm become one and the seeker becomes whole, integrated, realized, awakened, balanced and by this, the seeker has indeed access to “the kingdom of God”.
Those that have a subtle connection with Jesus – so they are Christians inwardly, genuinely, within their subtle system by having Agnya chakra in a pure / open state – will allow to their own motherly Kundalini energy to complete its journey from the sacrum bone (underneath Mooladhara chakra) till the Fontanelle bone area (“fontanelle ” literally means “small fountain” in Italian – > transparent symbol for the fountain of rebirth or eternal youth filled with the water of life).
In this way, Kundalini will spontaneously ‘break free’ through the top of the head (egg?! see the image above) and while in meditation one will enjoy that beautiful feeling of bliss and connection as a liberation from stress, anxiety and mundane worries. One indeed may experience the reality of the sahaja knowledge described below in simple words … understanding as well the symbolism of the Easter Egg.
“I wonder how many Christians know the significance of an egg. Now egg signifies a stage where you are, before Realization. When you are in your egg-shell that you are Mr X, you are Mrs Y. But, when you mature fully inside, the bird is ready and that is the time you are hatched. This is the time you get twice-born. So, the Resurrection of Christ signifies that, and that’s why we give that egg to people, saying ‘you are that’.. an egg, a reminder of that. And this egg can become a Spirit. “ said Shri Mataji , Eastern 1982, London
Quote Of The Day
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
~ Carl Gustav Jung
Words Of Wisdom
“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
Lao Tse
How To Become A Real Yogi (Including a 10-Minutes-Meditation)
Nowadays we have come to associate yoga with images of knotted limbs and uncomfortable positions with the aim to make our body fit and healthy. But do these practices really achieve yoga? Where are all these stretches and exercises supposed to lead? What does “yoga” really mean? Can we really achieve “yoga”? Can we become a true “yogi”?
The word ‘yoga’ comes from Sanskrit and means ‘union’. It is similar to the word ‘religion’ in its Latin root (religio) which means ‘re-connection’. In all countries and cultures there was this mystic knowledge about a power beyond our comprehension, an acting power, the power of creation. And although our individual spiritual journeys start out in different places – we all have different life experiences and have grown up in different traditions – we essentially move towards the same place and the same condition: to re-connect with this One Power.
But that was never an easy task to achieve, especially for a normal social person because 1) only the awakening of the Inner Energy could make this connection possible and 2) to allow this energy to rise first the inner subtle system had to be cleared. So this state could be achieved only by a few who ventured to the Himalayas, or to a monastery leading a very austere and strict life and clearing themselves relentlessly. One way was the yoga exercises to try to open up the energy centers. Rumi described the purification process poetically:
“Purify your eyes, and see the pure world.
Your life will fill with radiant forms.”
Only when all the energy centers of the subtle body were completely purified would the Inner Energy rise from the Sacrum Bone along the spine and pierce the top of the head to unite the person with the All-Pervading Power. In this union a person would receive the full enlightenment.
We all know the story of Buddha, and we might have read the words of Jesus who said that we have to be born twice, once in the flesh and then in the
spirit.
It was the big vision of Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Meditation, to find a way to awaken this Inner Energy in the ‘normal human being’ because she thought that if this inner light could be given to each person then they themselves would see their own problems and would be able to solve them, without depending on others. Thus they would become their own masters, or their own guru, knowing for themselves about their own qualities and strengths and also what they need and where to improve. She knew if that could be done and many people could receive this Inner Awakening the world could be transformed into a beautiful place where social behavior would be based on benevolence and compassion rather than greed and aggressiveness, and life could be enjoyed to the fullest.
On the fifth of May in 1970 she found a way, at last, of turning the enlightenment process around. This process now allows the Inner Energy to be awakened as we are, before there has been any work of purification. Thus, only a few strands of this energy are able to rise through our mostly blocked energy centers. But even these few strands are already capable of connecting us with the All-Pervading Power and we start feeling a new awareness that expresses itself in a cool breeze in our hands and over the head. Then these energy strands go back into our subtle body and start purifying our energy centers. So what before could only be achieved through a tremendous effort of asceticism and austerity has now become effortless – as this energy would do all this work for us – we only need to let it happen. The more we meditate, the more strands of this energy can rise and we increasingly start feeling its pleasant and soothing effect on our energy centers. With time we will feel lighter and lighter, and we will realize that even deep-seated problems just dissolve and disappear.
Meditation means nothing else than allowing this Inner Energy to work in us and letting the All-pervading Power provide us with everything that we need. Focusing on the top of the head (where our connection is happening) we become thoughtless, supporting our Inner Energy with our inner silence. In this state we are truly in yoga. That is when we can call ourselves as being ‘a yogi’.
A 10-Minutes-Meditation for Balancing the Left and Right Channel
This meditation is an easy way to help balancing our emotional, mental and physical state
- Awaken your Inner Energy:
Here is a guided meditation (approx. 10 Min.) to awaken your Inner Energy by the founder of Sahaja Meditation, Shri Mataji. If you went through it already skip step 1). When your Inner Energy is activated it will stay so, there is no need to repeat the affirmations (although you can do so if you like).
- At the beginning and the end of each meditation we do what we call “raising the energy” and give ourselves “a shield of protection”.
Here is a nice animation how to do it: charlie.swf
You can also find a detailed description in our Meditation Tips on page 4 and 5: Meditation Tips - The following guided meditation is about 10 minutes long, at the end the music goes on for about 3 more minutes if you like to meditate longer
I wish you a wonderful week, enjoying your own Inner Energy!
Yours, Angi
The Art of Not Getting Angry
Who was not once in a while in a situation where anger was rising up inside, and we had to keep on smiling, teeth-grinding? Maybe with a boss who threw back files (which cost a lot of over time for weeks) remarking he needs something different, and needs it ASAP. One option would be to throw the job (and the files as well) , into the next trash-bin, or to hit the next innocent substitute (i.e. a wall) or simply to gulp down any angry feelings and get a stomach ache. No matter what course of action we take, the end result is the same – we are the ones who are up-set and angry whereas the other one might feel very comfortable and happy.
So what to do? Ok, ok, I know, I am repeating myself, but really, it helps: meditate! 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the evening and you might become a real anger manager! To understand how it works let’s go deeper into the mysteries of the second energy center, the Svadisthan which is actually a very important energy center for us modern, planning and thinking people. If this center is in balance, anger will not visit us.
The Svadisthan
– center of pure knowledge, creativity, pure attention and intellectual perception
In our subtle body we use this center to be creative, to think and to plan. On the physical side, situated in the abdomen (the aortic plexus), this center provides certain organs with energy such as the liver, kidneys, uterus, spleen and pancreas.
The most important physical function of this center is that it breaks down fat particles in the abdomen to replace the grey and white cells in the brain, and so generates the energy which fuels our thinking. Excessive thinking and planning overworks this process, exhausts this center and creates heat. This heat shoots up along the right side into the left temple and into the ego, causing it to inflate into a balloon that blocks the central channel. The entire system is thrown off balance.
A tingling on the right thumb, or a sensation of warmth or heaviness indicates that this energy center is overworked with too much thinking and planning, producing excessive heat, thus creating stress feelings that might easily erupt in an angry outburst. So when our boss is asking us to work overtime, or work extra hard to finish something, we are very likely putting extra strain on this center. When this center is under strain, eruptions of anger can result!
How to keep cool
Regular Sahaja Meditation helps a lot to balance this center and keep inner peace, no matter the outside circumstances. Your boss might be yelling, but it won’t affect you!
In addition to the meditation you can cool down this center by putting an ice-pack on the right side of your abdomen.
We also recommend to do a foot-soak every day, best in the evening before you go to sleep as described in the Meditation Tips on page 6 (that you can combine with your 10-minutes-evening meditation).
And here it is – our special 10-minutes meditation to keeping calm in every situation
(sit wherever you like, the most important thing is to feel comfortable)
- Awaken your Inner Energy:
Here is a guided meditation (approx. 10 Min.) to awaken your Inner Energy by the founder of Sahaja Meditation, Shri Mataji. If you went through it already skip step 1). When your Inner Energy is activated it will stay so, there is no need to repeat the affirmations (although you can do so if you like).
. - At the beginning and the end of each meditation we do what we call “raising the energy” and give ourselves “a shield of protection”.
Here is a nice animation how to do it: charlie.swf
You can also find a detailed description in our Meditation Tips on page 4 and 5: Meditation Tips - Put your right hand on your head for some seconds, put the hand down again but keep focused on top of your head where your hand was.
- Balancing your Right Side (to allow the heat to escape):
With your right hand open in your lap, bend your left arm upward, with your left palm facing the back. You can ask your Inner Energy:
“Please remove all imbalances and heat of my right side”
Sit like that for several minutes and allow your Inner Energy to clear your right side 
Then put your left hand on the right side of your abdomen, the right hand on the lap, palm upwards. That will help particularly to cool down the center. Meditate like that for several minutes.
- After the 10 minutes hold your hand over your head and see if you feel vibrations coming out – it might feel like a cool breeze, sometimes also like a warm breeze, like a tingling, or simply “somehow different”.
- End the meditation again with ”raising the energy” and giving yourself ”a bhandan” (shield of protection).
If you meditate like this for some time you will find that you can keep a cool head in most situations, and react in a balanced way which at the end is beneficiary for everyone, most of all for yourself. You might even find yourself smiling with amusement where others might explode – it really happens!
I wish you a wonderful calm and anger free week!
Yours, Angi
In Memory Of Shri Mataji
Dear All,
yesterday, on February 23, exactly one year ago Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Meditation, passed away. In memory of her life and work I would like to share a short video about Shri Matajis life and what Claus Nobel, the nephew of the great Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize, said about her.
I hope you enjoy it!
Yours, Angi
Manchester, ReminderNews – An Article About the Sahaja Meditation Classes
Dear All,
here is a beautiful article about our Sahaja Meditation Class in Manchester. I hope you enjoy it.
Yours, Angi
remindernews.com
http://www.remindernews.com/article/2012/02/17/sahaja-yoga-is-catching-on-in-manchester
Sahaja Yoga is catching on in Manchester 
By Kyle Kernan – Staff Writer
Manchester – posted Fri., Feb. 17, 2012
Up the stairs at the Whiton Memorial Branch Library, 100 North Main St., in Manchester, on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., a transcendental experience awaits you through Sahaja Yoga. Tony O’Rourke, of New Haven, teaches the Sahaja meditation technique. The calm-mannered O’Rourke learned Sahaja Yoga while studying abroad in Russia in 1990, and has been practicing and teaching it ever since.
“It has had a profound effect on my psyche, I feel more calm and it has brought joy to my everyday life. I want other people to know about this and get exposed,” said Mike Kastellorizios, who is a graduate student at UConn in pharmaceuticals and has been practicing the yoga discipline for seven years.
The goal of the Sahaja is to shape one to be a moral, united, integrated and balanced person, according to Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, who created the Sahaja Yoga technique in India in 1970. Devi died about a year ago, but her technique and philosophy is catching on.
O’Rourke instructs his guests every Tuesday on how to awaken and raise their chakras, or energy levels. Chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit. Chakras are located throughout the body and denote different aspects of our being. For example, the Mooladhara (moo-la-dhara) Chakra is located on the lower center of one’s abdomen, the outside ring of one’s palm and at one’s knees.
According to the philosophy, when this chakra is awakened, it becomes a magnetic force within the human body and is the foundation of our channels. The awakening process of all channels balances one’s entire system and enlightens the pure qualities of the chakras within us. This awakening process is the Kundalini, or self realization, according to the Sahaja Yoga website at http://www.sahajayoga.org/.
Sahaja meditation is meant to be a collective process, as everyone’s energies feed off each other, says O’Rourke.
“No matter what you’re looking for, you will find something here,” said Alin Tomoroga, owner of Propaganda Tattoo Studio on Main Street in Manchester. Tomoroga regularly attends the Tuesday sessions and has been practicing Sahaja Yoga for four years.
O’Rourke leads the awakening process through a series of affirmations which are directed to each energy center. These affirmations are meant for the person to push away their sense of self and be in a state of thoughtless awareness. In this state, a person can recognize the energy within them. These affirmations include, “I forgive myself,” “I am not this mind,” “I am not this body,” and “I am not these emotions.” The main energy circuit of a person runs from their heads down to their lower abdomen, said O’Rourke. If an energy center is warm or in pain, then one can focus the attention on clearing the negative energy out.
The difficult part of the Sahaja meditation process is learning to be in the state of thoughtless awareness that is needed to be in tune with one’s chakras.
“It is not simple and it takes a while to master, but you really need to desire it [the state of thoughtless awareness] from your heart,” said Tomoroga.
O’Rourke makes it easier for new guests to feel their own energies by conducting an energy clearing workshop. As a person sits idly in a chair without thought, O’Rourke has someone else raise their energy.
“Through this technique, it makes you aware of the vibrations and energies of others. You begin to
understand how these different energy centers are linked to our personalities, and it gives you a better idea on how to relate to others,” said Angi O’Rourke, Tony’s wife.
Angi said she has experienced people with hot or tense energies, and this tells her that these people are
angry or in trouble.
“There is so much we do not understand about ourselves. Sahaja Yoga helps me see how unique we are
and the beauty that is in every human being. When I identify that someone’s energy might be negative, I can
focus on that person’s energy, and in minutes they seem to calm down,” said Angi O’Rourke.
Sahaja Yoga is practiced and sponsored by the Vishwa Nirmala Dharma, a non-profit foundation in more
than 90 countries worldwide, and it is catching on across Connecticut.
Devi believed that spirituality is something one should not pay for, thus O’Rourke makes the Sahaja Yoga sessions free to the public. “This technique helps us to better know ourselves. On a subtle level we are all just energy,” said Tomoroga.
To learn more, visit http://www.sahajayoga.org/default.asp, or visit the next Sahaja meditation session at the Whiton Memorial Branch Library on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m.
The Stars Are Our Ancestors
Sometimes we are so trapped in our day-to-day life and worries that we often forget to remember from where we came. Or maybe we have never really thought about it? Then sit back comfortably and look back along your family line – where does it begin? It’s not with our grand-grand-grand-parents, not with the first human beings, nor the apes or reptiles, nor the amoebas… our family line starts at the very beginning, the Big Bang. Out of nothing everything came into being. And first it was billions and trillions of molecules that later on gathered together, forming planets, galaxies, imploding, exploding, always on the move. The molecules of our bodies are as old as the universe itself, and they once flew through space together with all the other stars until they started to form earth.
If you think of it – how high was the probability that life could start to exist? Thousands and thousands of different factors were necessary to create life, and they all happened perfectly at the right time in the right way. Just to mention some of them – the right distance between earth and sun that was needed to create the atmosphere (if earth would have been closer or more far away there would be no life), all the processes of cooling down the planet to the right temperature, all the different elements that had to be brought together in a specific way under specific circumstances so that life could be created, and the fact that out of single cells at the very beginning this abundance of life forms was created… this all – according to universal timings – in the blink of an eye.
‘Ok, that’s all really interesting, but what has it to do with us and our lives?’ one may ask. Maybe just this one thing: if we can see with how much care everything has been created, how everything in nature has its own purpose and gives a balance to something else, then it might make us aware that our life is not meaningless. In fact, each and every one of us is a masterpiece of art, of a long line of evolutionary processes. A lot of work has been put into what we are today. And this evolution is still going on, inside of us.
Maybe if we can see how special we are then we can also see how special the other is. Maybe, if we understand how billions and billions of years were put into creating just this very body we have, it may allow us to see ourselves as well as the others in a new light, maybe with more respect, maybe with more awe. And maybe all this gives us a hint that life is far more than we are aware of, and that there is nothing without a meaning, nothing without a purpose.
And there is something more to read between the lines of history – at the beginning everything was pure energy and this energy formed matter. So what is this energy? Nobody could ever touch the life force but we know for certain that it is there – isn’t it? – because if it is gone there is also no life anymore. So who is this life force that is coming and going? We are by far much more than just a simple piece of meat that was somehow put together and is now walking through the world as a result of some totally coincidental chemical and physical phenomenons.
Maybe all the stress we feel sometimes, maybe all the depressions, all the anger and other negative feelings are just there because we have forgotten who we really are? Because we have forgotten that life itself is such a miracle? And each and everyone is a walking miracle?
“You cannot know the meaning of life until you are connected to the power that created you,” Shri Mataji has said.
It was one of Shri Matajis visions that we all come to know who we really are. She worked very hard to find a way how to connect people with the very life force and on May 5th, 1970 she succeeded. Since then she was giving this knowledge for free to as many as possible, awakening their own inner energy so that it can connect to the allpervading-power around us. And when we sit connected like this, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the evening, we will touch the mysteries of life inside ourselves… and that is the beginning of a very personal and unique journey to inside, to meet ourselves, that what we really are…
A 10-Minutes Meditation To Just Be…
(sit wherever you like, the most important thing is to feel comfortable)
- Awaken Your Inner Energy
Please note that the meditation will only work deeply when you have awakened your Inner Energy! This is done just once and takes about 10 minutes. Here is a guided meditation to awaken your Inner Energy by the founder of Sahaja Meditation, Shri Mataji. If you went through it already skip step 1). When your Inner Energy is activated it will stay so, there is no need to repeat the affirmations (although you can do so if you like).
- At the beginning and the end of each meditation we do what we call “raising the energy” and give ourselves “a shield of protection”.
- Here is a nice animation how to do it: http://sahajayogawa.com/flash/charlie.swf
You can also find a detailed description in our Meditation Tips on page 4 and 5: Meditation Tips - Put your right hand on your head for some seconds, put the hand down again but keep focused on the top of your head where your hand was.
- Sit still for about 10 minutes, hands palm upwards to let the energy flow freely through them, keep the focus on top of your head. If you find your mind wandering repeat step 3) as many times as it helps you to focus.
If you feel like it have some pleasant music.
In this time we allow our inner energy as well as the all-pervading power around to work on us – we do not need to do anything, just surrender to it. - After the 10 minutes hold your hand over your head and see if you feel vibrations coming out – it might feel like a cool breeze, sometimes also like a warm breeze, like a tingling, or simply “somehow different”.
- End the meditation again with ”raising the energy” and giving yourself ”a bhandan” (shield of protection).
- Enjoy yourself and everyone else!
I wish you a wonderful week and would love to hear your stories about your journey to inside!
Yours, Angi
Meditate Away Your Stress (including a 10-minutes-meditation for home)
Back to normal life again after the holidays? Missing the peace and relaxation? Feeling as if you cannot keep up with everything on your head? And then someone comes your way saying: hey, spend some more time (exactly that what we do not have) to meditate?
It is true, it might take 20 minutes more of your day’s schedule but it’s effects are priceless! Here is an interesting description what ‘stress’ really is:
Stress is the individual perception of losing control of his or her own life, a miss-match between expectation and reality. It is not the external events that are stressful but our perception of them. Thus stress may be viewed as an inner phenomena rather than an outer event.
Does it mean if we can change our perception we become more calm? Listen to what Brenin tells us how meditation helped him:
.
Now, if stress is something created inside ourselves then how can we un-create it? Here is a short film (about 7 minutes) from India explaining how stress is created through an imbalance in our subtle system and how Sahaja Meditation can help:
.
So, as we have learned now how stress is created by an imbalance in our subtle system, more precisely by an imbalance of either the left channel or the right channel we can easily counter it by just balancing these two channels. So here it is, our weekly meditation guide:
A 10-Minutes-Meditation on Balancing The Right and Left Channel
(sit wherever you like, the most important thing is to feel comfortable)
- Awaken Your Inner Energy
The meditation will only work when you have awakened your Inner Energy! Here is a guided meditation (approx. 20 Min.) to awaken your Inner Energy by the founder of Sahaja Meditation, Shri Mataji. If you went through it already skip step 1). This is done only once. When your Inner Energy is activated it will stay so, there is no need to repeat the affirmations (although you can do so if you like).
. - At the beginning and the end of each meditation we do what we call “raising the energy” and give ourselves “a shield of protection”.
Here is a nice animation how to do it: charlie.swf
You can also find a detailed description in our Meditation Tips on page 4 and 5: Meditation Tips - Put your right hand on your head for some seconds, put the hand down again but keep focused on top of your head where your hand was.
- Balancing your left side:
Put your right hand down towards the earth, keep the left hand open on your lap. You can ask your Inner Energy:
“Please remove all imbalances of my left side”
Sit like that for several minutes and allow your Inner Energy to clear your left side
Balancing your Right Side: With your right hand open in your lap, bend your left arm upward, with your left palm facing the back. You can ask your Inner Energy:
“Please remove all imbalances of my right side”
Sit like that for several minutes and allow your Inner Energy to clear your right side - Then keep both hands on your lap, palms upwards, keep the focus on top of your head.
If you feel like it have some pleasant music.
In this time we allow our inner energy as well as the all-pervading power around to work on us – we do not need to do anything, just surrender to it. - After the 10 minutes hold your hand over your head and see if you feel vibrations coming out – it might feel like a cool breeze, sometimes also like a warm breeze, like a tingling, or simply “somehow different”.
- End the meditation again with ”raising the energy” and giving yourself ”a bhandan” (shield of protection).
Here one small tip how to find out which side is in imbalance (you can only feel this when your Inner Energy is awakened as only with this awakening you become aware of – what we call – vibrations):
Hold out both your hands, palm upwards. Now feel if your hands are cool or warm. You might discover that there is a difference between both hands. If one hand is warm or hot it indicates that this is the side of the imbalance.
If your left hand is warm your left side is out of balance. That means that you may feel very emotional or depressed. If your right hand is warm of hot it tells that the right side is out of balance. That means that you might be overworked and stressed-out. If one or both hands are cool it means that the respective sides are in balance.
I wish you a peaceful and relaxed week and that in any stressful situation you can face it like a rock in a storm, calm and strong.
Yours, Angi
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COME MEDITATE IN CONNECTICUT 
