The Story of Sahaja Yoga and Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

The ancient land of India. A land once divided by waring kings and princes. A land troubled by centuries of the occupation of foreign powers. Until in the middle of the twentieth century, India achieved independence and freedom from those that had ruled Her for 300 years. Despite all their differences of language and religion, Indians became united in their efforts to be rid of this foreign rule, through the courage and determination of one man, Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi challenged the might of the British Empire, not with guns but with non-violence, with passive resistance with his unshakable belief in the people’s right to be their own masters. Another of India’s great leaders of that time, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, proclaimed to a British Court on his arrest: “Freedom is my birth right.” By 1942, the Indian people saw that their freedom was at last possible and their British rulers began to fear it. The slogan “Quit India” was soon to be found all over the country. Five years later, India achieved Her birthright of freedom. One of the young leaders of this campaign for political freedom was a medical student, now known as Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. Who has since that time, dedicated her life to another kind of freedom. The freedom of the spirit, through self-realization and the practice of Sahaja Yoga. “It’s your birthright as a human being to become the spirit. That is what Sahaja Yoga is. ‘Saha’ means ‘with’ and ‘ja’ is born. Born with you is the right to get this yoga is the union with the Divine. It’s your birthright as a human being. You are as I told you, at the epitome of evolution. And it has to work out. But please open your hearts and open your minds.” For thousands of years, India, the great land of the spirit, awaited the fulfillment of its ancient prophecies. The unique experience of self-realization takes place when the primordial energy called Kundalini, is correctly awakened by someone who has already experienced and mastered their own self-realization. Shri Mataji has explained that the Kundalini is the power of our spiritual ascent, found in the triangular bone, at the base of the spine, called Sacrum by the Greeks. It is the power of our pure desire. When awakened, the Kundalini rises spontaneously through six subtle centers called chakras. The Kundalini then emerges through the fontanelle bone area at the top of the head, emitting a cool breeze that can be felt there as well as on the hands. In Her desire to offer self-realization to mankind through Sahaja Yoga, Shri Mataji constantly traveled the world. “I’m not here to take anything from you. Nor for a vote from you. I am not a politician. I am here to give you the key to your own wealth.” “There is a big inner revolution that is coming up, which is silent, joyous and is going to change the whole humanity.” “This was the dream of Lenin, who was a realized soul, himself. That he wanted to have stateless state and realized people don’t need any state. You are just there.” “So, you see, we have to understand, that life has to be enjoyable.” “Hello, how are you?” “Look after yourself. I’m coming next year.” “Those who have felt, cool breeze in their hands or from their head, please raise both hands please.” “So many! May God bless you.” Shri Mataji was born in 1923 in the very center of India, near the town of Nagpur, in the state of Maharastra. “Actually, I was born like this, in a very enlightened family, I should say. My father, a very enlightened man and he was member of the assembly, Central Assembly. He was a member of the constitution, constituent assembly of parliament. My mother was an honours of mathematics and my father was a scholar of …. Very much.” It was her father who took her to see Gandhi. When Shri Mataji was a young girl, Gandhi recognized something unique in her and suggested that the child spend some time with him at the ashram where she became a frequent visitor over the years. Living abroad and travelling so much, allowed Shri Mataji little time at her home in India, but the travelling did not stop. She regularly toured this vast country, reaching out to the people in the crowded cities as well as country villages. At the end of the 90’s, the crowded who came to her programs, numbered in their thousands. But when Shri Mataji started teaching Sahaja Yoga in India back in 1970, it was only a mere handful of people. With the initial 12 people who achieved their self-realization, Shri Mataji was able to establish Sahaja Yoga in India. Then in 1973, Shri Mataji went to live in London. Her husband Mister, now, Sir CP Srivastava had been elected Sectrary General of the International Maritime Organization. An agency of United Nations. This brought Shri Mataji into the world of International Diplomacy. But, in the midst of her life, as a wife a diplomat, then a mother of two children and then a grandmother, Shri Mataji has devoted all her efforts to giving Self-realization and bringing Sahaja Yoga to very confused societies desperate for change. One of the effects of Kundalini awakening through Sahaja Yoga has been to help people with all kinds of serious addictions such as drugs and alcohol and illnesses such as diabetes and cancer. Impressive results have attracted the attention of the medical profession around the world. Dr. David Spiro, is a general practitioner in London who has studied the application of Sahaja Yoga as a form of treatment for several years, and who has seen many cures for a variety of problems and a marked increase in the general good health and well-being of people who practice Sahaja Yoga. “I have been involved with Sahaja Yoga, the work of Shri Mataji for about the past 10 years. In India, there’s been some scientific studies which have shown the physiological effects of Sahaja Yoga as a form of meditation and some other studies on two particular illnesses asthma and hypertension which have shown very interesting results. They have shown for example, much larger drops in blood pressure than that have ever been demonstrated before by any other form of relaxation or meditation. People around the world have been finding that the awakening of the Kundalini, through the practice of Sahaja Yoga, have helped to solve a wide variety of problems of all kinds. Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, Sahaja Yoga is being practiced in some 70 countries. “They have all combined together, integrated together, so peaceful. And they have lost all these conditionings, their man made boundaries of nations and man made ideologies. It opens out waves to everybody. The way there are so many political changes, taking place, so dramatically and so fast. One should expect a very beautiful world.”