The body of scientific evidence for Sahaja Yoga has grown over the last few years:

• Asthma research. Dr Ramesh Manocha of the Natural Therapies Unit, Royal Hospital for Women, Australia and others set up a trial to study the effects of Sahaja Yoga meditation. In technical terms, a double blind, randomised controlled trial was conducted. A large group of severe asthma suffers was selected and two groups were established – one practicing Sahaja Yoga meditation and the other a popular relaxation technique. Checks were made at the beginning of the study and then again after 16 sessions of meditation. The study concluded that there are tangible benefits associated with practicing Sahaja Yoga meditation for sufferers of asthma. See (1) below.
• Hot flushes. Hot flushes are very common for women in menopause and are associated with flushed skin, feeling hot and sweating. A pilot study was set up with ten women enrolled for eight weeks of Sahaja Yoga meditation. Their symptoms were recorded before and after the eight weeks and the results were quite astonishing. All women experienced improvements and 90% of them established a 50% improvement while 60% experienced an improvement of 65-70%, which is typically seen in a hormone replacement therapy program! This study was also completed by Dr Ramesh Manocha – see (2) below.  See Sahaja Yoga Medical Research on hot flushes for more details.
• ADHD. Another study conducted at the Natural Therapies Unit in conjunction with the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK showed that Sahaja Yoga meditation can result in significant improvements in ADHD. Twenty six children with ADHD, who were aged between four and twelve, participated in a six week program of Sahaja Yoga Meditation in addition to their usual treatment (i.e. some of them were already receiving medication for ADHD) and these were compared to a control group who received no treatment. It was discovered that children who meditated experienced a significant reduction in attention problems, impulsiveness and hyperactivity, as compared to the control group. See (3) below.

This is just a small sample of studies that have demonstrated that Sahaja Yoga can be very effective in treating diseases without requiring the use of medicines.

References:

(1) Sahaja yoga in the management of moderate to severe asthma: a randomised controlled trial, R Manocha, G B Marks, P Kenchington, D Peters, C M Salome, Thorax 2002

(2) A Preliminary Study of Efficacy and Safety of Sahaja Yoga Meditation as a Treatment for Hot Flushes and Other Symptoms of the Perimenopause, Manocha, M, Semmar B, Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, in press.

(3) Sahaja Yoga Meditation as a Family Treatment Program for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children, Harrison, L., Rubia, K., Manocha, R., Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2003, 9 (4), 479-497

Tags: meditation, meditation research, sahaja yoga

These are some of the benefits of practicing Sahaja Yoga, after self-realisation has been experienced:

• A state called thoughtless awareness occurs in which one is very alert, but does not need to think, and which is very peaceful.
• One experiences states of great joy, and even bliss.
• As a result Sahaja Yoga is effective in treating stress-related problems
• It is possible to feel on one’s finger tips the state of one’s energy centres, or chakras. This is called vibratory awareness. As a result one does not need to operate on a mental level trying to work out what is wrong with oneself, but one can actually feel on the hands what one’s inner state is and then correct any imbalances through very simple techniques.
• In this way one becomes one’s own master, and is not reliant on others to provide spiritual guidance.
• Because the chakras control all our problems, whether spiritual, physical, emotional or mental, by cleansing the chakras through Sahaja Yoga we are able to rid ourselves of problems in these different areas.
• One becomes more balanced and more centred, avoiding the extremes of ego and lack of self-esteem.
• Meditation research has shown the benefit of practicing Sahaja Yoga for those with diseases such as epilepsy, asthma, hot flushes and ADHD.

Tags: meditation research, sahaja yoga

Tags: sahaja yoga, self-realisation

Welcome to the Sahaja Yoga in Australia site, and we hope that you find it useful. The purpose of this site is to familiarise you with Sahaja Yoga in Australia and Sahaja Yoga in general. You may know that we already have an Australian Sahaja Yoga site which we encourage you to visit, but this site will more conversational and interactive, and less formal.

Sahaja Yoga enables you to get in touch with your inner being through the awakening of a subtle energy within you known as kundalini. This energy exists in a potential, or dormant state at the base of the spine in the area known as the sacrum bone (the Greeks knew there was something special about this). When it is awakened it rises through 6 energy centres known as chakras, awakening the qualities of these centres. For example, when it crosses through the Swadisthan chakra (the second energy centre from the base of the spine) it awakens the qualities of creativity and pure knowledge in that centre.

In addition, a state known in Sahaja Yoga as thoughtless awareness is entered into, resulting in a true meditative state where one does not need to think and one is released from the chains of thought which plague us so much and which are such a major source of stress in modern society.

One also becomes aware of one’s inner nature through a state called vibratory awareness where one is able to discern the state of one’s energy centres through sensations on the hands.

This whole process is known as self-realisation and has been pursued by seekers for many thousands of years. In the past seekers would retire from the world and try to gain mastery over themselves, hoping that they would achieve this state. We are in the very fortunate situation today that this is no longer necessary, and that self-realisation can be achieved in a few minutes. This does not mean that all the energy centres are purified overnight. Through vibratory awareness, which is a result of achieving self-realisation, we are able to see what is wrong with the energy centres and to correct them using techniques that are demonstrated at the many Sahaja Yoga centres worldwide.

The fact that self-realisation is possible to achieve in a short time is possible through the grace of Her Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the founder of Sahaja Yoga, who has devised a method to allow people to have this experience en-masse. She started Sahaja Yoga in 1970 with a small group of seekers, and has worked tirelessly to spread it throughout the world since then.

Sahaja Yoga courses are free of charge. To find one in Australia go to Meetings in Australia, otherwise go International Sahaja Yoga Meetings.

Tags: sahaja yoga