My sahaja yoga experience

There is a sahaja yoga community in my native city of Kostroma, Russia. According to the information shared by my friends who practise sahaja yoga, there have been people on the Earth whom they call "seekers". More and more of them appeared in the 20th century. These are people who are looking for spiritual growth and are not satisfied with material values that the technical progress offers them. That is why these people have attracted attention of spiritual beings high above human level. There have been many false gurus and false teachings that only seem to give people the so-called liberation but the best of all is Sahaja yoga. Sahaja yoga works on the thin body of human beings (chakras and nabis - channels). Actually, we are all related to the initial energy (Kundalini) by a special channel of energy that goes through our body. Our planet Earth also has this Kundalini energy. Many illnesses and problems can be solved by just cleaning our chakras and nabis. According to Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the founder of Sahaja yoga, all we have to do is to learn how to collaborate with this force called Kundalini.

I remember going by train from Saint Petersbourgh to my native city of Kostroma in 2001. That summer, I was 20 years old. There was a woman sitting in the same department who suddenly started talking to me. Somehow she grabbed all my attention. She started talking about Sahaja yoga and the strory seemed very interesting to me. She explained the sculpture of the thin body of a human (chakras) and showed me the picture of Shri Mataji. In this picture there was a bright light around the heart of Shri Mataji. She also explained how the chakras influence mental and physical health. From time to time, she quoted the Bible and the words of Jesus. Actually, these words were about the chakras and human evolution. The name of this lady was Helena and she was a sahaja yoga. Many years later I learned that she was coming back from the meeting of sahaja yogas that took place in Saint Petersbough that year and that Shri Mataji was present at this meeting.

As the Internet grew, so did different social networks. In Russia the social network "vkontakte" is very popular. No wonder, that Sahaja yogas of Kostroma also have their webpage in this netwrok. So years later I (a seeker) found them and got invited to the place where they meet. So I got what they call in Sahaja yoga Self Realization and thus became a sahaja yoga. But I should admit there is a lot of work to do for a sahaja yoga in this world. Anyway, I do not regret. It is very easy to fall, to become negative, greedy, angry, selfish. Spiritually, we, human beings, either grow or fall. Still, we should try to grow, even if it seems difficult. We are all the folds on the big dress, as Shri Mataji says. And all humanity is like a whole thing. Now if something goes wrong in this world, the rest of the world feels it. I am not a preacher, but I beleive that the things I am saying are true. And I say it because I know some of the sahaja yogas and they are great people. And because love, compassion, creation, good are real forces in this world so we must try to collaborate with them. Some great events have happened in my life since I became a part of Sahaja yoga, and I am sure my life will keep changing. But the most amazing is, my worldview has started changing, too! Like, I have become more patient with people although before I wasn`t...

Meditation is the main practice in Sahaja yoga. Collective meditation does a lot of good in both spiritual and physical ways. It cleanses all the slag that is present in the body on the energetical level and it clears the mind. In the city where I live (Kostroma, Russia) sahaja yogis get together weekly to practise meditation, read mantras, listen to the lectures of Shri Mataji. But these people are not isolated from the world. On the contrary, they are very sociable and eager to share their knowledge with those who are interested.
In my city there is a great place to meditate. It is the place near Ipatievsky monastery, where the Volga river and the Kostroma river mix their waters. It is truly a sacred place. This is where my friend and I found a great place for a meditation. Thin young trees isolate a beautiful peaceful lake from the outer world. Just sitting there on the bank of that peaceful lake was a great relaxation and pleasure. The thoughts drifted away, the peace, the quiet and harmony took the place of all the worries...

Here is a piece of lecture from London, 1981:

"Get up in the morning, take a shower, sit, drink some tea; do not talk.
Do not talk in the morning. Sit down, meditate. Because at this time divine rays come.
The sun comes later. This way the birds wake up. This way the flowers wake up.
They all wake up this way, and if you are sensitive, you will feel it, and waking up in the morning, you will feel like ten years younger. In fact, it is so good to get up early in the morning, and then, automatically, you go to bed early, too. This is about morning wake up; I do not need to explain how to go to bed. You will understand. Then, in the morning hours, you only need to meditate.
While meditating, try to stop your thoughts. Look at my picture with eyes open and you will see that the thoughts have stopped.
You need to stop your thoughts, then you enter meditation. The simplest way to stop your thoughts is to say the prayer "Our Father", because it is the state of Agia (forhead chakra). So, in the morning you remember the prayer "Our Father" or Ganesha mantra. It is the same thing. Or you just say: "I forgive". So, you can start with Ganesha mantra, then say the prayer "Our Father", then say "I forgive". This will work.
Then you are in the state of consciousness without thoughts. Now you meditate.
Everyone must know that in the rational way you cannot grow in sahaja yoga. So, first of all, you should try to achieve the state of mind without thoughts.
Now you must track your thoughts and emotions. Now you can track your breath.
Try to make your breath shorter; that is, exhale, wait a little, then inhale. Inhalation must be long. Then you exhale, so during one minute your breath becomes shorter.
Pay attention to your thoughts or your heart. Then when you feel balanced, draw your attention over your head. Now you enter meditation."