How can we sustain a meditation throughout the day? August 1, 2013

image by axinia

A highly valuable recommendation  from the most amazing Guru, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi:

How can we sustain a meditation throughout the day?

“- You see, you are in meditation in a way. You are halfway in meditation and halfway not. Now if you try to develop a state of witness, then you are in meditation – just a state of witness. Whatever you see, just watch it. Just watching is the best way, and then you’ll be surprised that you will find that you are in another world, and these people are only in another world. You are seeing them from another world. Then you will have compassion for them, you will have pity for them, you may also not like them – it’s all these feelings will come up to you, but you’ll be a person who is separated from them.”

from Talk to Sahaja Yogis, Questions & Answers. Burwood, Sydney (Australia), 6 May 1987.

Based on my meditation experience I can confirm that this works indeed, but this is the first stage – at first one has to separate onceself from the rest, otherwise there is so much involvement. And the next stage, which comes automatically if one gets vibrations – you will feel complete ONE with the WHOLE, and there is no “the other”. Unfortunately this is not easy to reach in a daily life business, mostly only during a really good meditation. But we can always strive to .:)

LOVE, and LOADS of it!

axinia

How to get into meditation April 22, 2013

image by axinia

This is a wonderful advise on how to get easy into a meditation, after your Kundalini has been awakened.

“Meditation means exposing yourself to God’s grace. The grace itself knows how to cure you. It knows how to mend you, how to settle down itself into your own being, how to keep your spirit kindled. It knows everything, so you do not have to worry as to what you have to do or what name you have to take, what mantras you have to do. In meditation you have to be absolutely effortless, expose yourself fully and you have to be absolutely thoughtless at that time.

If you are not thoughtless, at that time you have to just watch your thoughts, but do not get involved into them. You will find gradually, as when the sun rises, darkness goes away and the sun’s rays go into every part and make the whole place enlightened. In the same way, your being will be completely enlightened. But if you put in an effort at that time or try to stop something within you, it will not happen. Effortlessness is the only way into meditation, but you should not be lethargic about it. You should be alert and watch it.

The other side could be that people just doze off. You have to be alert. If you doze off nothing will work out. That is another side of it. If you are lazy about it, nothing will work out. You have to be alert and open, absolutely aware, completely effortless, absolutely effortless. If you are absolutely effortless, meditation will work the best.

Do not think about your problems at all. Just expose yourself to the vibrations. When the sun shines, all of nature exposes itself to the sun and receives the blessings of the sun effortlessly. It does not put in any effort. It just receives the sun. The sun’s rays start acting. In the same way, the all-pervading power starts working.”  by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

How to find out if your Kundalini rises April 3, 2013

The energy of  Kundalini  is quite present in the modern life, today more than ever before. The signs of a 3,5 coiled energy became a popular image in marketing, for it’s a beautiful design element and it echoes in our collective consciousness. Although it is being so widely used I doubt that people really know its meaning and power.

Wikipedia gives some information about Kundalini but most of it HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SUBJECT. It looks like some people tried to awaken this sacred energy being not authorized for it, and they got very strange, if not terrifying results.  I am puzzled how practitioners of so-called Kundalini yoga describe the sensations they get calling it rising Kundalini this way:

(and belive me this is NOT what Kundalini feels like)

• Involuntary jerks, tremors, shaking, itching, tingling, and crawling sensations, especially in the arms and legs
• Energy rushes or feelings of electricity circulating the body
• Intense heat (sweating) or cold, especially as energy is experienced passing through the chakras
• Headache, migraine, or pressure inside the skull
• Increased blood pressure and irregular heartbeat
• Emotional numbness
• Antisocial tendencies
• Mood swings with periods of depression or mania
• Pains in different areas of the body, especially back and neck
• Sensitivity to light, sound, and touch
• Trance-like and altered states of consciousness
• Disrupted sleep pattern (periods of insomnia or oversleeping)
• Loss of appetite or overeating

I mean are they all masochist?!? Why practice something which gives you such horrid discomfort and suffering? I believe a truly spiritual practice must give one the enlightenment and bliss and not horror.

Luckily there have been wonderful saints and prophets all over the world, in different religions and spiritual practices who have given the exact description of Kundalini as of a cool breeze. Even some musicians and artists have referred to this cooling sensation.

Since my Kundalini was awakened 17 year back, and I have felt and have been “working” with this amazing energy for such a long time, I feel authorized enough to give a list of REAL KUNDALINI RISING sensations. This list can be confirmed by many millions of people who have experienced the same (unfortunately they are all too shy or to self-sufficient to post about it).

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR KUNDALINI IS RISING?

1. If you sit with the rounded back, slowly or suddenly your back will get straight, you may even not notice that. The upright position is possible even for people with spine cord problems when their Kundalini rises.
2. Your nose will breathe much “lighter”, even without any special exercises – this is the sign that Kundalini has passed the Hamsa chakra (between the eyebrows).
3. You may feel the cooling energy rising upwards your spinal cord, mostly on the back, although some people can feel it within, inside the body.
4. You will feel cool breeze in your hands, and interestingly – when the breeze gets stronger your hand will open up on their own.
5. After meditation with well risen Kundalini you may feel the need to “wash off” your face with your hands. You eyes will glow and your face will shine with peace and beauty!
6. Tickling and warm sensation in different parts of the body can be a sign of Kundalini rising and doing it’s clearing work. Ultimately and ideally this must end up in getting the cool breeze on top of head and in the hands
7. The cool breeze pouring down your head or even all over the body gives the feeling of the absolute bliss and dissolution, feels like Nirvana and cannot be mistaken for anything else! This is the ultimate goal of any yoga and it is the easiest to reach by the sahaja yoga practice.

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, founder of Sahaja Yoga

LOVE, axinia

They call it a lifehack August 20, 2012

They call it a lifehack: As you know, lifehacks are anything that is a solution to an everyday problem, frustration, etc.

Meditation is a true lifehack because it makes you feel good every day and sets free the hidden powers within.

The next big thing is that it gives you a knowledge how to manage difficult situations easily, and even improves your health improves your and relationships with people.

On top of it, a meditation practice makes you an admirable and attractive and that makes you succeed easily in anything you want (studies, jobs, people).

People who practice meditation over years have notices several advantages meditation brings into the daily life management:
 
Fist of all, your attention improves. A sharper attention allows you to grasp ideas easier, you just put your attention on to some subject, and you can understand the depth of the matter and notice the facts much easier than usual. The fact is that people who meditate need less time to lean any difficult subject compared to others.
 
Meditation can definitely make you more balanced and happy. People will love being with you! You’ll get more chances. Everyone welcomes you and is eager to assist and recommend you. 
The meditation practice gives you a fantastic ability to see things how they are, beyond any mass media brainwash. The knowledge of how and why things really happen gives you a better insight into the global processes of modern society as well as your own life. You become truly efficient and can manage a solid stuff at a short time.

As the popular saying goes: DON’T VEGITATE, MEDITATE!

useful links: freemeditation.com

My feeling of Oneness April 18, 2012

Oneness is a spiritual phenomenon suggesting that All is One, that all living creatures and materia are tightly connected and we can percept and enjoy that.

Some people get fantastically beautiful experiences of Oneness, I posted already the story by Daniil Andreev, let me quote it:

“Everything on Earth and everything that must exist in the heavens poured exultantly and noiselessly through me in a single stream. In bliss barely supportable by the human heart, I felt as if slowly revolving, graceful spheres glided through me in a universal dance, and everything I could think of or imagine merged in a jubilant oneness.

The ancient forests and clear rivers, the people sleeping by the fire, the peoples of countries near and far, cities waking up and busy streets, cathedrals with sacred icons, seas tossing tirelessly, and steppes with blowing grass— everything indeed was within me that night, and I was within everything. I lay with eyes closed, and beautiful white stars, large and blossoming, not at all like those we are used to seeing, also floated along the world-turned-river like white water lilies.

 Although the sun was not visible, it was as if it, too, were flowing somewhere just outside the range of my vision. Everything was suffused not by its glow but by a different light, one I had never seen before. Everything flowed through me and at the same time rocked me, like a child in a cradle, with all-soothing love.”

I am in awe of that overwhelming feeling! I could never experience that, at the most just the feeling of dissolving in the sorrounding.. Another stunning experience of Oneness I found in the book I reviewed recently here.

My personal experience of Oneness is much more modest, but luckily ongoing. 

If you want positive changes in your life – do not start changing yourself or your life, just meditate! April 14, 2012

Since many years I run a sahaja meditaiton class for Russian speaking people in Vienna, Austria. Based on that experience I have made an interesting observation which many other teaches like me confirm: when people start practicing meditation their life improves on every level  – physical, emotional,  job-or familywise and of course, on the spiritual.

I have no data on another spiritual practices but this is certainly the case with sahaja meditation. The explanation may be the following: the inner energy Kundalini gets awakened and it starts “working for you”, arranging not only for your physical well-being but also fantastically transforming your surroundings, arranging for great opportunities and pleasant people around. This looks like a magic but it is not!

And the best part of it is that literary you do not need to do anything yourself but meditate!

I mean you do not need to “work hard on yourself”, control your behaviour, try to become a better person, take certain steps. Sahaja yoga-  a yoga for lazy people I found out. 🙂

But one thing I have to mention: very often as soon as their life improves people give up this meditation practice(because when everything ges so fine one is even lazy to meditate)… and after some time come back again saying “oh, well, everything is gone, I was again beaten up by life”.That is how I know that this is not a mere coincidence but proved by hundreds of people whom I personally know: Immediately after they start meditating their life improves. And in the same manner it gets worse when they stop practicing.

How to attain peace, wealth and power? March 19, 2012

Man wants peace, wealth, power, etc., but God is the origin of all these. 

Then why should there not be the desire for God?

Shri Mataji 

 

Is compassion stronger than intellect? March 14, 2012

I have always been a person of intellect, the one whose reason comes before emotions. Before starting with my spiritual practice I had a pretty neutral attitude towards human beings — I never hated anyone but at the same time I was never getting too emotionally involved with people. I used to belive in Good in people and that was good enough for me.

Later when I took to sahaja yoga and learned about the power of compassion I started wondering what it is. I learned from my Guru, Shri Mataji, that compassion is nothing but love in action, it is the manifestation of unconditional love. This sounded beautiful but not clear enough, for as usual I needed my personal experiences on top of a great theory.

Being quite happy with my personal growth and spiritual achievements, some years back I started wondering what about this compassion, whether I have it or not. I thought I did not. Because I used to be rather strict to people, very demanding  – because the same strict and demanding I was to myself. I felt this cannot be near to compassion. Because first, it is unconditional. And my condition to people was that I would only help if they want to grow. I did not want to waste my energy, time and attention for those who are not interested in self-development.

Interesting enough, my personal evolution was taking place even without my effort (this is what I love so much about Sahaja meditation practice! – the growth happens spontaneously, only because Kundalini works during the meditation). It has been for 16 years since I started with this practice and so far many wonderful qualities opened up in me, even such which I did not expect I could develop.

Expecting to Fly (Book): exciting spiritual experiences January 26, 2012

As I mentioned earlier in my posts, I read little nowadays. I used to read a lot in my childhood and youth but then got fed up with books. I wanted my real experiences instead of someone else’s wise or stupid ideas. Today I try to pick up true jewels for I have no time for just good things.

A book “Expecting to Fly” is one of such diamonds. The rare beauty of it lays in the fascination and depth of author’s experiences. Yes, it is all about experiences on the seeking path. Ultimately it is all what really makes sense I belive.

The book “Expecting to Fly” is autobiographical, Patrick Sheridan is a classical seeker from the 60- 70-s with heavy alcohol and drug background. I found it an intriguing read to learn about his journey which came out to be quite spiritual. This was all totally unfamiliar to me. I always had  a natural dislike for all kinds of chemical substances like cigarets, alcohol and drugs  – never tried and never wanted them. I have been that kind of intellectual seeker who searched for Truth only on the mental level. Ultimately I found out that the Truth is something beyond the mind and can be experienced rather mundane even as a physical sensation…Yes, generally my seeking approach was of a totally different art than that of Patrick. That is why I was keen on reading about some different experiences which led a great seeker to – surprise, surprise! – the same Truth.

The author depicts his life beginning with childhood, stept by step unfolding his seeking nature. The excessive drinking and drug consume of his youth are quite impressive – although there are lots of people practicing it too, I find it remarkable to read that someone has done all that and is still alive and flourishing…trully amazing. The author stated that in fact it was his drug experiences (in particular LSD) which let him first experience the high state of consciousness and realize that there is something beyond the reality we think we live in. The LSD trips had such an impact on the author that the descriptions of it could almost be taken for a drug advertisement. However later on he admits that the occasional highs are leading nowhere because of lack of system behind and dramatic health and subtle system damage.

How to meditate: a greate piece of advice and a terrific experience August 15, 2011

image by axinia

This is an amazing story I have got from a friend who is practising Sahaja meditation. However the coolest thing about it is that this meditation technique can be applied apart from any spiritual practice, for it works perfectly FOR EVERYONE, especially for those who find it difficult to meditate. There is no strain about it, no concentration is needed and yet it gives you the perfect effect of thoughtless awareness/mental silence, the true goal of any meditation…

Here is the story: Please read, try it out and share your experiences!

“I had a pretty interesting experience last year I’d like to share. Back in 1996 I was lucky enough to travel to Hong Kong with Shri Mataji and one morning when all the yogis were out, she called me in and said, ‘I’ll teach you how to meditate.’ I was quite excited by this…face to face with my Guru, learning the art of silence directly from her.

‘Just watch your thoughts’, she said. To watch them, she added, your attention peels away from the thought process and the two waves (the thought wave and the attention wave) hit each other and cancel out (reverse oscillation she called it).

Then the vilambha state begins. She said that you can do this anytime…driving your car, washing the dishes and you can be in total detached silence.

… It worked amazingly well. I was able to hold the thoughtless state for as long as I liked.

Now, cut to last year and I was going through a tough time at work. I really lost my cool a lot and was as undetached as you can get (sorry to say). The crunch came when my boss, a hard living, heavy drinking, chain smoking English guy told me to be detached!