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| * at the Religious Movements Homepage at the University of Virginia | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 13:07, 4 October 2006
| Sahaja Yoga | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Nirmala Srivastava |
| Practice emphases | |
| Kundalini | |
| Related schools | |
| Vishwa Nirmala Dharma | |
Sahaja Yoga (Sahaja meaning born with and Yoga meaning union) is a type of meditation, religion and yoga. It claims to be a unique method of meditation based on an experience called self-realization (Kundalini awakening) that some believe occurs within each human being. The term Sahaja Yoga is also used to refer to the Sahaja Yoga International (Vishwa Nirmala Dharma) movement founded by Nirmala Srivastava (also known by devotees as Shri Mataji) on 5 May 1970 based on this practice.
Beliefs
Main articles: Kundalini and chakraThe non-profit organization offers an experience by which it is claimed that individuals can spontaneously become aware of their subtle system through which they become one with (union) the all pervading power, attaining Self-Realization.
Kundalini is believed to be an energy that exists in every human being, but is dormant. Sahaja Yoga believes that this energy manifests itself through a "cool breeze" emanating from the hands and head. Many ways of awakening this energy have been proposed, however Sahaja Yoga proposes to offer an easier method of attaining this than other traditional methods such as Hatha Yoga which traditionally were known to require great penances to achieve Self-Realization.
Sahaja Yoga in medicine
There are case studies in which practitioners of Sahaja Yoga methods were tested in attempts to overcome diseases such as ADHD, asthma, and epilepsy.
In the test group practicing Sahaja Yoga meditation, it was found that there was a "significant improvement in VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity)", It was noted that Sahaja Yoga meditation appeared to bring about changes in some of the electrophysiological responses studied in epileptic patients. Other studies also show that Sahaja Yoga meditation results in fewer and less acute seizures
Results showed short-term effects on asthma: conclusions of the study found "Sahaja Yoga does have limited beneficial effects on some objective and subjective measures of the impact of asthma."
In the studies made, Sahaja Yoga was found to be more effective than generic forms of meditation in the reduction of stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms.
See also
External links
- Sahaja Yoga - official website
- Sakshi Pokhari - the Pond of Witness
- Timeline
- Life of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
- Facts on Sahaja Yoga
- French Sahaja Yoga website
- Sahaja Yoga in UK
- Irish Sahaja Yoga
- Scottish Sahaja Yoga
- Sahaja Yoga in India
- Sahaja Yoga in Hong Kong
- Sahaja Yoga in China
- Sahaja Yoga in Taiwan
- Sahaja Yoga in Canada
- European Realisation Day
- Sahaja Yoga in Australia
- Sahaja Yoga in Turkey
- Sahaja Yoga in Israel
- Sahaja Yoga in Brazil
- Sahaja Yoga Online Radio
- Medical research literature on Sahaja Yoga meditation
Critical sites
- Sahaja Yoga: Facts and Warnings from Ex-Members
- Article on Sahaja Yoga (Rick Ross mirror of The Independent July 13, 2001)
References
- Panjwani U, Selvamurthy W, Singh SH, Gupta HL, Thakur L, Rai UC. Effect of sahaja yoga practice on seizure control & EEG changes in patients of epilepsy. Indian J Med Res 1996;103: 165-72.
- Manocha, R. "Sahaja yoga in asthma", Thorax 2003;58:825-826. URL:
- Manocha R, Marks G.B., Kenchington P., Peters D., Salome C.M. "Sahaja yoga in the management of moderate to severe asthma: a randomized controlled trial", Thorax 2003;57:110-115. URL:
- Ramaratnam S., Sridharan K. "Yoga for epilepsy", Cochrane Database Syst Review 2000;(3):CD001524.
- Panjwani U., Selvamurthy W., Singh S.H., Gupta H.L., Mukhopadhyay S., Thakur L. "Effect of Sahaja yoga meditation on auditory evoked potentials (AEP) and visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) in epileptics", Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2000;25(1):1-12.
- Harrison, L.J., Manocha R., Rubia, K. "Sahaja Yoga Meditation as a Family Treatment Programme for Children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder", Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2004;9(4):479-497. URL:
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