Sahaja mediation is a meditative practice that was brought to the world's awareness by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. It is designed to help the practitioner achieve self-realization or liberation effortlessly through regular practice. This knowledge is quite ancient and was only given to the disciples of gurus in earlier times. The Sanskrit word sahaja translates as spontaneous, and sahaja meditation is supposed to take a person's awareness to a level where it is possible to experience truth tangibly. The vision behind the meditation is to allow people to evolve spontaneously into this higher awareness effortlessly, similar to how a seed grows into a tree without any struggle.
The practice involves the awakening of the kundalini energy, a vital life force that is said to remain dormant at the base of the spine. This energy is raised, and the chakras or energy centers in the body are also affected. The effects of sahaja meditation are experienced in a very tangible manner according to its practitioners. Meditators state that they feel the subtle vibrations of this awakened energy as a cool breeze that emanates from the tops of their heads and the palms of the hands.
This type of meditation differs from other meditative practices in that it starts off with the idea of self-realization happening spontaneously. In other methods, this state is only realized after intense spiritual practices, often spanning a lifetime. Sahaja mediation, according to its founder, is akin to lighting a little lamp of awareness that allows a person to spiritually evolve much faster. Every person becomes his or her own guru and is able to sense any blocks in their own energy centers and the chakras of other people as well.
The benefits of sahaja meditation are manifold, and regular practice is said to bring the emotional, mental, and physical body into a balanced state. Practicing this form of meditation is said to clean out the energy centers and deal with the root causes of illness directly through the purifying kundalini energy. Undesirable emotions such as depression, insecurity, and stress are reduced, and the mind becomes clearer. The practitioner is said to experience a stronger connection with the divine on a daily basis.
This is a simple method, and anyone of any age can take up sahaja meditation. Sahaja meditation was brought to light in 1970 and has followers in around 90 countries. Followers aspire toward growing more self-realized every day and believe that their enhanced mental, physical, and emotional well-being is simply a byproduct of their growing awareness.