Why We Need to Get Connected to God

The word religion is derived from the Latin word religare that means, "to connect"; the word yoga is derived from the word yuj that also means the same. So spirituality is all about getting connected to God.

Yoga is now a universally sought-out medium and spirituality as a subject has become part of the curriculum of leading B-schools in the US. What is the reason for the resurgence of spirituality?

There are three interpretations: One school cites that in the modern era an organisation needs to innovate continuously to survive for which every individual stakeholder in the organisation needs to leverage his creative energy by connecting to God's own creative energy. The other school feels that the sudden eruption of numerous corporate scandals worldwide is due to the lack of an appropriate value system. Hence the need to incorporate spirituality in the business curriculum apart from outlining the need for an evolution in the field of corporate governance. The third school says that yoga explains the connect of mind to body and this helps tackle today's serious problems of stress at the workplace, home or even school.

How necessary is it for us to "know" God? Do we establish a direct connection or should we leave it to the operational expertise of middlemen like pundits and priests? There's this story of a sadhu who goes to the Himalayas and brags that he, a mere mortal, knows its strengths and glory while it (the mountain range) is still ignorant. The mighty mountain replies that it is content just "being" the Himalayas rather than "knowing" about the Himalayas. Obviously one would prefer to get connected than obtain mere knowledge. But how does one know that one is connected? And why get connected at all?

Modern conceptions about the mind and consciousness do not go beyond the ability to perceive through the senses as the result of bio-chemical processes of the brain. But Indian scriptures mention that Kundalini is the super intelligent energy behind consciousness and therefore is the evolutionary mechanism that determines the capacity of the brain. The key to achieving higher levels of awareness or the way to get connected to God lies in tapping this latent energy in an individual. By rousing their Kundalini energy, kings of yore made available to themselves a far more potent source of power vis-a-vis their adversaries and in order to enable them to deal better with day-to-day administrative affairs and to look after the welfare of subjects. The founder of Sahaja Yoga, Mataji Nirmala Devi, sums up the approach succinctly: "Just as an egg gets transformed into a bird or a seed into a plant, Sahaja Yoga helps transformation of a person to a higher awareness level. This is accomplished when a dormant force within a person (called Kundalini) which resides in the sacrum bone is awakened and drawn through various energy centres, which describe awareness levels in the subtle body. It can be accomplished in a practical and simple manner — a Sahaja yogi would facilitate this — and the resulting state is both verifiable (in the central nervous system) and consistent..."

Such an evolution can facilitate one to feel the chakras in his nervous system and go about correcting imbalances and curing diseases. This will enhance balance in the central nervous system leading to stress relief and mental relaxation. It will also improve concentration and communication skills and will help one in developing the technique of managing by detached involvement. Obviously there is merit in getting connected to God even for managing one's day-to-day activities

Health Benefits Article from Times of India Archives

Sahaja Yoga: Health Benefits of Sahaja Yoga
By Times of India (New Bombay Plus)

Sahaja Yoga hospital featured in The Times of India (New Bombay Plus)

Many foreigners taking to Sahaj yoga

BELAPUR : An increasing number of foreigners are getting attracted to the International Sahaj Yoga centre at CBC Belapur. At present, members from twenty-eight countries have joined this centre. What's impressive is that within three years of starting its operations. The Centre has, besides Indians, more than 170 people from United States, UK, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, New Zealand and Australia. They were admitted in the research and health section.

Founded and started by Shree Mataji Nirmala Devi three years ago, today this centre has more international visitors than Indians. Situated in sylvan green environs, the International Centre for Sahaj Yoga Research and Health Centre is an unique centre of its kind in the world, where treatment is done by vibratory awareness, developed by Sahaj yoga meditation.

In February 1996, Shree Mataji Nirmala Devi, a renowned spiritual scientist of the world, founded and threw open this sprawling centre. Dr. U C Rai, former head physiology department Jawaharlal Institute of Post graduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, and professor in various medical colleges of Delhi, heads the Centre at Belapur, as its director. Recently, he was conferred with the Vladimir Verniczky Honoured doctor award in Moscow, for his research on Sahaj yoga at the centre.

The highlight of this centre is the free treatment provided. Speaking to New Bombay Plus, Dr. Rai said, "Through Sahaja Yoga, the results in the medical field have been fantastic, especially in areas where doctors' efforts had been futile."

Narrating about a rare recovery of a patient, S S Agarwal from Delhi he said, "His was a case of chronic renal failure, for which doctors had ruled out all treatment, except ongoing dialysis. By applying Sahaj yoga, we aroused his Kundalini energy (which is a dormant energy at the base of the spine) and directed it towards the kidney to clear his blocked chakras." Today, Agarwal's medical reports indicate near normalcy.

Etienne Loyson, a 62 year old architect from Belgium, is just spell-bound, "Earlier I had high blood pressure. Doctors abroad had suggested taking several tablets ongoingly as the only treatment method. But today, with Sahaj yoga treatment and the blessing of Shree Mataji Nirmala Devi, I am full of energy. I have stopped all medicines and I feel I am just 30 years old."

Katherine Reid from England (who suffered from irritable bowels syndrome) is a happy woman today, in contrast to her life previously when she had to take several medicines prior to her arrival in Navi Mumbai. "I feel much better having stopped my medication completely. My health has improved by about eighty per cent." Anna Kargaity, a Canadian who suffered from depressive psychosis is full of smiles today. "I now have a positive outlook towards life, being able to develop my own personality and express my feelings", she says. Similar benefits were highlighted by Belinda from Australia, Kumar from Canada, Bryan from USA and others.

On being asked as to why so many foreigners are coming to India, when advanced medicines are available with doctors of modern medicine all over the world, Dr. Rai added, "The doctors abroad don't have a treatment for the psyche of human being, except giving tranquillizers, sedatives and anti-depressant drugs. These are not only harmful, but also habit-forming. In view of this, Sahaj yoga, which can control the psyche of human being by meditation, has become very popular to the treatment and prevention of psychosomatic diseases like bronchial asthma, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, infertility, multiple scierosis and spondylitis, to name a few. It is all due to the blessings of Shree Mataji Nirmala Devi, who founded Sahaj Yoga centre, and has enlightened thousands of people all over the world."

We do charge them for their stay and for the food provided by us, he adds, but not for the treatment. "Anyone can heal themselves using Sahaja Yoga as this energy is present within every individual. Why should we charge anyone?" comments doctor Rai.

With over fifty foreigners having already taken treatment from the centre, between January 1 - February 14, 1999, a record number of international visitors are likely to arrive during the coming year.