Sahaja Yoga and the Seven Holy Chakras

Dec 8, 2003, 12.00am IST
R Venkatesan.


"The following tale of India", wrote Heinrich Zimmer, ‘‘has never ceased to amaze me due to its rich-ness and subtlety’’. A queen longing to meet a sage who lived in the forest vows that she would fast until she feeds the sage next morning.


When she bade farewell to the king, her husband, and set forth on her journey, little did she realise that the river, which separated the city (where her husband ruled) from the forest (where the sage meditated), would be in spate that night. Worried at the prospect of breaking her vow, she approached the king for his counsel.

His counsel was simple: “Invoke the river goddess; speak to her and tell her that if the king had lived a chaste life till that day, the river should give way”. So the queen speaks to the river. The river tossed its water to its left and right, paving the way for her and her entour-age to cross to the other side.

Having feasted the sage and after eating her food, she set out to return home only to find the river in spate once again. Disturbed, she approached the sage for counsel. He said: “Speak to the river goddess; tell her that she should give way if the sage had fasted till the moment.” Once again the incredible feat occurred and the queen was able to join her husband.

Bewildered, she asked the king: ‘‘How could you call yourself chaste when you fathered my children; how could the sage claim that he was fasting when I fed him with my own hands?” The king smiles and explains the concept of satya (truth) and ananya bhakti: ‘‘You can be connected to God and still perform all worldly duties with detached involvement.”

The union of atma with the paramatma is a vital concept in Indian philosophy. Yoga or union with God allows you to reach that state and have the ability to carry out your day-to-day tasks with vigour and alertness, without undue fatigue and with ample energy. Increasingly, yoga is being perceived and accepted as the link between body and mind. The practice of Hatha Yoga, based on physical postures and controls, has become increasingly popular.

Breathing exercises have shown to decrease blood pressure and lower levels of stress hormones, and stretching the body through various asanas promotes efficient drainage of the lymphatic vessels while the holding posture is proven to aid toning up muscle. Yoga improves one’s productivity irrespective of age, gender or profession. The focus is on the end goal of yoga, which is union of the atma with the paramatma.

The Indian system of awakening Kundalini is one such discipline that gives equal importance to both physical and mental aspects for overall well being. Unfortunately, awakening of Kundalini is shrouded in mystery. Sahaja Yogis worldwide, followers of Sahaja Yoga founded by Mata Nirmala Devi, have been practising Kundalini awa-kening over three decades to facilitate self-realisation. The number seven has a mystic connotation to it.

It is not just the seven wonders of the ancient world, seven seas or the seven pheras that bind two individuals for life; it is the seven chakras which form part of your subtle system that are crucial for holistic well being. It allows the practitioner to lead a de-stressed life; it transports one’s awareness to a higher level. Sahaja Yoga facilitates free flow of life force across nadis.

This balances seven energy hubs (chakras) that allow one to overcome certain diseases which arise out of the imbalance in these energy hubs, gain vibratory awareness to clean and balance the chakras, leverage emotional intelligence factors and gain spiritual intelligence. Above all, it helps to develop a balance of personality traits.