Overcoming stress with Sahaja Yoga and improving the personality

What is stress
Stress and medical science
What is Sahaja Yoga
Stress and Sahaja Yoga
Overcoming stress
Managing stress with Sahaja Yoga

What is “Stress”?

We all know stress when we see it (or feel it), yet it's hard to define. Society pushes us to attain wealth, power, and success along with a great personal and family life. "That's probably the biggest stressful dilemma in life. People are trying to pursue all of the material goods and all of the personal strivings. A way of describing stress is “the individual perception of losing control of his or her life” says a professor of cardiology of a famous institute. It is a mismatch between expectations and reality. It is also a fact that stress doesn’t just arise from unpleasant, aggravating events. Positive happenings like getting married, starting a new job, being pregnant, or winning an election can also tense you up. It is not the external events that are stressful but your perception of them. “Everything from headaches, stomach upset, skin rashes, back pain, racing heartbeat can be stress related. In fact, every organ in the system can be affected, from the skin to the heart.

 
Stress and Medical Science

As per Medical Science, the Human nervous system consists of three systems - Central nervous system, Autonomous nervous system and Peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is responsible for issuing nerve impulses and analyzing sensory data, and includes the brain and spinal cord.  The peripheral nervous system is responsible for carrying nerve impulses to and from the body's many structures. The Autonomic nervous system is composed of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic division, more or less opposite in function, and is responsible for regulating and coordinating the functions of vital structures in the body. The Sympathetic division, which stimulates the heart, dilates the bronchi, contracts the arteries, and inhibits the digestive system, preparing the person for physical action while the Parasympathetic division, which has the opposite effects, and prepares the organism for feeding, digestion, and rest. Further, the term "Plexus" in medical science refers to a network of nerves or blood vessels, which control the functioning of different organs of our body. The nervous system features a number of these networks, where autonomic and voluntary nerve fibers join together.

Medical science has no concrete explanations as to why stress is caused on slightest pretext even though it acknowledges it's existence and it’s various ill effects. Why a single situation affects different persons in a different ways are some of the questions, which are unanswered by the medical world. Science can measure the various parameters of the body such as heart beat, blood pressure to find out the state of the system and prescribe medicines but has no rational explanation as to why it happened and how it happened which can be logically and scientifically proved.  The reason is because science has denied the existence of an inner subtle system in every human being and considers human beings as a network of nerves and sensory organs that interprets the outside physical world.
However, Sahaja Yoga is changing all that and now the existence of an inner subtle system of channels (nadis) and centers of energy (chakras) can be felt on our central nervous system which cannot be denied. This inner subtle system looks after our complete physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual being.

What is Sahaja Yoga?

In Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi's own words:

Everyday we see seeds sprouting, flowers blooming, fruits ripening, but we do not want to think how it happens. There is a power that does this work. It is the all-pervading power of Divine love. Now the time has come to feel this power through the instrument within us. This instrument has no use unless it is connected to the mains. We do not know our potential, our beauty, but once this connection with the mains is established, we will be surprised at the dynamic results.

At the outset, we have to understand that this connection is not mental. However, human awareness can be developed to a higher dimension through Sahaja Yoga, which is not a mental projection.

IT IS A BECOMING.  This is the last step in our evolution, man has evolved from a single amoeba to such a complex human being, which has to manifest through our central nervous system.

When the fetus is about 2 to 3 months old in the mother’s womb, columns of rays of consciousness emitted through the all-pervading power of Divine love, pass through the brain to enlighten it. The shape of the brain being prism-like, the column of rays falling on it gets refracted into four diverse channels corresponding to four aspects of nervous system. They are:  

• Sympathetic nervous system - Right side (Pingla Nadi)
• Sympathetic nervous system - Left side (Ida Nadi)
• Parasympathetic nervous system (Sushumna Nadi)
• Central nervous system

This subtle energy enters through the centers in the brain and precipitates on it's way to six more centers called chakras which are also called “plexus” in medical science. The residual energy then settles down in three and a half coils in the triangular bone (medically called sacrum bone), placed at the end of the spinal cord known as “Kundalini”. The Fundamental of this living force is self-organization, self-regeneration and Ascent. Through self-organization it sustains and protects. Self- regeneration is its innate ability to renew, heal, balance and recycle. Ascent is its capacity to transcend the mind and myth and attain collective consciousness.

Stress and Sahaja Yoga!

As mentioned and shown above, the human body is made of three channels (Nadis). The left channel (Ida Nadi) takes care of our desires (Ichha shakti). The right channel (Pingla Nadi) takes care of our working ability (Kriya Shakti). The central channel (sushumna Nadi) is the channel of balance and ascent of Kundalini.

If we have too many desires but we do not work accordingly (if our attention is always lost in unfulfilled desires and in the past), then our left channel is under pressure. These type of people become very emotional, conditioned & day dreamers and their left channel becomes weak.
Similarly if a person starts working too much (work alcoholic) without enjoying his day to day life (if he is is always thinking and planning about the future), his right channel comes under pressure, and such type of people become very egoistical and do not listen to anybody. They become very harsh and get satisfaction from dominating others.

In such unbalanced extremities, stress is created in human body if any of the channels are overworked.

Stress Management!

However, there are some conventional ways to overcome the edginess inside us, which we often read as well as try to follow.

a) Setting a realistic Goal (personal and professional) 
b) New Ways of Doing Things
c) Structuring Relationships
d) Humour in life
e) Exercise and Music
f) Don’t take out your frustration on wrong persons.
g) Cut on caffeine & nicotine
h) Nutritious Food
i) Resolving Anger.

and many other ways.

But if you look at all of them, they are just mental exercise and not one of them can be done in a living and joyous manner because we try to become what we are not by forcing ourselves at a mental level. This is why we are not able to continue the above methods for too long and discard them as soon as we get temporary relief only to get trapped in the problem again. More than that, fighting with stress at the mental level is a lost battle.

Stress Management and Sahaja Yoga!

The only way to fight stress (imbalance) is to be in complete balance. To ascend in balance is what Sahaja Yoga is all about. But who would provide us the balance or the ascent? Will it come from outside? "Know thyself" is the main theme of all the scriptures. The power to change has to come from within our ownselves - One has to realize and understand oneself from within instead of tackling it from outside or forcing it mentally.

But how?

The answer is the awakening of that energy called ‘Kundalini’ which came from the all- pervading power of Divine love at the time of our birth, which is self-organizing and self-regenerating. Self Realization is the awakening of the Kundalini through the central channel, piercing the seven chakras and emerging at the top of the head (fontanel bone area) as a gentle "fountain" of coolness.

Each of the seven chakras has several spiritual qualities. These qualities are intact within us, and even though they might not always be manifest, they can never be destroyed. When the Kundalini is awakened, these qualities start manifesting spontaneously and express themselves in our life. Thus, through regular meditation, we become automatically very dynamic, creative, confident and at the same time very humble, loving and compassionate. It is a process, which starts to develop by itself when the Kundalini rises and starts to nourish our chakras.

The third chakra is the one that gives us the sense of generosity, complete satisfaction and contentment. On the left side, the main quality of this center is peace - clearing this chakra can relieve stress and tensions. On the right side, it looks after our liver which is the organ of our attention and power of concentration.

When enlightened by the Kundalini, the Nabhi chakra gives us our spiritual ascent, righteousness and inner sense of morality, and complete balance at all levels in our life.

But after Self Realization, everything can be cured through the purifying power of the Kundalini in meditation.

The sixth chakra is the chakra of forgiveness and compassion. Forgiveness is the power to let go of anger, hatred and resentment and to discover, in humility, the nobility and generosity of the Spirit.

A word about the three channels of energy: The left channel (blue) corresponds to our past, emotions, desires, and affectivity. Its termination is the superego, which is the storehouse of all our memories, habits and conditionings. The right channel (yellow) corresponds to our actions and planning, to our physical and mental activity. Its termination is the ego, which gives us the idea of  “I-ness”, the sense that we are separate from the world. The central channel is the channel of ascent, it is the power, which sustains our evolution and guides us, consciously or unconsciously, towards the higher awareness of the Sahasrara (seventh chakra).

 
Sahaja Yoga was founded by HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970 and has since spread all around the world.

Through this process a person becomes moral, united, integrated and balanced. "Know thyself" is the main theme of all the scriptures - this becomes evident and one reaches the absolute understanding of oneself.

Thus, one becomes peaceful and joyous in life. The individual becomes collective like a drop falling into the ocean of compassion. This is the actualization of such transformation, which is taking place now, worldwide, and has been proven and experienced by hundreds of thousands in over 85 countries."

This inner awakening is called by many names: Self Realization, Second Birth, Enlightenment, Liberation, Moksha, Satori and it is the goal of all spiritual traditions of the world. In these modern times, through Sahaja ("spontaneous") Yoga ("union with one's Self"), this experience has become effortless and available to everyone, for the first time in the history of human spirituality.

Through the practice of Sahaja Yoga, our awareness gains a new dimension where absolute truth can be felt tangibly - on our central nervous system. As a result of this happening, our spiritual ascent takes place effortlessly and physical, mental and emotional balance are achieved as a byproduct of this growth of our awareness.

We then realize that we are not this body, mind, ego, these conditionings, emotions or intellect, but something of an eternal nature, which is always residing in our heart in a pure, undisturbed state - the Self or Spirit. The Spirit is the source of true knowledge, peace and joy. Self Realization is the actualization of this connection with our Spirit, which as Shri Mataji advocates, is the birthright of every human being.