Meditated Group

On Sunday, March 15, 2015, I participated in a Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga Meditation session, which took place in a practitioner’s home. Meetings for Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga generally take place in one set location, however on that Sunday, the followers were having an open-house meditation session, which is used to reach out to others interested in joining. The rule of the group is that in order to become a member, the person has to attend three open-house meetings. The meeting took place at 11 PM and lasted about two and a half hours. When I approached the house there were shoes laid together on the welcome mat, which I can assume meant that we were asked to take off our shoes for the session. After removing my shoes and entering the house I noticed a circle was formed by the practitioners and I was instructed to join quietly. The meditation had already begun when I arrived and from what I noticed not a single member that was meditating showed any sign of being distracted by my entrance. It was obvious that most of the members present had been a part of the group for a while, and even those that hadn’t were very respectful and put a lot of effort into their meditation.

After I took my seat in the circle, I closed my eyes and meditated with the group. During my meditation I began to think about my day and everything I had wanted to accomplish and been able to accomplish. As time progressed I could not help but distract myself with small motions, whether it was shaking my knee, rubbing my arm, or playing with my fingers, my body could not resist movement. I knew that even if I tried it would be very difficult to attain the same state of mind as the other, more experienced, followers in the circle. This proved the fact that the only way to feel at peace during meditation and to balance your spirituality with materialism is by devout practice and commitment to spiritual yoga and meditation. Towards the end of the meditation the leader of the circle motioned and said to raise our heads, after which the members of the circle opened their eyes at their own pace. The circle was quiet until the last member opened her eyes. The leader of the circle then recited a quote to us, which relayed the idea that “actual commitment changes the innermost view which cannot be sensed without it” and discusses the idea that over time the world will become more divine. An emphasized message in this quote is the idea that this group believes that in the future the world will become less materialistic and everyone will balance their spirituality with their materialistic tendencies and become one with the world. After a short discussion about the quote, the leader explained the reason sessions can only occur in specific places. She told us that during meditation each individual released vibrations around the room and by sitting in a circle our vibrations stay contained with each other. Also she explained that some of the items in the house were placed differently because the room that people should meditate in must have calm and peaceful vibrations. After the discussion ended the host made tea for the group and the rest of the time was spent talking like friends. Something I noticed during these conversations was that each member addressed other members as brother or sister. This gave me the impression that these people meet often enough and are so connected by meditation that they created a tight-knit community of practitioners.

For my interview I chose to talk to the leading member who appeared to be in charge of the session. She explained to me that Sahaj Marg, also called the “Natural Path” is a simple practice of mediation on the