First of all, this meditation class is not in Fieldston, but it is in New York Public Library, Kingsbridge branch, which, as the name suggests, is in Kingsbridge, specifically, in West 231st, close to buses, BX7 etc and the 1 train subway.
There are two classes, a beginner's class on Mondays, 6pm to 6.45pm, and a more advanced class on Saturday mornings at 10.30 am to 11.30 am.
It is free of charge, always, and the two class leaders have nearly fifty years of teaching this form of yoga meditation in a number of different countries including Russia and the UK. They've also taught this technique, again free, in public high schools across the USA.
If a beginner can't make it on Mondays, they'd be perfectly fine attending on Saturdays, for there a number of ways in which Sahaja Yoga Meditation is unique, one of them being that unlike any other form of meditation or yoga I've ever come across, this one is about being, becoming, rather than doing. Being is rather difficult for most people living in New York, but the experience of that is unforgettable, life-changing even.
If you come along, you'll find the people are really friendly, and notwithstanding that they are from many nationalities, creeds and cultures, the sense of oneness is palpable.
You'll learn how to meditate in what's known as "thoughtless awareness" i.e. you are completely aware but in a state where the thoughts that normally rush through our minds, slows up or stop altogether.
The second stage involves being able to create balance between past and future, if you're prone to stress this is a godsend, for when you're either thinking too much, or a little blue, you'll learn how to bring yourself into the pure present, that elusive "power of now" that's written a lot about but few can show you how to get there.
The third stage is when you can diagnose the state of the seven main chakras mostly located within your spinal column, and make corrections as necessary to maintain balance and equilibrium.
But what's really unique is a) that this all happens through an awakening of that this all happens because the inner divine energy, latent in every human being arises from the sacrum bone, up through the spinal column and connects to the all-pervading power at the top of the head, that connection being the true meaning of yoga. Progress depends entirely on the strength of desire of the person approaching this topic.
It's either hard or easy, depending on you and like anything of real, lasting value, it does require effort and practice. But if you're willing to give it that, you'll find that as the regulars in the class will readily tell you, Sahaja Yoga Meditation is indeed life-changing, and it'll never cost you a dime. read more
