The Life of Shri Mataji

SAHAJA YOGA BEGINS

On May 5, 1970, on a beach at Nargol (about 90 miles from Mumbai), Mrs. Srivastava entered a state of profound meditation. She had waited until her two daughters were married. Now she would devote her life to teaching people how to feel the same inner peace and silence she had experienced.

Mrs. Srivastava worked with a small number of people at first. She took no money. She only wanted to help people discover their own potential. People who she taught to meditate became more compassionate, generous and forgiving. She became known as “Shri Mataji” (Mother).

Shri Mataji called the state of meditation “thoughtless awareness” — awareness without distracting thoughts, opinions or reactions. She named this new method “Sahaja Yoga.”

The tradition in India was that self transformation was a long process. When people noticed results within a few minutes, they were quite astonished. Following Shri Mataji’s instructions, it was easy to meditate. Even more remarkably, they were able to give this experience to others.