SAHAJ MARG MEDITATION
By Nita McKenzie

Spirituality is like a bird with two wings needing to fly.  One wing is the material and physical plane; the other wing is the spiritual plane.  We cannot ignore either side if we truly wish to establish balance of the mind, body and spirit.

Sahaj Marg Meditation is a raja yoga system for spiritual development based on heart-centered meditation.  People of all cultures and religions practice Sahaj Marg, first established in Canada as a non profit society in 1973.  There are no fees or dues and Sahaj Marg is practiced in 90 countries around the world.  Tom McLaughlin is a prefect in Oliver B.C.   Prefects are spiritual trainers who have been prepared and permitted to introduce people to the Sahaj Marg meditation practice and to conduct group and individual meditation sittings.  Regular group meditations and individual  meditation sittings are held regularly in Oliver, Penticton and Vernon.  Prefects  are volunteers and do not receive payment.  Leslie Westgate in Penticton B.C. Is the co-ordinator for Sahaj Marg Meditation throughout  the Okanagan Valley including Kamloops, Meritt and Salmon Arm.

The practice is founded on the principle that God is all-pervasive, and therefore pervades in the heart of each and every person.  The whole idea of spirituality is to revive in us that which is sleeping in us, the true inner being which may be called God, Divine or whatever one chooses.

Through meditation one can learn to respond rather than just re-act.  Acceptance and love of ones self as well as others begins to grow.   Practicing Sahaj Marg Meditation has helped us to realize there's something more to life than just material life.  We begin to see life through a more spiritual point of view.

Spirituality isn't a term that can be easily defined, as everyone has their own definition.  Most people know they have a spiritual side, but don't explore it.  However, its fair to say that spirituality concerns itself with the soul, just as education concerns itself with the mind, physical exercise with the body and achievement with the ego.

Sahaj Marg can help people enhance their lives giving us more balance, more peace.   Shaj Marg is offered to people 18 years of age and over and is free of charge.  The only qualification is a genuine and abiding interest in spiritual growth and willingness to participate.

Unlike other forms of meditation, Sahaj Marg doesn't involve chanting or visualization.  Instead the person meditating – or abhyasi – follows a daily routine that involves meditating on divine light in the heart and cleaning (remove impressions that have built up in the mind and heart).  Anything can leave an impression.  Impressions are not good or bad, but eventually everything has to go because it prevents us from growing.    The routine can be gradually integrated into a person's life.

Like parenting or marriage, you don't really know what it's like until you're in it.  With Sahaj Marg you have to follow the practice for it to work effectively.  As time progresses, the meditation begins to integrate into one's lifestyle.  We find with meditation, yes it takes a little discipline at first, but then it gets easier.  It's not a struggle like so many other things...it just becomes part of your life.

To find out more about the practice of Sahaj Marg, please visit www.srcm.org or www.sahajmarg.org.  Contacts in the Okanagan:  Tom McLaughlin 250-498-2310 or Leslie Westgate 250-492-4458.  In Western Canada:  ChristinePrisland 604-888-6941 (cprisland@shaw.ca)..  In Eastern Canada:  Kim Hansen 416-590-9454 (srcmcan@icanet )