<![CDATA[SAHAJA YOGA NZ - Inspiration]]>

- Varnika Nautiyal

Juggling modern day timelines and trying to maintain a work life balance can drain you mentally & physically. Stress is becoming the new normal in our high-paced lives where we are expected to constantly deliver the best.

We all have sloppy days where we are drained with the challenging task of balancing our lives. The more we get into this vicious circle without acknowledging our inner self, the more it tends to overpower our mental and physical existence. Therefore, creating a domino effect to all the experiences in our lives that eventually leads to anxiety, stress and depression.

Decluttering our mind through meditation can be the remedy we are all looking for.

What is meditation?
Meditation is a simple way to clear your mind of all thoughts and worries; to help you enjoy the silence. The silence eventually fills your body with immense positive energy that acts as a natural caffeine throughout your day.

As a young working professional, I have found that a few minutes of morning meditation leaves me vibrated with this positive energy that drives my mood, productivity, and emotional intelligence through the day.

There have been several scientific experiments conducted in the past to quantify the reverence of this experience. A study that assessed the effect of meditation on work stress, anxiety, and mood found significant improvement in the group that practised Sahaja Yoga meditation as compared to those that did another form of relaxation meditation or no meditation at all. The findings indicate that the mental silence-orientated approach of Sahaja Yoga is specifically effective in reducing work-related stress and depressive feelings.[1]

Mental silence is essentially about eliciting a state of thoughtless awareness. The technique is based on a non-commercial, classical understanding of meditation. The main technique employs a simple series of silent affirmations based on a traditional understanding of yogic psychophysiology. [2]

Even 5-10 minutes of sitting in silence and observing your breath can transform your perspective on life. It has surely benefited me. I find meditating, even for a few minutes, on a daily basis is the key to keeping my system in balance.

It might sound like a big commitment, but just a few minutes of meditation everyday is enough to kickstart the snowball effect of improving your inner state.

References:
[1] R. Manocha,1 D. Black,2 J. Sarris,3, 4 and C. Stough “Research Article A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Meditation for Work Stress, Anxiety and Depressed Mood in Full-Time Workers” Volume 2011, Article ID 960583
[2] S. M. N. Devi, Metamodern Era, Ritana Publishers, Mumbai, India, 1997.

Sahaja yoga has free classes to help people connect with their inner self and feel the joy of mental silence.

Varnika is an interior architect, based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Featured by Twinkl in their Mindful New Year's resolutions for 2022