I spent 10 years in Sahaja Yoga. If At the time, I did not know it was a cult. (It was the 80s, and there was no Internet on which to research such cults) I thought it was a "unique method of meditation," which is how its followers advertise it.

If anyone here is thinking about exploring Sahaja Yoga, or would like to know what it's really like, please contact me.

But if you do decide to join, know this: You will be required to worship an old Indian lady who claims she is the supreme creator of the universe. They will hide this information from you at first. Until they know you are committed to learning their meditation techniques, they will sell you this religion as a form of meditation while slowly brainwashing you, telling you they take no money, and asking you to write out checks to help fund their programs and prjects.

Sounds crazy, right? Yet it's so easy to get sucked in.

Beware. Explore this crazy cult at your own risk.

Prospective members of Sahaja Yoga, I urge you to check out the following site:

[sahajacult.com]

Here you will find the information that members of this dangerous cult don't want you to know about.

Best wishes!

I've not been involved in Sahaja Yoga, but I've seen Indian based cults where they say they dont want money, but later on, you'll notice the wealthier congregation members get some preferential treatment. They might even start hounding you for money that you don't have. I've seen all this. But there are also some very sincere religious missions in India, so you can't assume they're all bad. Sadly, the majority of them that leave India are heavily motivated by money :/

for the gurus who leave India and go to the West, to hit on spiritually naive people: 'export gurus'

The term originated among scholars of Asian art who distinguished between the Asian art that was of high quality, made for Asian connoiseurs whose taste was subtle and who appreciated discreet elegance, versus the shlocky stuff made for export to the West, where any vaguely 'Asian' motif was sure to sell.

Beware of gurus who self promote--its all about ego. It is noteworthy that when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi arrived in England in the late 50s, he did NOT minister to emigre Indians. Instead, he targeted naive Westerners, and shrewdly played on the gullibility of theosophical/Ouspensky groups who were looking for the sources of esoteric wisdom.

No honorable group will hide key doctrines from you.

And its a clever trick to refuse donations at first, saying 'Your motivations are not yet pure' and then later, when you're really desperate to give money, you'll end up giving far more, when finally permitted to do so.

Any group that behaves according to your description of Sahaja yoga is sure to be bogus.

Reputable spiritual teachers only work with as many people as they can responsibly counsel, just as a really fine restaurant limits the number of tables to ensure that each guest is well served and that the cuisine remains at a high standard.

What you're describing is the equivalent of Indian spirituality that is 'fast food style'--cheap, wants to hit as many people as possible, based on marketing, not quality and full of hidden ingredients that will, in the long run make you sick.

Export Guru.

Thank you for that term, corboy. I had not heard of it before.

But yes, Sahaja Yoga's leader: Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi fits the description perfectly. She claims to give "en masse" realization. She claims that, with palms upraised, the feeling of a cool breeze across the palms of the hands is an indication of vibratory awareness, clear chakras and the ultimate: self realization. She also claims to be the first and only one to enable the 7th chakra (sahasrara) to be pierced, thus connecting the newly enlightened to the divine.

She is very good at fooling people into believing she is a giving them a powerful experience. In reality she use hypnosis techniques and, once she snares a few unwitting seekers, the usual "love bombing," sleep deprevation, chanting, subtle threats, etc.

In the beginning you will be made to think you are learning a wonderful meditation technique, good for stress reduction, yadda yadda yadda. The more you involve yourself with other cult members and this "Nirmala," the more you learn. Before you know it, you find yourself worshipping the feet of this a wealthy old Indian grandmother--even WASHING her swastika decorated feet, and drinking the washwater! Totally crazy, yet people are doing it to this day!

Sahaja Yoga is a devious cult, and some of the most brilliant people I've met were conned by this fraud, "Mataji." Some, after 20 years, are still being conned.

I'm grateful for the existence of forums such as this, which expose cults and lessen the harm they do to others. I wish I'd had access to information like this back in the 80s when I was young and naive. Truly, young people are really the ones cults like these target. They take advantage of an open mind and youthful idealism. Despicable.