Some people believe the vibrations Sahaja Yogis say they feel on their fingertips and on the palm of their hands are real even long after they've been out of the cult. They believe they feel a cool breeze, which they claim to be a divine wind of spiritual connection (or "realization"). They also think they can feel "catches" on the "chakras" of other people. S
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Bumstein, I can't tell you what to do about your friend. You say you are dear friends. Maybe if you're that close, you can be very blunt with your friend and say you are concerned that s/he is in a cult. You can print out pages from the links I gave you. Beyond that, there may not be anything you can do but to be there in the end, as a dear friend, if/when your friend sees that
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

please tell me about the phenomena of vibrations. you were inside, so you are the best to tell. is there something real? or just natural body sensation treated in a wrong way? well...
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

dear worldgirl, my good friend is in Sahaja Yoga. what do you recommend me to do? maybe few words? a
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

There is no safe amount of time to stay in SY. It sucks you in slowly and deliberatly. 20 years ago I thought I'd check it out for a few weeks. I wound up trapped in that cult for 10 years. A colossal waste of time and money.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

A destructive cult led by a greedy old Indian lady who claims to be God. Devotees worship her, wash her feet and drink the footwash water. Brainwashed members believe they've been given their enlightenment through kundalini opening--something the guru claims to give "en masse." Good links to check out are: The leader of this cult, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, has mad
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

thanks. that tells something usefull. maybe any thoughts how long it is safe to saty in sahaja? when the shit comes out? or maybe it's even impossible to draw a border. a
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

A quick Google turned up this...
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

hi, i'm interested to hear any comments about the your experience connected to SaHAJA YOGA and Sri Mataji. and all that gang. thanks p
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Yikes. Expensive indeed. Glad you're out of there (and warning others). As one who wasted way too many years in a cult called Sahaja Yoga, I am now forever wary of anything having to do with meditation/yoga. But if you feel you learned something useful from the experience, I don't see why you can't just do the practices on your own. In any case Dahnhak sounds like the no
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Leopardgirl, your (former) cult sounds like my (former) cult. I know it's a different one, but lately I've been wondering if all newbie gurus study from the same How To Be A Guru book. The cult I was in was relatively small too. Maybe about 200 members in all of North America. A couple hundred in Europe. A scattered group in India. I was one of the early members (in the early
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The other day I was waiting for a train out of New York City. It was really late at night, and I sat down in a row of chairs in the waiting area alternately dozing and making small talk with a guy that sat down diagonal from me. Eventually a couple sat down on the row of chairs connected to the guy's row of seats. The female fell asleep, but the male wanted to talk. He had heard me say
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

For ExKrishna, if you're interested: Yeah, it's called TASY, but the writers there are not just ex-Sahaja Yogis. There are a small number of others who write there simply because they've been through similar experiences, had friends or loved ones who got caught up in a cult, or are currently practicing SY or some other form of meditation/spirituality. Stop by and visit i
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Brave woman, leaving the cult! I know how hard it can be. I wasted 10 years in Sahaja Yoga, a cult, ironically, led by a woman who insists that all other women (but not her, because she's "God") be submissive and subserviant. Sucks big time. I'd like to find out what's next for cult Sahaja Yoga. I've heard that its leader, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, has mouth c
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

All this is really fascinating. Alas, there was no Internet 20 years ago when I got snared by Sahaja Yoga. Even so, Shri Mataji lied to her cult followers, over and over. She's still lying to this day. She would tell us terrible things about the guru who used to call himself Bhogwhan Shri Rajneesh (now Osho). She would say he's a false guru, totally evil and a sexual pervert. Th
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks, Kittypaw. I'd forgotten how wonderful it feels to be free. And, believe it or not, even though I've been out of that idiotic cult for 10 years, I still think I'm going through a healing process. Recently I learned via an Internet forum that a woman I knew when I was in SY will now be sending her three teenage daughters to the SY school in India. I also know that there h
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Amazing. I hadn't seen this thread before today, but reading it sent a shiver down my spine. The cult I was in (Sahaja Yoga) has a guru (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, a name which I am now loathe to call her, because she represents none of those 4 words: holy, mother, pure divine) who fits many of the descriptions here to the letter! Reptillian eyes, often heavy lidded, etc. And sometimes he
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The reason I was concerned about the Sims Online/BSDM connection is not because I'm unaware of what my children can find on the Internet, but because Sims started off as an innocent computer game (for children). Years ago, when my kids were playing the game using the software, I even enjoyed playing a game of it now & then (Sim City and Sim Town). It WAS educational--learning how to
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I spent 10 years in a cult. I eased my way out about 10 years ago. It wasn't all that traumatic for me. Maybe this isn't typical, but what finally forced my departure was simply LIFE. By the time I started having serious misgivings about Cult Sahaja Yoga, I had a three year old daughter and infant triplets. I had no family nearby to help out, and I hired an Iranian woman (a fring
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

A guru I followed for years, "Sri Mataji Nirmala Devi," is reputed to have mouth Cancer. She is about 80 years old now, and in probably not going to be around much longer. Ironically, she would tell us (duped cult members) that anyone who spoke falsely or uttered words against the divine would get terrible diseases associated with that chakra (Visshudi). Now here she is with mout
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

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
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

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 'Asia
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

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
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

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 yo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"