This book is a memoir of an Australian girl who embarks on a journey inwards to connect to her own Spirit. When she discovers Sahaja Yoga, she studies and experiences it with an open mind and full commitment. Rather than settling for the experiences to unfold in her own meditative corner, she courageously chooses to travel from hometown, Sydney, Australia to remote places of India such as Vaitarna, Vashi, Dharamshala and more. Ultimately, her journey takes her to France as she marries a Frenchman. But every step is a well-thought experience with complete honesty. She questions every step of her journey because it’s the honest scientific approach that enables us to be truthful to ourselves in any spiritual journey. She asks some hard questions to herself to enable introspection and to know that she is with the Truth. Such genuine introspection is inspiring.
Manisha explains all the concepts and techniques of Sahaja Yoga in depth. For anyone who wants to understand the basic tenets of Sahaja Yoga, this book explains it in a transparent and straightforward manner. I love that she shares her understanding of Shri Mataji’s teachings and that makes this book come alive. It’s a very easy-to-read and hard-to-put-down kind of book. I don’t know the author but her voice in the book is so sincere that towards the end of the book, I feel I know her. I express gratitude to the author for letting us peek into her life as this takes lot of courage and confidence. This book is inspiring to revitalize our own spiritual journey.
Sprinkled throughout the book, the author has inspiring quotes from great souls and many Sanskrit words with their meanings. I will take the liberty to share a beautiful poem [page 331-332] from the book that touched my heart.
I sit for meditation.
Where is my attention?
Dancing around with thoughts of what happened and
thoughts of what might happen yet.
Am I these thoughts? I am not.
Am I the mind that receives them? Produce them?
I am not.
Where is my attention?
It comes to the present.
To the silence that permeates.
The thoughts quieten.
Who am I?
Am I my name?
My family, my upbringing?
I am not. These things were imposed on me at birth.
Am I my culture? My education? My birth sign? The lines on my palm?
I am not. These things merely map my way.
Am I the things I have done?
My career, qualifications, my taste in clothes?
I am not. these things are simply the choices I have made.
Where is my attention?
It comes to the present.
Am I this breath? Or the body that receives it?
Am I these lungs, these arteries? These organs, these cells?
I am not. All that is physical is temporary.
Am I these niggling sensations?
Am I discomfort?
Hunger? Thirst?
This is not who I am.
These are merely the needs of the body.
Am I these chakras? These hands that speak?
I am not. This is merely the body’s subtle form.
Am I sadness, anger, regret, anticipation? Am I desire?
I am not. Emotions and other such things are fleeting.
Am I the elements? If so, then I am something more.
Where is my attention? Again it comes to the present.
To the stillness of thoughtless awareness, to the steadiness of the Spirit.
I feel the energy within, the life force streaming through me.
Is this who I am? No. I am subtler still than this force.
The attention shifts between ephemeral things.
I quiet the mind, enter the silence, the now.
Listen to the peace within, to the love.
I am eternal bliss, awareness.
The Chaitanya flows.
I am attention.
I am Truth.
I am Joy.
I am.
Aum.
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