6th November 2023
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The INDIKA festival, organised by Milap is a 15-day celebration of Indian culture, heritage and music. As one of Europe’s largest festivals of Indian classical arts, this week offers something for everybody. If you love Indian Cuisine and want to celebrate it at the Diwali party at Bundobust, or the Mohinattam workshop at the Unity Theatre for the dancers of Liverpool, Indika hosts range of activities for a variety of different people.
On Monday night, I had the opportunity to go to the Sahaja Yoga workshop at the Liverpool Central Library. I initially took an interest because I have done yoga for a very long time, and wanted to try something new. I’ve attended weekly sessions at my local leisure centre for years, and despite being humbled weekly by the flexibility of others, I do enjoy it!
In all honesty, I had never heard of the variation of Sahaja Yoga before and assumed it wouldn’t be too dissimilar from previous classes that I had attended.
So after a very tedious day staring at my glaring laptop, I was more than ready for an opportunity to destress.
This workshop was totally different from the usual yoga sessions that I had typically attended, rather than focusing on movements and balance. It was hosted by Sahaja Yoga experts, who delved into the history and the methods of practice to produce the awakening of the Kundalini (a source of energy found at the bottom of the spine).
To try and locate this spiritual power, the experts asked us to take our shoes off and open our palms to the ceiling. As a group, we practiced some mindful breathing and attempted to remove any internal thoughts that interrupted our meditation (I found this particularly difficult).
Sahaja Yoga was a type of meditation created by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi during the 1970’s. She travelled across the world teaching her practice and was considered by many as the ‘mother’ of Sahaja Yoga.
Whilst the Sahaja Yoga workshop wasn’t initially what I thought it would be (my fault entirely), it has given me a deeper appreciation and understanding for the importance of introspection whilst practicing yoga. Whilst the workshop was educational, as it taught me about a variant of meditation that I would have never normally encountered, it also gave me a deeper appreciation for the practice itself. The methods, terms and history were laid out gracefully to me by the Sahaja experts, I left the session with a greater appreciation for the practice that I often turn to in moments of stress.
Rather than something that I now sporadicly schedule into my timetable, which I often do just to say that I’ve done it, Indika’s Sahaja Yoga Workshop may have opened up a greater appreciation for yoga within me!
“Divert your attention inward to correct yourself and be kind to others.”- Shri Mataji (31.08.1983)
To read the rest of our coverage of the INDIKA Festival, please click here:
https://www.liverpoolguildstudentmedia.co.uk/category/reviews
