My Sahaj Samadhi Dhyana Yoga Experience

Background

Recently I attended Sahaj Samadhi Dhyana Yoga program which is offered by Art of Living. It\’s a paid program.

In this article I want to share my experience. Also as I continue to practice the meditation, I will update this article.

I came to know about this program from a podcast. The person who suggested this mentioned about its benefits. So I decided to give this a try, as I wanted to deepen my meditation.

I took the course in Gurgaon. Below is a day by day breakup of the program. But first you may want to know what the program is all about.

What is Sahaj Samadhi Dhyana Yoga

It is a meditation technique in which you use a mantra.

What is the duration of the program

It is a 3 day program. Each day 2 hours.

The Program

Day 1

On the first day we started by doing some mild stretches. The teacher arrived and gave an introductory talk on meditation.

We were then asked to go one by one to a room where the teacher gave us a mantra. I am not sure how the mantra is given, as the process is a secret and known to experienced teachers only. Also as per the protocol you are not supposed to write, say or share the mantra with anyone.

Once we all got the mantra the Teacher made us do a guided meditation. It lasted for about 20 minutes. Post that he spent some more time to talk about the program and his experiences.

Day 2

On the second day we again started with mild stretches. This was followed by a 20 min guided meditation using the mantra that was provided. Post that the Teacher again gave some talks on the benefits and experiences. Like the different states we are in like awake, sleep etc.

Sitting 20 mins in meditation is not quite easy. My legs started to pain a bit. But managed somehow.

Day 3

Started with stretches followed by guided meditation, again for 20 mins. Post that some Q&A. Then there was Satsang in which we all participated in Bhajans which were sung by our teacher.

My overall experience of the program

Even though I have been doing Yoga and Meditation for a few years, doing 20 mins of meditation was a good experience. Initially I started to feel discomfort after about 15 mins. But this helped me become more relaxed. I dint feel like sleeping through the sessions.

Probably as I continue this practice, it may give more benefits. I dint expect any miracles to happen as these practices need time and consistency to show some visible results.

We were asked to practice this for 40 days – 2 times each day, after which it generally becomes a habit.

I found the talks given by the teacher ok. Few were good, but mostly repetitive. But the teacher was experienced and happy to answer any questions.

My Suggestion

Doing meditation is definitely helpful. It helps you to destress and become more peaceful. There are quite a few options available if you are just starting. My suggestion will be that do a practice which is simple and in which you are not trying to control your thoughts or trying to concentrate.

Sahaj Samadhi Dhyana Yoga is also a simple technique which is easy to practice. I found it similar in approach to Transcendental Meditation Technique program that was taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Start with something and keep learning and growing along the way.

If you have any questions drop a comment.

Photo by Léonard Cotte on Unsplash