Music and meditation come to Strule Arts

For thousands of years, yoga, meditation and other practices associated with Eastern philosophy were treated with suspicion by the West, but, in recent times, quite the opposite attitude has began to find a following. People are getting interested in these once-sneered-at ideas…

Yes, the distrust which pervaded for all those years is eventually subsiding, as proof – both anecdotal and scientific – of the efficacy of these disciplines continues to emerge. Finally, the West is waking up to the promise these ancient practices might hold for a society attempting to figure out how to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing in the weird world of the 21st century.

And, on Friday, July 8, local people who are keen on finding out more about yoga and meditation have the chance to do so – free of charge! Sahaja Yoga Meditation are coming to the Strule Arts Centre, and, through a meditative melding of yoga and music, they hope to help local people rediscover their inner silence, find the spaces between their thoughts, and, in more colloquial language, clear their heads.

So, whether you are a clutter-brained yoga-virgin, or a beacon of blissful silence, you” be just as welcome in the Strule Arts as anyone else. The wash on Nirvana’s silent shores may not be as far away as it seems…

And to help participants arrive at a psychologically receptive plane, Sahaja Yoga Meditation employs music, dance and song. Those who attend will hear the sweet sounds of the sitar, guitar and harmonium.

Ahead of the event, we spoke with someone who has been practicing Sahaja Yoga Meditation for over 30 years. Seamus Harten attended his first class back in 1988, when the concept of yoga and meditation was largely viewed as a ludicrous, and maybe even dangerous thing.

“I went to that first class to see what it was all about, and, it turned out, it made a lot of sense to me,” opened Seamus.

“True Meditation is a state of deep peace which occurs when the mind is calm and silent, yet completely alert,” said Seamus. “Sahaja Yoga is used by millions of people worldwide as a practical means to achieve a balanced state and enjoy improved mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.”

Seamus said the word ‘sahaja’ means ‘inborn’, and he explained that the discipline promises to awaken the ‘purifying and healing energy that lies within every human being from birth’.

But a belief in the above doesn’t seem to be an unconditional part of benefitting from some of the anxiety-reducing, mind-clearing qualities which the practice can induce.

“Sahaja Yoga is a genuine, solid experience,” said Seamus. “It’s an actual physical reality, verifiable by one’s own experience. From my own experience, it can lead to spontaneous improvements in one’s interactions and relationships with the world. This new state transcends religious, ethnic, economic and political differences and clearly manifests the oneness of mankind,” concluded Seamus.

The session is free and available to anyone at all.

So, on Friday, July 8, from 7pm to 9pm, take yourself down to the Strule Arts. It costs nothing, you might learn something, and, who knows, it could be the start of a better, more balanced life.