INTRODUCTION TO
Siddha Yoga is a spiritual path that is rapidly gaining more adherents all over the world. It was brought to the west by Swami Muktananda, who reached his enlightenment, or spiritual liberation, with the help of his guru, Bhagavan Nityananda. Swami Nityananda later passed the Siddha lineage on to his devotee Swami Chidvilasananda, popularly known as Gurumayi.
What is distinctive about a Siddha guru is their ability to awaken the kundalini, a spiritual energy said to lie dormant at the base of the spine. When the kundalini is awakened, the seeker's spiritual journey begins. This ability to awaken the kundalini is known as shaktipat, a transfer of spiritual energy from guru to devotee. If the seeker's kundalini is already awakened, shaktipat will give it a boost, and this boosting can be experienced repeatedly during the seeker's spiritual journey. Thus, the true essence of Siddha Yoga is the loving relationship that develops between guru and devotee as a result of the awakening of the kundalini.
Shaktipat can take place in many ways, through the will of the guru, a look or a touch. It can even take place through a photograph. The photo above is a shaktipat photo of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, which means that the photo can transfer the guru's spiritual energy to a suitably open and receptive person if that person meditates on the photo. The devotee's spiritual journey is also furthered by spiritual practices like meditation on the mantra Om Namah Shivayah, chanting of the mantra and meditation on the image of the guru. Gurumayi and her guru, Swami Muktananda, have both said that meditation on the image of the guru is the highest meditation. This view has also been stated by others outside Siddha Yoga, like Sathya Sai Baba.
Siddha Yoga has been expanding steadily since Swami Muktananda brought it to the west in the 1970s. It now has over six hundred meditation centres and ashrams all over the world.
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