Now, more than ever, we face one of the most challenging periods in our lives. Many people are having or fear facing a period when many things can go wrong quite quickly and easily.

Unfortunately, these are also when spiritual self-improvement can take a back seat as we can get overwhelmed with too many things. Sure, some of us will use this opportunity to go deeper spiritually, but the chaos and challenging times usually take too much of a toll on our attention.

And so, more often than not, things begin to deteriorate on many fronts. We start getting into a downward spiral, a vicious cycle where things start getting worse progressively.

Not all downward spirals need to be severe or earth-shattering. Some or even most can be the slow degradation variety and can also be in a particular facet or aspect of our lives. 

The problem is that we don’t realize we’re in a downward spiral until things have gotten terrible. We are unlikely to take corrective action until we see severe outcomes.

For instance….we may find we’ve been eating unhealthy and skipping exercise over many months. Our relationships may be strained for a long time and at the point of breaking. Our finances may be slowly deteriorating as the savings begin to go down. Our jobs may feel stale and not motivating enough. None of these have to necessarily happen simultaneously, but they certainly can in isolation.

Or, the most popular one for those pursuing self-improvement – our interest, motivation and progress on spirituality and higher pursuits is waning continuously, and we’re hitting new lows every now and then.

So, how do we break out of such periods of downward spirals in our lives?

A healthy and special dose of spirituality is the only real way to motivate our physical, mental and emotional selves to get out of the rut.

By Shankar Ramani, Editor and Instructor, Sahaja Online

Thanks to the weather, I’ve been able to venture outdoors to do some of my meditation. In the process, I stumbled upon the sheer power of a meditation technique we’ve always recommended. Yet it took some concerted focus and effort to realize how effective it can be.

It cleared my attention, made me feel energetic, light and agile all day. More than that, it seems to be unclogging my spiritual energy system at the deepest of levels.

This method also works directly on the foundation of our spiritual system and on the chakra that is the foundation of our spiritual growth.

All types of outdoor meditation are not created equal, so let’s examine the specifics of the most effective form of outdoor meditation.

The dictionary describes the Seventh Heaven as a state of intense happiness and extreme joy. That is, of course, if one were to exclude the religious definitions for that phrase. Yet, whether religion or the casual use of the phrase, human beings have never had a tangible and realistic way of realizing such a state and actually experiencing it in their lives.

You can definitely achieve this in Sahaja and live it fully. It is real, practical and well within reach if you are willing to focus and work hard. The results are, of course, well worth it.

Here’s how you can experience that state, or better still, spend a more substantial part of your conscious life being in that state. Here’s also why it can be elusive in today’s world of distractions and a tremendous downward force pulling us down and away from that blissful state.

As the protests spread across America, our sympathies and concerns go out to everyone whose feelings have been hurt by racism in any form or activity. Sahaja values, teachings, values and practitioners have always firmly opposed racism and, in fact, all such “isms” as being anti-spiritual. 

And that is not merely a point of view or stance. It is about embracing the simple truth that nature has for us. Realizing one’s spiritual self is the awareness of a higher reality, one that transcends race, faiths, cultures and beliefs. It is universal and a connection at the highest level of human consciousness. 

Today we examine how the pursuit of spirituality can make us fully aware of problems in our society and also offers a way to solve the issues engulfing us.

In one of my recent online meditation sessions, I decided to choose the topic of love and its spiritual significance. Love is an ages-old feeling and phenomenon that is perhaps most widely and loosely used in our lives. To confirm this, I started looking up the dictionary meaning of the word and was hardly surprised at how the world understands it.

In fact, the meanings got more and more ridiculous and plainly wrong as I went down the list of various definitions of love.

A profoundly tender and passionate affection for another person? That’s way too shallow.

A feeling of warm personal attachment as for a parent, child or friend? I’d argue that it’s quite the opposite – those who love do so without any attachments.

Sexual passion and desire? Now, it clearly was time to toss the dictionary as useless for understanding what love really is.

So, let’s try and understand what love really means at a very evolved level of existence – in a spiritual person’s life.