Sahaja Yoga Bowmanville

Meditation Classes in Pickering Ajax

2011-11-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

A new meditation class has started and runs every Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm at Pickering High School - 180 Church Street North in Ajax - classroom #149. Classes are always free and open to people of all ages. Classes consist of instruction on how to meditate, meditation sessions and information on the chakras and subtle system.

commonwealth games 2010 opening ceremony

2010-10-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Come to Smoothies on Wednesday evenings, 7:30pm, to experience the raising of your own Kundalini. The safe,auspicious,collective awakening and establishment of this power within us has been working out all over the world by the world wide master of Kundalini, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, through Sahaja Yoga. She has brought this knowledge 'of the east' to the masses worldwide. All you need is a sincere desire.

Change yourself, change the world. Kundalini is the power to transform human beings.
Begin your spiritual journey today, visit www.freeMeditation.ca

and join us for a Sahaja Yoga class and collective meditation Wednesdays, 7:30pm at:

Smoothie & Co.
37 King Street West, Bowmanville, ON L1C 3C2
in between Silver & Temperance
Phone: 905-623-3384

HAVE YOU HEARD?

2010-06-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sahaja Yoga classes return to Bomanville!

Join us at:

Smoothie & Co.
37 King Street West, Bowmanville, ON L1C 3C2
in between Silver & Temperance
Phone: 905-623-3384

on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm for Sahaja Yoga meditation starting May 12th, 2010. The owners of Smoothies have generously provided a room inside their store for this advantageous activity. Take advantage of this convenient opportunity for collective meditation.
All are welcome. Basic introduction is provided each week along with the experience of Self-Realization and collective meditation. It's free!

Come and experience the simple and authentic state meditation for yourself. Think you can't meditate? By the grace of Kundalini awakening in the safe and vibration rich environment of Sahaja Yoga (founder, guru and great spiritual leader, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is The Master of Kundalini knowledge and awakening), the state of meditation can come to anyone with the sincere desire and a little patience.
See you at Smoothies!

BOMANVILLE LIBRARY PROGRAM CANCELLED

2009-06-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

Please note that the Bomanville Library program has been cancelled.

As of July 1, 2009 there will no longer be any Sahaja Yoga meditation classes conducted at the Bomanville Library.

There continues to be ongoing classes every Tuesday evening at 7:30pm at the Whitby Public Library, 405 Dundas St.W. Whitby, ON. All are welcome, whether you have never meditated before or if you are someone looking for a collective meditation.

Experience the power that will change your life! You will experience your Self-realization upon your first participation in any Sahaja Yoga class. Begin your experience of the pure and authentic state of meditation, also called thoughtless awareness. Sahaja Yoga is natural simplicity, the way we were designed to experience our spiritual nature.

Check out the Sahaja Yoga Whitby blog: www.sahaja-yoga-whitby.ca

For information, please call 905-430-6896

Can't get out to a collective meeting? No problem, join collective meditation online!
Every Tuesday at 9:00PM EST, join the introductory sahaja yoga online meditation. Go to: http://freemeditation.tv/

Library Closed Canada Day

2009-06-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Just to remind you there will be no Sahaja Yoga class on Wednesday July 1st at the Bomanville Library.

Sahaja Yogini Exhibits at ART 2009 Toronto

2009-06-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

A special treat for art lovers! This year's art exhibit at the Toronto Convention Center will be 'vibrated' by the original art of a sahaja yoga artist.

Louise, a Sahaja Yogini from Montreal invites all the Toronto Yogis to visit the ART 2009 at the Convention Center, 255, Front St. West. Louise is exhibiting her beautiful paintings at booth # 124.

The Exhibition runs from June 12th - 14th.

Well worth the drive into Toronto!

No Class This Wednesday, May 27th

2009-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

The regular Wednesday Sahaja Yoga meeting at the Bomanville Library has been rescheduled to Thursday, May 28th, this week due to an alternate booking by the Library.
Hope to see you Thursday at 7:00pm.
Next week we will meet at 7:00 Wednesday evening as usual.

Join Us At Maplefest on May 2nd

2009-04-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sahaja Yoga will have a booth again this year at the Bomanville Maple Syrup Festival on Saturday, May 2nd.

All are welcome. Come meditate with us, the vibrations are always very strong when Self-Realization is being offered!
If you have curious friends or relatives, this is the perfect opportunity for them to experience Kundalini awakening (also called Self-Realization) for themselves.
Hope to see you there!

Enjoy some Easter Music

2009-04-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

"So one can see how powerful is this love. All kinds of bad feelings, negative thinking and also self-destructive elements can be corrected and controlled very simply in Sahaja Yoga, if you with sincere heart meditate morning and evening, twice.
That time you shouldn’t see your watches, of course, but enjoy, enjoy your meditation. That will give you such a strength to love others, to forgive others..." Shri Mataji, 1999

Enjoy this Mozart's "Halleluia" on this occasion of our recognition of the significance of Resurrection. Mozart's music is great for meditation as it works with our Sushumna Nadi (Central Channel).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvRI8MD7moU

and Bach's: "Easter Oratorio":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eWK0EUdCOI&feature=related

HAPPY EASTER!

Easter Reminds Us of the Gift of Shri Jesus

2009-04-08T10:43:00.001-07:00

As we are learning in Sahaja Yoga, all the divine aspects and incarnations that have come throughout the history of mankind to deliver appropriate messages guiding the human race to positive behaviour and attitudes, are working through various chakras to enlighten and evolve us. At the very difficult level of Agnya, the home of our Ego and our SuperEgo, the essences of Shri Buddha and Shri Jesus Christ can help us work out problems with Ego, if we have the desire and make the choice to give space to these extremely high vibrations.
While we are thinking, there is little space in this restricted area in which Right and Left Channels cross. The challenge is to choose to stop thinking whenever possible. To choose to expand our thoughtless attention into our daily life. The divine always respects our right to choose. We should understand that the desire is the power of our Ida Nadi (Left Channel) and the Pingala Nadi (Right channel) is the energy that puts our desires into action, ie. actually make the choice. We must complete our desire with the appropriate choices/action. By choosing thoughtlessness, by attempting to put our Attention to Sahasrara, we are clearly making that choice and the divine aspects become very active at this point, helping us to achieve our desire.
Enjoy some of Shri Mataji's words about the divine essence of Shri Jesus working in our agnya chakras.

Christ Moves Us Past Our Mental Being
"… But if you are at the Agnya level, means you are mental, absolutely mental, then your vibrations also are dwindling in the sense you don’t know what really they are saying….It’s a very common thing… It’s not possible because you are just mental.”

“Now what Christ has done is to put you away from the mental level. That is the most difficult thing…We read like mad, we listen to people like mad, we like those who give us feed for our mental being…. You can’t fight their mental attitude. That’s why Christ is to be worshipped by people who are so very mental. … They cannot correct themselves because unless and until you cross this limit of mental being, you cannot see yourself. You cannot introspect. You’ll see others. ‘These Sahaja Yogis are like this, Sahaja Yoga is like that,’ but you can’t see yourself because the whole thing is mental.”

“This mental attitude should be completely curbed through the help of our Lord Jesus Christ. But… in your brains Christ is also mental, now what to do? …
“So firstly we have to tell ourselves, ’Now don’t think, don’t think, don’t think , don’t think.’ Four times, and then you can rise above … In meditation you have to go beyond the mind and thanks to Christ that He is sitting at the Agnya to finish off this nonsense of mental being.

“So the best thing for all of you is to become thoughtless. That’s the blessing of Christ. That’s what He worked it out for and I am sure you (can) work it out… Just don’t react. Everything they will see, they will react… This reaction creates nothing but ripple of thoughts in your mind. … Then only this akash tattwa in you will work. And how it works? Through your attention. It works with Me, as you know. With My attention I work out many things. How? Just My attention has become thoughtless. It goes wherever it goes, it works. But if you put your attention for thought all the time, for thinking, then it doesn’t do the work that it is supposed to do. Attention works marvellously if you are thoughtless; otherwise it doesn’t.”…

So it (your Attention) has to rise from your own self, then from others to the higher level of humanity, where you are in communication with the sky, which we can call it as the tanmatra or the essential or the essence of ether. With ether you can have television, telephone. It’s a miracle otherwise, but with this tanmatra, sitting down here you can do the job. Just attention works… It’s a very important thing that you have got.”…

“You can pay attention and you can work it out. In this attention, you don’t feel… what you are wearing, what others are doing. You are one with yourself and it’s a life full of so much humour, so much of joy, so much of happiness…

“…And you all can do it. You all can work it out – only thing, become thoughtlessly aware, as the blessing of Christ. If it works, you will be absolutely enjoying yourself. May God bless you.”

Christmas Puja Synopsis 1998, Ganapatipule - from the Divine Cool Breeze Volume 13 #1/2, Jan/Feb 1999

This Week's Class is now a GO!

2009-03-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Please disregard previous post about class cancellation.

The library had a cancellation and the room is now available.
We will have our usual 7:00pm class at the Bomanville library.

see you there!

No Class This Wednesday

2009-03-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we have no room availability at the Bomanville Library this Wednesday April 1st (i hope it is not an April Fool's prank!).
We can reschedule the meeting to Thursday evening, April 2nd, if some of you have the desire. Please call Reg if you are able to come on Thursday night. His cell phone is 905-441-5360.
There is a regularly scheduled meeting in Newcastle on Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm at the Admiral's Walk Club House in Port of New Castle:
90 Shipway Avenue
Newcastle, ON L1B1N4
T • 905 987 0516

or email me at: chersaun@sympatico.ca

It would be really nice if we could all join the other collective meeting hosted by John and Kathleen on Thursday.

Hope to see you Thursday.

Shri Mataji Loves Us

2009-03-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

Enjoy some excerpts from previous talks of Shri Mataji on the occasion of her birthday:
“If you think that My Birthday is important,
that for Me very important is that everybody gets their Spiritual birthday." March 21, 2001 New Delhi.
"I see you as very great, very great people. Especially ladies have to work it out more, because I am a woman and women have a special capacity to love, and to bear. I expect all of you to become beautiful, beautiful Sahaja Yogis, and that nothing can convince the whole world but your work, your abilities and also your power to love. So many things I have seen, experienced about you people, and when I think about them I really feel very happy. I have seen people, how they have managed and looked after so many things which were difficult, and have worked it out.
So now we are in for a new world, and in that new world, a new race of Sahaja Yogis have to show their results, they have to show their powers and their courage and their understanding.
It is not serious, it is not frivolous, but it is joyous! It is just joy that you have to feel about yourself. I am telling you all this because this is within you, within your power. It is all the time residing within you, and that you have faced it also.
I know so many names; practically everybody’s name I know, practically everybody’s Kundalini I know. I also know whose Kundalini is alright and whose is not. I know so many people. So many ask Me: “How do you know so many names, and how do you remember them?” You see, I don’t know that part, but it is that whenever I see a person, I see his Kundalini, and from that Kundalini I know who he is.
There can be thousands and thousands of Kundalinis, but I know who is who – because I love them. If you love somebody, then you know what he is.
It is not stupid love, as they call it romance and all that, it’s a very deep feeling. When you enter like into the garden of your heart and you feel the beautiful fragrance all around; when you think of such nice people as there have been as saints, great saviours, and now the Sahaja Yogis, you feel so much grateful that you have achieved that state of collective enjoyment.
So I wish you all a very, very happy Birthday, so that you people have a ‘new’ birth and ‘new’ understanding, and a ‘new’ personality. Try to accept that personality, try to respect it – that personality is your Self.”
May God bless you."

Live Online Introductory Sahaja Yoga Meditation

2009-03-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Online Meditation team is pleased to invite you to a new series of live programs starting next week.

Every Tuesday, at 9PM EST (GMT-5), we'll introduce a different Sahaja Yoga topic, we'll meditate together, listen to an excerpt of a talk by Shri Mataji, try to answer any questions you might have, and more.

You can find out more on our website:
www.freemeditation.tv
and join our email list for notifications about the programs.

Please feel free to Contact us if you have any questions
Regards,
The Online team

Celebrate Shri Mataji's Birthday on March 21st

2009-03-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Another year has flown by and we again rejoice at the opportunity to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Shri Mataji's birthday on March 21st.
This is indeed a time to celebrate. Our hearts have been touched, 'opened', as we have witnessed Shri Mataji's efforts to reach all of us from everywhere, as we witness our own ongoing transformation, and watch in amazement as other people's lives are completely renewed by our Mother & Teacher, Shri Mataji. Let us come together and share our deep appreciation for the greatness of Her vision and the selflessness of Her continuing work, on this occasion of Her 86th birthday.
Hope to see many of you there at our Ontario Celebration. We can all be together, get to know each other even better, make new friends, and enjoy the artists, the humour and the surprises prepared for us by a wonderful committee of Sahaja Yogis that have volunteered for this event.

Here are the details:

DATE: SATURDAY MARCH 21ST, 2009

The meal will be catered by the Sangam Banquet Hall. (same location, and great food, as our last Christmas party)
The Entertainment Committee will be arranging the program after dinner.
The cost is $15 per adult, $7 for children between 7-12 years of age, and children 6 and under are FREE!

LOCATION: SANGAM BANQUET HALL
6991 MILLCREEK DRIVE, MISSISSAUGA
close to DERRY ROAD AND 401

6PM - DINNER
7PM - ENTERTAINMENT

REGISTRATION for the DINNER:
We ask that you pay for the meals when you pre-register.
Kathleen will be able to take email registrations (and you may pay at the door) - kathdowney@hotmail.com until Tuesday, March 17th.

DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THE MEAL IS TUESDAY MARCH 17th!

We can invite new seekers, family, and friends to the meal and entertainment program to share in such an auspicious occasion.

See you there!!
With love,
the Celebration Committee

Peace is within
www.freemeditation. ca

'Heartening' Experience

2009-03-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Sahaja Yoga Shivaratri Seminar/ Retreat in the Montreal area this past weekend. We celebrated the Spirit which resides in the left aspect of our Anahat or Heart Chakra, known in sanskrit as Shri Shiva. I think everyone without exception felt the vibrations of Love flowing in some form. Personally, I experienced a simple and continuous joy all weekend. It seemed that the people around me were more special than ever, more dear to me, and that each of them was one of the world's hidden gems that would somehow contribute to bringing the human race to a new height, in a subtle and anonymous way. I have come away as a little higher personality than i was last week, a little cleaner inside, a little more loving, with a little more appreciation and understanding of my role in this life. Now I will use regular meditation and sahaj collectivity to maintain this gift and put this higher awareness to good use.
Perhaps next year all of you will be able to treat yourself to the sweet experience of clearing the Heart Chakra at this annual retreat! In the meantime, enjoy Shri Mataji's words about the Spirit (Shri Shiva),the reflection of the Universal consciousness (Shri SadaShiva) within us:

"We have within us a being which I call the Spirit ...

"The spirit, which is also part and parcel of the totality that is love, totality that is God, totality that is joy, totality that is knowledge. And that spirit within us is watching us. It is not watching like a guard or a police inspector. That also, we human beings cannot understand…. The spirit is the one that is love. Can you understand total love? Can you understand something that just gives and enjoys giving and not asking for anything? Can you understand someone like that? Can you? Loving for love’s sake, that’s what is your spirit.

It is watching you with that love, that total love. That totality of love is watching you to give you that what it is.

Now here, I would say you are the spirit and you are this Self. Another one, which is this awareness, is this human awareness which you have got. This human awareness has to be enlightened by that totality, that spirit. When it enlightens that, then only, you know that you are a part and parcel of the totality and that you are beautiful, you are really beautiful.There’s some times one feels a little bashful to know how beautiful one is and so fragrant and so grand and so dignified. That new dimension one has to understand ... To understand the totality of love, total love, you have to know that these are all just flecks. The ocean, the oceans of oceans of love will wash off these specks in no time, but have faith in yourself, that’s all. Have faith in yourself. After all, you are human beings." - Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, 1980
Enjoy a 2 minute meditation with this video link of beautiful vibration filled pictures of Mount Kailash in India, a swayambhu of Shri Shiva (a swayambhu is a natural formation that emits vibrations), accompanied by the singing of the mantra "Sat-chid'ananda rûpah,Shivo'ham" (Truth, Consciousness, Bliss) .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IC_kpoayfY

Music therapy by Dr. Apte

2009-03-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

Enjoy a meditation with this music performed by Dr. Arun Apte who has been studying and teaching the 'science' of music at the Sahaja Yoga Academy of Arts in India. This is a raag which is a form of music therapy for the chakras. Raga Bhairavi is beneficial to our Ida Nadi (Left Chanel).

http://sahaj-az.blogspot.com/2009/01/arun-apte-performs-raga-bhairavi.html

You may also enjoy reading the 'never ending' information presented in this website Encyclopedia of topics pertaining to Sahaja Yoga.

Music and Meditation

2009-02-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

Shri Saraswati is the name of the divine aspect of music. She is represented by the Goddess playing the veena. She is also the Goddess of knowledge and learning and her essence (MahaSaraswati) is the power of the Pingala Nadi (Right Chanel). Check out the site Sahaj A-Z which has 9 postings for Saraswati:
http://sahaj-az.blogspot.com/2009/01/shri-saraswati-and-scholar.html
In Sahaja Yoga we try to choose music according to its ability to activate our Kundalini and therefore give us deeper meditation. This is not always the music that we 'like' best. Likes and dislikes are products of our minds.

Various instruments stimulate different chakras. Music can be used as a therapy to clear chakras. There is a Sahaja Yoga academy of the arts in India which trains sahaja yogis in many modes of music and arts. They have developed the scientific application of music as therapy for the subtle system.

Try to experiment with music. Pay attention to the vibrations you experience while listening to certain pieces of music.

Here is a link to 17 minutes of clips of various musical performances, all by sahaja yogis performing their art for the entertainment of Shri Mataji. Put yourself into meditation and enjoy the strong vibrations.

http://www.sahajayogamusic.com/

Bookmark this site, you will want to return and explore some of the other videos of musical presentations by sahaja yogis.

Canadian Doctor will address a Sahaja Yoga Event in Oakville

2009-02-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

Wonderful opportunity to attend a Sahaja Yoga event in Oakville on Friday, February 27th.
There will be a guest speaker, Dr. Andrei Harabor in from Calgary for a short visit to Toronto, will address the audience on the connection between Sahaja Yoga Meditation, western medicine and our health.
There is no admission fee and the event is open to the public. Bring a friend!
There will also be a presentation about the 'Guru Principle' as well as live music. You will surely feel vibrations!
click here for more details:

http://freemeditation.ca/news/2009/02/23/special-event-at-oakville-class-feb27/

Tuesday is new day for Online Meditation

2009-02-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Introductory level online meditation has been moved to Tuesday evenings. Perfect way to get an extra collective meditation into your week! Learn more about Sahaja Yoga meditation from live presenters and meditate with others to experience the power of collective sahaja yoga meditation. Mark your calendars for 9:00pm on Tuesday evenings and go to:
www.freemeditation.tv
and enjoy the vibrations!

What is the Truth of today?

2009-01-29T11:05:00.001-08:00

Please enjoy an audio talk by Shri Mataji as she describes the uniqueness of these, our modern times. Where is mankind on the horizon of Evolution? Is awareness of this Truth important to us?

Raise your Kundalini and put yourself into meditation as you click the link below and listen (or read, full transcript appears with the talk) to the wisdom of Shri Mataji in the state that enables you to truly know.

http://www.sahajayo gavideo.com/ the-modern- times-are- times-of- confusion. html#more- 25(video/text - Birmingham talk extracts)

"Say, at a stage when Moses came on this earth, when the desperation was different, that they wanted to get out of slavery, it was a different style of understanding they had. How to organize a society on a particular pattern so you achieve the maximum amount of efficiency out of that society. And it was an emergency. It was a very touch and go position for the Jews at that time.

It has happened in many countries, in many generations, that they reached a state where they felt extremely desperate. The slavery of man was very apparent at that time. But before that, people didn’t feel bad about the slavery. They had accepted it. They had taken it for granted and then a time came when they felt, “this is slavery, and we are not going to have any more of it.” And a leader came, that leader worked it out for them.

Today in these modern times, we have a very subtle type of slavery which is every day eating us, which is so self-destroying that we are not even aware of it, and we get destroyed. This destruction is working in so many ways, that if we do not really awaken ourselves to the truth, there is a possibility that nothing will be left out of this creation...."
enjoy the balance of this talk at sahajayogavideo.com (see link above).
Shri Mataji - Birmingham on the 9th July 1982

Winter Seminar on February 8th

2009-01-22T09:04:00.001-08:00

Great opportunity on the horizon to exercise our collective power and deepen our knowledge and experience of Sahaja Yoga!

This seminar will focus on clearing our chakras. Collective clearing is so strong! Come out, learn, experience, and be an active participant in improving the condition of our world at the very source of our problems.

The seminar will be on Sunday, February 8th starting at 10:00am at 1173 Dundas Street East, Toronto, ON at the corner of Dundas and Carlaw,
in the Party room on the top floor of James and Rafeena's apartment building.

Yogis from Windsor and Barrie were invited to arrive on Saturday so they will be able to sleep over in the room as it is equipped with a full kitchen and bathrooms. Local yogis are also invited to sleep over.

This seminar will have a maximum of 100 attendees, with preference to new yogis attending the Sahaja Yoga classes.

You will need to register for this seminar in advance. Please, email Mar'yana if you wish to attend: msvarnyk@hotmail.com before January 30th. Or speak with a co-ordinator at your local meeting/class.

The cost has yet to be determined. It will include cost of supplies for treatments and expenses related to hosting the yogis that are coming from far. The meal (lunch) on Sunday will be pot luck.

Hope to see many of you there.
The Event and Seminar Team--
"Nobody can contribute to the best of humanity
who does not make the best out of himself."

Access: http://www.sahajayoga.ca/

Sujata de Souza
Tel #: 905 814-3007
Fax #: 905 814-1544

No Class, No Problem! Online Meditation Wednesday 9:00pm

2009-01-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

You are reminded that there is no Sahaja Yoga class in the Bomanville Library tonight (Library rescheduling). Not to worry, we can still meditate together!
We would like to invite everyone to the Sahaja Yoga Online Meditation Session, Wednesday, Jan. 21st, at 9:00 PM EST.
(Note that future sessions will happen on Tuesday evenings)

Please join the live meditation on our website: www.freemeditation.tv

If you have never attended a Sahaja Yoga class (at the Library or online), please go through the Self-Realization experiment on "First step" page and listen to the recorded previous classes on the home page.

Do not forget to test your computer before the class here:
http://freemeditation.tv/help-test/

All are welcome to this basic beginner class guided meditation.

If you are home on Monday evenings looking for a collective meditation, here is another collective global sahaja yoga online meditation you will want to participate in:
http://live.sahajayogaonline.com/monday-nights/

Thank you,
Online Meditation team

One Day Class Cancellation

2009-01-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

There will be no class next Wednesday, January 21st at the Bomanville Library as the room is being used by others.
In the meantime you can meditate with this 6 minute video recording of violin & harp music by Bhakti Sangeet, a french troupe of sahaja yogis:

http://freemeditation.ca/videoblog/bhakti-sangeet-harp-violin-and-tabla/

See you the following Wednesday, 7:00pm as usual at the Library.

Being in the 'Moment'

2009-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

So many of us are "not living in the moment". In Sahaja Yoga the aim is to be in the Present, in a state of thoughtless awareness or meditation.

New year, new beginning: Stop, look and listen, be still and know...
The following story is a valuable lesson.

A man stood inside a Metro station in Washington, D.C. and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Many minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the bucket and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32 mostly in coins. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most celebrated musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the D.C. Metro, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and with tickets averaging $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell incognito concert in the D.C. Metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the lessons we may take from this experience might be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the most accomplished musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing? Please meditate on this...for a minute or two!
Click on the following link and meditate to J.S.Bach's Air on G String played by Sarah Chang. Johann Sebastian Bach was a realized soul and his music activates the Right chanel of subtle energy (Pingala Nadi):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ertdPfFyhOE&feature=related