Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the founder of Sahaja Yoga Meditation, was born to a Christian family on March 21, 1923, in the central part of India. From a very early age, she was drawn toward spirituality and ways to help humanity. She lived at Mahatma Gandhi's ashram and later actively participated in the struggle for India's freedom. As a result, she had to discontinue her medical studies in the final year.

Shri Mataji married and led a family life until her children were grown up before starting the Sahaja Yoga movement in her fifties.

In 1970, on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Nargol (state of Gujarat), she devised a technique to give a mass realisation to emancipate humanity. Since then, she tirelessly traveled around the world, giving self-realisation to thousands of people in many countries free of charge. As part of her teachings, she showed people how to pass this valuable experience on to others and sustain it using Sahaja Yoga Meditation methods.

Shri Mataji received numerous recognitions for her selfless work and lifetime achievements. These include being awarded the UN Peace Medal, being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, serving as an official guest of China as a keynote speaker at the Beijing International Women's Conference, receiving a Proclamation from the US Congress, being honored with the Unity Award for international understanding, and being declared Personality of the Year by the Italian Government. The mayor of Brasília, the capital city of Brazil, presented her with the keys to the city and sponsored all her programs. She was officially greeted by North American mayors of Los Angeles, New York, British Columbia, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Berkeley, and invited by officials of many countries to address their people.

Shri Mataji passed away peacefully on the 23rd of February 2011 in Genoa, Italy, aged 87. Her work continues via numerous Sahaja Yoga Meditation classes and meetings organised in over 100 countries worldwide, free of charge.