Yoga and meditation are being incorporated into individual's daily spiritual practices across the world, no matter their religious background. They have become so increasingly popular because yoga and meditation create a space where one can free their mind and return to their most natural state. It can help lower one's stress, find feelings of gratitude, and connect with nature.

Yogmata Keiko Aikawa, a world-renowned meditation master, is sharing her love and dedication to meditation with others. She is the first non-Indian woman to realize the ultimate state of Samadhi, which is defined as "a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation. In Hindu yoga, this is regarded as the final stage, at which union with the divine is reached (before or at death)."

While most people will never be able to achieve that kind of success, yoga and meditation still present numerous benefits to those who practice it regularly. In our interview, Aikawa discusses the importance of taking a break from technology, connecting with nature, and growing ourselves in new ways spiritually.

Why do you think technology is so harmful to most people?

Himalayan masters have experienced the ultimate Samadhi, the ultimate state of meditation, and realized what the universe is and that human beings are a part of nature, which is made of the same material as the universe.

The world today is so destructive of nature, everything in life is mechanized, and information is so overwhelming that people are swayed by it and don't know the truth. Nature is disappearing, the mind is acting unnaturally, and we are also constantly surrounded by and dependent on technology; everything is unnatural and artificial.

We are driven by that force, caught up in it, and it is draining our life force. Technology is not drawing life energy out of us energetically, it is draining it and making our life force weaker in exchange for convenience. Of course, it is helping the weak, but we are increasingly dependent on it and cannot live without it.

The workings of our lives are no longer normal, and we have to depend on technology to survive. It all costs money, it takes time, and we are swayed by it and continue to work to maintain the situation.

We are eliminating nature and making it unnatural, which has a negative impact on our ecological physiology. Technology takes away what is natural and destroys the functioning of nature, so it weakens the vitality of human beings. So, we have to remind ourselves that we are not dependent on technology.

Why is it so important to take a break from technology?

We have to temporarily switch off our senses and body in order to restore our naturalness, to awaken our true functioning. If we are constantly dependent and swayed by all kinds of unnatural things and technology, such as IT, cars, electrical products, etc., it dulls the natural functioning of the body and mind.

Why do you recommend meditation each day?

Nature has a function of day and night. Day is influenced by the action of the sun, and night is influenced by the action of the moon. Living is made up of this rhythm of day and night. In the daytime, the mind works in the rhythm of nature. And with the use of technology, we are swayed by it, and the mind becomes unnatural. We rest at night. If we are in a natural state, our unnatural state is corrected during night time. So, throughout the day, nature automatically resets itself, organizes itself, corrects itself, and brings itself back to its natural state.

You should make time to actively step away from the machine and away from technology. This will create a situation where you don't do anything. That's what meditation is all about. Sit down without doing anything, without looking at anything, or listening to your work, or doing physical work, or moving somewhere else, or playing a sport. And you are in the present.

This is how you go back to the natural state of doing nothing and not working. This is meditation. You force the mind and body to turn off the working switch and be at peace.

That is imperative now. Because nature's work of balancing day and night becomes confused, and we are always in the midst of the unnatural environment. As a result, we have become unnatural ourselves. Therefore, we need to meditate every day.

How can you invest in yourself through meditation?

It's difficult for meditation to occur by just sitting and being quiet. Meditation is not thinking about anything, it's about becoming quiet and peaceful. You have to get your inner energy in order for that to occur. Of course, it's good to sit and do nothing, but we can also actively rest by meditating with the guidance of the right teacher who knows meditation well. And we can actively prepare our bodies and minds to become natural.

Swayed by technology, we use our bodies and minds on a daily basis, and we are aging. As the Buddha said, there is the pain of living, the pain of getting sick, and the pain of dying. The solution is to go back to the essence and realize the truth.

In order to do this, you have to purify the memories of your experiences, the stresses that have accumulated in the body and mind through your lives, and then we have to go back further and evolve our consciousness to become one with God and Source. You have to meet an enlightened master who knows this way of living well, who can teach you the secrets, who can give you a blessing, and you need to take your time to live this new way of living and live a life of giving and offering.

This is how you can remove the excess, clean up, and restore your true radiance. Many people spend their time doing things that drain their life by pleasing their eyes and ears.

Instead of buying things out of desires and becoming dependent on them, it is important to have that awareness of returning to the essence. Returning to a place where nothing is lacking and everything is full.

What type of meditation practices do you suggest people look into?

There are many ways to meditate, but if possible, the Himalayan Siddha meditation is the best way to practice as it guides you to the essence. The mind has been working constantly for hundreds of thousands of years, accumulating memories, and it wants to fulfill its wishes.

The mind has made a destiny that will always sway that person. It can make you unhappy. Without the wisdom of truth, you cannot control the mind. You cannot become your own master and control your mind and body in order to live in a better way.

Enlightened Siddha masters, Himalayan saints, can guide you to true happiness and enlightenment and make you the best human being that you can possibly be. They will teach you step-by-step techniques to purify your body and mind on every level. There is sound meditation. It is mantra meditation. There are also kriya meditations of Himalayan Siddha masters, which purify through prana.

These methods are taught to students at different levels - beginning, intermediate, and advanced -, and they can be practiced in sequence according to the needs of the students. Also, an enlightened master has the vibrations of a higher level to be able to purify a person. Receiving that blessing will naturally purify and pacify the mind. This meditation should only be practiced under the guidance of the right master, and the meditation should be the meditation suited to that person. If you cannot find a master, you can be relaxed in the morning by sleeping well the night before. It's good to be mindful of being in the present.

Can meditation fit into any religious practice?

I don't know much about the practice of religion, so I can't answer this question really. I think that people practice to believe in a religion. I think that we are affected by the quality of the symbols of the religion. Even if you believe in God, you are not able to see God because the mind is clouded by karma; the results of our actions. Therefore, we cannot connect with God.

They are trying to connect through a god of convenience. The people who teach it are creating an image of God and using it as a symbol and a means of communication. When you believe in something, you try to unify your mind with it, so that it fills you and makes you a little bit more stable.

Also, religious doctrines consist of the values of the people who lead them, and by believing in them, you are at the mercy of their teachings. It's just the same as being at the mercy of technology, as it is at the mercy of a mind that is also influenced and swayed.

Also, I think a lot of religions give us morals; Do this, do that. I think it's good to follow those morals as they give guidance to the mind that wanders this way and that. But it is not enough, as they become an obsession and far from the truth. We need to know more about the inner mechanisms and have a real practice of meeting God.

I think it's good to find a real religion too. Prayer is also a form of meditation. It guides the mind in a better direction. It is guiding the mind in the direction of the words of that prayer.

It's guiding the mind in a positive direction, not a negative one, so it's guiding the mind in the right direction and using it in a better way, which I think has a destressing effect, and it's a kind of meditation. Religious teachings are moral, but sometimes we become stuck to them, are swayed by them, and are not free from them.

How are yoga and meditation bringing peace around the world?

The Himalayan sacred teachings are the most powerful teachings of yoga and meditation that lead to enlightenment and are the path and secret teachings of the ultimate Samadhi Master, Siddha Master. It is true yoga and meditation.

It is the fastest way to awaken the mystical power within you.

That power doesn't need tools, it doesn't destroy anything natural, it cleanses this body and mind and awakens from within the power to create at the source of the universe; the power to create at the cosmic source. And from there, you will create peace and love, and in turn, you will heal the world and bring peace.

It is good to receive a guide from the right teacher. Yoga and meditation are essentially about encountering God and encountering the truth. It organizes the body, controls the action, and regulates the breath so that you can regulate your inner self and even regain your naturalness. It dissolves the negative energy within, recharges energy further, and creates the energy to become more creative. It makes the world creative and filled with the energy of peace while destroying warring minds. The body and mind become rested, balanced, and at peace, while desires fall away, and we become better and more authentic people who respect each other. That's why yoga and meditation are good for us.