Yogmata Keiko Aikawa was born in Yamanashi, Japan, and is known throughout the world for her efforts in preaching meditation and Yoga as part of a world peace campaign. This week, she visited New York with fellow Himalayan Siddha Master Mahayogi Pilot Baba. The two are featured in the film Short Cut to Nirvana,an award-winning documentary about the Kumbh Mela spiritual festival which takes place near Allahabad, India, every 12 years. Yogmata answered some questions for me through the assistance of her interpreter Michael Smith.

Please tell us about your background.

From my late teens, I experienced Yoga and healing. I had 50 to 100 classes in Tokyo. There were a lot of Yoga and cultural centers that held my classes, with 20 instructors. I can say I was blessed with some success. Then I met with Mahayogi Pilot Baba, and he was invited to Japan by some mass media companies to show Samadhi (Enlightenment) Yoga, which was the highest form of Yoga. I went with him to the Himalayas to experience this for myself and have been able to experience this highest Yoga myself. I have experienced this privately many times, but over 18 times in public. So now we are visiting many countries on a world peace campaign to make people free themselves from suffering and find inner peace in themselves.

What is your purpose in New York this week?

To share love and truth and peace. This week is to meet with the media for the upcoming seminar that is going to be held in January.

What inspired you to become a seeker in your life?

My nature is to seek deep knowledge. I am always looking for knowledge—not only outside knowledge, but also knowing my own inner self. I was always good with my hands and also loved science subjects. I was the last child in my family, so I was always learning new things from my older siblings. I wanted to fulfill myself by helping people. This field of Yoga was a good way to help people with alleviating people’s pain and suffering. That is my character, to want to help people at all times. I wanted to learn philosophy, public speaking, writing, flower arranging and calligraphy to better myself.

What was your introduction to Mahayogi Pilot Baba? Can you describe the kind of work you’ve done with him since then and your accomplishments around the world?

I learned many types of Yoga in India, and visited most of the ashrams in India. I thought I was done with my study of most types of Yoga, but when Mahayogi Pilot Baba came to Japan to show this deepest form of Yoga, Samadhi, I realized that I needed to experience this, too. I went to the Himalayas and was blessed by Mahayogi Pilot Baba’s master, Hari Baba, and by practicing hard, I was able to achieve the last stage of Yoga, Samadhi Yoga. I am able to realize my real mind and body. I can now bring to the people the true knowledge that was achieved through Samadhi. That humans can do great things and be a bridge to higher consciousness.

After I did a number of public Samadhi, I am now trying to show the world on what can be achieved through Samadhi and finding the true inner truth. I want to bring the awareness to people that the human body is not ordinary. It has everything that you want in this world inside of it. I visit many countries with Pilot Baba to share this knowledge.

Tell us about your Samadhi experience of being buried in the ground for several days. How did it change your life and the lives of others?

I got the Samadhi after hard practice. I got pure in my mind and soul. During the beginning it was hard, but after you achieve it, your life itself is easy. I can now get anything I want because I achieved this enlightenment. Samadhi is a process to go beyond mind and body and ascend from a lower consciousness to a higher consciousness. It is a science to experience the power of the body and the mind. It gives you experience to free yourself from all attachments, to be living in this world and learn to be yourself. This Yoga has a system to bury your body in the ground and you come out of your body and move in and out of this world.

Samadhi is possible for everyone if you practice it in the presence of great masters. It is not so easy since you have to go beyond death. Not everyone has that type of courage to enter into that Samadhi. Fear of death will always bring you back unless you overcome this fear. To achieve Samadhi, you need the perfect master and perfect disciple. Samadhi is a journey within yourself. Samadhi is to become an ocean; Samadhi is to go back to being a seed. Samadhi is about siddhi (perfection) power. It can enlighten your body, your mind and your whole self. When it happens, it can first enlighten the mind, body and intellect. Yoga was not made just making a healthy body; Yoga is about communicating with your inner voice.

What are the challenges that Yoga faces in the 21st century? How about in New York?

Yoga is to harmonize the body and mind. Most people use it only as a physical exercise to beautify themselves. This is the most popular way of using Yoga now. We want to bring a deeper knowledge of the Deep Yoga where it really makes the real changes to you. Body and Mind and Soul can now reach Samadhi. Yoga is not just for exercise, nor is it a religion. Yoga is the science of the health and inner communication. It is an approach to the body, mind and soul. It is not about learning an outside knowledge; it is about learning what is inside you.

To you, is there a certain type or personal character trait among Yoga’s followers in the U.S.?

This is for the world, too, but Yoga came out to the world as a health benefit only; this is not the only thing Yoga is for. It is for the mind, soul and body. Yoga needs to become the science to discover within. For peace, for love and for enlightenment.

What brings you the greatest pleasure in your teachings?

If people become better, mentally, spiritually, and physically through my teaching, then that brings me great pleasure. If people can develop their own consciousness, then they will get better karma. If each person can find and make peace within themselves, then the world will all be a more peaceful place.

How has the Western perception of Yoga changed in your lifetime?

Yoga and Indian philosophy, including learning about nothingness, has started to become known in the Western world. After World War II, with transportation and airplane travel becoming more rapid, more Westerners were able travel easier and farther. This led to more Westerners getting into New Age type philosophy by going to India and learning firsthand.

How is Yoga observed in Japan today? Have you observed any major changes in recent years?

It seems anything that gets popular in the United States becomes popular in Japan a few years later. It is still mostly looked at as a health tool and not as a tool for looking for satori, or inner enlightenment. I am trying to get people to look at Yoga as a meditation tool. I have a program where they can get into deeper meditation in a quicker time. I try to get people to look at this as a way to purify themselves from within. I try to get more awareness and breathing techniques. And this leads to going back to the pure self and by doing this they are able to tap into limitless power.

How do new followers come to you?

Mostly through my books and some of it is via word of mouth.

What are some ways that people can begin a basic Yoga lifestyle?

If they can, people should try to meet with a master that can help them. If it’s only used for exercise, then this isn’t necessary, but Yoga can have a deeper use. Yoga will give balance to your life and mind if you use Yoga to appreciate your own body and other people. Yoga means union and harmony. Use Yoga to go through the balanced way; do not go to the left or right.  Buddhists talk about finding the Tao, or the center road…find this balanced way of living. Find real Love. The love for all things, not just about a person or thing. Eat food in balance, too. Not [eating] too much, not dieting too much.

Who are you heroes?

Patanjali Yoga, the old saint of Yoga from the past.

Tell us about your upcoming appearance in New York next month and the Bliss of 40 Days in February.

The appearance next month is a two-day program on January 22nd and 23rd at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown. You can find more information at www.yogmata.org or www.pilotbaba.org or by calling (646) 572-8630 or (917) 362-1346. The Bliss of 40 days in February is an event with only Pilot Baba and you can get information on that at www.pilotbaba.org.

What books or films to English speakers would you recommend to learn more about your practice?

The Upanishads are translated into English, as well as the teachings of Patanjali Yoga.

Any other messages you wish to share with us?

Experience is important, not just reading about things and book knowledge. Come and see for yourself how deep meditation can change you and make you tap into your inner power. Life is a gift of unknown power.

Learn more about Yogmata Keiko Aikawa and Mahayogi Pilot Baba at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJEbiT_sNGk and www.science.ne.jp (Japanese).

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