Yogic Thought

  • 44. Reincarnation: Kids, Parents and “I”

    yonimanye prapadyante śarīratvāya dehinaḥ।sthāṇumanye’nusaṃyanti yathākarma yathāśrutamSome jivas (dehinah) go into wombs to be embodied; others pass into the immoveable, according to their karma and to their assimilated knowledge [śruti].[Katha Upanishad 2.2.7] Here’s the bonus question from yogis… If it is my subtle body that is reincarnating, and “I” was already there – then what’s the role of…

  • 43. Finding the Inner Yupa (Sacrificial Post) – the Meditation Goal

    Meditation is the training program for the mind, to go where you want to go… How to learn to meditate?  No, we don’t learn; we actually un-learn… Free will vs. Instincts – that’s at the core of this meditation equation.  We are circling back to what meditation is, it’s goal, and the relationship with Vayu,…

  • 42. Vāyu, Desires, and Reincarnation

    Whatever mental state one is recollecting (smarana-bhāvam) while giving up the body at the time of death, Arjuna, s/he attains that state, being always absorbed in such contemplation.                                                      …

  • 41. Prāṇa, Vāyu and Life

    prāṇo vai jyeṣṭhaśca śreṣṭhaścaPrāṇa is indeed the oldest and greatest – Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 6.1.1 Breath’s relationship with life,  that I shall not forgetजीवन से साँसों का रिश्ता, मैं ना भूलूंगी                                        – Santosh Anand lyrics from a…

  • 40. Guru – the teacher within

    All things are full of consciousness and when the consciousness comprehends itself there is knowledge  – in Yoga Vāsiṣṭha By that, who’s the guru and who’s the disciple? (from Dyckowski’s The Aphorisms of Siva, pp. 80-81):  Tantras declare: just as a bee, desirous of nectar, goes from flower to flower, so a disciple, desirous of knowledge, goes…

  • 39. Vāyu Subdivisions and Functions

    Continuing on from the previous blurb on Vāyu, there are probably thousands of signal pathways, or Vāyus, in the body, but yogis emphasize top 5, followed by the minor 5.  The first two are there in all the accounts, but the mention of the other three major vayus is not consistent in vedic brahmanas.  Anyways,…

  • 38. The Vedic Vāyu – The Fourth Element

    Nervous system goes where the awareness of breath pulsations goes! Just like how the roots go where water source goes… The focus of the entire Yajur-veda is the element vayu.  This element along with agni, which is the focus of Rig-veda,  or fire are pivotal in understanding how everything works.  This theory of elements is…

  • 37. Element Air: nāsikayor vāyustisthatu

    नासिकयोर्-वायुस्तिष्ठतु। (nāsikayor vāyu: tishThatu) In the nose is established vāyu (element Air)! The picture tells us everything – our breath talks directly to the mid-brain, which in turn controls our emotions.  it’s the breath rhythms actually.  Also notice the nerves going from the lower palate and throat to the brain stem.  Doesn’t take much to…

  • 36. Niyama 5: Praṇidhāna- Surrender

    Don’t Bet on Results (Take 2) We have no choice actually! We can never know enough to bet on the results (of our actions)…. We had already talked about this very topic under Karma yoga, but let’s take a look from a different viewpoint.  Earlier it was more about the incompleteness of the information available,…

  • 35. Godhood, States and Processes

    Kundalini Experience as a Process… We talked about the Process-orientation in the second half of the last blurb also, but this is such a significant narrative in yogic thought that it is worth highlighting.  Process orientation in a nutshell shifts the emphasis onto Experience, from measurement, assessment and judgement.  Why did Krishna say “even gods…

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