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swan technique

One of the yogic paths is called jnana yoga: the yoga of self-inquiry. The yoga whereby we investigate ourselves, as a path leading to enlightenment, although for most of us, it would be a path of learning about oneself. Often utilising the question of "who am I"? The idea being that with this question always being asked, one delves deeper and deeper into the pysche to discover who one actually is, peeling away the layers of maya, illusion.

For most of us, this is very difficult, especially as, without guidance, we tend to go deeper and deeper into fancy. Fancy is considered by sage Patanajali to be 1 of the incorrect sources of knowledge. So, what else can we do, what can we do that is more immediate, & practical? And, which satisfies a very important part of our make-up: the intellectual mind, and also goes past fancy (make-believe) into something more realistic.

If you've ever done a business plan, you may have done a s.w.o.t. analysis. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. This analysis is done in relation to one's business, and is quite comparative. We are looking at our business in connection with the marketplace. In Satyananda Yoga, we do something similar: A S.w.a.n. analysis, to investigate oneself. It can also be used in connection with something you are trying to achieve.

So, how do we do the Swan technique?  On paper, work out what your strengths (qualities) are, your weaknesses (liabilities), what your aim is, and what you need. Without a doubt this list will change as you become more honest with yourself. You will see how a weakness can be a strength when applied a certain way. Maybe even how a strength impedes you. Your real aim may turn out to be different from what you start with, and definitely, your needs will change. What you think each element of swan is, in relation to yourself, it will change. Keep doing it.

Swan is a very subtle way of finding out what you need to do with your life. As "What You Are Best At" (Strengths) changes into what you actually are best at, you will discover what you need to do in your life. You will have found an Aim to work with. A realistic aim that you can achieve, which makes sense for your own personal make-up.

You can then apply Swan to what you need to do to achieve this aim. What are your strengths with this aim, what is your weakness? What do you need to do/have to achieve the aim? When an obstacle comes up, apply Swan. You will get good at applying the rational aspect of the intellectual mind.

   

yogic principles for resolutions/getting things done

Saturday19th January 2013, KFM 106.9 radio:

With the New Year most of us make Resolutions. Often they don't get accomplished. In yoga, we would call a resolution an Intent. Immediately there feels like a connection with the mind when we call it an Intent. It's been found that there are 2 times when we can effortlessly allow our Intent to affect our minds, for we need the help of the mind to accomplish things: as we fall asleep, or are awaking, there is a 'gap' where we are not consciously alert, nor are we unconscious (sleeping).......this is the time, the gap between sleep & wakefulness, where we can 'implant' our intent. Even more penetrating is to do this in Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation where the body sleeps & mind moves through stages of alertness & deeper states). We do this at the start of the technique as we are starting to move into relaxation, & at the end, when the mind is very receptive. It's best to use a CD for this or good ole youtube etc

So we have an intent, maybe an easy one like doing more exercise (we'll use walking here). But, we just can't seem to do it!! Here's a hint: decide when you will have completed your exercise, eg friday by 4pm I'll have done a 20 minute walk. You don't have to imagine it, intellectualise it, just keep this it mind. You'll end up doing it, by friday at 4pm, you will have done your walk. Without any arguments within the mind!! This is my annual 'doing taxes' method, and it's never, ever failed me. I use it for grocery shopping, housework, office work, lots of things that I'm not enthusiastic about. .

There are 2 yoga principles which work well with this. Abhyasa which means 'constant practice'. In other words it's someting that we do over & over. It becomes a habit. When we do someting over & over, we create a neural pathway in the brain which gets stronger each time that we do the habit. So our habit gets easier to do. The other principle is called vairagya. Often people call vairagya 'detachment' but....this creates difficult ideas of non-caring within our mind. It actually has 2 levels, one of which is highly developed spirituality, but, at the level that we are using it, vairagya means discernment, and it is the means for overcoming our likes & dislikes. After all, if we need to do a technique for our 'walk' (or whatever the Intent is), there  is an element of dislike operating. Vairagya also has a lot to do with common sense.

We need two other aspects as well for our Intent, for our dreams, goals, & all those Secrets we try to manifest: consciousness (mind) & energy (action).The 2 combined create a 3rd aspect: the outcome!!

All those books which followed The Secret, revealing the 'secret element' missing from the book for manifestation, maybe didn't know to just use yoga principles!!

If we just have 1 of these 2 principles, nothing manifests properly, for, consciousness without energy (doing) produces just dreams and wishes. And energy without consciousness creates a scattering of energy, or, what we do is scattered, and doesn't have 'somewhere to go'. So, we also need to apply our minds and work out just what we are going to be doing to achieve our resolutions.

our 5 bodies (from a talk on kfm 106.9, on the Saturday Slice with dj Shannon) on the 5 bodies, and death:

Yoga considers us to have not just the physical body, but 5 bodies in all. This knowledge has come from countless spiritual aspirants having the same, or similar, experiences of their different bodies, and relaying this knowledge down through the ages.

These bodies appear to slot 1 within the other, starting with the outer body, which we know as the physical body. Often, we mistakenly believe that this body, our thoughts, feeling, etc, are the sum total of us.  This body is our vehicle that we use to travel in through a lifetime. After death, it decays, we shed it, although a few functions continue for a short time after we die.

The next body, (yoga calls them koshas, or sheaths), is the pranic, or life-force body. We need this life-force in order to live a life. This also leaves the body at death.

Now we come to our mind body. Often called the lower mental body. It's not the Higher Mind, but certainly it's the mind aspect that we identify with!!

When we cease to function in the physical body, and the prana has left, sometimes we can 'see' a form of the deceased person, just as when they were alive. If you can see the person surrounded in light, or with a light filled body, then they are visiting you from another realm. They have discarded also the lower mental body, and moved on to their new existence.

 Some years ago, a friend drowned during a King tide. Whilst people were out combing the seashore, surrounding bush and other beaches looking for his body, I could see, for a couple of days, his lower mental form walking through the house. It didn't look good. It had dark ugly blotches and he looked confused and troubled. Not a pleasant sight. These visions of people who have died but not moved on, they cannot hurt you - they don't punch nor terrorize.

It's also the lower mental body which people use to 'astral' travel. Often, someone will believe that it's a highfaluting part of them which is doing this, but, no, it's not. It's just the part which wants, has dubious intent, ego,.... and intuitive people can 'sense', 'see', "hear' these lower mental astral visitations. It's done with a specific mantra and breathing, the ability to do this travel.

This is not to be confused with the spirit, which can and does 'travel', and is something else again.

easy  practices for mooladhara chakra:

You can  add a couple of asanas to your daily practice:

wide-legged standing forward bend. Hold for 10-20 seconds with eyes 1/2 closed and gaze gently at the nose tip. This posture done this way will energise mooladhara. When mooladhara energy is lifted, we are happier. This pose helps with rejuvenation of the physical body, which mooladhara is very much responsible for. ps legs don't have to be so wide that it feels horrid but you do need that opening between the buttocks. Head doesn't have to touch floor, and if you can't reach the ankles, you can just hang the arms. Do yoga poses for the glandular, and nervous system affects, rather than stretch and extend, and you will progress quickly. And you will look and feel great.

Butterfly forward bend: sit with soles of feet touching, knees bent out to sides, fingers around toes. Feet a little bit forwards of the groin. Exhale and bend forwards, aiming elbows to the floor in front of calves.   Hold pose, gazing at the nose tip as above. This is calming and also affects mooladhara this way, with a gentle, blissful energy which we experience in the brain/mind complex.

 


Chakra meditation: visualise a ball of ruby red, held down by 4 crisscrossed black lines, holding the chakra tight and still. Imagine that you cut these ties with a light sabre, causing the ruby red ball to be freed: it spins, fast, clockwise. Then sit and experience the energy from the chakra rising up (it's quite gentle). Watch the inner space after.  

more mooladhara chakra:

In the aura, and also within the Inner Realms, one can come to realise that this is the chakra which dictates, & reveals, how we are 'walking' through life, our physical stance, attitude, what we see/don't see, on our journey. Usually we are really unaware of how these aspects are truly manifesting, as we are dealing here with unconscious behaviour, meaning that we are unconscious of the drives and hidden causes of that behaviour. And, this makes some serious unconscious destructive behaviours and responses, difficult to manage. Mooladhara is houses our instinctive responses and they manifest physically, ie behaviour.

These behaviours are due to deeply ingrained reactions from trauma: from this life, past lives. And, we develop some sort of instinctive behavioural response. This is not something that we can sort out logically, especially if it's buried deep as a result of past life trauma. But.......there are some wonderful happenings, therapies, techniques, these days which can effect great healing for lesser trauma.

And when we talk about trauma, it's not something silly like not getting what you want, or someone being mean to you. No, it's physical abuse, sexual abuse, war, living in terror, awful things happening to oneself or our children. If your previous life was filled with terror and violence, and you are now always depressed, or have something like fear of going out, repeated nightmares...but you have no idea of that previous life, how would psycho-analysis or behavioural therapy, or counselling, nlp,...... the last goes on.......how would these resolve the natural reactions within your psyche??

So, what can we do?? Part of our Dharma, our destiny, is to deal with these deep seated behaviours and responses. But how??

I recommend Yoga Nidra, an ancient tantric technique. Nidra means sleep. Ideally, the consciousness remains alert while the body sleeps. but what really happens is that one is moving freely through and between conscious, subconscious,and unconscious areas of mind.

 Whilst doing yoga nidra, the aura vibrates exactly the same as when healing is done in the aura, so it is an healing modality. Deep seated tensions and issues seem to leave the psyche. As this happens, one's energy is gently released, the consciousness expands, allowing those 'issues' buried deep within us to gently depart. Usually it doesn't happen in one go!!

Daily tensions, cares and worries disappear. Subconscious influences from this life and others, leave us. When symbols or chakra related experiences emerge, briefly, an indeterminate amount of karma leaves: this is from the unconscious realms.

 This technique is best done regularly, listening to a recording. It can take a long time to train oneself to delve deep into the different areas of mind whilst lying down, so a tape is good. 

more bio....about how I came to enter the realms of the chakras

After my Ashram years I came back into society. I was acutely aware that the Satyananda Yoga system had given me a wealth of experiential knowledge in the field of chakras, kundalini, the pranas, 5 koshas (sheaths eg physical body & others), tattwas (elements), and the differing akashas, or internal spiritual spaces. Up to a very good level.

To my surprise, the internal experiences continued. Even though I'd accepted that maybe they wouldn't. I learnt that it didn't take much for the spiritual life to keep moving.... onto the next chakra, the next level, the next realm. And, that some of these experiences needed help from someone else. That someone else is one's Guru. A couple of very profound jumps in energy/consciousness, to do with chakras, are done internally, by the Guru. It is said that the Guru leads one to the Inner Light, and what a surprise it is when this happens!! There is also a very important chakra which is awakened by Guru.

 All of this is tremendous, and very special. One becomes very grateful. Every single day. How could you not be??

Of course we need to do some of the work ourselves, and it does seem that this is where the yamas (social development) & niyamas (individual development) come in. They are guidelines for conduct, ethical behaviour, & really it helps to incorporate them into your life, as a way of life. They aren't hard to do, & they need to be the way that one always is, not just outwardly going through the motions. When one misrepresents oneself by acting out the yamas and niyamas in public, by word and behaviour, but privately & internally disregard them, the spiritual life doesn't progress.

 One really needs to become the Inner Knowledge, with integrity and gratitude. Internally keeping on the Path, and being true to the finer nature which each of us has inside of us. We can do this anywhere, but, I truly feel that it's easier to live in an Ashram to do it!!

Paramahansa Satyananda