Dissolving Accumulated Subconcious Blockages by munificent Blog entry

Blog: Yoga Path
by munificent

Dissolving Accumulated Subconcious Blockages

Kundalini Yoga prepares the spinal column and brain to accept and pass energies throughout the body. This is enlightenment, pure attainment of True Identity.

Date: 3/10/2005 6:18:17 PM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 1469 times

Kundalini Yoga - as taught by Yogi Bhajan

Dissolving the Accumulated Blockages in the Subconscious Mind

This is a yoga where numerous means have been developed and preserved over thousands of years to release and free up energy blockages. You may have heard the phrase from the Third Zen Patriarch, "When thought is in bondage, the Truth is hidden." The Truth is that our individual consciousness is not different from the Universal Consciousness, which is the support and substratum of the entire manifestation of the apparent diversified universe in all its planes.

The accumulation of subconscious blockages:

The mind is like a movie film running frame by frame through the focusing lens of attention through which the undifferentiated light of the Universal Consciousness passes projecting the images onto the single, uncaused, unconditioned, screen of pure Being.

What has happened is that the sense of "I" (which is the seer) which pervades the body and lights the mind and the universe has become focused through attention to the images that appear in the mind, such that an idea or notion of an identity merges between the all pervasive single non-dual "I" and these images, with the result that the images are bound, and the mind fills up with, what we might call "takes" (using the cinematography term) of impressions of who we think we are, and we become bound by those thoughts and we come to believe we are those thought. The bondage becomes a habit of thought patterns that plays like a record over and over.

These impressions then locate themselves throughout the body and its magnetic field creating a weakness in the natural flowing voltage and sound current of the several centers along the spine, and, as a whole, in the brain and magnetic field or aura - each center related to nerve plexus, glands and organs. The result of this weakness is that the nerve groups in these centers don't fire fully, such that some of the nerves atrophy and fire weakly. The related glands and organs, loosing their natural voltage, then begin to accumulate toxins that crystallize in their capillaries, so that the voltage of these organs also becomes weak, the glands no longer secrete properly, and there is an overall mental and eventually physical loss of natural or inherent balance that becomes in the weakened light of consciousness what we take to be our identity.

An example of the manner in which impressions are stored throughout the body can be experienced when you sit quietly for a while, and you begin to notice thoughts immerging and with them related twitches or stresses in various parts of the body.

This illusory or contrived identity defines itself continuously in our daily thought patterns, through a kind of a self-talk just at and under the surface of our waking consciousness, constantly commenting on the events of our lives. There is a whole new psychology involved in simply changing this self-talk in order to change ones life, through planning, repeating and mentally imaging affirmations, called self-image psychology. This self-talk further influences the dreams we have related to the building of the identity around the mind's ongoing attempts to bring all these images and takes into a unified identity. This process all happens at what we call the subconscious level.

Releasing blockages and dissolving the subconscious mind:

The purpose of yoga, from the psychological point of view, especially as it relates to the emergence of the True Man and True Woman, is simply to dissolve these subconscious blockages that have been stored throughout the body, with the result that the subconscious mind simply vanishes like a mirage, energy is released and flows freely once again, and only the single all-pervasive Truth is seen, again to quote the Third Zen Patriarch, "Infinitely large and infinitely small, no difference for definitions have vanished and no boundaries are seen."

In order to sunder this bondage between the sense of "I" to thoughts and impressions, many postures and movements have been designed by ancient self realized beings to put expanding and contracting pressures from all conceivable angles and positions in systematic yogic sets that focus on specific centers and systems in the body field. These are combined with a number of powerful breathing techniques that purify and supercharge the bloodstream with oxygen, electricity and the other vital chemicals in the air. The charged and purified blood then flows into the areas are saturated with blood due to the pressure of the positions and movements, with the result that the nerves begin to charge and fire completely, the capillaries in the related organs and glands open and discharge their toxins, the cells discharge accumulated waste and vitality and life force begins to flow back into these centers.

Systematic practice:

Systematically, as one continues to come to the classes and eventually begins a daily Sadhana of ones own, these centers begin to build up a charge towards the natural voltage of these centers themselves, much like a battery of a car, but our physical vehicle has a number of batteries and the destination is always homeward bound to the source of Being. As the charge builds in the centers, heat is felt in the nerves as they purify, and then electricity and eventually the whole body and magnetic field become etheric, seen and experienced in the mind's eye.

But it is not enough to simply build a charge, as these centers resonate with different frequencies that need to be tuned, brought into balance and harmonized in a process that completely releases the charge built up and stored through the practice of these yoga sets, which opens not only the higher centers, but also brings about the regeneration of the nerve of the soul - the sushumna. The sushumna starts at the base of the spine and goes to the neck, then through the passage to the crown and to the point between the eyebrows, called the silver cord, then from the point between the eyebrows to the crown, called the gold cord, and from the crown to the heart (where we point when we say "I" located the point 1/8th to the right of the sternum) - called the atma or para nadi, because, when regenerated, it resonates with the pulsation of "I."

This harmonic resonation of the centers is accomplished through the practice of many different kriyas or specialized yogic actions that direct and channel the flow of energy, and Laya Yoga, which involves very specific techniques using sacred sound (mantra) to vibrate and open and release the stored energy in the centers. The charging of the centers, nerve channels and magnetic field (aura) is like tightening the strings on an 8-string guitar. The Laya yoga chants are like the tuning, playing and releasing of the spiritual music of the guitar, until the soundless sound of the pulsation of the "I" resonates everywhere and one experiences pervading light and being.

Ultimately the mind becomes very pure and clear as blockages related to thought patterns and images are simply dissolved, and the balanced resonance of the unified mind in harmony with the universal consciousness becomes ones prevailing pattern.

At a certain point, the energy flow and balance comes under pressure and this pranic pressure results in the mind being drawn inwards. As the mind is draw inwards, the heart (to the right of sternum) begins to pulsate like a graviton, and the feeling of the Singularity of the "I" begins to pulsate throughout the body field. At this time three force centers in the mechanism of the body begin to open. One of these is at the Kandal, between the navel and 4th vertebra, the center of chi, which regulates the prana throughout the body. The body has three major locks, and with the opening of the Kandal the lower lock pulls up and energy is released downward to the base of the spine from where it flows upwards directly opening the centers along the spine. At the same time, the centers in the brain also open, in particular the area of the hypothalamus, which opening allows the increasing flow of pervasive energy in through the crown, like the opening of the top of a jar so that the inner air and outer air become one.

The causal center that triggers these other force centers to open is the seat of the "I" sense Itself, in the heart (to the right of sternum). It is not the same as the heart chakra, but that place through which the sense of Being Awareness or "I" consciousness originates and permeates all the nerves of the body and through the atma nadi lights the images in the brain with the feeling of "I" consciousness. With this causal center opening the sense of "I" related to any images dissolves completely, as all images are "sucked into" the heart in a process that releases the realization of ever abiding single universal consciousness, wherein all other energy flows seem dim and inconsequential by comparison. This awakening experience is like going through the night seeing with the light of the moon. Then, as the sun of the heart begins to rise, even though the moon of the mind can still be seen, it is no longer needed for seeing, as "everything is clear and self-illuminating with no exertion of the mind's power." (Third Zen Patriarch)

Kundalini Yoga

The entire systematic process of purifying and charging the centers (chakras), channeling the energy (prana) and awakening to the opening of the force centers is called Kundalini Yoga - an ancient yoga, or spiritual technology, that was traditionally taught in secret, but which Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga and head of the Sikh Dharma of the West, began to teach openly in 1968, so that people of all religions and backgrounds could purify their minds in a completely dynamic and balanced manner, have an enhanced experience and finally "hear" the Truth their religion teaches regarding the One God, which hearing results in the sudden abiding in That Incandescent Truth.

The awakening of the generative, organizational and dissolusionary force is known as Kundalini, which is simply another word for Awareness. The mechanism of the chakras, channels and force centers that is innate and inherent in every human being is designed to automatically resolve the individual consciousness into its universal Truth as soon as that individual consciousness begins to seek its source.

There is nothing mystical or secret about this yoga. It is a completely practical and scientific spiritual technology based entirely on experience. One's initiation is accomplished by one's self through one's own sincerity, honesty and adherence to the practice, through Sadhana, through experience and the satsang or the ardent practice in a community of like-minded. The practice and teaching recognizes only one universal Truth consciousness within the heart of each person and not any person or place or event as an initiating factor. The True Guru is, therefore, the Truth which is revealed inwardly through a systematic practice that is powerful and complete enough in itself that very quickly the Generative, Organizational and Dissolutionary force manifests and one awakens and abides as the True Man and True Woman.

While anyone that practices this yoga will naturally begin to have spiritual experiences and the dawning of Self-Knowledge (the discrimination between the Real and unreal) and True Faith and Devotion, there is nothing held as secret or hidden or mystical, as everything is taught and made available openly and presented in a clear, practical and scientific manner.

All this to say that one needs to come to the classes on a regular basis until one is able to develop a Sadhana on ones own. Better yet, if one comes to regular classes to gain some practical experience with the yoga and then comes to the Teacher's Training course, when it is offered, then through teaching the yoga one will also be able to master it, while becoming directly linked into an organization of thousands of people around the world that practice and teach this yoga and the spiritual line and source of these teachings.

"I have come to create Teachers, not to gather disciples.” Yogi Bhajan on teaching: "If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it."