Evolving Your Consciousness

All life is evolving and man is no exception. Human evolution, the evolution which we are undergoing relentlessly, both as individuals and as a race, is a journey through the different chakras. – Swami Satyananda

The entire universe is in a process of evolution and we are part of it. It is not a completely random process as some believe, but neither is it “intelligent design” in the sense of some external schema. It is a dynamic, creative process through which the universal consciousness seeks greater freedom and greater expression within the realm of form.

The great philosopher-yogi, Sri Aurobindo, wrote, “All life here is a stage or a circumstance in an unfolding progressive evolution of a Spirit that has involved itself in Matter and is labouring to manifest itself in that reluctant substance. This is the whole secret of earthly existence.”

The entire process of evolution up to the point where human consciousness evolved is a process arising out of the universal consciousness, or what we might call God. With the advent of human beings that consciousness has entered into us as us. The universe becomes self-aware through human beings. There is a Sufi saying which captures this: “God sleeps in the rock, dreams in the plant, stirs in the animal, and awakens in man.” This awakening is incomplete, however, and we are left to engage in the process of our further evolution consciously.

Even though this concept is ancient, recent psychological research supports the idea that we can consciously evolve. In an article entitled “How to Evolve in Your Lifetime,” psychologist Douglas La Bier writes, “Much research indicates that the capacity for self-evolution -- of your personality, mental capacities, relationships and actions in the world -- is based on conscious intent. That is, shaping your being is an art form, the way an artist develops, evolves and creates a painting or a composer creates music. You can make your conscious being and all that emanates from it a work of art.” (Huffington Post, 3/31/11)

We have enormous potentials dormant within us, some of which have been realized by spiritual figures such as Krishna, Buddha or Jesus. These potentials and the means for awakening them are known to the Tantric yogis. They have to do with the awakening of the dormant energy within the body-mind known as kundalini.

Kundalini is the energy or the unconscious potential within us that unfolds as we become more and more conscious; as we awaken. It is an interactive process. Consciousness and energy intersect with each other and things begin to happen. The chakras are energy centers aligned along the spinal column which represent successive stages of this unfolding.

As kundalini awakens our inner and outer life experience is transformed. We emerge from a near animal level of consciousness to realize our inner divinity, our creative sovereignty over life. As Swami Satyananda states, “Mooladhara is the most basic, fundamental chakra from where we commence our evolution, and sahasrara is where our evolution is completed. As we evolve towards sahasrara, outer experiences come our way in life, and inner experiences come to us in meditation, as different capacities and centers awaken progressively within the nervous system.” (Kundalini Tantra)

Psychological development, or ego-development, is a process of the functioning of the lower chakras within the body-mind. Yoga practices: asana, pranayama, and meditation are a means of working with the chakras and helping to awaken our higher potentials. Actually, any type of contemplative practice helps. The most powerful form of yoga for awakening kundalini and directing it to the higher centers is called kundalini kriya yoga. These are advanced practices however and require prior practice of hatha yoga and preliminary meditation methods. These can be found in Meditations from the Tantras by Swami Satyananda Saraswati but are best learned through personal instruction from an experienced teacher.

Karma, Sin, Mistakes and Forgiveness

"Self-acceptance leads to success, not the other way around."
- Deepak Chopra

To dwell upon the past is to remain stuck in repetitive patterns of karma. Karma is the accumulated history of beliefs, emotions and actions that have lead up to this present experience. It is our attachment to the past that keeps us stuck. There is a saying in French, “C’est la vie. C’est la guerre. C’est la rue de mon pere.” It is a fatalistic attitude that indicates that things are out of our control and continue as they always have; life and war are the same for us as for those who went before.

It is only through awareness that things can change. Awakening in the present moment allows us to make new choices, to find new paths and to go beyond repetitive cycles of suffering, failure, conflict and misery.

According the Yogic understanding, what we are presently experiencing is the outcome of past thoughts and actions. It has a momentum to it which is hard to change and must be endured to some extent. What comes next, however, is up to us. Our responses in the moment can lead us in either a positive or negative direction. If we continue to act from old beliefs and patterns we create more of the same. If we are able to be more aware we have the opportunity to make creative choices.

We all have our alibis, our excuses for not changing. “That’s just the way things are.” “That is just how I am.” “I must be hard-wired for anxiety.” These are all bullshit. However, it can be hard to change, hard to withstand the momentum of habit, to become conscious of our inner processes and to generate new ones.

People often comment that it seems like such a struggle to be aware of everything all the time and it is. Awakening is work at first although it becomes easier as we go along. With practice it becomes our nature (or so I’ve heard.) In any case you have to decide if it is worth it. We as the human community have to decide if it is worth it. To remain on the present path seems very clearly to leading us towards self-destruction.

Sin, guilt and shame are extremely counter-productive. The word “sin” comes from a Greek term used in archery for “missing the mark.” Of course it is more than a mere mistake. What we call sin is generally a fairly deep “mistake.” To lie, cheat, steal, kill, etc. are big mistakes which can bring huge consequences. “There is no sin but a mistake,” wrote Ernest Holmes, “and no punishment but an inevitable consequence.” The bigger the mistake, the bigger is the consequence. Sometimes we have to atone. If we understand atonement as “at-one-ment,” we begin to get the picture. Sin comes from being disconnected from our inner wholeness, our inner perfection as children of God.

All sins, all karma, all mistakes are released in the light of forgiveness. Forgiveness means waking up from past patterns, being present and choosing anew. All judgment, condemnation and resentment is really aimed at ourselves. What we hate and fear in others is projected from within ourselves. Forgiveness starts with ourselves as self-acceptance. When we are able to see and accept ourselves as we are, there is a possibility for change. In fact, change is inevitable. “Wake up, grow, change, evolve. For you are part of the universal process of spiritual evolution.”

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The Transformational Power of Music and Mantra

Music has so much power that it can free your ego. Through kirtan you can reach the highest pinnacle of spiritual experience. Not by yoga or by any other means but by kirtan alone can you have the vision of the Divine.
-Swami Satyananda Saraswati

The Yoga practice of chanting mantras is known as kirtan. It is a powerful method for quieting the mind and uplifting the spirit. It is a means of bypassing the intellect to open and purify our hearts. Kirtan is an integral part of yoga practice. While hatha yoga focuses on the body and raja yoga focuses on the mind, kirtan is a practice of bhakti yoga which helps transform emotions. Through this practice we can learn to channel emotional energy in a very pure and positive direction: towards the Divine.

Mantra, melody and rhythm are three important aspects of this practice. It can be practiced inwardly on an individual level but is very powerful when practiced by a group. Mantras are the “words” of the songs combined with simple melodies. The use of drums for rhythm helps to create a shamanic aspect helping participants to enter deeper levels of consciousness. The drum beat has an immediate effect on brainwaves and becomes a “sonic massage for body and mind” in the words of Swami Satyananda. Participants may choose to dance as well.

People often ask about the meaning of the mantras sung in kirtan. Any “meaning,” though is actually secondary and somewhat artificial. The importance of mantras is in the sound vibrations themselves which connect us to the superconscious mind. As Swami Niranjan explains, “Mantra is the unspoken language of the heart. The proper use of mantra can evoke a particular sentiment and sensitize the mind to be receptive to many experiences, both internal and external. Although it is said that Rama and Krishna are the names of Indian gods, or that Devi is the name of a goddess, this is only a religious interpretation. The word Rama is also the sound of a chakra, and yogis had knowledge of the word Rama in its different capacities long before Rama was born. Mantras predate religion; they represent the link between the individual nature and the divine.” The true meaning of the mantra has to be realized through practice. It has to be experienced within one’s consciousness.

My own experiences with kirtan began in 1981 when I visited the small office/apartment that constituted Swami Niranjan’s ashram in San Jose, California. I was attending some classes in hatha yoga and meditation throughout the week and he invited me to come on the weekend for kirtan. I could hear the music as I came up the stairs and it sounded a little strange to my ears but very intriguing. Swamiji encouraged me to learn the mantras and melodies and before too long I could sing some of them on my own. We would sing for 30 minutes or so and then sit silently for meditation. I found it very easy to enter into meditation following kirtan.

With Swamiji’s encouragement I also sang kirtan on my own throughout the days as a way to keep from ruminating on anxious thoughts and to remember my connection with that higher consciousness. A couple of years later I travelled to India and experienced the powerful kirtan energy at the main ashram in Munger. It was incredible! I experienced visions and powerful feelings of ecstatic joy like coming home to a forgotten place of love and acceptance. There is nothing like it.

Kirtan has been catching on and growing within the yoga community throughout the world. Performers such as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal and Deva Premal  have introduced many to devotional song. You don’t have to be a good singer to participate however. Kirtan should become an important regular aspect of any yoga center, studio etc. Yoga is a means of harmonizing mind, body and emotions so that we can experience a transcendent state of consciousness. Kirtan is one of the most effective ways of doing this.

I will be leading kirtan groups in Riverside, Redlands and Yucaipa, California throughout the upcoming months. The first will be in Riverside on April 20 at 7 PM. Please contact (909) 373-6060 or turiyasaraswati@gmail.com for information and to reserve space.

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