The importance of the subtle in Yoga

Dawn & dusk, the subtle merging of duality.
by
Kamini Bobde


Our universe is a beautiful dance of dualities. Night and day, pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow, positive-negative and so on and so forth. One of the least realised opposites is the gross and the subtle. This is so because the gross leaves very little room for the subtle to be realised or experienced. The gross is finite whereas the subtle is gateway to limitless possibilities. That which is subtle is the basis of all existence in the universe.

But, the beauty of this duality is that it comes to rest at the centre, when the dualities merge and emerge anew in a different form.

The merging is not as gross and obvious as the duality. It is subtle. It is the junction between the gross world and the subtle nether world.

Let us trace this subtle as it plays out everyday around and within us, balancing itself between the two extremes of duality.

Day and night:
One of the daily dramas of this merging of duality into each other happens every day at dawn at the macro and micro level. Light and darkness, day and night are part of the duality of this universe. But, at dawn, darkness dissolves into light and night into day. In that moment of dissolution of the opposites into each other, it is as if all things come to rest without the pull of the opposites. Therefore, there is a certain peace, calm and serenity in the wee hours. It is in the cosmos and within us in our cells and our whole body system.

Therefore, our seers said that the best time to meditate is at dawn. It is the time when the duality of the gross, settles at the centre and becomes subtle.


Breath and Prana: 
Breath is gross. You can feel and smell it. Prana is subtle. You can neither smell nor feel it. Yet, both are intermingled. Prana enters your body riding on the breath. When you are excited, angry or exhausted, your breathing becomes  gross, more pronounced than normal. When you are calm, relaxed, thoughtless, your breathing becomes quiet, slow, almost imperceptible. Meditation is a state where these two come to rest at the centre. The gross breath becomes quiet enough for you to feel, connect with the prana, the subtle.

Sleep and Wakefulness:
Yet, another example is sleep and wakefulness. Wakefulness is gross state of consciousness. Both breath and thoughts are active. Sleep is gross state of unconsciousness when breath is active but mind is at rest, no thoughts. The subtle is a state in-between when you are awake, conscious, but there are no thoughts, the breath is quiescent. This state is the meditative state. The doorway to Bliss, Turiya.

The subtle also makes us aware of that which is the power behind the gross. This is very well bought out in the Kenopanishad, Part 1. It talks about the subtle which powers everything, but we know not.

Kenopanishad:
Sutra 4: Yadvaahaanabhyuditam Yena Vaagabhyudyate: Tadeva Brahma Tvam Vidhi Nedam Yadidamupaasate.

That by which is not uttered by speech, but which enlightens the speech, that alone is Brahman, not that which people worship.

Sutra 5: Yanmanasaa Na Manute Yenaahurmano Matam: Tadev Brahma Tvam Vidhi Nedam Yadidamupaasate.

That by which one cannot think with the mind, but by which they say, the mind is made to think is Brahman, and not that which people worship.

Sutra 6: Yachchakshushaa Na Pashyati Yena Chakshoomshi Pasyati: Tadeva Brahma Tvam Vidhi Nedam Yadidamupaaste.

That by which one cannot see with the eyes, but by which the eyes are enabled to see, know that alone to be Brahman and not that which people worship.

Sutra 7: Yachchhrotrena Na Shrinoti Yena Shrotramidam Shrutam: Tadeva Brahma Tvam Vidhi Nedam Yadidamupaasate.

That by which one cannot hear with the ears, but by which the ears are made to hear, know that alone to be Brahman and not that which people worship.

Sutra 8: Yat praanema Na Praaniti Yena Praanah Praneeyate: Tadeva Brahma Tvam Vidhi Nedam Yadidamupaasate. 

That which one cannot smell with the nose, but which directs the nose to the object of smell, know that alone to be Brahman, and not that which people worship.

( The sutras and their translations taken from, Nine Principal Upanishads, from the teachings of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Yoga Publication Trust, Munger, Bihar).

Kundalini Yoga: Latent Explosive Energy Within

Kundalini Yoga Kundalini simply means, kund (depth ) and alini (awakending/energy). It means the vast resource of energy within all of us lying deep within waiting to be awakened. In this age of science and rational thinking the intuitive knowledge of the universe within and without us is not for all to fathom and understand. The only thing any lay person will know about Kundalini yoga is the fallacious concept that it is to awaken the sexual prowess. In the age of branding and marketing it was promoted as such. Therefore, it got shrouded in mystery, awe and even fear and infamy. This is sad, because kundalini could be panacea for the ills of modern life which has put tremendous pressure on every inidivudal’s resource of every kind of energy, physical, mental and emotional. What is more, like everything in yoga, while giving you health, vigour and energy, it brings about a poise and balance in personality thereby veering you to live a wholesome life of peace, happiness amidst achievement. Seems like utopia , but for such a rewarding possibility the path though fun demands dedication and honesty of purpose. No quick fix, pop-a-pill methods here. There are and have been several examples of great men amidst us whose, one can say, kundalini was awakened. Gandhiji, Einstein are examples of people from everyday life. Gandhiji, who took diksha from Paramhansa Yogananda in Yoga Kriya in Wardha in 1935, was an example of an awakened soul. He commanded great power but shunned personal power, his energy confounded people, his mental prowess are legendary and his charisma spellbinding. These are the things that touch your life when your kundalini is aroused.  There are many ways to awaken the kundalini, the sexual path is just one of them. The many ways are, Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Bhakti yoga, gyan yoga and the path of tantra. Kundalini means 'the Rising' in the language of modern science and refers to the activation of the vast dormant areas of the brain and thus the awakening of the great human potency. The neurological capacity of the human being is incalculable. According to recent findings each individual possesses around 10 billion brain cells, a single brain cell may be in contact with 25000 others giving rise to an astronomical number of associations. Each second the brain receives approximately 100 billion sensations and sends 5000 signals per second. In contrast to these vast potentialities, we are aware of only one millionth of our own cortical signalling. Vast areas of the brain remain wasted assets. With kundalini the awakening of these areas results in their complete activation allowing us to begin to communicate with and enjoy our own         higher consciousness. Care must be taken while treading this path of a seeker as when the Shakti climbs up the different chakras it is in a wild state and it can encounter the demonic aspects of consciousness. There is a concentration of energy, which needs to break through something which exists like a wall. In this way the Shakti which identifies with the pure nature has to smash through many different barriers in the process of her descent to the earthly plane. For all practises in yoga, the underlying and ultimate goal is self realisation or realising the supreme conscious state.  W hen this  goal is waylaid in the process of experiencing heady powers, then the goal is not only not reached, but the practitioner finally pays dearly. The spiritual arena is full of such examples of lives getting singed with their own prowess. This energy is confined to different chakras. A chakra is best described as a switch which turns on or opens up specific energy points of mind and body. Unlike other body organs they do not have a physical or gross existence. Therefore they cannot be located in a body on dissection. They are subtle pranic energy points. The only way to know their existence is to experience their presence through practise of kriya yoga or kundalini yoga. When a devoted practitioner under the guidance of a competent guru practices the awakening or switching on of these various chakras will experience the enormous change in the energy levels and experience harmony, peace, love and bliss. The word chakra literally means wheel, but in a yogic context the chakras are vortices of pranic energy at specific areas in the body which control the circulation of prana. On a physical level, chakras are associated with the major nerve plexuses and endocrine glands in the body. In most people these psychic centres lie dormant and inactive. Concernration on the chakras while performing yogic practices stimulates the flow of energy through the chakras and helps to activate them. This in turn awakens the dormant areas in the brain and the corresponding faculties in the psychic and mental bodies allowing one to experience higher planes of consciousness. There are seven major chakras located along the sushumna which flows through the centre of the spinal cord. Sushumna originates at the perineum and terminates at the top of the head. The chakras themselves are connected to a network of psychic channels called nadis. The chakras are usually depicted symbolically as lotus flowers each having a particular number of petals and a characteristic colour. The lotus symbolizes the 3 stages an aspirant must pass through in spiritual life; namely ignorance, aspiration and illumination.The petals of the lotus inscribed with the beej mantras represent the different manifestations of psychic energy connected with the chakras and the nadis or psychic channels. Within each chakra is a yantra comprised of the geometrical symbol of its associated element. Along with the yantra is a beej mantra. There is also a presiding deity along with the corresponding vahana which is an animal form. In rational, medical terms, each chakra is associated with the following : Mooladhara and Swadhishtan: Testosterone/ progesterone Manipur: Adrenal glands Anahata: Thymus gland Vishuddhi: Thyroid glands Ajna and sahasrara: Pitutury/pineal gland. The practice involves focussing one’s awareness on each of these chakras with their bij mantras and mentally visualising their symbolic representation. Therefore, Kundalini yoga or kriya yoga is a beautiful solution to the pressures of time and energy put on people today. The common refrain that one does not have the time to     practise yoga is fallacious. On the contrary the release of energy and elimination of stress adds more hours of fruitful work to your day thus making available that one hour for yoga. Finally, for those who want to release explosive energy, experience bliss, elevate their existence from the gross to subtle and know universal love, then kundalini yoga is the path of fun and discovery of a new you within you. Second Kundalini Workshop in Mumbai The fourth Kundalini workshopAdd caption The first Residential Kundalini Camp at Vapi, Gurjarat.