The other name of Kundalini

-Kirti Tarang Pande

Official Website, Instagram, Twitter

Originally Published in Daily Bhaskar

In my last article, I shared my personal Tantra practices. (http://daily.bhaskar.com/news/JM-SUC-infog-safe-tantra-for-success-5605966-PHO.html?ref=fbo) After, this story went live; I got many queries about ‘Awakening Kundalini’, so here’s what Tantra tells us on the subject:

Most important thing to know about Kundalini?

Kundalini as a practice originated in certain, Tantric sects. As discussed in my first article on Tantra Series (http://daily.bhaskar.com/news/JM-RIT-tantra-what-is-it-actually-5561341-PHO.html), Tantra is an esoteric yogic technique of achieving desired ends. Please pay attention here, the ‘desired end’ we talk about here is different from the ‘desirable ends’ of a common worldly person.

A tantric, is an ascetic, and only those tantrics whose sole interest is in merging with the Supreme Reality work on awakening of the Kundalini. That’s the purpose, the awakening of Kundalini serve in our terrestrial existence- ‘catalyzing the process of our merger with Supreme Reality’.

This means that an awakened kundalini is only a catalyst in this process. The process can and does still happen without it also.

Why is Awakening Kudalini such a buzz?

However, awakening kundalini is very popular, perhaps because it is marketed as an amazing, exciting and wish fulfilling thing happening in our physical existence. We all somewhere desire to be a super hero, don’t we? Is this branding of kundalini in alignment with truth though?

I leave this question for you to answer. I will simply show you the complete picture of kundalini, so that your views stand on solid foundation of facts.

The most important fact here to know is, the other name of kundalini.

The other name of Kundalini

This is where the dilemma about awakening and the key to awakening both reside. This other side of Kundalini is referred to as ‘Ahamkara’ in Tantric, palm leaf manuals.

Whether your physical being is aligned with the Kundalini or towards ‘Ahamkara’ is determined by the direction of your awareness and attention.

Aham, in Sanskrit means ‘I’, Kara means ‘create’. Therefore, Ahamkara means energy of identification. Meaning that faculty in organism that creates identification with its small limited terrestrial self- This is my name, this is my sex, this is my body, I belong to this place, I do this, I want this, and the list goes on.

This self identification is a result of focusing the Supreme Energy that resides amidst us in a narrow, self-cherishing individualized manner. This is what we call Ahamkara in Samkhya Philosophy.

However, when instead of focusing on self, we take this energy and direct it towards cherishing the macrocosm this multiverse and the Supreme Energy manifesting it all, it becomes Kundalini.

How this helps in Awakening of the Kundalini

According to Samkhya Philosophy, this organism that we label ‘I’ is engineered to move in the direction of our awareness. If our awareness is directed towards the union with the Supreme Reality, the organism will follow that path. If awakening kundalini is a requisite of the process it will happen, whether or not we are practicing the fancy ‘Kundalini Yoga’.

It is that simple!

But beware

Rewind a bit- Kundalini awakens when our energy is aligned with merger with Supreme Reality, and not with our terrestrial existence (and all the materialistic comforts that it brings). Therefore, the flow of logic implies that person with completely awakened kundalini has obtained a union with the Supreme Reality & the terrestrial existence of that individual is finished. The being, by the mere definition of kundalini, can’t be in this plane of terrestrial plane after it has awakened.

This is the reason, why tantrics (the authentic ones) have kept the technique of kundalini awakening a secret; because most of us want an awakened kundalini for materialistic comforts- good health, success, better sex, intellectual superiority, the list is long. This process is an oxymoron. If we are lucky, we will fail. If we meddle too much, we will damage our ‘Self’. Remember, this ‘self’ not only includes our body & psyche, but also everything we identify with- what we do, whom we love, etc.

Does it mean one can’t have an awakened Kundalini and stay alive?

According to Mahabharata, Vasuki, the serpent king, was able to awaken the kundalini to a certain degree and yet managed to stay alive. In fact, Vasuki lived to see all the four yugas- from Sata Yuga (mention in Samudra Manthan), to Treta Yuga (mention in Ramayan), Dvapara Yuga (mention in Mahabharata) to Kaliyuga (mention in legends of Buddha).

The key word Vasuki’s Kundalini Awakening is ‘certain degree’. Vasuki while aligning himself with Supreme Reality, managed to preserve enough ‘Ahamkara’ for his terrestrial well-being.

Since Vasuki was a Shiva devotee (according to Vishnu Puran, he is the snake on Shiva’s neck), the tantrics follow the cult of Shiva. They do so with the hope of figuring out the Vasuki’s technique to preserving the right amount of Ahamkara.

What can we do?

Salute Kundalini! She’s the Supreme Goddess of our inert and inner energy. This inner and inert energy makes you become something more than you are right now; something out of this plane of your existence. However, you need to ask yourself a question first- do I really want this? If you have any attachment with your body, with people whom you love, with materialistic comfort; awakening kundalini isn’t the path for you.

Perhaps, you can follow the lead of Vasuki and awaken it to a certain degree. Using the limbs of Yoga is the easiest way to do it:

Step 1: Create a universal, macrocosmic consciousness by practicing the Yams & Niyams (Dos and Donts) Yoga.

Step 2: Prepare your gross body for the uncoiling of Supreme Energy through Asanas.

Step 3: Practice the art of controlling & directing the flow of energy through Pranayams.

Step 4: Steady your mind through Dharna. Just like you can’t plug in an energy source with shaky hands, you can’t pulg-in the flow of Kundalini through a shaky point.

Step 5: Follow a plug-point system. Not every electric point can handle a high voltage of current, similarly not every body can handle the strength of Kundalini. So find a teacher who can help you in uncoiling it in small, measured doses. Allow you to take a step back. Observe the effects & then repeat the process if it’s safe for your terrestrial being.

The DIY Kundalini

If you’re not a big fan of doing the hard-work and finding the guru; you would rather do it in the comfort of your home, here’s what to do:

Simply start putting needs of others before yourself. Every action that you take, ask yourself- how is it going to bring universal well-being. As your terrestrial self will gradually move towards the macrocosmic, universal self; your Kundalini will gently uncoil.

This will be slow, like the process of a monkey evolving into a human. The plus point is- just like that monkey’s evolution; it will be organic, in alignment with the nature and hence painless.

What not to do?

Don’t force your Kundalini to awaken. Kundalini is a Goddess. Goddess is nurturing Shakti as well as devastating Kali. Never forget that love and respect evokes Shakti, while force brings out Kali. Not all of us has the spiritual, mental & physical bandwidth to download Kali in our system.

Five Tantric Ways of Success

-Kirti Tarang Pande

Official Website, Instagram, Twitter

Originally Published in Daily Bhaskar

In my last Tantra article, I promised that I will be sharing practices of Safe Tantra- ones that don’t require a Guru’s supervision.

How it works:

To understand & be able to use the power of Tantra in our day-to-day world, it is essential that we first know what this day-to-day world is and who we are.

Sankhya Darshan says that this seen world is created with Panchamahabhoota (Five basic elements)-

1. Kshiti (Earth)

2. Jal (Water)

3. Pavak (Fire)

4. Akaash (Space)

5. Sameera (Air)

According to Taittiriya Upnishad, our Annamayakosa (our gross physical body) is an amalgamation of these Panchmahabhoota.

At initiation level, we use Tantra as a technique of shuddhi (purification) of these Panchmahabhoota. This prepares not only our physical body to receive, accept & assimilate the explosion of our Shakti but in the realm of realism, it imparts success to us.

Now the question is-

How to purify Panchamahabhoota through Tantra:

Simply follow these five easy steps, one for each mahabhoota in your daily life;

1. Kshiti (Earth)

Earth gives us stability. The stability is essential to us but it comes with Tamas (inertia). This inertia prevents us from taking necessary actions in the direction of success. Therefore, in order to bring any kind of desirable change in our lives it’s crucial that we minimize (if not eliminate) the Tamas within us.

This can be done by understanding how Tamas functions. In my personal practice, I follow a simple thumb rule- anything that gives pleasure now but pain later is Tamasic & should be minimized if not eliminated.

However, the thing with Tamas is, it’s addictive. So, here’s a cheat trick to overcome Tamas addiction:

Cheat Trick:

Shitali, Shitkari & Sadanta are three pranayams that help in getting rid of any kind of cravings. Practicing each one of these three pranayams 9 times daily help in quenching the Tamasic yearnings.

2. Jal (Water)

Majority of tantrics concentrate mostly upon water element, because when it comes to physical body it’s the most important element. In fact, there’s an entire field of Tantric Alchemy dedicated to it, it’s called- Rasa Vidya- the knowledge of Rasa. It’s such an esoteric practice that there’s a test that one needs to pass before getting initiation into it. The test is called-

Gagan gamana, swarna karna (One should be able to levitate & turn base metal into gold).

This external alchemy is taken as a proof of internal alchemy that comes after an internal transformation. This transformation is a product of purification of water element inside our body.

This purification, according to Taittriya Upnishad, must begin at mental level. Water is Rasa in Sanskrit, so are our emotions. In order to purify water element at physical level, it is essential that we purify our emotions first.

In my daily practice, I find Mindfulness & a Tibetan meditation technique called Tong Len the most effective way of purifying emotions.

3. Pavak (Fire)

Placed in the middle of the five elements, fire acts as a bridge between the dense elements (earth & water) and subtle elements (air & ether). Therefore, to create balance in physical body purification of fire is indispensable. As a result, we find fire as a foundation of both the paths of Yoga- the known Vedic path & the secret Tantric path. In fact, the first word, of the first shloka, of the first mandala, of the first Veda is Agni- fire.

Since the fire exists in physical body in the form of acids, enzymes & melanin, the simplest way to purify it is through food.

This means, fixing number of meals, fixing meal time & eating only that food which doesn’t aggravate our dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha).

4. Sameera (Air)

The job of air is to move. If it’s not in continuously moving at right time & right rate, then it produces undesirable effects, especially in tubular organs.

The easiest way to purify air is to purify the channels through which it moves. In Patanjali Yogsutram, rishi suggested working on purification of three major channels called sushmna, ida and pingala; before dawn and right after dusk. He suggests so because while Ida & Pingala function the whole day but these are the time when it is easiest to get Sushumna to work.

The best way to do this is by practicing nadi shodhan pranayam for beginners & anulom-vilom (in the authentic way as mentioned in Patanjali yogsutram) by advanced practitioners. In my personal practice, I do so every morning at 5am, before stepping down from bed.

I can’t control how my day is going to be, but I can control how it begins- by balancing my body, speech & mind through Pranayams.

5. Akaash (Gagan)

If we go by the definitions used in Riga Veda, Akaash in its most complex sense is what we today call the quantum mechanical field, the vacuum energy. In its simplest form, Akaash’s that from which the particles that make this multiverse spontaneously emerge, some of them manifest themselves and create the seen reality. 

Therefore, the Riga Veda says that this multiverse is in a continuing process of externally manifested space & time.

This makes Akaash the trickiest of all the five elements- it’s not only the subtlest one but has the most complex function! So, the purification it has to be difficult.

No! Akaash maybe the most subtle thing around, it’s still a matter. (According to me, this is the fundamental difference between modern physics & Sankhya philosophy).    

The easiest way to purify any element is to figure out what creates the element & then removing the external particles. In Sankhya Darshan, it is believed that the Tanmatras create Akaash.

What are Tanmatras? Let’s leave that for another day, for now, let’s stick to the purification of Aakash. Patanjali Yogsutram talks of Pratyahara for this.

Pratyahara is simply cutting the food of the five senses. It is only when we withdraw from our sense, we get the window to experience the reality beyond the external manifestation of it.

At Home Yogis’ Home, we get a taste of that experience through ‘Naad’ meditation, in which through ‘Shanmukhi mudra’, we connect with the impulse that create the sound of our breath.  

By doing so, we don’t simply see things but we become a person of ‘vision’. To be a successful leader in modern economy it’s essential to be a visionary. We are going to discuss this in details next week. 

Meeting Durga Through The Path Of Rumi: A Journey From To Goal

-Kirti Tarang Pande

Official website, Instagram, Twitter

Originally Published in Daily Bhaskar

“Why should I seek more?

I am the same as he.

His essence speaks through me.

I have been looking for myself.”

- Rumi

Rumi used these words to define his meeting point with Allah, students of Home Yogis’ Home, a Nanded City, Pune based yoga centre, used the same thought to reach Durga this Navratri.

Shunning all the orthodox snobbery, they met daily at Home Yogis’ Home to connect with the Cosmic Mother through an amalgamation of Bhakti Yoga & Shakti Yoga. Coming from different walks of life, some are IT professionals, some are home-makers, some are business leaders & some belong to the Indian Airforce fraternity; yet, every morning at 6:30 am, they all are unified as yoga sadhaks in pursuit of awakening the inner Shakti.

“Channelizing inner Shakti is a sadhna & like every form of devotion it takes its own time. However, such group practices are an integral part of Home Yogis’ Home, as they instantly transcend us to our Anandmayakosa- seat of bliss”, explains, Pankaj Pandey, director Home Yogis’ Home.

The culmination of this ‘blissed out’ path of reaching Durga happened on Ramnavani, April 04, 2017.

Dressed in black & green to represent the control on inner Tamas (inertia)through inner healing, the students invoked inner Shakti via a yogic dance on the tunes of ‘Aigiri Nandini’.

“When our teachers initiated us into the practice, it sounded like just another of those fun things we do as a group. It started with us putting our heads into it. In no time our souls were involved too. We had no worries in our heads just a dedication towards inner awakening,” shares Rupa Pillai, student Home Yogis’ Home.

However, that’s not it. Kirti Tarang Pande, founder Home Yogis’ Home, explains the utilitarian aspect of it, “When we come together as a group for invoking the inner power, the sadhana converts into an anandmela.”

She further adds that by feeding upon the group energy, this practice expresses the divinity within, removes introversion & brings out hidden talents. She explains that this not only transforms us into leaders but works upon the five sheath existence of the human body:

1. At muscular level it brings deep relaxation

2. At pranic level it slows down breathing, enhances balancing & leads to increased life-span

3. At mental level it increases creative & will powers

4. At emotional level it enhances happiness in life & equipoise.

5. At intellectual level it sharpens intellect & calms down the mind.

Pankaj Pandey takes the discussion further by mentioning the four fold effects of this practice on the development of consciousness:

1. It imparts civic sense

2. Inculcates zeal for service

3. Instill a patriotic urge

4. Invokes a spiritual yearning.

“For me the benefit is simple, it kept in the present, so now I know that I am on the right path”, concludes Ms. Pillai with a smile.  

THIS NAVRATRI CHANNELIZE THE INNER ‘SHAKTI’ IN THREE BREATHES

-Kirti Tarang Pande

Official website, Instagram, Twitter

Originally Published in Daily Bhaskar

Yesterday, we discussed Tantra, what it is and what it is not. Today, let’s kick-in Navratri by preparing our bodies for Tantra. Just to refresh, yesterday we talked about how Tantra is a technique of goal achievement by harnessing & focusing our inner power.

This is where Navratri comes in. Tenth Mandal of Riga Veda considers Navratris to be the auspicious time to invoke, channelize and harness the Shakti within.

Yogic concept of ‘Shakti’

This Shakti is ‘Mooladhar Nivasini’, that is, she resides in Mooladhar Chakra- the root chakra. Mooladhar Chakra is responsible for grounding us with this material plane- Khshiti, meaning the earth element.

Kshiti is considered to Tamasic in nature in the practice of Tantra. Tamas brings inertia. Therefore, Shakti by virtue of residing here becomes inert in nature.

In other words, we have an innate power but it is sleep mode. The only time we unconsciously turn it on, is during sex. That’s why it’s common mistake to equate Tantric practice with sex.

We are not aware that we doing it or how we are doing it, so we can’t harness it at our own will. However, the worst part here is that we dispel & just disintegrating the ‘Shakti’ outside our body. This implies that we are not even using it!

How to awaken this ‘Shakti’

Yogataravali Sutra in its 5,6 and 8 sholkas  mentions Bandha as the method to do this. It says:

By the practice of the bandha the dormant Shakti awakens and enters into sushumna nadi. The breath becomes kumbhaka (still), the rechaka (exhalation) and pooraka (inhalation) cease to function. Senses are purified and kevala (enlightenment) takes place.

In fact, Acaranga Sutra of Jainisim cites Mahavir Jain attaining enlightenment through Mula Bandha.

How to practice Mool Bandha?

Basic underlying principle of bandhas is that by locking certain physical muscles, we initiate an unlocking at mental & pranic levels.

Following this principle, we lock the physical muscles around Mooldhar Chakra, to unlock our Mooladhar Nivasini, our Shakti. There are two techniques to do this:

1. Antar & Bahir Kumbhak

2. Maha Mudra Khumbhak

At beginners’ level, one should practice Antar & Bahir Kumbhak.

Step 1 Finding the right muscles:

Now, to find these muscles, in my personal practice it follow a simple method. I imagine that I am stuck in crazy Mumbai traffic & my bladder is bursting. I really have to pee; instinctively my body contracts certain muscles. That’s it; those are the muscles (perineal muscles) we are working upon here.

There’s another way to understand this, where I put out pictures of our anatomy & mention different sets of muscles for men & women. As an instructor, I’ve learnt it the harder way that it just confuses the students.

Step 2 Preparing for the locking

Before locking, we must check if we are in sync with the first Niyam (Dos) of Yoga- Sauch (Inner & outer cleanliness). Our bladder must be empty for this practice.

You can start with sitting in Padmasana. Take a Pooraka (inhale), observe Kumbhak (hold the breathe in), let out Rechaka (exhale) observe Kumbhak. Do this three times to ease your body into Kumbhak.

Step 3 The lock

·         Sit comfortably in Padmasana and bring all your awareness to mooladhar chakra.

·         Breathe in deeply & hold your breathe.

·         Mentally contract the mooladhar chakra by contracting your perineal muscles. Visualize that mooladar chakra is being massaged with your thumb.

·         Chant the beej mantra- lam mentally & visualize the Shakti awakening at the Mooldhar Chakra

·         When it’s no longer comfortable to hold the breathe. Exhale.

·         Before you inhale again, hold the breathe.

·         Mentally contract the mooladhar chakra by contracting your perineal muscles. Visualize that mooladar chakra is being massaged with your thumb.

·         Chant the beej mantra- lam mentally & visualize the Shakti awakening at the Mooldhar Chakra

This is one round. You can start with three rounds & as your practice improves, you can take it up to 12 rounds.

Bonus: A cheat trick

To increase the time of breathe retention you can hold your fingers in Shakti Dharana Mundra- press the breathe base of the thumb with index finger. By doing so you will observe that your capacity of comfortably retaining breathe has doubled.

Caution:

1. It’s not advisable to practice this if one is suffering from irregular periods.

2. Shiv Samhita in Chapter 4 insists that this bandha should only be practiced in isolation.

3. In Vedic Yoga, bandhas are esoteric practices and should only be practiced under the guidance of a Guru. You can use this write up increase to discuss your initiation into Bandhas with your Yoga teacher; but don’t use this write up for practice (especially as a beginner).

In case, you’re a beginner and don’t have a good teacher, keep watching this space; soon I will be sharing how to prepare our bodies for Tantra without a Guru.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SOUND YOGA

- Kirti Tarang Pande
Instagram Twitter

The Hidden Cosmic Secret


May I tell you a secret?

It's a secret that was kept hidden from 'commoners' in Vedic Prampara. Brahmins knew the power of this wisdom pearl that they had. So they kept quiet, because in the hands of unworthy, the power could be dangerous. In silence they quivered with the vibrations of Sound Yoga and attained a state of pure bliss.

No, I am not starting a new niche in Yoga. Yoga is the science of Shiva & art of Siddhas, you & I are not qualified to make changes in it. We can only share, what we have learnt:

What Is Sound: The Western & Vedic School Of It

Modern Physics tells us that Sound is an energy.
Ancient texts of Rig Veda agree with this & add that Sound is the original form all energy. This cosmic energy of sound, always have a referent object. It is the name of that object. The name connects us to the Being that it designates.
Therefore, whenever we make a sound, we are directing awareness to the object that it corresponds to.

How Sound Yoga Harnesses & Channelizes The Energy Of Sound?

When through sound our awareness goes to an object, along with awareness goes our Pranic Energy. So, ancient Siddhas through the blessings and guidance of Shiva created Beej Mantras, which can link our Pranic Energy to the object of our desires.

What Is The Object Of A Yogis' Desire?

Yogis weren't greedy they just wanted three basic things:
1. Healthy Body, you can't meditate if you're struggling with a physical ailment
2. A mind that's free from all afflictions, again, one can either fret or meditate
3. Liberation

What Did The Yogis Do With This Knowledge?

Since, the yogis understood that Sound is the mental aspect of Pran. They used the mantric vibrations of soul to awaken the powers within.
With this power they discovered the Beej Mantras corresponding to the three wishes of a Yogi:

a. For Healthy Body:

Yogis looked at human body as a sound body & called it Mantra Purush, representing it through Sanskrit Alphabets.
For the sounds in the head & our senses, they harnessed solar energy & created 16 Beej Mantras for it.
For our tissues, they harnessed lunar energy & created 9 Beej Mantras for them
And then, there are 25 Beej Mantras for our trunk & limbs

b. For Peaceful Mind:

They created Beej Mantras for six basic Chakras & weaved them in a meditation technique, in which we travel down from our Throat Chakra towards the Root Chakra & then we come up & dissolve it all in the Third Eye Chakra.

c. For Liberation

This approach came from the Shakti School of Yoga. The yogis discovered the four Beej Mantras corresponding to four forms of Shakti, leading to liberation.

How You & I Can Incorporate Sound Yoga In Our Daily Practice?

Remember, Sound Yoga is very powerful and should only be performed in the guidance of a trusted teacher. 

a. For Energizing

Every Asana has a corresponding Beej Mantra. Once you have mastered the asana on the physical level, then check if you can relax in that asana, connect it with your breathe, now you can ask your teacher to give you the Beej Mantra.

b. For Relaxation

You can recite Mantra Purusha prayer before meditation, it withdraws the pran from all the parts of body & leave

it in the Third Eye.