RELEASING THE SAMSKARAS
AS THE MIND BECOMES WIHDRAWN AND ONE-POINTED, CONSCIOUSNESS IS MAINTAINED BY FOCUSING ON A SERIES OF SYMBOLS OR IMAGES. EACH SYMBOLS HAS A DEFINITE FORM, WHICH MAY BE A FIGURE SUCH AS CHRIST, BUDDHA OR YOUR GURU. OR IT MAY TAKE THE FORM OF A LOTUS, GOLDEN EGG, CHAKRA SYMBOL, GEOMATRIC FORM, MANDALA, YANTRA, COLOUR, OR EVEN A SOUND.
INITIALLY, WHEN ONE ATTEMPTS TO VISUALIZE THE SYMBOL, MANY DISTRACTING IMAGES MAY ARISE. THEY MAY HAVE DISTURBING FORMS SUCH AS DEMONS, DRAGONS, GHOSTS OR SERPANTS, OR THEY MAY APPEAR AS BEAUTIFUL GARDENS, SERENE LAKES, OR VISIONS OF HOLY MEN AND GODS. THESE ARE SYMBOLS FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS, THE SAMSKARAS OR IMPRESSIONS THAT COMPRISE THE EGO. THEY CAN EXPRESS PAINFUL MEMORIES, FRUSTRATED NEEDS, UNFULFILLED DESIRES, INHIBITIONS, FEARS, COMPLEXES AND NEUROSES. THESE DEEP-ROOTED SAMSKARAS CONDITION OUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCE, AND COMPEL US TO ACT IN CERTAIN WAYS. THEY ARE OFTEN THE ROOT CAUSE OF TENSION, MENTAL DISTURBANCE AND DISEASE. THE PROCESS OF VISUALIZATION IN YOGA NIDRA ENABLES US TO PURGE THESE SAMSKARAS FROM THE MIND, THUS PURIFYING THE LAYERS OF OUR CONSCIOUSNESS, WHICH IS NECESSARY BEFORE REAL PROGRESS IN YOGA IS POSSIBLE.
ATTITUDE OF WITNESS
THE PLAY OF SYMBOLS AND IMAGES SHOULD BE VIEWED IN A DETACHED WAY, AS THOUGH ONE WERE MERELY WATCHIG A MOVIE, ONE SHOULD SIMPLY REMAIN AWARE OF THE IMAGES. THERE SHOULD BE NO ATTEMPT TO ANALYZE OR BECOME INVOLVED IN THEM BY JUDGEMENT OR CONDEMNATION. WHEN THE IMAGES ARE THUS VIEWED OBJECTIVELY, THE EGO BECOME TEMPORARILY INACTIVE. IT NO LONGER IDENTIFIES WITH THE INHIBITIONS, LIKES OR DISLIKES THAT REINFORCE ITS INDIVIDUAL NATURE. THEREFORE, IT NO LONGER REPRESSESS MATERIAL THAT IS IN CONFLICT WITH ITS PRECONCEPTIONS, NOR DOES IT SELECTIVELY APPREHEND ONLY THAT MATERIAL WHICH SUPPORTS ITS OPINION AND PREJUDICES. IRRATIONAL, FEARFUL, OR IMPRACTICAL DEVICES AND DESIRES RISE INTO THE CONSCIOUS MIND, AND WHEN VIEWED OBJECTIVELY, DISAPPEAR OR ARE INTEGRATED INTO CONSCIOUSNESS.
AS A RESULT, THE ENERGY THAT HAD FORMERLY BEEN USED FOR REPRESSING THESE ELEMENTS OF THE UNCONSCIOUS CAN THEN BE USEFULLY DIRECTED TO OTHER ACTIVITIES. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME ONE GAINS GREATER UNDERSTADING OF ONE'S OWN NATURE, AND THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE CONSCIOUSNESS AND UNCONSCIOUS MIND IS REDUCED.
MANTRA, YANTRA, CHAKRA
DIFFERENT SYMBOLS REACH DIFFERENT DEPTHS OF THE MIND. THIS IS HOW THE SCIENCE OF MANTRA AND YANTRA EVOLVED, AS THESE SOUNDS AND SYMBOLS PROBE THE DEEPST LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. THE DIFFERENT CHAKRA SYMBOLS OF COLOUR, FORM, DEITY AND MANTRA WERE DESIGNED TO PRODUCE DIRECT ASSOCIATION WITH THE PARTICULAR PSYCHIC CENTRES, AND CONSEQUENTLY AN ABSTRACT ASSOCIATION WITH ALL ASPECTS OF MANIFESTATION OF THAT CHAKRA IN THE INDIVIDUAL . IN FACT, THE ARCHETYPES IN THE HUMAN BRAIN ARE REPRESENTED IN THE CHAKRAS. SO, IN DISCOVERING THE SYMBOLOGY OF THE CHAKRAS WE ARE DISCOVERING AND RELEASING OUR OWN ARCHETYPES.
THE CHAKRAS DO NOT EXIST IN THE PHYSICAL BODY. THEY EXIST IN THE PSYCHIC BODY, WHICH CANNOT BE EXPERIENCED BY THE SENSES. THIS REQUIRES AN ALTERED STATE TO BE PERCEIVED THROUGH THE MIND. IN YOGA NIDRA WE INDUCE THIS STATE OF PERCEPTION BY GRADUALLY WITHDRAWING THE SENSES DURING THE ROTATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGHOUT THE BODY, AND BY PRACTISING BREATH AWARENESS. THIS UNDUCE BOTH PRATYAHARA AND DEEP RELAXATION. IN FACT, DEEP RELAXATION HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE AN ALTERED STATE OF PERCEPTION. ONCE THIS STATE HAS BEEN INDUCED, THE GUIDED IMAGE VISUALIZATION PROCEEDS UNDER THE TEACHER'S INSTRUCTIONS.
SO, IT IS APPARENT THAT THE USE OF GUIDED IMAGERY IN YOGA NIDRA IS A VERY POWERFUL METHOD OF RESOLVING SUPPRESSED CONFLICTS, DESIRES, MEMORIES, AND SAMSKARAS. AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS THE KEY TO THE AWAKENING OF A NEW CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL WITH UNLIMITED RESOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE READILY ACCESSIBLE.
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