One life, two journeys
ONE LIFE, TWO JOURNEYS
Lifetime is the period when the soul lives in a particular body. That there are two separate entities living together for a fixed period is the essence of realization. It can be compared to the riding of a horse by a person. The rider is on his own journey and the horse its own. Similarly, though body and soul live together, they are performing separate journeys.
The journey of the body (not you) is limited to the physical world. It goes in the well known cycle of birth and death. Actually, it is not traveling a distance, since it remains where it is – moving only in circular manner, and changing forms as it goes through. The cycle is unending, since the body is made of elements which change form, but never really perish. But the form undergoes a change every time the cycle is repeated. The behaviour of the body in the next cycle is determined not only by the person (soul) who rides that but also by the memories of a lifetime which are carried along with the body. There is a fixed time period for the physical journey. Body wants that the journey is kept going as long as possible. It is like slow cycling race. In the example of the rider and the horse, the life of a horse is what is described here. This journey involves craving for physical comforts, acting to fulfill desires, thinking & accumulation; and therefore is a bumpy ride.
The journey of the soul (you) on the other hand is to traverse the physical world using body as the vehicle. The length of this journey is fixed, but the time taken for this journey depends on the speed of the journey. The essence of this journey is to complete it fast, with least number of changes en route. It is like preferring a direct flight to destination than changing it many times. Just as in real life, there are not many direct flights; and the soul changes many a body before completing this journey. Just as the rider carefully chooses the horse he wants to ride in the next race, the soul is checks suitability before taking one. Once taken, the life begins. This journey needs peace, sharing, loving, giving, forgiving, smiling, happiness, helping, including, feeling.
The problem here is the differing goals of the two journeys which are being performed together. If the horse wants to walk slowly, but the rider wants to reach as fast as he can, there is a problem which results in the horse being whipped or the rider getting delayed. That rider is the best who can ride the fastest to the finishing line. Naturally, the ride gets delayed if the rider has to change horses in between. The aim of each rider is to maintain the horse in a way that it can run the fastest, safest and smoothest. There comes the importance of maintaining the horse. You will see that many riders spend months together talking, training, feeding, cajoling the horse they would ride in the next race. Similarly, one needs to train the body and keep it in a shape that facilitates fastest ride.
That ride is fastest where both the rider and the horse are in perfect shape and acting in synergy. Synergy is most important & most difficult since both the journeys have differing goals. Victory in a race is never predicted based on the strength of the horse alone. Had that been so, all races would be easily predictable. It depends on the mental strength, determination, training, endurance & focus – of both the rider and the horse. More importantly, both the rider and the horse should be free of tension, fatigue. You need to train both the rider and the horse.
Training the body
Training the body is to keep the body energetic and positive. It is not equal to physical exercises, though it could form part of the drill. This calls for freeing the body of fatigue and negativity. Negativity, irritability saps the energy; this results in fatigue which demotivates and depresses the person; demotivated individual performs below par; this leads to more negativity. This vicious cycle is to be broken if body is to be kept in proper condition.
How do we do that?
We concentrate on each part of the body and cleanse it of all negativity, sadness, fatigue and tiredness and take in fresh air of positive nature, fresh energy drawn from the cosmic force. Let us see how:
a. Sit comfortably – need not sit cross legged, but better if you can.
b. Start from the feet
i. Concentrate on your feet –
ii. Exhale slowly & completely – thinking that all the pain, all fatigue in the feet is going out slowly from the feet, through your nostrils as you exhale.
iii. When you completely exhale, think that all your fatigue from the feet is gone out.
iv. Now inhale – slowly, very slowly - and think that the cosmic force is coming in to you and is reaching your feet and energizing the feet. Feel that this portion of the body is cleansed.
c. Move to the legs:
i. Concentrate on your legs
ii. Exhale slowly & completely concentrating on legs– thinking that all the pain, all fatigue in the legs is going out slowly, through your nostrils as you exhale.
iii. When you completely exhale, think that all your fatigue from the legs has gone out.
iv. Now inhale – slowly, very slowly - and think that the cosmic force is coming in to you and is reaching your legs and energizing that part of the body and feel that this portion of the body is cleansed.
d. Now move up doing the same process to each of the other parts of the body in this order – back, genitals, stomach, heart, throat, forehead and top of the head.
This process will take about 10 to 12 minutes and when done with concentration, it will refresh you totally and energises you.
There are more things that we can try like Naadi Sodhana Pranayaam which double or triple the effect. But that can be tried later.
Training the soul
Can soul be trained? Isn’t it the reflection of the cosmic force? Yes, it is. But it needs training too just like the rider that rides the horse. This training will help to assert itself in sharing the energies of the living being.
How do we do that?
The speed of the spiritual journey is dependent on two forces – the ‘push’ force and the ‘pull’ force.
The Pull force: Pull force operates from the point of destination and can be felt only through the forehead. For experiencing the pull force, you need to concentrate on your forehead - the place for thinking & logic.
a) Sit comfortably and calmly. You should not be in hurry.
b) Close your eyes.
c) Look (with eyes closed) i.e. concentrate on your forehead.
d) Feel that all your energy in your body is moving up to your forehead
e) You are sitting face-to-face with a bright light
f) All thoughts are suspended.
You will feel the pull force from your destination point.
You can try this for 10 minutes in the morning after the breathing exercise.
The ‘Push’ force: Soul is a reflection of the cosmic force and is in fact, a part of it. It gets energized when connected to this cosmic force. When connected to the cosmic force, it receives a push to go forward. This connection can be established only through the heart, the seat of feeling. The cosmic force can only be felt, not seen or understood. It is only in the depths of silence that this connection can be established. Let us try how:
a) Sit comfortably and calmly. You should not be in hurry.
b) Close your eyes.
c) Look (with eyes closed) i.e. concentrate on your heart
d) Think that your soul is sitting in your heart, calmly and quietly, with a faint glow.
e) Keep out all thoughts. If they keep coming, do not give them any weight and they pass away. Many thoughts may come, but they will soon disappear if you are not giving them any weight.
f) In the process, reach state of ‘no thoughts’. Enjoy the bliss that comes by.
g) Sit as long as you can and get up.
The soul has acquired the push force to go forward. You will feel calm and composed and rid of all the office matters.
You can try this for 10 minutes in the evening after coming back from office and gradually extend this to 20 minutes.
Conclusion
The aim of the above exercises is to achieve synergy between the body and the soul that co-exist. The exercise will eliminate and discords between the two and spread positive mood in the body, there by quickening the spiritual journey and smoothening the physical journey.
Subrahmanyam
16th April 2009
Camp: in the jungles of Chhindwara
Lifetime is the period when the soul lives in a particular body. That there are two separate entities living together for a fixed period is the essence of realization. It can be compared to the riding of a horse by a person. The rider is on his own journey and the horse its own. Similarly, though body and soul live together, they are performing separate journeys.
The journey of the body (not you) is limited to the physical world. It goes in the well known cycle of birth and death. Actually, it is not traveling a distance, since it remains where it is – moving only in circular manner, and changing forms as it goes through. The cycle is unending, since the body is made of elements which change form, but never really perish. But the form undergoes a change every time the cycle is repeated. The behaviour of the body in the next cycle is determined not only by the person (soul) who rides that but also by the memories of a lifetime which are carried along with the body. There is a fixed time period for the physical journey. Body wants that the journey is kept going as long as possible. It is like slow cycling race. In the example of the rider and the horse, the life of a horse is what is described here. This journey involves craving for physical comforts, acting to fulfill desires, thinking & accumulation; and therefore is a bumpy ride.
The journey of the soul (you) on the other hand is to traverse the physical world using body as the vehicle. The length of this journey is fixed, but the time taken for this journey depends on the speed of the journey. The essence of this journey is to complete it fast, with least number of changes en route. It is like preferring a direct flight to destination than changing it many times. Just as in real life, there are not many direct flights; and the soul changes many a body before completing this journey. Just as the rider carefully chooses the horse he wants to ride in the next race, the soul is checks suitability before taking one. Once taken, the life begins. This journey needs peace, sharing, loving, giving, forgiving, smiling, happiness, helping, including, feeling.
The problem here is the differing goals of the two journeys which are being performed together. If the horse wants to walk slowly, but the rider wants to reach as fast as he can, there is a problem which results in the horse being whipped or the rider getting delayed. That rider is the best who can ride the fastest to the finishing line. Naturally, the ride gets delayed if the rider has to change horses in between. The aim of each rider is to maintain the horse in a way that it can run the fastest, safest and smoothest. There comes the importance of maintaining the horse. You will see that many riders spend months together talking, training, feeding, cajoling the horse they would ride in the next race. Similarly, one needs to train the body and keep it in a shape that facilitates fastest ride.
That ride is fastest where both the rider and the horse are in perfect shape and acting in synergy. Synergy is most important & most difficult since both the journeys have differing goals. Victory in a race is never predicted based on the strength of the horse alone. Had that been so, all races would be easily predictable. It depends on the mental strength, determination, training, endurance & focus – of both the rider and the horse. More importantly, both the rider and the horse should be free of tension, fatigue. You need to train both the rider and the horse.
Training the body
Training the body is to keep the body energetic and positive. It is not equal to physical exercises, though it could form part of the drill. This calls for freeing the body of fatigue and negativity. Negativity, irritability saps the energy; this results in fatigue which demotivates and depresses the person; demotivated individual performs below par; this leads to more negativity. This vicious cycle is to be broken if body is to be kept in proper condition.
How do we do that?
We concentrate on each part of the body and cleanse it of all negativity, sadness, fatigue and tiredness and take in fresh air of positive nature, fresh energy drawn from the cosmic force. Let us see how:
a. Sit comfortably – need not sit cross legged, but better if you can.
b. Start from the feet
i. Concentrate on your feet –
ii. Exhale slowly & completely – thinking that all the pain, all fatigue in the feet is going out slowly from the feet, through your nostrils as you exhale.
iii. When you completely exhale, think that all your fatigue from the feet is gone out.
iv. Now inhale – slowly, very slowly - and think that the cosmic force is coming in to you and is reaching your feet and energizing the feet. Feel that this portion of the body is cleansed.
c. Move to the legs:
i. Concentrate on your legs
ii. Exhale slowly & completely concentrating on legs– thinking that all the pain, all fatigue in the legs is going out slowly, through your nostrils as you exhale.
iii. When you completely exhale, think that all your fatigue from the legs has gone out.
iv. Now inhale – slowly, very slowly - and think that the cosmic force is coming in to you and is reaching your legs and energizing that part of the body and feel that this portion of the body is cleansed.
d. Now move up doing the same process to each of the other parts of the body in this order – back, genitals, stomach, heart, throat, forehead and top of the head.
This process will take about 10 to 12 minutes and when done with concentration, it will refresh you totally and energises you.
There are more things that we can try like Naadi Sodhana Pranayaam which double or triple the effect. But that can be tried later.
Training the soul
Can soul be trained? Isn’t it the reflection of the cosmic force? Yes, it is. But it needs training too just like the rider that rides the horse. This training will help to assert itself in sharing the energies of the living being.
How do we do that?
The speed of the spiritual journey is dependent on two forces – the ‘push’ force and the ‘pull’ force.
The Pull force: Pull force operates from the point of destination and can be felt only through the forehead. For experiencing the pull force, you need to concentrate on your forehead - the place for thinking & logic.
a) Sit comfortably and calmly. You should not be in hurry.
b) Close your eyes.
c) Look (with eyes closed) i.e. concentrate on your forehead.
d) Feel that all your energy in your body is moving up to your forehead
e) You are sitting face-to-face with a bright light
f) All thoughts are suspended.
You will feel the pull force from your destination point.
You can try this for 10 minutes in the morning after the breathing exercise.
The ‘Push’ force: Soul is a reflection of the cosmic force and is in fact, a part of it. It gets energized when connected to this cosmic force. When connected to the cosmic force, it receives a push to go forward. This connection can be established only through the heart, the seat of feeling. The cosmic force can only be felt, not seen or understood. It is only in the depths of silence that this connection can be established. Let us try how:
a) Sit comfortably and calmly. You should not be in hurry.
b) Close your eyes.
c) Look (with eyes closed) i.e. concentrate on your heart
d) Think that your soul is sitting in your heart, calmly and quietly, with a faint glow.
e) Keep out all thoughts. If they keep coming, do not give them any weight and they pass away. Many thoughts may come, but they will soon disappear if you are not giving them any weight.
f) In the process, reach state of ‘no thoughts’. Enjoy the bliss that comes by.
g) Sit as long as you can and get up.
The soul has acquired the push force to go forward. You will feel calm and composed and rid of all the office matters.
You can try this for 10 minutes in the evening after coming back from office and gradually extend this to 20 minutes.
Conclusion
The aim of the above exercises is to achieve synergy between the body and the soul that co-exist. The exercise will eliminate and discords between the two and spread positive mood in the body, there by quickening the spiritual journey and smoothening the physical journey.
Subrahmanyam
16th April 2009
Camp: in the jungles of Chhindwara
Labels: Spirituality
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