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Consciousness

Raja Yoga is an individual practice in self-awareness and self-control; specifically, it’s about lovingly and patiently conquering your body/mind to experience your consciousness.

Yogis believe that only two things exist: consciousness and energetic matter. The former never changes – it’s eternal. Everything else, including our unique and miraculous bodies and minds are constantly changing due to their fundamental, energetic nature.

Consciousness is the aspect of each of us that’s unaffected by physical or mental distress – it’s just the awareness thereof. Consciousness is not dissimilar to the notion of a soul or spirit, but awareness is an aspect of yourself that you can readily verify: the aspect without which you wouldn’t know that you’re reading this!

Consciousness doesn’t exist in the same way that our bodies and minds do. It doesn’t do anything; it doesn’t function in a material sense; it can’t change or be changed – it’s simply the awareness OF something; thus, its not subject to the laws of material physics like the perpetual cycle of cause and effect (karma). We don’t experience consciousness in the same way that we feel our arms and legs or hear our thoughts, but the ultimate goal of Raja Yoga is to achieve a state of such deep meditation – of utter physical and mental stillness – that you actually experience your consciousness (in yoga-speak, you become enlightened).

Until that happens, we can only verify the existence of consciousness by imagining what life might be like without it: our arms, legs, brain, other organs and systems would still function, but without awareness or consciousness, we wouldn’t know what we were doing!

While enlightenment eludes most, thankfully, the practical and therapeutic benefits of practicing Raja Yoga are immediate and cumulative.

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Pratyahara

Introduction

Pratyahara is the fifth of the eight-limbed practice of Ashtanga Yoga introduced in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: a roadmap to peace through meditation. The Yoga Sutras – essentially a poem comprised of fewer than 200 partial sentences arranged in four chapters – is one of two widely recognized authoritative texts on Raja Yoga.

Pratyahara (transliterated as “withdrawal from the senses”) refers to concentration of the conscious mind; it is often practiced by silent recitation, essentially stringing together individual, sequential thoughts – often rhythmically – to momentarily control the content and flow of thoughts.

The stated, penultimate goal of the Yoga Sutras is to all-but-eliminate conscious thought – since at that point, without thoughts to interfere, we are conscious only of our own true nature.

Science

The four functions of your mind are:

1) Buddhi – this is your conscious mind – and the focus of the Yoga Sutras. At any given moment, you are conscious of whatever is reflected in this part of our mind. This is the aspect of mind that gets us in trouble – sometimes referred to as the “monkey mind” as we often seem at a loss to control what’s reflected therein.

2) Manas – this is your sub-conscious or sensory mind which works behind the scenes, automatically processing senses and basic bodily functions.

3) Ahamkara – this is your mental foundation: it’s the most elemental aspect of your ego: the awareness that you are a unique being – separate and apart from everything else.

4) Chitta – this is the storage aspect of your mind: your memories which still have karmic potential (i.e., to the extent the ripples of your past actions haven’t caught up with you yet, the corresponding karmic triggers are stored here).

Context

Patanjali introduces Ashtanga Yoga in Chapter 2, yet splits the discussion of the eight limbs between Chapters 2 and 3: concluding Chapter 2 with remarks on Pratyahara, and beginning Chapter 3 with a discussion of the last three limbs, signaling that Pratyahara is more akin to the first four, than the last three.

Pratyahara is the fifth in a sequence of progressively subtle exercises or practices intended to settle your conscious mind for meditation:

• Yama & Niyama – presented first, these two limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are the most important as they have the greatest impact on your peace of mind. The Yamas & Niyamas constitute a code of conduct intended to balance your actions; specifically, to mitigate the negative consequences thereof.

Note: of the 25 sutras devoted to Ashtanga Yoga in Chapter 2 (i.e., a little over 10% of Patanjali’s entire Yoga Sutras), 15 (60%) discuss these two sutras (“conduct”); three discuss Asana (“posture”); five discuss Pranayama (“breath”); and 2 discuss Pratyahara (“concentration”).

• Asana – Patanjali encourages us to learn to sit still and comfortably to facilitate meditation;

• Pranayama – Patanjali encourages us to learn to breathe deeply and subtly to facilitate meditation, as breathing exercises stimulate/calm circulation of our elemental energetic building blocks;

• Pratyahara – Patanjali encourages us to learn to concentrate (i.e., to fully-engage our conscious mind) to quell the effects of desire – the product of ego, memory and the senses – to facilitate meditation; the intent of Pratyahara is to turn one’s attention or awareness from the sensory to the thinking mind – and to begin to learn to control its content and flow.

The longer you can sit comfortably, breathe deeply and subtly, and hold the content and rhythm of your thoughts steady, the longer and more effectively you’ll be able to meditate.

Summary

When you’re sitting comfortably, breathing deeply and subtly, and controlling the rate, rhythm and content of your conscious thoughts, there is a synchronization of sorts between your heartbeats, breaths, and thoughts – a calmness that prepares you for the last three limbs of Ashtanga Yoga which involve further refining the content of your conscious mind by progressively narrowing its focus.

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Reading/Resource List

• September and November 2010 issues of “Yoga Journal”; specifically, articles on the history of yoga

• “Light on Yoga” by BKS Iyengar; specifically, “Part One – What is Yoga”

• “First There is a Mountain” by Elizabeth Kadetsky; presents an objective view of BKS written by a journalist who became part of his inner circle; includes many historical references

• “The Bhagavad Gita” by Winthrop Sargeant; this is the truest transliteration from Sanskrit to English; good to use as a reference though no commentary

• Any of several readily available books on the two widely recognized original and authoritative texts on Raja Yoga: the Bhagavad Gita, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Reading multiple interpretations provides a broader understanding of the material.

• Swamij.com

• Any of several anatomy books written for yoga students, for example, “Anatomy of Hatha Yoga” by H David Coulter, or “The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga” by Ray Long

• “Hatha Yoga Pradipika” – the version I have was written by Swami Muktibodhananda

• “Light on Pranayama” by BKS Iyengar

• Anything by Thich Nhat Hanh, including the “Miracle of Mindfulness”; while Buddhist, this is good description of what yogis refer to as a clear and correct state of mind

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Anatomy of Your Mind

In order to control your mind you need to understand how it works – which is best done by observing it.  That’s how the original Yogis figured it out: experientially!

The next time you look in a mirror, wave to your reflection and think about what you had for breakfast yesterday. No, this isn’t Candid Camera, just an exercise to help you see the parts of your mind as clearly as you see the reflection of your head, arms, and legs.

The original Yogis determined that your mind has four distinguishable parts: 1) your thinking or conscious mind; 2) your sensory or subconscious mind; 3) your memories; and 4) your root, or rudimentary ego.

Practice experiencing each of the four aspects of your mind:

Observe your rudimentary ego – this is the very subtle, generally subconscious, recognition that you are a unique being – as opposed to the not-so-subtle, often conscious part of your ego which thinks of yourself as witty, cute and tall. Your root ego is simply the part of you that recognizes “Hey, that’s me in the mirror!”

Observe your memories – this is perhaps the easiest part of your mind to observe.

Observe your sensory mind – note that you aren’t engaging your thinking mind when you wave at your reflection in the mirror. Generally, you’re not conscious of the workings of your sensory mind; it constantly runs in the background, automatically receiving sensory information and processing routine bodily functions. It’s your sensory mind that waves your hand (i.e., you don’t consciously think, “move hand left, move hand right…”).

Observe your thinking mind – this is the part you used to recall what you had for breakfast. Like heartbeats and breaths, your thinking mind continuously processes singular, sequential thoughts, which are naturally drawn to the objects of your desire (the products of interactions between the other three parts of your mind: sensory, memory and ego); however, you can control your thinking mind – and thus your actions – and thereby overcome desire.

Next practice observing interactions among the four aspects of your mind.

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Mind Over Matter

Over 3,000 years ago Yogis determined that “mind over matter” was the key to a happier, healthier life: that it’s our minds, not our bodies, which are the source of most suffering.

The practice of Yoga is largely about controlling the thinking aspect of our minds, and thereby our actions. Frankly, our selves and our actions are all we can control; the natural law of cause and effect (Karma) is responsible for everything else.

There are four general types of thoughts, or states of mind:

• Correct
• Incorrect
• Imagined
• Remembered

There are five general types of emotions which “color” or influence those thoughts, or states of mind:

• Ignorance
• Ego
• Attraction
• Aversion
• Fear

Not surprisingly, a correct, “uncolored” state of mind is most conducive to clear, calm thinking: making it easier to consider outside events and influences more objectively before (re)acting.

There are three sources of correct thoughts:

• Witness
• Inference
• Confirmation

Practice discerning between the types, and influences of your thoughts – and cultivating a calm, clear, correct mindset.

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Getting Started

Check out SwamiJ.com.

Some of the material there is pretty deep, but if you’re interested in learning about meditation, this is a wonderful resource.

Once on the site, click on “Yoga Sutras” and then “Chapters”. You should see:

 

Concentration: Chapter 1 of the Yoga Sutras is entitled Samadhi Pada, which means the chapter on concentration. Chapter 1 describes yoga, witnessing five kinds of thoughts, uncoloring thoughts, the twin principles of practice and non-attachment, the stages of concentration, efforts and commitments, obstacles and solutions, and means and results of stabilizing the mind.

The 51 sutras of Chapter 1 have been divided into 9 sections:

  • What is yoga? (1.1-1.4)
  • Witnessing and un-coloring thoughts (1.5-1.11)
  • Practice and non-attachment (1.12-1.16)
  • Types of concentration (1.17-1.18)
  • Efforts and commitment (1.19-1.22)
  • Direct route through AUM (1.23-1.29)
  • Obstacles and solutions (1.30-1.32)
  • Stabilizing and clearing the mind (1.33-1.39)
  • Results of stabilizing the mind (1.40-1.51)

 

While SwamiJ.com is truly awesome, I suggest reading multiple interpretations of what the author (Patanjali) was trying to convey. The next time you’re in a bookstore, find the section on yoga – and the smaller section on yoga philosophy; specifically, The Yoga Sutras. Flip thru whatever books are on the shelf and see if one or two of them appeal to you (some are quite academic – while quite helpful, perhaps not the place to start). Start with the chapter summaries, and then read one section of a chapter at a time – focusing on the first two chapters. Remember, this is entirely a personal practice; there’s no right or wrong way to interpret the sutras, the intent of which are to reduce human suffering!

It’s not easy to “unpack” the Yoga Sutras without a teacher, but the above is a good way to start – and as the sutras promise, hang in there and you will succeed (if “only” in improving your health and happiness)!

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Mental Yoga

In the same way that there lots of shades of grey between black and white, there are lots of yoga practices which are a combination of the two principle types: physical and mental.  Mental or Raja Yoga is largely about seeing life differently – beginning with yourself.

Here’s the short version:

You can’t count and recite the alphabet simultaneously because your brain thinks single, consecutive thoughts (similar to the way your heart beats and you breathe).

But when you silently count “1+1=2”, two things do happen simultaneously: the counting – and the awareness of the counting.

Yoga is based on the premise that your awareness (aka your consciousness) is not a mental function; rather, it’s a separate and distinct part of you – the way your body and mind are distinguishable parts of you – but unlike your thoughts and physical body, your awareness never changes. It can’t because it’s simply your awareness or perception OF something – not the cognition and judgement which follow; so there’s nothing to change.  This is the distinction between mind and consciousness: the former functions while the latter simply exists – universally, yet separately within each of us.  Without awareness, we’d all robotically go about our business – unaware as we were doing so!

The stated objective of Yoga is to self-identify with your awareness rather than your body/mind. The Yoga Sutras include an eight-step proof that your consciousness is indeed distinct from your mind. Few people get to that point in their practice, but the mental and physical benefits of trying are cumulative and hugely rewarding/calming.

The first five steps essentially prepare your mind to meditate – and the last three steps are meditation exercises. Of the five preparatory steps, the first two which address personal conduct (essentially “be a good person”) account for 70% of preparing to meditate – the next three steps (posture, breathing, and concentration) only account for 30% of preparing to settle your mind.  The implication is that your conduct has twice the impact on your state of mind as stretching, breathing and concentrating!

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Note to a Student

Hey Pal,

Sorry for the length of this note, but here are a few thoughts on our discussion about a 20 minute workout; of course we’ll do that, but keep in mind:

Raja Yoga is a constant practice in trying to see yourself differently; specifically, trying to identify with your consciousness rather than your body/mind – and in that regard this practice doesn’t really lend itself to a 20 minute routine.

No amount of stretching, breathing or concentrating will bring about a sea-change in your life the way a change in attitude or paradigm will. That’s the endgame here: to see yourself differently.

Things to consider:

• Constantly strive to distinguish between your consciousness and thoughts. Consciousness is simply the awareness or perception OF your thoughts; it never changes. Everything else, including your thoughts and memories are subject to the vagaries of time and circumstance. Remember the “1+1=2” exercise: there are two things happening simultaneously: the counting, and the awareness of the counting. Subconscious thoughts (the consequence of interactions between your three non-cognitive mental functions: sensory, memory, and ego) percolate up into your conscious mind unless you override that natural involuntary process via concentration – just as you interrupt your involuntary breathing process when you practice controlled breathing.

• This is a simple yet difficult practice; it’s counterintuitive to identify with something you can’t see, smell, hear, taste or feel, rather than the face smiling back at you in the mirror. But think of it this way: if you were physically or mentally debilitated, that wouldn’t fundamentally change who you are, or somehow diminish you as a person – so why chose to identify with the fickle, constantly changing parts of yourself which will eventually turn to dust. Wouldn’t it make sense to identify with the part of you that’s consistent (so that how you see yourself isn’t constantly changing like your body/mind)?

• The most important general practical advice from the Yoga Sutras comes from the first chapter: don’t stop trying, and don’t beat yourself up when you slip.

• The first specific practical advice of the Yoga Sutras is introduced in chapter two: success depends on your mindset. Recognizing the difficulty of identifying with an aspect of yourself that you can’t even see, the practice promotes finding faith in something and devoting yourself and your practice to it.  Is there something in your life that you’re willing to sacrifice everything for? Draw strength and determination from that which you have faith in; in short, remain determined, discerning and devoted.

• Chapter two of the Yoga Sutras goes on to introduce an eight-step practice to prove to yourself that your consciousness is distinct from your mind. While the steps are sequential, they’re also integrated; the first five settle your body/mind, preparing you for the last three purely mental, meditative exercises. The theory is that once you’ve virtually emptied your cognitive mind of thought – and btw, you can’t do that if your physical, energetic and mental aspects aren’t settled – your consciousness, then having nothing else to be aware of, becomes aware of itself. Regardless of whether you meditate, it’s comforting to know that when you need to, you CAN calm yourself physically, energetically and mentally – and it gets easier with practice!

• The other thing to remember is the energetic nature of all matter. Your entire physical/mental being – from your memories to your toes – everything besides consciousness – by its very nature is in a constant state of flux at a cellular or elemental level.  The practice prioritizes personal conduct because physical actions generate greater energetic consequences than mental ones (actions speak louder than words). Remember, the first two preparatory steps (i.e., being a good person) get you 70% of the way to a settled mind.  And thus, while the last three preparatory steps (i.e., physical, respiratory and concentration exercises) are helpful, don’t be misled; they are NOT the focus of Raja Yoga.

Btw – here’s some Raja Yoga nomenclature: “Self” (with a capital “S”) refers to your consciousness (aka awareness), while “self” (lower-case “s”) refers to your material body/mind. This is a practice in cultivating Self-awareness: recognizing the distinction between cognition and consciousness, ironically by mastering “self” control (i.e., you can’t control your “Self”; it just “is”), keeping in mind that your actions have the biggest impact on your state of mind (for one thing, every action has perpetual consequences)!

While everyone has a body/mind, cellularly or elementally, there’s nothing truly unique about them; however, while everyone also has awareness – IT is what makes you unique – since no one else perceives life as you do.  In the Yoga tradition, THIS is the part of you worth celebrating, acknowledging, honoring, etc. – the unchanging enduring part of you which perceives, rather than the temporal parts of you which act but are fleeting.

So, what’s the most efficient use of your time if you’re going to set aside 20 minutes a day? My advice: exactly what you were doing when you thought, “it’s sort of like my body/mind is a car and my consciousness is a passenger” – THAT effort – to see your awareness as a distinct part of you – is the most productive way to spend any free time you have with respect to this pursuit of happiness.

That said, we’ll practice a 20 minute physical/energetic/ mental routine tomorrow that you can do daily! 😉 My best.

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20 Minute Daily Routine

Prerequisites:

A rudimentary understanding of the anatomical and energetic aspects of your respiratory system (read: don’t try this without some initial instruction and supervision).

Caveat:

As with ALL pranayama exercises, tread deliberately and cautiously; allow your breathing to return to normal if you feel ANY degree of discomfort, jitters, etc.

Guarantee:

Practice some version of this every day for the rest of your life, and you will smile more often than you’ll frown.

 

The Daily Routine: (up to 2-3x a day)[and btw – try to get at least 20 minutes of fresh air every day as well]:

Roughly 5 minutes – “Snow Globe”

Do your own “Shake It Up Baby” happy dance; after a few minutes, settle into a comfortable, seated position keeping your body upright and balanced.

Roughly 10 minutes – Pranayama

Pre-flight “check-in”:

How are you feeling generally? Bring awareness to your:

“maya kosha” markers:

  • heartbeat
  • breath
  • thoughts

“energy centers”:

  • perineum
  • genitals
  • stomach
  • chest
  • throat
  • brain
  • crown of your head

Remind yourself why you’re doing this:

Anatomically, you’re using your diaphragm as a bellows to rhythmically stimulate your internal organs and the flow of oxygenated blood throughout your body. Energetically, you’re stimulating those same organs and blood flow at a cellular level, facilitating the proper functioning of your body/mind at an elemental, or energetic level.

Abdominal breaths (your stomach distends on the inhalation) – repeat 5-6x: SLOW, DEEP inhalation; SLOW, DEEP exhalation.

Thoracic breaths (your chest lifts on the inhalation) – repeat 5-6x: SLOW, FULL inhalation; SLOW, FULL exhalation.

Alternate nostril breathing – begin with 3-4 cycles – or more as time permits (keeping the length of inhalation, retention and exhalation roughly the same; remember you’re looking for smooth consistent rhythm as you breathe); increasing 1-2 cycles daily as appropriate up to 40 cycles. [Note: eventually, you’ll just practice alternate nostril breathing].

Alternate nostril cycle =

  • close L; open R; inhale
  • close R; retain
  • open L; exhale, inhale
  • close L; retain
  • open R; exhale

Post-flight “check-in”:

Repeat the pre-flight check-in and observe any difference in your markers and energy centers; generally, you should feel more calm physically, energetically and mentally than before you started.

Roughly 5 minutes – Contemplation

Spend these few minutes contemplating consciousness.  Remember the “1+1=2” exercise: two things are happening simultaneously: thinking and consciousness of the thinking.  Perhaps the easiest way to recognize the distinction is to imagine what life might be like without one or the other: the ability to think, or consciousness. Without cognition, you’d be a vegetable – unable to process thoughts; without consciousness you’d be a robot – unaware of your own thoughts and actions! Remember, thoughts change constantly; consciousness never does.

Possible side effects: Weight loss (your appetite might wane), mild constipation, and peace of mind…and remember, practice makes perfect. 😉

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Unique vs. Collective Vantage Points

No matter how beautiful and brilliant, bodies and minds fade, but consciousness – the unique vantage point from which we experience life – arguably the most beautiful and brilliant aspect of each of us – never does.  While everything you witness changes all the time, your consciousness or awareness of it remains constant.

Imagine what life might be like if our unique, steadfast vantage points were what defined us socially – rather than our constantly-changing appearance, aptitude, belongings, and circumstances. Every vantage point simply constitutes one of our collective view; no one is more valuable than another.

It’s like the parable of the eight blind monks trying to describe an elephant by touching different parts of it: it doesn’t matter what the monks are wearing, how big or strong they are, what ethnicity they are – their contributions are their individual perceptions of the elephant. If we weigh each monk’s perceptions equally, in aggregate, we’ll get a pretty good idea of what the whole elephant looks like.