Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: svadhyaya.
Translated from Sanskrit: sva = Self, adhyaya = to go near, literally to go near your self.
“From Self awareness, comes harmony with the Divine” II.44
Patanjali reminds us that life lived with the awareness which comes from being near the self is the path of yoga, union. This self awareness is experienced when we can live as ‘self sensory’, using our senses to read and understand the signals from our own biology. Our body, mind and emotions are constantly broadcasting data which can be used for the subtler aspects of a yoga practice.
With a conscious practice of ‘svadhyaya’ we learn to read our own energy and let it guide us deeper into the experience of the true self. A self sensory being is sovereign unto themselves, they are their own guru. A self-sensory being senses how to direct all parts of the psyche in order to master the 10 Bodies, and live from the sacred space of the 11th embodiment. A guided practice to sense your subtle biology made up of the Chakra system and the 10 Bodies:
My practice provides a foundation which promotes healthy lifestyle habits to ensure the proper functioning of each organ, which then creates a more powerful electric pulse at the end of each meridian/nadi. This increased energy balances each chakra. A ‘charged’ aura provides more stability to the chakras. Turning up the velocity allows the spin of each chakra to be less like a whirlpool and more like a pair of turbines spinning side by side in opposite directions. The result of this electric turbine motion is that it draws the kundalini upward through the shushmana channel. When this vital energy passes through the energy field of each chakra it produces an emanation, a Body. At this point not only is each organ healthy and every passageway clear, the Chakras and Bodies are balanced and I now enjoy my whole Self. I have a soul, three parts of my mind and a physical body. The third eye, the arc line, is the balance point between my physical existence and my spiritual existence. From the 7th chakra, the 10th gate, rays of light shoot out which surround my physical body creating a 9 foot sphere. This flow of light creates the electromagnetic field around my body. When all contractions and polarities in the first 5 chakras are neutralized, my aura becomes nine feet wide and creates a sphere of 18 feet in diameter. With this extended aura intact, I have the ability to channel the universal life force, prana, into my physical existence through the Pranic Body. Automatically from this connection to an infinite supply of energy my aura, subtle and radiant bodies get fully charged and I dwell in the brilliance of my Purest Potential. – Sat Nam
This Self Awareness is best supported with the following foundational principles:
What would this look like in your daily practice?
Set your intention as you tune in, while doing the asanas mentally chant Sat on the inhale and Nam on the exhale, lean into the places where there is discomfort, and then meditate; sit still and allow your awareness to move from restraining your attention, to decaying of all distractions to the bliss of meditative absorption. And bow.
The ancient texts describe the chakras as gates through which the life energy of the universe flows. When through ‘svadhyaya’ you create a relationship with the subtle aspects of your psyche, care for the body, balance the chakras and the Bodies, you live in the brilliance of your Purest Potential.
