The lotus is an excellent spiritual metaphor for human beings — it emerges from water and goes back into water, writes YOGI ASHWINI
A lotus emerges in water, lotus is the seat of gods and goddesses. The first avatar of lord Vishnu, who keeps the Creation going, was the matsya avatar, it emerged in water and guided Manu along with Saptrishis through water, for the Creation to begin. That is, Creation emerged from water and, it will go back into water. Every culture of the world talks about a massive flood which brings the end of Creation, what we call the mahapralay, for a new era to begin. Just like creation, our body too emerged from water. Water is the governing element of the swadishthan chakra in the body, which is responsible the function of procreation. Similarly, when the body perishes, whatever is left of the body, after the last rites, is returned to water. If you look at the globe, you will appreciate that earth is seventy percent water. Similarly, our body too is
seventy percent water. Water is the element which has all the other elements in it — prithvi, akash, vayu and agni. Such is the importance of water or the jal tatva in Creation and our body.
The journey of the spirit is from the mooladhar, through the swadishthan, manipoorak, anahad, visshuddhi, to the agya, and beyond. The force of the Mother, Kundalini Shakti, lies dormant below the jal tatva. For this force to rise up, one has to still the Jal tatva. Sanatan Kriya, regular practice of which opens certain higher centers in the body facilitating the movement of kundalini and eventually the opening of the third eye, emphasises upon siddhaasan and a straight spine. The siddhasan seals the two lower chakras in the body — mooladhar and swadishthan, while the straight spine paves way for the Kundalini to rise through the Sushumna.
For an ordinary being the phenomenal energy of the Kundalini gets consumed at attraction of the Jal tatva. The attraction of the jal tatva is the strongest in our body, this attraction relates to the swadishthan chakra and the desire for sexual gratification. While the pleasure associated with this element is phenomenal, the loss of energy (in the form of sukra) that it entails is also proportional. Sukra is the vital fluid in our body. There are in all seven drops of sukra in the body which are essential for our survival. They are like diamonds, which are lost during a sexual act.
The book, The Ageless Dimension, details specific mudras and kriyas to conserve this vital fluid. For the benefit of reader, I will quote here two such practices to conserve sukra. When conserved, these drops turns into ojas and finally tejas, rendering the phenomenal glow and attraction to a being, which is enough to attract any shakti of Creation and also to provide the thrust required to break the pull of gravity (attraction) and go beyond Creation.
BRAHMCHARYA ASAN
Brahmacharya Asana imparts enormous glow and vitality to the body. Traditionally, the legs are stretched out straight while sitting erect and you lift your body from the ground on your flat palms. But I personally through practice, find lifting off in Padmasana along with Moolbandha and Shambhavi Mudra much more effective for a normal person.
For Brahmacharya Asana, sit in Padmasana or lotus posture. Center yourself and fix your eyes at the center of the forehead in Shambhavi Mudra. Take a deep breath and apply Moolbandha, keeping awareness at the perineum and contract the perineal muscle lifting it up towards the navel. Holding the posture and the breath, lift yourself off the ground with the help of your palms. Exhaling, gently release. This is to be done once and then gradually increased to seven times. The breath is to be held for seven counts initially and then gradually increased by multiples of seven. An adept can hold for as long he/she wants.
Next, relax in Shavasana for ten minutes and visualize the energy produced spreading to the desired areas of the body and correcting whatever needs to be corrected. This force may also be used for reshaping the body and enhancing glow.
Khechari Mudra
Controlling the base consciousness is one of the most difficult things. The ejaculation of semen is quite naturally a physical need and thus a little challenging to control, especially in today’s environment. To control the loss of semen (bindu), Khechari Mudra is quite an effective measure.
According to Hatha Yoga Pradipika, ‘khecharya mudritam yen vivaram lambikordhwat, na tasya ksharte binduh kamniyah shleshitasya cha’. That is, when the upper cavity of the palate is sealed by khechari mudra, the semen cannot be lost even if one embraces a beautiful woman.
For this, the tongue is turned backwards into the cavity of the cranium while the eyes remain in Shambhavi Mudra. Once perfected, this mudra frees the person from toxins, disease, desires and old age.
Any practice for preservation of sukra and rising above the jal tatva, must be practiced under the strict supervision of your Guru, as the heat generated through these practices is immense. When channelized in the right direction by one’s guru, this heat translates as an un-ageing body, radiant complexion, vaak-shakti, clairvoyance, clairaudience, ability to manifest one’s thoughts, and other siddhis of yog. In the absence of Guru, an uncontrolled increase in heat of the body can cause damage to the body, since the body is unable to bear it.
The key to rising above physical creation, thus, lies in stilling the jal tatva, celibacy being an effective tool for the same. Through celibacy when this tatva is heated, its impurities are left behind and its essence rises through the sushumna and activates the higher senses and through them opens the doorways to the higher worlds. The more active one is sexually, the more his/her potential and hence, the more he/she loses during the sexual act. Such people can go very high if they learn to conserve and can draw prana from the environment to nourish themselves.
The writer is the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation and can be reached at www.dhyanfoundation.com