Words: Ashwini Guru Ji of Dhyan Ashram
The physical body that you see in the mirror is only 1/5th of you… there is more to the body than meets the naked eye.
Everything in Creation exists in layers, the trees, the earth, the atmosphere, an onion, and even our bodies. Yoga tells us that there are five layers to us. For the purpose of this article we will delve on the layer that immediately surrounds our physical body, the etheric layer, also known as the Aura and Pranamaya Kosha. This layer controls the physical body, and it is through this layer that a clairvoyance assesses the state of health or disease in the body.
JOURNEY THROUGH THE 7 CHAKRAS
Different characteristics of a human being are represented by different chakras, which perform specific functions and lend specific experiences to a human being. Rising over these experiences, is the journey a soul takes, to evolve.
Here we will discuss 7 major chakras, Mooladhar being the first chakra from the bottom. It controls the basic instincts of a human being – survival, food, shelter, and desire for the material. The corresponding element of this chakra is earth, the sense associated with this chakra is the sense of smell. Clairvoyants have observed the colour of this chakra at the basic level to be dark brown and in developed beings, golden brown.
The next desire of a human body is of sexual fulfillment. Swadhishtan is the next chakra, which controls the sexual desires of a human being. The element associated with this chakra is water. The sense associated with swadhishthan is the sense of taste. The colour observed at the basic level is dark orange and in developed beings, light orange.
The characteristics of each chakra are the stages a civilisation reaches and crosses over to progress and evolve further. First food and shelter, then sexual fulfillment, then comes the desire to rule.
‘Power’ is the quality of manipoorak, the next chakra at the navel. This is the powerhouse and the bank of the human body, which supplies the energy required to run the physical system. Fire is the element of this chakra and the sense associated is that of sight. The colour at basic level is seen as mustardish-brown and saffron in developed beings.
When one has acquired the best of the physical and the material worlds, what one looks forward to is peace, harmony and love. These are the characteristics of the anahat chakra. This is the seat of human love, which is seen around the centre of the chest cavity. The element associated with this chakra is air, and the sense is of touch. Clairvoyantly seen the chakra is generally not visible in basic people. In developed people the colours observed are violet and light pink.
After experiencing love, peace, and harmony, a civilisation or a being has attained a level of stability and balance in the physical system.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR AURA: AN EXPERIMENT
- Sit down in a comfortable position with your eyes closed.
- Rub your hands together and raise them in front of you at the level of your navel with palms facing each other. Relax your complete body including your palms.
- Take your awareness to the centre of your palms and keeping your awareness there take your hands apart and slowly bring your palms closer to each other. Be aware of any sensation that you may experience in the middle of your palms.
- Bring your palms close but not so close that they touch each other. Take them apart and repeat the process a few times. Make mental notes of all sensations that you experience at the centre of your palms.
Now slowly open your eyes. Write to me about what you felt. What you did experience, is your own self, the way we exist beyond the physical body. This is prana. Our body is run on prana – the life force that runs us and the entire Creation, without which we and everything else ceases to exist. You might have seen photographs of evolved beings with a golden aura around their head and a gentle white layer just about their physical body. This is the Pranamaya Kosha, the layer, which you just now experienced.
At Dhyan Ashram, there are sadhaks who have been given the siddhis of Spiritual Healing, where they can access the etheric layer with the aid of their consciousness and effectuate changes in the physical body. In 2011, these sadhaks conclusively proved the science of clairvoyance in front of a live audience of doctors of IMA Mumbai and even received a certificate validating the same. But these are advanced practices that are given only once the body is brought into a state of balance through regular practice of Sanatan kriya, and karmic cleansing.
HOW DOES PRANA CIRCULATE IN THE BODY?
In our etheric layers, there is set of energy centres called chakras, the whirling pools of concentrated energy. Each and every cell of our physical body has got a chakra associated with it. These chakras throw out the used up prana from the body when they move 3½ times outwards. They pull in fresh prana for the body’s vital functions when they move inwards 3½ times. The total movement adds up to seven, which is also the number of coils of the Kundalini force.
Now comes the stage of higher level of creation. The next chakra, vishuddhi, seen around the throat pit is the seat of higher creativity, the Goddess Saraswati. People proficient in any field of art have a well–developed vishuddhi chakra as all forms of art are the forms of higher creativity. The sense associated with vishuddhi is auditory, and the colour, which again is only visible in developed people is light violet. Space or ether is the corresponding element. Mastery of the characteristics of the above chakras is the quality of the next chakra, agya chakra. Agya chakra signifies exemplary force, power, and will. It is seen around the centre of the forehead, the spot between the eyebrows, seat of Bhagwan Shiv, the energy that is responsible for transformation. There is no element associated with agya chakra as its scope is beyond the elements. Visible only in rare people, the colour seen is electric blue. Evolution through the chakras leads to attainment of a higher body, a higher form. This transformation happens at the sahastrar chakra, the thousand petal lotus, which is seen over the head. Sahastrar is the gateway to the next higher loka, the next dimension, which is beyond the physical.
HOW TO OPTIMISE PRANIC FLOW IN THE BODY?
Body is the vehicle of the soul. But it isn’t permanent, and will cease to exist one day. But how fast the body deteriorates (or ages) is in our hands. The Vedic rishis had mastered the body and its various layers and gave us the science of yog. These rishis continued in a strong, glowing and youthful body till they breathed their last. In present times, the glow and attraction of the sadhaks who are practicing the Sanatan Kriya in totality are living proof of the efficacy of this Vedic science of yog.
Optimal utilization of resources is the key to a healthy body. There are seven major chakras in the body, that work like exhaust fans, throwing out used prana (so that there is no stagnation/ diseases) and bringing in fresh prana. This process is what keeps the body in balance. Each chakra, controls vital functioning of certain organs/parts of the body. Any excess/depletion of prana in these chakras is what causes illnesses/diseases to occur. Therefore, it is very important to do certain practices to purify both the physical & etheric layers and strengthen it. I detail here a powerful pranayam from the Sanatan Kriya, the regular practice of which will leave the body healthier, in balance and less susceptible to diseases.
Chakra Santulan Pranayam redistributes the prana that runs in our bodies as per the requirement of the chakras, filling where there is depletion and removing where there is excess. Thus keeping diseases at bay.
- Sit in Vajrasana.
- Close your eyes and take a full yogic breath (combination of abdominal and thoracic breathing).
- Release the breath and take the palms down facing the Mooladhar chakra (located at the base of the spine).
- Begin inhalation in Ujjai and simultaneously raise your palms to the Swadhishthan (located two fingers above the Mooladhar), continue inhaling and raise palms to Manipoorak (located at the navel), Anahad (located at the centre of the chest cavity), Vishuddhi (located in the region of the throat), and Agya (located between the eyebrows).
- Finally extend your palms towards the skies and be aware of the Sahastrar chakra, like a golden globe between the arms. Hold your breath and posture for few seconds.
- Then slowly exhaling, bring the palms down, stopping momentarily at each chakra, till you come down to the Mooladhar.
This completes one cycle of the pranayam. A set of seven such cycles would complete one set of the Chakra Santulan. The key point to note in this practice is that one cycle of hand movements has to be synchronised with one breathing cycle. Do not under any circumstances strain yourself. Build up very slowly. In advanced stages of the practice, one is taught how to use the chakras and their force towards specific results.
