DISSERTATION

LEE TAYLOR 2020

Connecting to The Energy of the Universe Through

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Introduction

We, as human beings, are part of the universe. Though it may be

perceived by many that we are separate entities to the land that we
live on and the animals we share it with, we are all one. Be it nature,
bacteria, fungi, plant, animal or person, we all exist in this universe,
moving together in a constant dance that enables each and every
one of us to tread the path of life we are experiencing. Whether we
choose to acknowledge it or not, there is no escaping the fact that not
only are we are both influenced and affected by the energy of planet
earth and beyond, but we are in fact part of this universal energy.

Quantum physics made discoveries around our physical reality, stating

that everything is formed of atoms. These atoms are defined as
“numerous vortexes of spinning and vibrating energy that is similar to a
tornado” (Alex Myles), and this energy can be perceived as solids, liquids
or gases dependant on the speed of the vibration of the atom. In
relation to this idea, Albert Einstein evaluated that, “Concerning
matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is
energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to
the senses. There is no matter.”

The human form is at the slower end of the vibrational scale in the
whole scheme of universal vibrations, making us dense and tangible,
as opposed to faster vibrations that are light and intangible. For this
reason, we perceive ourselves as physical beings. Although, according
to Einstein and quantum physics, we are still just a mass of energy and
the only reason we feel separate to everyone and everything is the
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fact that our energy is vibrating at a different speed from all else that
exists. “However, we are intrinsically connected to everything and
everyone as our energy interacts, connects, absorbs, interlocks and
communicates with the other energy here on Earth as well as the
incoming energies from the outer universe”. (Alex Myles)

The studies in quantum physics are remarkably close to the yogic

viewpoint on life and our place in the universe. Yoga teaches that we
should understand ourselves, understand the world that surrounds us,
understand how we are part of this world and our link with the universe.
To live a Yoga life is to move away from the belief that we are separate
to the universe, becoming more aware of our place in the universe, the
fact we are not only part of it, but that we are one with it, removing
duality in our life by focusing on a state of ‘Oneness’.

Statements found in the ancient Indian texts, the Vedas reminds us that
“we are not a drop in the ocean, we are the entire ocean in a drop”
(Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani), we are the universal self.

“Om Tat Wam Asi” (You are the highest state of wholistic oneness)
“Om Ayamatma Brahmam” (My self is the universe)
“Om Aham Brahmam” (My individuality is that of the universe)
“Om Prajnanam Brahmam” (The highest state of transcendental information)

People can be aware of the universal energy that surrounds them,

affected by the patterns of the universe and are sensitive to the
movements of this energy. It may be a natural feeling, a sensation,
noting a change in themselves as the natural changes in nature occur;
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such as the seasons, the sun and changes in daylight hours, the moon
cycles and the tides. But we can open ourselves up deeper to the
connection of the universal energy, the higher our conscious
awareness becomes. By heightening our awareness, we are
heightening the frequency of our vibration, raising it up to be one with
the universe. Through discipline and commitment to the Yoga life, we
can work with this energy to guide us in life and ultimately lead us to
Samadhi (Self Actualisation).

“The word ‘Yoga’ is often described as ‘union’. It implies that the

individual is united with the Universe, the personality with the
Universality” (Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani), and this essay will aim
to show how, through the practice of yoga, we can start to raise our
vibration and reconnect with the universal energy. Removing the focus
of the self and working towards the Divine Self, in order to attain the
ultimate freedom that the Yogic path offers.

Yoga and universal energy is a vast subject to which there is no real

end, so for the purpose of this essay I particularly want to look into how
we can bring yoga into our daily lives in order to begin to remove the
duality in our lives and move towards unity, with a wholesome yoga
practice attainable for all to start to make this change. This will involve
discussing the eight limbs of Yoga, with particular focus on the first four
stages of Yama, Niyama, Pranayama and Asana and how practicing
these can begin to lay the foundations for a more connected life.

The introduction of these areas of focus will lead to conversations

around The Pancha Kosha, Nara (the mal-alignment of balance within
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these five bodies) and how we may put obstacles in our way (the
Kleshas) as we begin to open ourselves up to the universal energy.
Within the focus of the first four limbs, however, it will be discussed how
in working with Polarity and Mantra, we can aim to re-connect to the
energy further. Lastly I will discuss Yantra, a number science that really
opens eyes and the mind to the way we may have been working
against the universal energy and how we can review that, aligning
ourselves with the power of these natural cycles of life.
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The Eight Limbs Of Yoga

In his Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali defines Ashtanga Yoga in a clear

step by step evolutionary process of eight limbs that are to be
practiced along the journey of walking the yoga path to the final
destination of self-actualisation. The eight limbs referred to are divided
into the four lower stages; Yama, Niyama, Asana and Pranayama,
known as the outer limbs of Yoga (morals, ethics, postures and
breathing, connected to the physical body). By practising and
perfecting these we can start to lay a solid foundation on which to
build from, working towards the inner limbs of Yoga. These higher
practices are known as Prayyhara, Dhaarana, Dhyana and Samadhi
(sensory control, concentration, meditation and self-actuallisation,
connected to the energy and psychic body)

Through Yoga we view the body in a very different way to how it is

perceived by many, in the West particularly, where the physical body
in seen, and taken at face value. The Yogic view of the body is vastly
different, acknowledging that there is more to the body than skin and
bones. In the book, Yoga Step-By-Step, Dr Swami Gitananda refers to
the five bodies of man, the Pancha Kosha. These five bodies include
the Anamaya Kosha (the physical body) and four other sheaths that
surround the physical body, each one layering around the outside of
the other. These four sheaths are known as the Pranayama Kosha (the
vital / energy body), the Manomaya Kosha (the memory and
conscious mind), the Vijnanmaya Kosha (the super conscious mind)
and the Anandamaya Kosha (the cosmic body). The Pranayama
Kosha is where the energy that surrounds the body reside, not one
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energy, but many energies that manifest from our different interactions
and experiences that shape us, these energies are referred to as
Prana, the vital life energy force. The Manomaya Kosha represents the
lower mind, where rational thinking, intellect and the contents of our
mind are held, whereas the next sheath, the Vijnanmaya Kosha
represents the higher mind where emotions, perception, and intuition
stem from. The final sheath, the Anandamaya Kosha is where
consciousness, awareness and unity are held.

When the five bodies of the Pancha Kosha are in alignment, we are
balanced in our self, the physical body anchors the psychic body and
a sense of harmony is felt. However, when we are out of balance in
ourselves, the five sheaths become out of alignment with each other
and creates psychic disassociation known as ‘Nara’. Depending on
the severity of the Nara, it can be experienced through clumsiness,
being accident prone, time keeping issues, a run of bad luck. or worse;
physical illnesses or emotional and psychic distortions causing mental
health issues. In general, most people are affected by some level of
Nara, specifically if the consciousness of this is not there, therefore
balance needs to brought back through re-connection with the
universal energy. The more aware we become, the more we
understand, the more we are lead back to a state of balance.
“Balance, health, happiness is our natural state. If we don’t have it, it is
because we have gone away from it, that’s all. Then we should do
what needs to be done to regain it.” (Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi
Bhavanani)

We can begin to bring balance back into the body by bringing Yoga
into our lives. This does not mean by doing a weekly exercise class, or
an hour a day on the mat, but to really consider your behaviour,
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reactions, thoughts, interactions, in order to live a yogic life. By

recognising the concept of these outer layers to our existence in the
physical body, we are able to understand how the way we act and
even the way we think influences everything we come to experience.
We have the power to create our ‘chain reaction’ of influence in our
life by choosing to act and react a certain way, being aware of the
cause and the consequence of all that we do. This is known as Karma.
Rather than the negative depiction of Karma seen in the Western
world, Karma is rather a cycle of action and reaction, the universal law
of cause and effect. To be aware of it is to understand that everything
is connected; every thought, word and deed sets off this chain
reaction in our life. Knowing this makes you mindful of your actions,
therefore minimising Karma. If we can minimise Karma, through the
conscious awareness that Yoga brings to us, then we can start to
release ourselves from the binds of it.

This is where living a yoga life can start to aid us in our journey of
connecting to the universal energy. We have to be responsible for
ourselves, responsible for our place in the universe and responsible for
becoming in tune with the universe. “Every cell in your body must
vibrate at the frequency of the universe if you want to be one with it”
(Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani), and only you can make this

happen.

However, walking this Yogic path is not simple journey, it is described by

Yogi’s as ‘the razor’s edge’ due to the fact that it is easy to fall off, but
it is how we respond to these challenges and how quickly we can
return to our state of balance if we get knocked off which is the
important lesson as we continue on our journey. In the second chapter
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of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali outlines ‘the means to liberation’, where

the Pancha Kleshas are introduced. These Kleshas are afflictions that
are with us from birth, they tarnish the reality of things, masking it with
our own perceptions, which are distorted by the Kleshas. These Kleshas
are known to be Avidya: Ignorance, Asmita: Egoism, Raga:
Attachment, Dvesha:Aversion and Abinivesha: Clinging to Life.
Although categorised into five obstacles, they are all interlaced with
each other, feeding one with the other, and each one stopping us
from knowing our true self, bringing to the forefront those things that
keep us in the individual mind, ‘I-centric’, rather than ‘we-centric’. The
goal of Yoga is to become one whole, a part of the universe and to
evolve to a conscious state. Therefore, we need to keep in our mind
that “as long as we preserve our little self, we cannot become our
bigger self.” (Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani)

We can start to attain ‘oneness’ with the introduction of the first four
outer limbs of yoga, as defined by Patanjali. Taking a closer look at
these, it becomes clear how this step by step approach can begin to
raise our vibrations in daily behaviours and attitudes, bringing in
conscious awareness to our place within the universe. While it is true
that the first four limbs of Yoga are practiced with the physical body,
the outcomes are by no means stuck here. They are far-reaching to
the energy body and beyond, working at all levels of our existence in
order to form a solid base that can be used to step up into the
practices of the last four limbs of inner yoga. These first four limbs are
attainable for anyone and everyone to include into their daily life and
with the three R’s (Regularity, Rhythm and Repetition) they can start to
make a real change, opening up consciousness, bringing in awareness
and cementing new patterns of response. For this reason, it is these
lower limbs of Yoga that I will take a deeper look into in regards to how
Yoga practice can be used to connect to the energy of the universe.
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Yama / Niyama

The first and second steps of the eight branches of Ashtanga Yoga as
defined by Maharishi Patanjali are the Yamas and Niamas. When
talking about these two limbs of yoga, it is hard to acknowledge one
without the other as they are the morals and ethics within Yoga.

It is important to master the Yamas and Niyamas in the first stages of

Yoga as they give you a good foundation in the right way of living. This
needs to be cultivated before moving on to higher stages as
awareness and consciousness is key to living a Yoga life. Without raising
our vibration by controlling the Yamas and practicing the Niyamas a
person cannot consciously evolve. As Smt Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani
states in the essay ‘Evolutionary Quirks, Yama – Niyama And The
Human Brain’, “the Yama and Niyama are ‘no-option Yoga.’ We have
no choice. If we want to grow, to evolve out of our reptilian –
mammalian past into the truly human, Divine Nature, we must restrain
the primordial instincts (Yama) and consciously reinforce our Divine
Nature (awareness and consciousness) with the observances and
practice of Niyama.”

Human beings have evolved from animals, we have come up to stand

on two feet and change the way we negotiate the world from that of
our animal days. Not only physically, but mentally too. In evolution,
humans have developed a new, conscious brain. The old parts of the
brain that stem from our animal days (the reptilian and mammalian)
are well ingrained and these are what we need to try and control in
order to reconnect with the universal energy.
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The Yamas, the morals, are based around emotions; they drag you
down and keep you in the animal side of the brain. We have a very old
part of the brain that is made up of the Reptilian and the Mammalian
brains. The Reptilian part is responsible for the basic bodily functions
such as breathing, swallowing, blinking, heart beating, digestion,
reflexes, etc. It is cold blooded and has no emotion. As with a reptile, it
is reactive and has no idea of actions and their consequences. The
Mammalian part of the brain is governed by emotions, so as with
mammals, its behaviour comes from a place of dominance (such as a
pecking order), protection (such as looking after their young),
competitiveness and power, reacting to emotions such as love, hatred,
fear, jealously, etc. It too is reactive and works in a very knee-jerk type
response to situations without considering the outcome of such actions.

There are five moral restraints. These are Ahisma (non-violence), Satya
(Truth), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (purity of mind and
action) and Aparigraha (restraint of greed and selfishness).

The Niyamas, the ethics, lift you up and take you into the conscious
side of the brain. Differing to you the Yamas, where you are learning to
gain control over your behaviour, the Niyamas are things that you aim
to bring into your life in a positive way. To focus on these ethics will
enable you to naturally start letting go of the animalistic behavior of
the old brains and feed the Celebral Cortex (the new brain). Our
evolution into humans is one thing, but by bringing these ethics into our
lives we are practice life as a Human ‘Being’, rather than a Human
‘Doing’ where we are thoughtlessly going around, unaware of how we
are conducting ourselves in life.
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The five ethical observances are Saucha (cleanliness), Santosha

(mental serenity / contentment), Tapas (a disciplined life), Swadhyaya
(self-analysis / self-awareness) and Atman Pranidhana (attentiveness to
God / the voice of inner reality).

In order to follow the spiritual path of Yoga we really need to assess the
meanings of all of the Yamas and Niyamas in depth and not take them
at face value, the definitions of each and every one are so much more
far reaching than it may seem when you initially come into contact
with them. Therefore, all aspects need to be considered to really
reflect on how you do or do not act upon them.

In practicing the Yamas and Niyamas routinely, the discipline starts to

creep into all aspects of life. By opening up awareness to actions of the
self, we open up awareness to the divine. The Yoga path requires great
insight to the self and helps develop an “acute awareness of internal
and external activity” (Dr Swami Gitananda). The awareness that
comes with this journey of self-reflection and discovery will see the
higher mind (the consciousness) become louder than the lower mind
(where the older animal parts of the brain reside). Actions will start to
become less reactive to situations, through the Yoga journey,
consciousness will allow time to respond accordingly in the first
instance. This is the “instant obedience” that Swamiji refers to when
discussing the fifth Niyama, Atman Pranidhana. With discipline and
attentiveness to behaviours and attitudes through self-study and
observances of the Yamas and Niyamas, listening to the higher mind
will just come naturally, it will be the inner voice that you begin to hear
loud and clear. “The temple is the human temple and the high priest is
the mind” (Dr Yogamaharishi Swami Gitananda)
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The Yamas and Niyamas help you to assess and change your
behaviour and responses, raising your vibration to a higher level
through daily actions and reactions. By opening up the awareness to
these morals and ethics, your conscious mind will start to naturally
integrate them into your life the more you question yourself. In time, less
effort will be needed to automatically do the right thing, or live the
right way.

The next two limbs of Yoga, are Asana and Pranayama. Both these
practices are a part of Yoga that you really need to make time for
within your day, every day. For it is by doing these routinely, with the
discipline learnt in the Yamas and Niyamas, that you will start to gain
the full benefits of the real lasting influences and effects that these
practices bring to you, away from your time on the mat.
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Asana

The third of these eight limbs, Asana, translates to ‘seat’, in particular,

the seat you would take for the practice of meditation. However, it is
often what the world of modern Yoga refers to when they use the term
Yoga. Nowadays Asana practice has predominantly become the main
focus of Yoga, but from the Sutras, we see that although noted, it is not
given as much mention as other threads of Yoga. In fact, out of the 196
sutras, there are only three that speak of Asana. Traditionally, the main
focus of Asana is to prepare the body to be healthy, strong and able
for many long periods of sitting whilst practicing the higher limbs of
yoga. Generally, in this busy modern world, the majority of people will
no longer be attempting these long periods of meditation that
correlate to Dyhana, in the higher phases of Yoga. If this is the case,
how does Asana still have a valid place in the process of connecting
to the higher Self through a daily practice of movements on the mat?

This is where the awareness of the whole body is paramount for

conscious evolution. Though Asana is practiced with the physical body,
all five bodies in the Pancha Kosha are impacted when awareness is
present and a daily practice is ritually brought into one’s life. ‘Asi’ is the
route of the word Asana, ‘Asi’ means ‘to be’, therefore Asana is a state
of ‘being’, not ‘doing’. Often, when talking about practice Yoga, we
say we are ‘doing’ Yoga, this is where we must be conscious of what
this practice is, and note where this so often falls short in the Western
world’s idea of what Yoga is. For one, Asana is not Yoga, and for two,
when we are practising Asana, we are “using the lower mind to
activate the higher mind, using the body to affect the psychi”
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(Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani), as the more we engage the

mind and emotions in this practice, the more we remove the self and
open up to the universe. It is not just the mechanics of the body we are
working with in Asana, we are posturing energy and attitude.

Activating our mind to the practice, connects us to the bodies of the

lower mind and emotional body of the higher mind. With focus and
concentration, we are bringing in oneness and unity, reaching the
cosmic sheath. By having Asana as a constant practice in your life,
subtle connections to the universal energy will start to imbed in the
core of your being. In the Gitananda tradition Asana practice has a
systematic approach that is grounding in its essence. Everything is
done with consciousness and purpose in order to make these
connections to the higher state. Tantric in its nature, Gitananda yoga is
constantly working with the energy of the earth. This can be seen in the
way Asana is practiced. All movements are done for a repetition of
three; for a minimum of three, or a multiple of three, such as six or nine.
This repetition of three represents the seeding, rooting and
manifestation of the lesson learnt within the whole body (the Pansha
Kosha). In the first movement we feel the body, in the second we may
feel the breath and the emotion and in the third movement, we begin
to feel the essence of it, making the experience come alive. Affecting
us “physically, physiologically, Psycholgically, intellectually and finally
universally.” (Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani)

In Gitananda Yoga, we practice the traditional yoga form known as

Hatha Yoga. The word ‘Hatha’ is made from two words meaning sun
(Ha) and moon (Tha). The energies of the sun and the moon are known
as Prana and Apana and these are the two basic universal energies.
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We are joined to the universe by a “pranic umbilical cord” (Yogacharya

Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani), and therefore these energies directly

affect us. We need to make sure that we work with them to bring
polarity within the whole body (The Pancha Kosha) as “Yoga or union
cannot take place without polarity.” (Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi
Bhavanani)

Aligned with the magnetic north of the earth, practicing to the north
allows the maximum flow of energy through the human nervous
system. This is always how we face during Asana practice, unless it is
early morning, then we would face East and the rising sun, to ensure
the body benefits from the first rays of the morning sun; allowing them
to enter the cells of our body through the nerves in the skin. When we
relax, the head is at north, so that we are aligned with the
electromagnetic field of the earth, for a deeper relaxation and rest.

Asanas are always practiced with the right side of the body first,
followed by the left side. That way, the dominant right side of the body
is harmonized with the more passive left side. Working on the right side
of the body works on the left side of the brain and working on the left
side of the body works on the right side of the brain. This constant
balance in the hatha practice creates a harmonious balance
between the left and right brain, strengthing the celebral cortex, the
human tendancies, connecting us to the higher self.

Yoga is all about harmony and balance and Yoga polarity is just that, it
is when the balance is found with a meeting of the two energies. Loma
Viloma is the term used for the balancing of these energies, (Loma
being the Prana and Viloma being the Apana). Prana is a masculine
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energy that is warm and golden, similar to the energy of the sun. It is
the energy of the solar plexus and works on strengthening the
diaphragm. Apana is a femine energy that is a watery, cool silver
energy, similar to that of the moon. The earliest teachings of Yoga
contemplated that the union of female and male was the ideal to
produce enlightenment and Samadhi.

Yoga is based around the positive and negative fluxes of the universe –
Prana and Apana Energy is an example of this, just as is the left and
right side of the brain and body, inhalation and exhalation, etc. Prana
is a positively charged energy, and Apana is negatively charged. This is
to be seen as positive and negative in the sense of science, like a
battery or a magnet, not in the sense of positive and negative attitude
or emotions (although the energies do impact on the body as a whole,
so will of course affect the emotional body).

Just as we see with a magnet, if we do not join the positive and

negative ends together, there is no union, the two sides will not
connect, they will push apart and cause each other to go off balance.
However, if we bring the two opposite ends together, the connection is
made and the separate pieces become one whole. This union is due
to the connection of the energy flow meeting, and being held in the
middle.

The concept of polarity (balancing of the opposites) in Yoga is vital to

keeping this balance. The term ‘Hatha’ places the right sided positive
energy (the ‘Ha’), before the left sided negative energy (the ‘Tha’). This
reflects why in Asana practice we always work on the right side of the
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body, and then follow with the left. The energy of the right side
stimulates the nervous system, whilst the energy on the left side is
passive and calms down the nervous system. If we were to do this in
reverse we would end up over stimulated, full of tension and out of
balance.

Being aware of how these subtleties are in fact important factors in

how the universal energy can be accessed through Asana is
paramount to moving away from the physical body through this
practice. “Consciousness is the key to control and intelligent Hatha
Yoga makes the practitioner conscious in every cell!” (Yogacharini
Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani)

Similarly to this, in the Loma Viloma postures, the lifting of the legs sends
the energy up to the middle of the body, whilst lifting the head sends
the energy back down the body to meet in the middle, uniting the
energies. This makes an energy store in the centre, the Kanda, at the
base of the spine, where the earth brain resides. This is then an energy
reserve in the body that can then be pulled from when needed during
the journey along spiritual path.

By practicing Loma Viloma, sensitivity to, and an awareness of the

balance of Prana and Apana can be used to consciously re-unite the
body and mind. Cosmic consciousness cannot happen without polarity
within the body and it is only when “a powerful negative flow joins with
an equally positive base that true union is possible” (Dr Yogamaharishi
Swami Gitananda) creating a state of balance and harmony in the

Pancha Kosha.
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Polarity in Yoga is also achieved with proper awareness to breathing,

working with the internal and external energies as discussed above,
and that leads us to Pranayama, the final limb of the lower limbs of
Yoga (those that are associated with practices of the physical body).
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Pranayama

Whilst the term Pranic energy has been touched on as we have looked
into how we can use Yoga to connect to the universal energy, it is with
a more in depth look at the fourth limb of Yoga, as defined by
Patanjali, Pranayama, that we can begin to understand what this is
and how it is paramount to our existence and evolution.

‘Prana’ is the vital life force. It is cosmic energy that is all around us. For
this reason, it is at its strongest in nature; in the open air, by water, in the
mountains and amongst the trees. ‘Ayama’ is the control of this force.
Therefore, Pranayama “is the science of controlled, conscious
expansion of Prana in our energy body, the Pranayama kosha.” (Dr
Swami Gitananda). The cosmic energy comes in as we breathe in and
we begin to release our individuality as we breathe out, exchanging
duality for oneness. Deep, conscious breath is key to maintaining
equilibrium within ourselves. The more Pranayama you do, the more
you ground the body, lessoning Nara and keeping that balance within
the five bodies. “The Prana maintains the polarity of every cell in our
body, if we are good deep breathers” (Dr Yogamaharishi Swami Gitananda).

The practice of Pranayama allows us to focus on the breath solely,

therefore putting us in the now, eradicating the Chitta that comes into
our mind from the sub-conscious ego. The more we practice
Pranayama, the more this infiltrates into our consciousness, training the
mind to stay focused and not wander to useless or negative thoughts.
As with all areas of Yoga practice, the three R’s of Rhythm, Repetition,
Regularity are key, for it is the discipline that the practice of Pranayama
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entails that brings about the awareness to our body, the focus to our
mind and therefore, the control of our thoughts which keeps us in the
present moment. The more present you can be, the more difference is
made towards change in mind, body and emotions, imbedding new
patterns of behaviour and actions, “every breath is a mini lifetime in
between the larger lifetime, every breath is a chance to grow”
(Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani). This is why the awareness of

the breath in Pranayama is so important.

Previously noted in the discussion of the Yamas and Niyamas, the

Reptilian Brain and the Mammallian brain form the unconscious mind,
whilst the Celebral Cortex is the conscious mind. What links these two is
the breath; The breath is unconscious, it happens as a reflex in the
body, but by consciously controlling the breath you gain control of the
older parts of the brain (Reptilian / Mamalian), therefore impacting
your unconscious behaviour.

As stated by Swamiji in the Step-by-Step book, “Breathing is the single

autonomic function of the body that can be taken over by voluntary,
conscious will. That is why Pranayama is the key to Yogic control of the
body, its functions, emotions and the control of the lower mind and its
memory bank at the base of the brain”. The old parts of the brain are
dominant as the patterns of behaviour are so ingrained after so many
years in our evolution. In order to gain awareness, you have to cultivate
the consciousness of the Celebral Cortex. By doing this through Yoga
practice, new pathways are formed in the neural pulses, growing
consciousness. A regular practice of pranayama will slow the breath,
making it a more conscious act which will in turn, slow the body, relax
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the system and keep us more grounded stable in body, mind and
emotions, aware of the Self as we move through life.

One of the most powerful Pranayama practices is the Pranava Aum. In

this practice, conscious breath is used with the chant of the oldest
sound of the universe, the OM / AUM. When sacred sound is chanted in
Yoga, it is known as Mantra. The term mantra made up from the two
Sanskrit words; ‘Man’ (Mind) and ‘Tra’ (tool), and is a way to use sound
and vibration in bring about universal changes in an individual. It
evokes energy and a response to this energy evoked. Dr Swami
Gitananda often refers to Mantra as a “psychic elevator, that changes
levels of consciousness”.

The Pranava Aum is known to be the mantra of all mantras. Humans

exist at a low level of vibration in terms of universal vibrations and the
performance of the Pranava Aum “enables us to potentially attain the
highest pure consciousness” (Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani), a
level of vibration that we currently reside at the opposite end of the
scale to. In the Pranava Aum, we take time to focus on all the sections
of the lung individually, separating the lower, mid and upper with their
individual vibrational sounds, using hand gestures known as Mudras to
help direct the Prana into these specific areas. For the upper lung, this
is the ‘Ahhh’ sound; the mid chest, the ‘Oooo’ sound; and the upper
lung, the ‘Mmmm’ sound. In doing this we are focus all the parts of the
body that are affected by breathing into each individual section of the
lungs. Adham Prananyama (lower lung breathing) works on the body
from the waist down, Madhyam Prananyama (mid chest breathing)
works in the torso and all in the mid-section of the body and Adhyam
Pranayama (upper lung breathing) works on the head and upper
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region of the body. When we brign them all together in Mahat

Pranayama (the full breath), we combine all sounds to make the
‘Aaauuummm’ sound, uniting the all parts of the body and attaining a
union between the physical body, the emotional body and the energy
body, attuning ourselves ‘wholely’ to the universal vibration.

Therefore, this powerful form of Yoga is something that, if performed

with “complete awareness with mindfulness about what we are doing
as we breathe in and as we breathe out we start to bring together all
aspects of own existence thus giving us the opportunity to move from
individuality to universality.” (Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani), in
fact Dr Ananda also remarks that if students of Yoga dedicated
themselves solely to this practice with a complete one-pointed frame
of mind, they could achieve enlightenment from this. However, this
dedication is not something that is easily attained in the modern
Western world and therefore we need to bring all practices of yoga
awareness together to aid us in our Sadhana.

This essay has discussed that by committing to daily practice and the
incorporation of Yama, Niyama, Asana, and Pranayama through
routine and repetition, you will open up the conscious mind and your
feed awareness of the connections you are making to the Universal
Self. The more effort you put in, the more you get out. The Yoga life is a
disciplined life, “we reap only by first sowing, and constructive and
conscious effort is required every moment as nothing in life is obtained
without effort. We must remember to lay the foundations well and
“leave no stone unturned” if we truly wish to fulfil our ambitions. Nature
goes through phases of seeding, nurturing much before the fruition
occurs” (Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani). These natural cycles
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are also something that we can align ourselves with in order to further
connect to the universal energy. In the Gitananda tradition, Dr Swami
Gitananda talks of three important sciences, namely Mantra (a tool for
the mind), Yantra (a tool to understand the universe) and Tantra (a tool
for awareness of energies). The whole practice of Gitananda Yoga is
Tantric in nature, as it systematic approach develops the natural
energy within us and harnesses it within the five bodies of man, the
Pancha Kosha. We have briefly looked into the use of Mantra during
the discussion of the Pranava Aum, and now we can take a look at
how we can use Yantra as a tool to work with these cycles of nature,
rather than work against them as we may often be doing through lack
of awareness to the universal power and the impact it can have on our
life.
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Yantra

Yantra is the science of number, name and form. It is the matrix of the
universe and a tool to work with within this universal framework. As
Abraham Maslow states, “What one can be, one must be!” Yantra is
about learning your life lesson, where you can start to resonate with
who you are and not who you think you are. “We have forgotten the
purpose of why we are here and Yantra reminds us of this” (Yogacharya
Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani).

According to the concept of Yantra, every aspect of life goes through

a cycle of nine. The numbers one to nine that connect personally to an
individual are calculated through a mathematical equation related to
their birth date. From this equation, a person is able to get their Dharma
Marga, that which is their birth path number, their life lesson. By
understanding your Dharma, one is able to understand the energy that
they are working with, within the universal framework, and can take on
the responsibility to respond to this energy as a way to know their place
and purpose within the world. Each person has a birth path number
and this ultimately is their lesson to learn in this lifetime, it is an
opportunity to look at yourself and how you relate to the universe.
Three other numbers that are also calculated during this equation are
minor numbers of which their energy has a secondary effect on a
person as they move through cycles of their life. These numbers are set
in a chart, known as the Dharma Yuga Chart. In this chart we can see
how the lesser energy of the three numbers comes in to influence, in
turn, a person from birth to twenty-seven (Brahmacharya: Educative
period), from twenty-eight to fifty-four (Grahastha: Productive Period)
and finally from fifty-five to eighty-one (Vanaprastha: Leisure Period).
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After eighty-one until the end of life, a person is released from these
cycles to experience freedom (Sannyasin: Spiritual Goal).

The aim of learning your Dharma Marga is not about stereotyping, as

you may find in a star sign personality description, rather it is about
understanding of how to work with nature’s universal energy, instead of
against it. To be a master of our own destination instead of a victim of
circumstance. If you are working against this energy, you will feel a
sense of unease in your life. There may be signals that you are ignoring
that could send you on the right path, and until you gain the
awareness to connect with this energy that will never ease. Yantra
allows you see how you are, or are not working with your Birth Path
number, and if you then begin to align yourself more, acting on your
Dharma, then you will start to feel at ease with yourself, becoming less
stressed and more in tune with your inner nature. Becoming aware of
your Dharma can open your eyes to where you may be working
against nature. For example, in the most simplistic of terms, if you have
the number three as your birth path you have the energy of an
extrovert, you are creative, a born entertainer, you love to be around
people and have a lack of the sense for attention to detail. Therefore,
if you are not embracing this energy, say for example you are a
mathematician, who works to the dictates of organisations and
perhaps in a solitary environment a lot of the time, this could bring
about a you feeling of unease your life. This could be something that
you look to correct through channelling the energy of the ‘three’ and
working towards a life more in tune with that.

As discussed, there are other numbers that filter in other influential

energies throughout your life, so it is not black and white, but when
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studied comprehensively, the awareness of Yantra and how it works

with your destined path can be used to understand ‘what we are’,
and what we can be, enabling you to become consciously linked to
the universal energy. “Dharma is the highest expression of cosmic truth:
it is to know the reason for personal existence and to unfold consciously
through experience back to the cosmic state” (Dr Yogamaharishi Swami
Gitananda)

As well as Dharma Yuga, Yantra also depicts life in nine yearly cycles
throughout an individual’s life, this is known as Karma Yuga. Again
calculated using your birth date and the year you were born, or in fact
any year you wish to know the number of which it is governed by, the
chart of this cycle of life depicts nine distinct variations as follows: Year
One – Seed Planting Time, Year Two – Germination Period, Year Three –
Manifestation Period, Year Four – Testing Period, Year Five – Rapid
Growth, Year Six – Budding Time, Year Seven – Blossom Time, Year Eight
– Fruition and Year Nine – Harvesting. What you start in the ‘one’ cycle
is going to be planted deep, and will determine what you harvest in
year nine, so by beginning to understand the natural ebbs and flows
throughout the nine cycles, you can navigate life easier. However,
cultivating an awareness of Yantra is no to make your life easier, it is to
help make you be a better you. We can learn from the lessons in the
yearly cycles, interacting with the phases that we experience. There is
constant evolution throughout these nine yearly cycles and the
beginning of each one will be higher than the next, but how much
higher depends on your consciousness within the previous one. Failing
at the test phase (year 4) may slow the journey down, so the next nine
cycle may not be as high as it could have been, however this is not a
negative thing if you have understood the lesson of this, it is never a
failure. As with nature, a test comes before sudden growth (year 5), just
how spring brings new life after winter. It is a chance to reflect, learn
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and make changes to ensure that you blossom, gaining reward for you
hard labour, where harvesting something worthwhile in the later years
of the cycle.

Opening our minds to Yantra brings in a new perspective to the

universe. To live in tune with it, to live consciously rather than a random
unconscious life. We can learn to respond to the energy rather react to
it. We can even look back through our lives and start to understand
what happened and perhaps why. The understanding that this
awareness to the universal force brings can help us make sense of
things in the past and the present moment, allowing for not only
change to the future, but also to the past by changing our attitude to
events that may have affected us negatively, we can heal from this
and that too can influence the future, cleaning out the past so that we
are no longer living there. “In the present moment lies everything”
(Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani)
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Conclusion

As I have discussed in this essay, there are many ways in which we can
start to bring in yogic practices that elevate our consciousness,
becoming aware of the connection that we have to the world we
inhabit, and how we can begin to raise our vibration to that of the
higher Self, the Universal Self.

I have shown how by practicing the lower aspects of Yoga, we can

influence the higher aspects. These the higher phases of Yoga that
work towards Samadhi have not been discussed in depth, as I have
aimed to show how practicing these lower limbs, conscious evolution is
attainable for all to start to connect to the energy of the universe to
influence life in a positive way, making conscious choices, as conscious
choice is where the power lies. This is what makes us human and
humane.

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth.

Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome
again and again.” (Abraham Maslow)

This essay has distinguished the different branches of Yoga individually

for in depth discussion on each subject. This has sometimes proven
difficult, as they all in fact interlink and influence each other. The
process of bringing Yoga into your life is very much a cyclic event, not
linear, even though the limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are defined in this
way. Whilst it is true that you need to work in a step-by-step manner to
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attain self-actualisation, the conscious awareness that comes in along

the path walked, and the lessons learned are interchangeable from
one limb to the other. For example, the discipline of Asana feeds the
Yamas and Niyamas, they in turn feed the discipline of the physical
practice. You cannot practice Asana without awareness of
Pranayama as Yoga without the breath is not Yoga, but in turn you
cannot sit for long periods to do Pranayama without having
strengthened the body through Asana. As we can see, you cannot be
connected to one, without naturally attending to the other. As the
conscious mind opens up, you naturally start to take notice of other
aspects of your life such as diet, cleanliness, organisation, karma, etc,
and, you consciously begin to live in the ‘right way’.

This essay has aimed to show that awareness is what brings true
change. Making human behaviour humane behaviour. Conscious,
thought out and positive action is what is needed to take the
responsibility for your own destiny. Once we open ourselves up to
awareness there is no ignoring it, we start to realise how our actions
and thoughts feed our behaviour and relate to the outcomes we
experience in life, so we need to be sure that we are living life in the
right way, planting something that we wish to harvest. Whilst we may
have obstacles along the way, through Yoga and awareness of our
connection to the energy of the Universe, we can set intent for the
future and commit to change.

“Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a reaction. Sow

a reaction, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a characteristic. Sow a
characteristic, reap a destiny” (Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani)

8044 Words
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References

Dr Yogamaharishi Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Majaraj

Polarity: Oneness with The Universe, ICYER Knowledge Base
Yoga: Step-By-Step, how to Begin a Practice of Yoga – Part 1, Book
Tuning into the Universe One-Pointedness with the Primordial Sound-Aum, ICYER
Knowledge Base

Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani.

The Eight Classical Pranayamas by Ammaji, ICYER Knowledge Base
The Yoga of Interpersonal Relationships, ICYER Knowledge Base
Culturing one’s self through yoga, ICYER Knowledge Base
The Yoga Darshan, Book
Yoga as A Way of Life (Talk), ICYER Knowledge Base
Chakra Workshop in Berlin (Talk), ICYER Knowledge Base
Pranayama: Its therapeutic and spiritual potential, ICYER Knowledge Base
The Yoga of Responsibility, ICYER Knowledge Base
Notes taken from ‘Yantra’ two Day Workshop, Om Studio, 2019
Dharma Marga and Different Paths of Yoga, ICYER Knowledge Base
Dr Ananda Explains Why We Do Things Three Times in Yoga, You Tube, Video
The Pravana Aum, Teacher Training Handout

Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani

Evolutionary Quirks, Yama – Niyama and The Human Brain, ICYER Knowledge Base
Hatha Yoga: The Sadhana of Kali Yuga

Savitri Devi
Asanas, ICYER Knowledge Base

Abraham H Maslow
Toward a Psychology of Being, book
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Yogacharya Gowrishankarananda
Gitananda Yoga – A Complete System of Yoga, ICYER Knowledge Base

Alex Myles
A Mind_Blowing Explanation of Universal Energy and Signs You Are Highly Sensitive to
it, The Elephant Journal, 2016