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- An Integral Repose — the Ideal State of Sleep - by Submitted on May 17, 2022 from santosh krinskyUsually when most people go to sleep, they simply ‘let it happen’. This carries with it all of the mental, emotional, vital-nervous, and physical energy pent up in the being at the time, into the sleep state. Add to this mix the state of fatigue that prevails, and it can lead to restless, or ...
Views: 551 - Evolution of Consciousness and the Need for Rebirth as a Mechanism of that Evolution - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe observe an outer fact of existence, but we do not see the motive force behind it, nor the intention behind the motive force. Thus, Darwin identified an evolution of species, and researchers have identified families of species, development of specific characteristics within those families and ...
Views: 551 - Patience and Perseverance Are Need for the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 07, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe live in an age that expects instant success, immediate gratification and results that occur with a minimum of effort. It is difficult, therefore, to appreciate that the spiritual path, whether the integral yoga, or any other path that assumes a change to human nature or a redirection of the ...
Views: 551 - The Play of the Gunas in the Spiritual Path - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe Bhagavad Gita places considerable emphasis on the need to understand the play of the Gunas, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas, in all things. Yogic practice is not exempted from this play. Each of the Gunas has a specific set of characteristics, and they are not stable. The Gunas are always in motion. ...
Views: 551 - The Role of the Inner Standpoint in Overcoming Depression and Ambition in the Practice of Yoga - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyMany people, not just those who practice yoga, experience times when they feel like their lives are meaningless, they are helpless to change, and the round of daily life, with its little wants and needs, and fulfillment of desires, is empty and distasteful. They experience in some cases a sense ...
Views: 551 - Impatience - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhile at its root impatience has as a primary source the frustration associated with either lack of ability to fulfill a desire, or a delayed gratification of that desire, in the modern world, these root causes are accentuated and provoked through acculturation and the systemic operation of the ...
Views: 550 - Overcoming Doubt, Fear and Depression Which May Arise During the Practice of Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe changes sought in the integral Yoga are of such magnitude and detail that they will naturally take a considerable time to work themselves out in all the levels and aspects of our being. Along the way, there come periods of difficulty which may challenge one’s faith or determination, what is ...
Views: 550 - The Nature of the Resistance of the Mind-Life-Body to the Pressure of the Divine Force - by Submitted on Nov 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyEach aspect of the human instrumentality provides its own characteristic forms of resistance when a new, higher evolutionary force tries to engage them and redirect them along the lines it proposes. The underlying issues relate to the action of Tamas in the physical level, Rajas in the vital ...
Views: 550 - The Source and Nature of the Thoughts an Individual Receives - by Submitted on Jun 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyIf we ask almost anyone where thoughts come from, they will say that they are produced in the brain. The brain is some kind of thought-factory. They don’t know how. They don’t know why. They don’t know what causes certain thoughts to develop. They recognise that sense perceptions influence the ...
Views: 550 - Understanding and Attaining the Right Attitude Toward Food for the Yogic Practitioner - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyShifting the awareness away from the ego-consciousness to the divine standpoint takes place as a ‘tuning’ process which Sri Aurobindo designates as ‘aspiration’. This represents a focus of the attention of the being on the higher consciousness and away from the normal fixation on the outer life ...
Views: 550 - Understanding and Respecting the Body’s Need for Rest - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen an illness strikes the body, its energy must go to recuperation and rebuilding its basic strength. For a practitioner of yoga, as well as for those who have a developed mental or emotional consciousness, or an aesthetic sense, the recuperation and rebuilding phase can be irksome, as there ...
Views: 550 - The Qualities of Food and Spiritual Practice - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen people take up spiritual practices, they are exposed to many different ideas about the proper diet. With the idea that ‘you are what you eat’, there is a long list of foods that are considered suitable for spiritual practitioners to eat, what are called in the ancient traditions of India, ...
Views: 549 - An Exercise to Overcome the Mental Bias to Facilitate the Ability to “Know Thyself” - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyOnce we recognise that we cannot trust the mental faculty to keep the vital desire-soul in check, the question arises as to how it is then possible to truly examine the underlying motives and wellsprings of our thoughts, feelings and actions without falling victim to the kind of bias that the ...
Views: 548 - Development of the Witness Consciousness Separate from the Analytical Mind Is Needed to Truly Understand the Springs of Action in Mind, Life and Body - by Submitted on May 07, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe ability to perceive, understand and modify the actions of the body, life and mind requires the development of a new standpoint outside of the body-life-mind complex. For this reason, the attempt to undertake this process with the analytical power of the mind is bound to fail. Not only can ...
Views: 547 - Fasting and the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2022 from santosh krinskyAt some point in their spiritual quest, seekers are generally confronted with the question of ‘fasting’. Some paths recommend fasting as a method to lighten the heaviness of the ‘earth consciousness’ and make the being more receptive to higher vibrational energies. Some point out that fasting ...
Views: 547 - Overcoming Negative Suggestions Through Faith in One’s Spiritual Destiny - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2022 from santosh krinskyHow many times in the course of an individual’s practice of yoga do thoughts of failure and lack of capacity or ability to succeed intervene and work to create doubt and despair? If allowed to dominate the being, the quest fails, at least for the time being, or for the rest of the current ...
Views: 547 - Overcoming the Reaction of Jealousy - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyJealousy is one of those deeply rooted vital reactions that are not amenable to being “convinced” to change by mental logic. Highly educated, refined individuals are also subject to jealousy when appropriate circumstances arise, and as with other such deeply rooted reactions, the vital ...
Views: 547 - The Power of Peace - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyAs human beings, we are enamored of dynamic power. We want “action” and the powers of the body, the life energy and the mind are prized when they can accomplish visible results. We have proverbs such as “might makes right” which make it seem like strength in action is the most positive ...
Views: 547 - Overcoming the Impulse of Anger - by Submitted on Jan 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere is an illustrative tale in the Mahabharata. The Pandava and Kaurava princes were being instructed by their noted teacher Dronacharya. Today’s lesson was ‘not to become angry’. The 100 Kaurava princes were asked if they had learned the lesson and they all replied in the affirmative. The 4 ...
Views: 546 - Steps Toward Achieving a Calm Mind - by Submitted on Feb 07, 2023 from santosh krinskyEverything comes to the seeker based on his ability to tune his focus and maintain that focus in an unwavering manner over time. Sri Aurobindo, in his book The Mother, sets forth the methodology as “aspiration, rejection, surrender”. Aspiration is the will from the depth of the being to achieve ...
Views: 546 - The Need and Method for Observing One’s Thoughts - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2022 from santosh krinskyAvoidance of suffering may be considered as a ‘negative’ status. Achievement of happiness is the positive pole of this continuum. Both states are rooted in the mind and the standpoint that the individual takes. When the scriptures speak of “evil thoughts” or “purified thoughts” this is not ...
Views: 545 - Various Forms of Meditation and Their Potential Benefits - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyMost people are confused about what meditation is. One of the causes of this confusion is the variety of forms of meditation that are recommended and practiced by various traditions. Some forms of meditation require strenuous efforts and considerable time to bear fruit. The Mother provides ...
Views: 545 - How to Change Human Nature - by Submitted on Mar 18, 2023 from santosh krinskyMany people are skeptical about the possibility of true change to human nature. This skepticism is supported by the long experience humanity has had in trying various ways of changing and overcoming habits, atavisms and what are considered to be the ‘natural’ forms of expression and action of ...
Views: 544 - Transformation of the Vital Nature of Man: Background and Introduction - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyA primary characteristic of human life on earth at this time is the power of the vital force in shaping not just our day-to-day responses to life situations, but to also impact our mental processes, such that for most people, the mind is under the control of the vital and its desires and ...
Views: 544 - Beginning the Process of Bringing Meditation into One’s Life - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2023 from santosh krinskyIf we shift to the standpoint of the observer of the mind, we will notice that as conditions vary, the ‘mind-stuff’ (citta) takes on different characteristics based on our state of reactivity and interaction with perceptions, feelings, events or external circumstances. We may consider an image ...
Views: 543 - Depression and the Influence of the Gunas in Spiritual Development - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a strong inclination for those spiritual practitioners who particularly follow a way of devotion, regardless of religious tradition around the world, to cry out for the presence of the Divine and to lament any feeling of separation. Depending on the play of the Gunas, this can take ...
Views: 543 - Detachment from and Mastery of the Surface Nature - by Submitted on May 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen we are first confronted with the concept of detachment from our external nature, we tend to approach it from a mental standpoint and thus, try to shut down our emotions and mental reactions with various types of response such as forms of stoicism, renunciation, or a show of non-caring, or ...
Views: 543 - The Circumstances and Need of a Temporary Withdrawal and Quiet of the Being - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere are occasions where the practice of silence and a temporary withdrawal from the hustle and bustle of the outer life, to the degree feasible, becomes a necessary part of the sadhana for the practitioner of yoga. Yoga is, by definition, a change of consciousness, and it involves an inward ...
Views: 543 - The Experience of the New Higher and Wider Consciousness - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe experience and descent of a higher consciousness is not a matter of philosophical argument but one of psycho-physical effects seen and noted by the individual, as well as palpable impacts in the basis of knowledge, action and implementation in the outer world. The seeker actually can feel ...
Views: 543 - Habits, Human Life and Achieving Individuality … and Beyond - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2022 from santosh krinskyAs the seeker begins to examine his life, he quickly finds that virtually all his thoughts, emotions, feelings and actions are based on habitual patterns, either ingrained in the human encoding as a species, or developed through socialisation in a society or civilisation, through family ...
Views: 542 - Preparing the Body, Vital and Mind for Restful, Conscious Sleep - by Submitted on May 14, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe spend as much as one third of our lifetime asleep. Many questions arise when one reflects on this fact. What happens during sleep? Where does the consciousness go? What does it do? Can we become conscious, or at least more conscious, of that part of our lives? Are there ways to prepare for ...
Views: 542 - The Force of Habit and the Physical Consciousness - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2022 from santosh krinskyFor the physical consciousness, repetition and the building of habit is the centerpiece of harnessing physical, material nature. The “laws of physics” are essentially habits at the level of Matter that function to create an order and system in Nature that maintains the cohesion and operation of ...
Views: 542 - The Nature and Role of the Ego - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe development of the ego-consciousness is part of the evolutionary cycle of increasing manifestation of conscious awareness in Nature. As consciousness develops it moves from a generalized sense of existence to a more specific recognition of one’s own life and awareness. In animals we see this ...
Views: 542 - The Trouble Based on the Nature of the Vital That Needs to be Overcome - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a universal human experience that the vital force in the being is either extremely reactive to situations, particularly when it has a desire or craving to fulfill, or, if not given its desire, it can sulk or withdraw its energy and the being goes into a state of torpor or indolence, ...
Views: 542 - How to Distinguish The Divine Force from the Habitual Action of the Lower as well as from the Hostile Forces - by Submitted on Dec 09, 2021 from santosh krinskyTrying to change human nature, the basic physical-vital-mental makeup that we accept as the predominant mode of being in the world today, is hard. The actions and reactions of the body, the senses, the vital energy, the organ systems, the emotional system, the hormonal responses, and the mental ...
Views: 541 - The Nature and Power of Equality in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 21, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe usually think about the term ‘equality’ in relation to society or the economy. Sri Aurobindo uses the term to describe an inner psychological state that keeps the practitioner of the yoga focused on the inner being and its spiritual practices, rather than having the attention drawn out to ...
Views: 541 - The Role of the Psychic Being in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn order to both observe and manage the actions and reactions of the mind, life and body, it is necessary to achieve a standpoint outside of their action. Sri Aurobindo identifies the psychic being as the separate entity, what may be called the ‘soul’, as the consciousness capable of this ...
Views: 541 - Westerners and Indian Yoga, Part 5: the Yogic Path Is Not Limited by Race, Origin or Religious or Cultural Background - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe objective of the integral yoga is to support the evolutionary process of the development and integration of the next stage of consciousness, beyond the mental consciousness. This step is necessary to overcome the limitations of the current mental framework which have helped create the ...
Views: 541 - Your True Lasting State of Happiness - by Submitted on May 16, 2023 from Maetreyii Ma NolanWhat do people want, really want? They want to be happy. Everyone loves their life. They want to find happiness, find expression, find love, find joy. This desire for happiness is universal. The desire to live and the fear of death are shared by all human beings and most living beings. This ...
Views: 541 - Delving into the Complexity of Determining an Individual’s Destiny in Life - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2023 from santosh krinskyTo understand the complexity of any individual’s destiny, it is essential to note that it is comprised of an amalgam of the streams of energy that flow through each aspect of his being. Thus, there is a physical destiny, a vital destiny, a mental destiny, a spiritual destiny, each following the ...
Views: 540 - Recuperating Energy Through Contact with Nature - by Submitted on May 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyMuch of modern-day life is centered around urban living. Most urban dwellers have little, if any, exposure to Nature on a consistent basis. They also tend to feel stressed, drained and exhausted by the lives they lead. When they head out to a natural area, they frequently feel a release of ...
Views: 540 - The Characteristics of the Physical Nature and the Way Toward Transformation - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2021 from santosh krinskyAt some point everyone experiences periods where the physical body and its corresponding physical mind seem dull, tired, lacking in enthusiasm, and interested only in sleeping, eating and the most basic things that occupy our physical life on earth. During these periods there is an absence of ...
Views: 540 - The Need and Method to Become Conscious and Change the Nature - by Submitted on May 05, 2022 from santosh krinskyWe identify something about ourselves that we would like to change — it could be a physical transformation we seek, or a way to address an imbalance in our feelings or emotions, or it could be a change to our mind-set to overcome ideas of weakness, failure, incapacity, etc. We then try to find a ...
Views: 539 - The Role of Sex in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhen Sri Aurobindo states “all life is yoga”, he is speaking generally about the long, slow ‘yoga of nature’ which is taking place in the universe, leading to ever-greater stages of consciousness manifesting and transforming, successively, the previously manifested planes of awareness. This ...
Views: 539 - Why Do Some People Believe the Practice of Yoga Causes Illness or Death? - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2022 from santosh krinskyPeople in the West who have been introduced to yoga, primarily Hatha Yoga, come to understand that there can be substantial health benefits to the practice of yoga. Meditation has also been shown to help reduce stress, aid in achieving rest and sleep, and thereby enhance health for the ...
Views: 539 - Entering the Viewpoint of Another Person Widens the Understanding and Builds a Basis for Harmony - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere is a complex game called ‘chess’. The modern form of the game reputedly developed from a strategic game that appears to have originated in India in around the 6th or 7th century, although there were likely precursor forms that existed prior to that time. As a game of strategy, the object ...
Views: 538 - The First Necessary Step in Preparation for the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2022 from santosh krinskyOne can clearly appreciate the unique nature of the integral yoga when one reflects on the preparation needed for the practice when compared to the preparations required for numerous other paths of yoga. The 8 steps set forth in Patanjali’s yoga sutras include two preparatory stages, called ...
Views: 538 - The Illusion of Constant Action - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2022 from santosh krinskyIt is a malady of modern society that we believe we must stay constantly busy, We do not understand nor appreciate the value of quiet time for contemplation and stepping outside of the whirl of day to day activities to unite our awareness with that of the consciousness which manifests in the ...
Views: 538 - Separate Consciousness in the Mind, the Vital Being and the Body - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2022 from santosh krinskyDuring the Olympic games in the summer of 2021, we were able to hear about the separate consciousness of the various parts of the being. One of the premier gymnasts in the world withdrew from events by saying that she had lost, at least temporarily, the body consciousness that basically oriented ...
Views: 537 - The Power of Detachment to Effect Transformational Change in the Nature - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a vast difference between a mental acknowledgement of a concept or idea, and the actual realisation that underlies that concept. It is not an infrequent occurrence for a spiritual aspirant to hold a mental belief that is, nevertheless, not a full realisation. Spiritual realisation is ...
Views: 537