How Yoga Brings Eye-opening Consciousness in Spiritual Path? Top 9 Unexplored Facts in Spiritual Evolution
Writing about consciousness or awareness is an experiential thing. It is a gradual process or phenomenon that needs to be felt by someone. You can think of yoga as a tool or a way shown by the ancient spiritual person from India. These realized beings are called Rishi and Muni. Sadhus as well as Sannyasis also follows a similar path of finding the ultimate truth. Regarding this Sadhguru once told “close your eyes and tie them with a handkerchief around it and start driving a car. Similarly, for the whole day, you are doing your jobs but doing it unconsciously.
Table of Contents
Why to be Conscious?
Consciousness is discussed for a long time and given different meanings and explanations in different places. Essentially this is something to experience in the spiritual path. It can be uplifting ideas beyond senses, feelings for longing for something which is not achieved, leaving the attachment from body or mind, and certainly, for some people, it is the ultimate realization. This is also referred sometimes as “Sat – Chit – Anandam” bringing Chaitanya on the spiritual path.
Spiritual evolution
Spiritual evolution is a gradual process of understanding yourself in a better way. It is like you are evolving with time. When you start you start with a mindset. Some people think the spiritual path is a detoxification of the mind.
Some of them set a time limit in the spiritual path also. To some extent, it will work but eventually, they will be back in the same previous state from where they came and started the journey.
Spiritual Paths
There are broadly two ways or spiritual paths exist. One is staying with family and living a life of a yogi. Another one is to renunciation of everything as family, work, and friends and become a monk or sannyasi to live a one-way path towards realization. Both of these two paths have their values, but the tougher one is living like a true yogi in the family.
Monk life is also tough but they don’t have anyone else other than them. Sannyasis usually left their home and they take a completely solitary life. There are many restrictions, different processes they used to go through in this path. Eat, sleep, breathe and other activities have restrictions in monks life.
Slow but Steady
Many examples exist that by some influence or ecstasy or some momentary thought many people take the spiritual path. But sadly seeing the enormous responsibility and tougher responsibilities in the course they leave the path and goes back after few months to the place where they came from.
Initially, it seems great but with the time it takes a lot of rigorous practices which if not mentally prepared, surely anyone will quit. The emerging of consciousness and charm happens because of some concealed influences of our very own inner universe.
Step by Step towards the Goal
This awakening of consciousness is carried out step by step, at a slower or faster tempo, relying upon our intellectual starting and at the spiritual aspiration that we appear.
The ability to observe from our memories and from the aspirants who comply with a religious course, first of all, have to allow opening indoors of their mind and heart.
To evolve spiritually, enormous persistence is required, an everlasting interest you must grow in all the phenomena which take place themselves in our being and around us. The direction should be those people who have already completed the course of the religious evolution, attaining the very last step “Mukti” or “Ultimate liberation”.
Time – The Entity of God
You must have heard many phrases or quotes about time and its usefulness. Now my question is have you ever given enough priority to this entity in your life.
Look back to your life, those moments which are gone you cannot bring it back. So whatever is there in your hand just respect, use and apply or do whatever so that you treat time as GOD.
Facts of Spiritual Journey
Yoga is the overall process with a part having meditation brought together for betterment in various aspects of our well-being. This requires a greater amount of urge to understand the inner meaning of Yoga and meditation both.
The Paths of Yoga had been shown by divine beings such as Maharshi Patanjali, Sivananda, etc. Also, there were great beings from India such as Omkarnath, Trailanga swami, Param Hansa Sri Ramakrishna, Swamy Vivekananda, etc. had given their ideas about yoga and understanding the thoughts and emotions.
They show us certain facts of spiritual journey for reaching the height where Yoga shows paths for achieving ultimate realization or mukti. Meditation is the tool for reaching there with the thought control process…
A Quote
Edwin_F._Bryant in one of his writing mentioned as ” Yoga essentially consists of meditative practices culminating in attaining a state of consciousness free from all modes of active or discursive thought, and of eventually attaining a state where consciousness is unaware of any object external to itself, that is, is only aware of its nature as consciousness unmixed with any other object.”
Any person who wishes to take the process of being conscious at some point of the long procedure of consciousness should begin through orienting their entire interest at the physical level, movements, positions of the body, etc. the muscular movements on breathing, the air that is used to both inhale and exhale. The foremost part is thoughts and emotions.
Yoga Sutra by Patanjali
There is mainly four-part of Yoga that are till now noted as Samadhi, Sadhana, Bibhuti, and Kaibalya. The Samadhi Pada expresses to us that – self-identity is engrossed into pure realization. Sadhana Pada expresses to us that – Kriyā Yoga and Aṣṭānga Yoga are two parts of Samadhi Pada.
Kriyā Yoga is attributed with
- Tapas – austerity
- svādhyaya – self-study of the scriptures
- iśvara praṇidhana – Oneness to god or pure consciousness
Aṣṭānga Yoga is the yoga of eight limbs is attributed with
- Yama – limits or ethics of actions – Self Discipline
- Niyama – observances – Social Discipline
- Āsana – physical poses – Physical Postures
- Prāṇāyāma – control of the prana (breath) – Breath Control
- Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses – Sense Withdrawal
- Dhāraṇa – awareness – Concentration
- Dhyāna – meditation – Meditation
- Samādhi – absorption – Ecstasy
Vibhuti Pada ascribed as – The “power” or “exhibition” of ‘Supra-normal powers’ (Sanskrit: siddhi). These are acquired by the practice of yoga.
Kaivalya Pada is the process of liberation and the certainty of the mystical ego.
To bring an upliftment in the system we have to practice Kriya and Ashtanga Yoga regularly. A consistent schedule in Yoga brings wonder in health. With a proper diet and yogic food, it is possible to live a healthy life for a long time.
Stages in Spiritual Aspiration
Initially, the awareness can be limited. But later, as the dimensions of awareness increases, you will manage to enter increasingly refined layers of understanding of your being. Your consciousness will spring gradually. Each time you bring meditativeness with your consciousness you will gather newer and newer mysterious realities, unimagined before.
You will transfer your internal being to another phase of awareness, where you recognize yourself not with your body or mind, instead a whole different layer of something overwhelming, far more elusive in our being.
Your emotional quotient as a matter of fact of your spiritual journey will increase gradually, becoming much deeper at this stage. You will invent that there is a surreal awareness is surrounding all the time that perceives all the feelings, the states, and the vibrations that you conceptualize, without identifying yourself with them.
Getting Lost in Spiritual Path
When you achieve this present state, analogically talking, you resemble a sieve that gets unadulterated spring water, however the water will get away from it quickly through the openings of the strainer, leaving just a little part on the outside of the sifter.
However, you have to start to cover the openings of the strainer, individually, cautiously, and persistently. These are the loopholes where we lost track and carefully we have stitch these holes for the self-journey.
Brain Refinement and Consciousness
Sooner you will see that the water begins to be held inside the sifter and we will profit increasingly more from the virtue of that spring water. The consciousness of the energies which are gotten in our being will cause the body and brain to filter and refine.
Most of the yogis achieve many different kinds of power and occult energy at this level and they forget the whole journey. But those with a strong will power will be granted access to another high level of spiritual renovation in which any expression of the ego disappears. It is a place with pure consciousness and unification with the Divine. The ultimate realization of “Samadhi”.
Pure yogis like Omkarnath, Trailanga swami, Param Hansa Sri Ramakrishna, Swamy Vivekananda, etc. had shown us the path through the exposure of the Eternal Self Atman in our being. The last step is to realize and being the conscious being as Atman unites with Paramatma.
Guru – The spiritual Guide
The spiritual path is unique for each of us and to follow it we need the refined guidance of a trustworthy spiritual guide for us. He shows us what is the best choice we can make, but we are the ones who will take the steps on our spiritual path.
A Guru or Master is likewise one’s otherworldly guide, who shows us to find the very possibilities that the Guru has just figured it out. The most established references to the idea of master or Guru are found in the Vedic writings of Hinduism.
Awakening of consciousness
When you bring breath, sense, and taste all in one thread, then there is no difference, it’s all one. Yoga and meditation both lead to the well-being of our overall health in both body and mind.
How Long to Stay In Spiritual Journey for Bringing Awareness
This is a unique question for each individual who has taken this path. The experience of each individual is different most likely. The time for achieving different stages might be different.
The chakra realization and working on each of them are a thing to realize, to feel, and to understand. So you and under the guidance you are moving are the best judge for deciding how much time you have to spend in your spiritual journey.
Be Watchful to Become Conscious
Yoga will lead us to achieve this balanced state of awareness that gives clarity and sharpness of mind, as well as calmness and joy towards the path of ultimate realization.
Watch your ‘Thoughts’, they become words.
Watch your ‘Words’, they become actions.
Watch your ‘Actions’, they become habits.
Watch your ‘Habits’, they become character.
Watch your ‘Character’, for it becomes your Destiny.
– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
These are valuable ‘watch’ words for leading a meaningful life. Yoga fine-tunes your mind to a state of relaxed awareness, to live joyfully in the present moment.
What is consciousness in yoga?
Consciousness brings up the idea of self in everything. Two basic attributes provide a major contribution to having a profound consciousness in us. Our thoughts and emotions. Along with them comes our individual feelings, emotions, time sense, etc. All these happens uniquely for each one of us.
What is the Difference Between Mind and Consciousness?
The whole idea about consciousness is about uplifting the perception. While undertaking yoga, you will emphasize bodily exercises as well as bringing a surreal state of mind also.
Yoga is having an overall credibility more than physical. Mind can create, transform and apply the multiple states in the practical world. It makes us feel from the outer appearance of anything as a subject of value and socialism.
Your mind continuously practice something you will feel oneness with that. But becoming aware or conscious is something to appreciate yourself inside.
What is Consciousness According to Upanishads?
The word Self-consciousness in the Upanishads means the ever-existing truth about your own self, which cannot break, be dead, or born, the true nature of understanding of Atma and its connection with Paramatma.
It is the knowledge about the existence and nature of Brahman which is ever pure, ever glowing, ever truth about your own real being.
Why Do We Lose Consciousness When We Sleep?
.” Consciousness during dreamless sleep does not look like daily, awake consciousness, but it still seems there’s some conscious awareness.” – Thompson
We lose consciousness when we fall asleep. Why because Sleep is important to several brain functions, including communication between nerve cells in brains. This implies that sleep serves an integrative function for the mind and body.
Indeed, in cerebral terms during sleep, we activate and re-activate experiences from the past (in particular the recent past). Recent findings suggest that sleep plays a housekeeping role that removes toxins in your brain that build up while you are awake.
What is a Higher State of Consciousness?
A higher state of consciousness can be explained like this incident happened with Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Once Thakur was watching a person from the Ganges bank and the person was beaten by another person.
Thakur also felt the beating and started shouting. Everyone saw the marks on his body. It’s like feelings of oneness with everything, this is one of the highest state of consciousness in meeting of creation and creator.
How Many Levels of Consciousness Exists?
According to Sigmund Freud human consciousness into three levels of awareness: the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. Each of these levels resembles and connects with Freud’s ideas of the id, ego, and superego.
There is another level of consciousness that exists which is named as sub-conscious, which is very powerful. It is a finer state where our desire for anything works inside us unknowingly.
Effects of Consciousness in Everything (Eating, Sleeping, Breathing)
Consciousness is experienced as a vast ocean of awareness, starting from absolute unconscious to fully awaken. If we keep on practicing yoga and all the different stages I had discussed anybody can achieve a great amount of awareness in any subject. It should be implemented in whatever you talk, eat, interact, in every aspect of life. The whole day will be a different phenomenon.
Effects of Consciousness in Everyday Life
Being aware or conscious means you are becoming part of the Yoga Process, which contracts with intellectual improvements and attention. Here, thoughtfulness is absorbed in mental well-being and breath exercise.
One of the major understanding of consciousness is keeping yourself fully aware of breathing and watchfulness on the thought process in every aspect of your activity.
By the breath controlling it clears our perception and control of life and brings our energy state of body and mind in a calm and composed state yet fully aware of the outside world.
It enhances an individual’s mental relaxation and blissfulness completely.
Conclusion
Nowadays we listen to the term of Yoga a lot because of many amazing facts. We have an upsurge of knowing about Yoga in recent times in almost every part of the world. Yoga integrates more aspects of physical poses with mental well-being.
Yoga consists of breathing exercises and focused geometry of our postures. While if you want the relaxation of mental state and self-realization then meditation is a great practice to happen in life.
Until the mind has not come back to its own source it is not possible to be spiritually conscious. As long as our mind has not realized that it is an intertwined relationship with objects ultimate realization is far away. The mind cannot achieve freedom until it stops making mistakes as objective awareness for true knowledge.
FURTHER READING
Have you enjoyed reading about “How Yoga Brings Eye-opening Consciousness in Spiritual Path? Top 9 Unexplored Facts in Spiritual Journey”? Also, check various Topics on Yoga and about Steps to Control Porn in young People also. Please check the article Overpopulation in India 2020also. Take a look at our collection of articles about books for life as well as other categories in health & Inspiring Indians Life also. Alternatively, read our article about the top benefits of honey for fighting against coronavirus to increase our stamina, & other interesting ideas for various vegetables in our daily groceries.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3482773/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4475556/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4791389/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2997234/
https://nimhans.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/8.The-Science-of-Consciousness-in-the-Light-of-Vedanta-and-Yoga_39-63.pdf
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40613-016-0038-4
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11097-008-9090-6
https://yssofindia.org/spiritual/thoughts-of-immortality
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