Yoga of the Heart

In this chapter, I will explain more about my fantasy game of visualizing the physical and spiritual bodies, particularly how they interact and how the practice of ethics facilitates this union. I will also discuss the Yogic meaning of "ego," an important term that is often misunderstood. A correct interpretation of this word is vital in order to practice the ethical principles presented in this book. The correct understanding of ego will encourage the spiritual body to function, thereby opening the door to vast new insights and experiences, such as self-confidence, inner strength, and a new appreciation for yourself.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TWO BODIES

All Yogic literature makes reference to the powerful state of awareness that results when the physical body consciousness joins to the spiritual body consciousness. Some common terms for this experience are self-realization, the Universal Body or God consciousness, all of which describe a state where all separateness has disappeared and guidance for your life is supplied from within. (I will use these three terms interchangeably in this book.) This state is often described as two lovers joining ecstatically after enduring a long search for each other.

Shiva Consciousness


One name used for the Universal Body in the Eastern tradition is Shiva. In Yogic literature Shiva is often given the form of a man, but this form actually represents a state of consciousness. The state of Shiva specifically describes the process of detaching one’s consciousness from the limits of the body, whereupon one develops a sense of all-pervasiveness. The sensations of separateness and limitation disappear; there is no longer any difference between the perceiver and the perceived (subject and object). A verse from one of the great books on Kashmir Shaivism comments on this idea, asking rhetorically what the purpose of worship would be once the Highest Reality has been realized.

States of being have often been portrayed as godlike forms in artistic representations throughout the world in various ways. Such anthropomorphizing serves a valuable purpose, because it is difficult to become familiar with something that is unseen. When form is given to these seemingly inexplicable states, one can more easily relate to them — just as, in this book, we are trying to fantasize a form of the inexplicable state of the spiritual body in order to make it more real. You will have two separate bodies to work with, one physical and one spiritual.

WHERE THIS IDEA CAME FROM

When I first began thinking about how to get to know my spiritual nature, I turned to a fantasy exercise to help me discover a form for it. I realized that what I really wanted was to be able to relate to my spirituality in the same way that I would relate to another person. I wanted to see it as a real body, the same as my physical body. I wanted this body of my spiritual nature to be able to speak to me so that I could enjoy its wisdom and revelations; to be so close to me that I would never feel alone again. I wanted this spiritual body to always be there for me, enjoying everything with me. I wanted to enjoy its support in times of need. I wanted the type of closeness experienced by physical twins, who are tightly connected in thought and feeling.

If you try to open yourself fully to the experience of fantasy of the two bodies, you will often be surprised at what occurs. As I continued to play, I found that I could visualize the arms and legs of my spiritual body as feelings. I had never considered that emotions such as love, anger, or joy could be pictured as actual parts of a body that reached out to me. Emotions had always seemed mysterious and flighty; I felt buffeted by them constantly, feeling their force but never knowing where they lived or what they looked like. The idea that all emotions could be as substantial as my physical body was a completely new experience for me. As I continued my fantasy over the years, I began to realize that emotions actually can have form and substance. I had always felt their power; they only seemed separate and unseen.

This new knowledge showed me how limited my previous outlook had been and opened a door to the freedom of wonderful new experiences. Emotions became as real and factual to me as the chair that I was sitting on or the food that I ate. They were no longer descriptions of how I felt; they began to solidify in form. When I felt love, for instance, I could actually picture love in the room with me.

The strength of emotional power is usually diluted in our lives; very seldom does it shine clearly as a constant, powerful force in our accomplishments. People who display powerful emotions are often frightening; they seem out of control and unpredictable. Sometimes such people become quite destructive, as when a parent’s volatile temper turns to child abuse. It is understandable that control of the emotional nature is encouraged in us from childhood. The tools of Yoga, specifically the practice of ethics, help us to channel the power and strength of emotion that comes through the spiritual body into our physical personality safely and constructively.

The other important realization I had about my spiritual body, through fantasy, was that it constantly spoke to me through my intuition. I had always heard the voice of intuition in my life, but I never knew where it came from. I know now that it speaks to me directly from my spiritual nature.

Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable. (Carl Jung)

As I became more familiar with my spiritual body, I realized that it seems to lie unseen at first, but when I look for it, it takes form in strength and power; it has simply been waiting to show itself. When I encouraged it to express itself by constant invitation and awareness of its existence, it rewarded me with great insight and constant companionship. Another discovery showed me that the spiritual body emerges in us according to our unique identity. It speaks to us in language we can easily understand. No translation from a teacher is necessary in this process, because the clear communication comes to ourselves from within ourselves without words.

This process is exactly what Yoga is all about. The tools of Yoga — exercise, breathing, meditation, and ethical behavior — show a person how to build the strength, courage, and determination needed to sustain the emergence of the spiritual body as it joins forces with the physical, giving full power to the individual in the experience called the Universal Body or God consciousness.

Over time, I have come to know that the spiritual body is the anchoring force in my life. It is the unseen support for my physical body. Actually the two bodies are interdependent: the physical cannot move without the underlying support of the spiritual, and the spiritual cannot express itself in the world without the form of the physical. Together, they create a complete state of consciousness in which you to feel at home in both the seen and the unseen worlds.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE HERMAPHRODITE

The joining of the two bodies is often represented in mythology by the hermaphrodite — a being half male and half female. The female part of the hermaphrodite represents the physical body, governing action and form, and the male part represents the spiritual body of support and power; they are not two beings, but one. This is the essential premise of Kashmir Shaivism (more fully defined in Chapter 2). Both qualities, action (female) and support (male), are necessary for life, and according to Kashmir Shaivism, all life evolves from the constant, alternating flux of this state of consciousness of one united being.

The Hermaphrodite


Several Indian sculptures from the 5th century show the image of the god Shiva as a hermaphrodite, half male and half female. In this aspect, the Shiva state represents the union of opposites, showing that the divine is to be comprehended not as separate from the world but inextricably linked to it. The sculptures show us that neither manifest nor unmanifest is more important than the other.

An easy way to think of this male/female consciousness is to picture waves rippling over the surface of a vast lake. The waves on the surface represent the physical consciousness that is constantly moving, changing, adjusting, and reacting. The waves are actually supported by the deep stillness underneath the surface of the lake, but their movement conceals that stillness.

In the same way, our physical body forgets that it evolves from the underlying support of the spiritual body. It seems to be living a separate existence, and therefore always feels a longing to return to that perfect support and calm stillness. People who have not made contact with their spiritual body feel this longing constantly.

The spiritual body, on the other hand, never forgets where it comes from — in fact, it never forgets anything. It is not born, nor does it die. It has always been there, fully operational, waiting to be discovered. Encouraging it to emerge is a gift of love to yourself. The trick is to "tune in" to it, hear it speak, clearly observe its operation, and allow the fragile physical being to rest totally in the protection of its support and tremendous strength.

This concept can sometimes feel unsettling, because we are most familiar with our physical self, and so most of us believe that our physical body is the strong, dominant partner in our fantasy of the two bodies.

When the spiritual body is first coming into form, through fantasy, you will need to coax it, seduce it, and feed it, because it has had so little attention throughout your life that you may not know how to recognize it, and it may seem reluctant to emerge. But as its form begins to grow and expand in your vision, the idea of physical dominance fades away as the entire relationship becomes balanced and you realize that the two bodies have the potential and desire to become full partners in the state of God consciousness, or self-realization. This is also described in classical texts as "fullness of being."

The Physical Self as the Stranger


The two bodies have been referred to for centuries in Sanskrit terms as swa-dharma, which means "one’s own duty," and para-dharma, the duty of what is referred to as "someone else." The word swa-dharma has two parts: swa means "self" and dharma is usually translated as "duty," "religion," or "qualities." The word para-dharma also has two parts: para means "another" or "stranger," and in this case dharma would mean "qualities." Thus para-dharma means someone else’s qualities, not mine.


The qualities of both bodies are described in many texts. The physical body is described as para or "the non-self" of the material world, which includes the physical body and mind. Swa describes the spiritual body, consisting of light, power, bliss, fearlessness, and unity; it is immortal, immutable, and all-pervading.


The physical body always feels uncomfortable, as if it does not belong. In other words, the physical personality does not feel at home in the physical body. It is uncomfortable; always looking for relief. The spiritual body does not act that way because it knows that it is already at home; actually, the spiritual body owns the hotel and the stranger (the physical body) is only renting a room.

THE ULTIMATE LOVE AFFAIR

The dual-natured consciousness resulting from the joining of the physical and spiritual bodies has been illustrated in poetry and legend throughout the ages as the attraction between a male and a female. They are unable to be apart for even a moment; when they are together, there is total bliss. It is only when they seem to be separate that pain, loneliness, and suffering are experienced. True happiness lies in the realization that they never have been apart and never will be.

When this experience of joining begins to happen — even for a moment at a time — you begin to realize that your physical nature, comprised of body, breath, and mind, is only the "tip of the iceberg," a small part of the vast, powerful personality that lies hidden in all human beings. This vast state of consciousness is not usually apparent in the world except in extraordinary circumstances. We sometimes catch a glimpse of it in the superhuman performances of great musicians, dancers, athletes, and others, when for a few moments they transcend ordinary consciousness and physical limitations, thrilling us with a melodic passion or extraordinary achievement that lifts us out of our everyday existence.

This type of superhuman achievement in Yoga is attained when the person is able to call on the inner spiritual body to join with the outer physical to combine into one force able to accomplish what cannot be done by each half alone. The power that this brings about can be expressed in the thought, "I can be more than I am; I can be all I have hoped to be — and more." Even more, the pervasive, trapped, discontented feeling of fear that you could never reach the great potential of your dreams disappears as you suddenly know that anything is possible; any goal can be reached; and progress is constant.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EGO

The Bhagavad Gita, a small section from the classical Indian epic The Mahabharata, describes universal consciousness in terms of eight qualities:

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, reason, and also the ego — these constitute my lower [physical] nature. . . . The other than this, by which the whole universe is sustained, know it as my higher [spiritual] nature in the form of the life principle.

This quotation is saying that both bodies, physical and spiritual, are made up of these eight qualities.

In this section, I will focus only on the quality of ego, because I believe that using this concept will make it easier for you to make contact with your spiritual body. Because ego is a basic divine substance, it is a property of both bodies. What I call "true ego" is expressed by the spiritual body; "false ego" is expressed by the physical body. Ego is distorted when it is expressed by the physical body; that is why I call it false ego.

An example of this distortion is when you look into a mirror. You know that what you see is only a small part of what you are. You are much more than your physical reflection. In the same way, the false ego sees only a small part of who you really are. The picture of your real self will be presented to you by the true perception of your spiritual body. If you can remember these two concepts — false ego and true ego — and notice when they are operating, you will be able to recognize when ego has been distorted by the physical body, and you can begin to enlist the help of your spiritual body to help with all decisions.

Another reason that this description of the quality of ego is so important in this book on ethical principles is that false ego, which is connected with the physical body, causes the greatest problem in the practice of ethics. I will explain why later in this section.

The ego is a much misunderstood concept in today’s world, and it usually has a negative connotation in casual speech. When we say of someone, "He is egotistical," we usually mean that he thinks only of himself; in other words, we equate the term with self-centeredness.

Religion considers ego to be an impediment to spiritual development. You will also find this notion in many translations of Yogic texts; many Westernized Yoga schools perpetuate the idea that the ego is dangerous; something to be "rooted out," "given up," or "destroyed" in order for spiritual progress to take place.

The Shaivite philosophy disagrees with both these viewpoints. As you can see from the Gita text quoted at the beginning of this section, ego is considered a divine substance, a basic constituent of both bodies. It can never be destroyed or given up. Ego is credited with supplying the framework for our life support system: Ego is what gives us the will to stay alive, the impetus to breathe, and the motivation to walk, speak, and perform every other physical action. The ego cannot be destroyed, but it can be observed, and that training in observation is the beginning of making a connection with the spiritual body.

There is a simple game you can play to learn how to differentiate true ego from false ego. All you have to do is notice your emotional reactions and mentally turn them over to your spiritual body. You will find immediate relief. Here’s how it works:

Emotional reactions, which often involve some pain or fear, are a fact of daily existence. You can always tell when emotional reactions are threatening your physical body, because you will feel uncomfortable; for instance, fear causes uncomfortable feelings of anxiety and muscle tension. The physical nature believes that it must take full responsibility for these reactions and attempt to solve all problems by itself.

This is what I meant when I said that the physical body distorts ego; when faced with a problem, our physical nature acts as if it "owns" the problem; in other words, it does not recognize that help is available from our spiritual nature. In an attempt to relieve its discomfort by itself, the physical body can easily turn to self-destructive behaviors such as alcohol or drugs, or neglecting to take care of itself.

Here is a specific example: If you are afraid of a confrontation with a friend, you will feel uncomfortable and anxious even before the confrontation takes place. Perhaps part of your discomfort comes from feeling uncertain about how to handle the situation. Perhaps you cannot sleep well the night before, and find yourself unable to eat much because your stomach feels upset.

The moment you notice that feeling of discomfort, you can know that false ego is operating. When you feel that, play my game: Say to yourself, "This is false ego operating. I am uncomfortable. I am going to turn the problem over to my spiritual body for a solution." In other words, you are going to call in an extra support system to deal with the fear. You will find that you register immediate relief: When you invite the spiritual body to help you, you will find that intuition, the voice of the spiritual body, will suggest a solution to you that can transform an uncomfortable situation into a healing, productive situation. The spiritual body in fact heals emotional reaction. The anxiety disappears, the fear leaves, and your body feels calm again. This game can be used in any personal situation where you are faced with an uncomfortable emotional reaction.

This partnership with the spiritual body gives you the extra support you need, a much greater ability to transform any emotion that arises from a potentially self-destructive problem into a constructive solution that not only solves the problem but also gives you new confidence in yourself. As you will see in Chapter 4, avoiding self-destructive behavior is an important factor in all ten of the ethical guidelines of Yoga. Ethical behavior will prove to you that the spiritual body can handle any situation perfectly. Your physical body does not have to carry any burden alone.

Just Observe

If false ego is such a problem, what can you do about it? The easy formula of Shaivism says that all you have to do is notice when true or false ego is operating. No other change is demanded of you. Simply become aware of it, as in the game I described earlier, by noticing when you feel uncomfortable. According to the Shaivite philosophy, if you can do this, you will be aware when the physical body stands in the way of the true interpretation coming from the spiritual body, and you will have a choice about what to do; you will no longer be trapped by impulse.

ETHICS AND THE FEAR OF DEATH

The game that we have just described gives you the opportunity to learn how to choose. The freedom of choice is just one of the great benefits of ethical behavior. A most powerful and beautiful experience emerges as you learn to enlist the help of your spiritual body. This is because the spiritual body is always there for you. It exists forever. It does not die. Knowing this will help you overcome the fear of death, which is also a direct product of meditative practice. Meditation allows you to step beyond the restraints of the fragile physical body, which always fears death.

Once in the early years of my practice of Yoga, I decided to meditate for a few minutes as I was waiting for my family to come home for supper. I sat in a big chair in the living room and quieted myself. Suddenly I saw myself slip out through my nostrils and hover above my body. I looked down at my body quite peacefully, and eventually slipped back inside. After that experience, I never felt quite the same way about death and loss, because I began to know that I had an existence without my physical body.

The Bhagavad Gita describes this state of mind beautifully. The main characters in the Gita are Arjuna, a great warrior trained from birth to regain his rightful kingdom from his unscrupulous cousins in an ultimate battle, and his friend and guru, Krishna, who serves as his charioteer.

As the Gita begins, Arjuna is standing in his chariot observing the warriors on both sides of the battlefield. Suddenly he realizes the tremendous death and destruction that will occur because of this war, and is overcome by remorse. Krishna, seeing his grief and fear, speaks the following words, describing the spiritual body as the "soul":

Arjuna, how will anyone who knows this soul to be imperishable, eternal, and free from birth and decay cause anyone to be killed, or kill anyone? As a man discarding worn-out clothes takes other new ones, likewise the embodied soul, casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others which are new.


Weapons cannot cut it nor can fire burn it; water cannot drench it nor can wind make it dry. For this soul is incapable of being cut; it is proof against fire, impervious to water, and undriable as well. This soul is eternal, omnipresent, immovable, constant, and everlasting. This soul is unmanifest; it is unthinkable; and it is spoken of as immutable. Therefore, knowing this as such, you should not grieve.


And Arjuna, even if you regard this soul as constantly taking birth, and constantly dying, you should not grieve like this. For in that case the death of him who is born is certain; and the rebirth of him who is dead is inevitable. It does not, therefore, behoove you to grieve over an inevitable event. Arjuna, all beings were unmanifest before they were born, and will become unmanifest again when they are dead; they are manifest only in the intermediate stage. What occasion, then, for lamentation?


Hardly anyone perceives this soul as marvelous, scare another likewise speaks thereof as marvelous, and scarce another hears of it as marvelous; while there are some who know it not even on hearing of it. Arjuna, this soul residing in the bodies of all can never be slain; therefore, it does not behoove you to grieve for any being.

So we hear the great guru Krishna instruct his student to march on bravely in his life, totally dependant upon his spiritual body that will carry him through every battle that is to be fought in this physical world. He asks Arjuna to remember his long practice of ethics, which have prepared him for the battlefield. Arjuna has forgotten this in his terror, and Krishna reminds him that his soul, or the spiritual body, never dies and will carry not only himself through the battle, but everyone else as well.

When ethics are used to prepare the path for the joining of the spiritual and physical bodies, that joining becomes easy. When this happens, you will know that there is no loss in death; in fact, there can be no death. The physical wears out and changes, but the spiritual body is eternal and is never lost. Yoga philosophy says this is the real reason for all practice; many other benefits are there in plenty, but the big victory is that fear of death is gone forever; death has "lost its sting."

DELIGHT, WONDER, AND ASTONISHMENT

Fear of the unknown in ourselves, like fear of death, prevents us from experiencing the full power of our Universal Body. Ethical behavior guides us through fear, and allows the unknown in us to come forward as a friend. This, therefore, helps us to open ourselves to a spontaneous experience that is far beyond our egotistical control or imagination. The result, to use a common phrase in Kashmir Shaivism, is "delight, wonder, and astonishment." The unseen spiritual body then shows its form, a form so dear, so sweet, so absolutely loving, that, when it joins the physical, life takes on a shining confidence and power that shows in one’s face and demeanor like a mantle of royalty.

The Self, who is to be realized by the purified mind and the illumined consciousness, whose form is light, whose thoughts are true; who, like the ether, remains pure and unattached; from whom proceed all works, all desires, all odors, all tastes; who pervades all, who is beyond the senses, and in whom there is fullness of joy forever — he is my very Self, dwelling within the lotus of my heart. (Chandogya Upanishad)

And now we are almost ready to begin exploring the ten ethical guidelines of Yoga in more detail. First, in the following chapter, I will briefly outline Yoga history and philosophy to give you some background on the many perspectives offered by different schools, including Kashmir Shaivism. This will give you a context in which to place the Yogic tools that I am introducing to you in this book.

From Yoga of the Heart: Ten Ethical Guidelines for Gaining Limitless Confidence, Growth, and Achievement, by Alice Christensen (Daybreak/Rodale Books, 1998).

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