Have you experienced Yoga as a spontaneous happening?
I just completed an extraordinary 21-day spiritual retreat called Sadshivoham 2016 conducted by my Guru, a living incarnation, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji) in Bengaluru adheenam from 1st – 21st December, where I had so many incredible spiritual experiences at various levels – physical, psychological, physiological and neurological transformations. One particular experience was the initiation into Nithyananda Yoga as per Adi-Yogi, Sadashiva had intended more than 10,000 years ago.
As a yoga teacher for the last 15 years, this was the first time I tasted the power of Yoga at its pristine expression. Yoga is about experiencing your highest possibility while being in oneness with the Source, expressing extraordinary powers of Sadashiva . I can say this was really an exceptional powerful experience that inspired me to share with the world in my blog.
Swamiji’s advent on planet earth in this incarnation is to create Vedic renaissance to its original glory, one key pillar is the revival of the original form of Yoga according to Agamas – the Source book written by Sadashiva. In Agamas, Sadashiva outlined the Science of Yoga in Yogapada – the scriptures and instructions for Yoga in preparing the body-mind to enter into bhava samadhi (the embodied state of consciousness) where Yoga can be experienced. Swamiji shared that this was the way he was trained by his Yoga Guru, Yogiraj Yogananda Puri at the age of 3 in Thiruvannamalai. He revealed that there should be no effort in Yoga, regardless of age, body shape or weight, Yoga can happen for anyone just by having entanglement with an Avatar, a living incarnation whose muscle memory and bio memory radiate the fragrance and nectar of Yoga.
All practices of Yoga eventually aim to awaken the Kundalini Shakti (the inner potential energy) which is the primordial energy which is coiled at the base energy center of the human spine called Muladhara chakra. By his presence and energy process, Swamiji awakened the Kundalini Shakti in every participant and entangled us to the state of oneness (Advaita) with him.
The Kundalini Shakti awakened my innate body intelligence and it started to move spontaneously the way it wanted to express. My body started to move gracefully into a continuous flow of Yogasanas (yoga postures) and Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation), I entered into a totally new zone where I became a witness to the entire happening in my body, it was aligning itself to fall in tune with the energy of Super Consciousness where the mind ceased to exist in the space. Each expression of movement was filled with incredible power, strength and flexibility, it felt like a dance of joyous celebration, a celebration of intense life. The body muscles felt literally stretched to its highest possibility and I could feel a deep sense of healing happened at various levels of my body. The body was perspiring with the intensity of the energy process but at the same time, I was in great ecstasy because the physical body was in extreme ease-ness – something I have not experienced before. Usually most of us are constantly reminded of the certain discomfort, incompletion even subtle hatred for our body due to the aches or perceived limitations. For the first time, I felt an immense gratitude for this amazing body – a temple of my Being, for allowing me to do what I needed to do in the outer world. After a while, I settled into a meditative sitting pose (Vajrasana) and fell into a deep silence with a blissful smile on my face. With the cessation of the mind, and tremendous ease-ness as well as completion with the body, I fell into the state of Samadhi – Yoga with the Source.
In the second session with Swamiji, I also learned something new – Apana (one of the pancha pranas – 5 actions of life force) is the undigested prana, which is trapped in the body joints, is responsible for causing body stiffness and inflexibility. The apana can be released by activating the 3rd energy center and 2nd energy center – Manipukara and Swadhistana through a cathartic process of sound release with awakened Kundalini Shakti. Interestingly, this time was an intense cleansing by a release of sounds and stored emotions/memories. The moment I was allowed myself to let go without inhibitions, the trapped apana left the body through the release of sounds.
In a heightened state of awareness, Swamiji encouraged the group of participants to get into Sirsasana (headstand). You should know that I had injured my cervical spine in 2001 from a fall while doing Sirsasana, as a result I always avoided Sirsasana practice since I didn’t want to aggravate my neck injury. It was only in the recent 2 years that I started to include preparatory postures like Gohiasana and Sarvangasana to strengthen my core muscle for headstand. However, I always require a wall support for security. In this session, he totally shattered my thought pattern of fear and cognition of what I could do.
So in an altered state of consciousness and in the presence of Adi-Guru (first Guru), I experienced my possibility – a new confidence and trust that if he had told me to do it, I surely can do it. In the space of possibility, I focused on my intention, my body and my breathing. I started to move into steps of headstand in slow motion consciously – from Gohiasana to Sirsasana by myself without any support of a wall or a person. While up there, you can imagine how ecstatic and fulfilling I was to cognize this breakthrough – something I couldn’t have imagined without the presence of a living incarnation.
Having experienced Yoga at its very Source, I discovered that we can perform many challenging postures unimaginable if we are able to go beyond the limitation of the mind. With awakened Kundalini energy, the more we experience our higher possibilities and hidden power, the greater the shift in perception of self. You suddenly realise you are a possibility. From my own personal experience, besides a very deep completion with this body where the body was oozing the nectar of bliss (amrita), you feel the oneness with the Source.
When I looked back in my journey towards Yoga, ever since Swamiji started to speak on Yoga Sutras by Patanjali in 2009, I have been aligning my practice based on the Yoga Sutras till now. In Sadashivoham, he initiated me into this experience of Nithyananda Yoga. With the latest launch of Nithyananda Yoga book – volume#1 based on the extensive compilation of Yogapada from Agamas (books.nithyananda.org) to be shared with the world freely, I feel that he is guiding me into the next level of expansion in my Yoga by revealing Yoga from its very Source. As a living yoga teacher, this is the greatest blessing because it is going to be the main reference book which will form the backbone of my practice and yoga classes based on the original scriptures and instructions from Sadashiva. I certainly want to share this exciting expansion with my students so that they also get a glimpse of this divine experience of Yoga.
If you have always associated Yoga with only postures, breathing and meditation, think again. Yoga is rooted from Sanatana Hindu Dharma which dates back to more than 60,000 years ago. If you are interested to experience Yoga in its purest form, come and learn it from a living incarnation of Sadashiva at Inner Awakening (https://innerawakening.org), Swamiji will not only completely shake the very idea you carry about your body-mind and your possibilities, he will also change your understanding and experience of Yoga and life. Namaste.