Why Say, “I Am Not My Body, Not Even My Mind?”
When I obviously am those, plus a few other things
These words are from the infamous meditation that Sadhguru developed as the central concept of the Isha-Kriya meditation practice.
The phrase ‘I am not my body, I am not even my mind’ does not deny either. Instead, it reminds us that there is much more to you than these two aspects, which tend to consume 99.9% of our focus.
The goal of the phrase, when combined with each in and out breath, is to assist the meditator’s mind via seed ideas to open the awareness of the True Self, manifesting in consciousness all aspects of your being.
Last week, I explored this doorway of the self to the Eternal Self:
For years, many, including myself, would argue there is nothing else besides the perceptions of the body and senses and the thoughts and emotions of the mind.
Thirty years after my initial awakening to realms beyond the physical and mental, I now experience the sensual, mental, and extraordinarily energetic dimensions with heightened perception, all of which exist in the present moment.
As Sadhguru confirms, you can also be aware of the Eternal, Divinely connected root of your being. You are experiencing it now, but it’s often so quiet it can be almost invisible.
Isha Kriya is like a magnifying glass focusing on this elusive quality of the self. His effect brings this part of the self into full awareness. This meditation is not the only practice that will reveal this subtle but potent element of the self.
As a human, you manifest this physical plane of existence in multiple ways, which has roots in several different energetic processes and dimensions.
Cosmic Fire
One such dimension is the darkness between the stars, the cosmic background around us, and within.
The seemingly “empty” space between all the “stuff” in the Universe contains the unlimited and all-potent source of all energy and life in the Universe, powering the in-breath of this Universal cycle.
On a cosmic scale, this in-breath continuously expands the space between the stars from our perspective. This principle drives the phenomenon of lightning and the illumination of the stars. A thunderstorm billows into the sky, and friction builds between billions of drops of water until a bolt flashes across the sky and discharges. This is one of nature’s great spectacles of force-turned power.
Another process from this source gives light to the Universe from stars, of which our Sun is one.
This expansion of the Universe is also taking place in you! Your in-breath is an echo of this incredible process. Each time you take a breath, the expansion of your chest and lungs brings in air and subtle life energy.
Practice One — Expansive Electric Air
Let’s try it:
As you inhale, bring awareness to your lungs as they fill with air and the energy from the air. Continue this way for ten or twenty breaths, and you will feel a buzz of energy throughout your entire being.
The tingling you feel is this energy manifesting as electricity in every nerve cell and neuron in your body.
If you close your eyes, you may see sparks in your visual field; this is the actual visual manifestation of this energy firing between the neurons in your brain. Yes, you can directly observe your brain's screen. In future practices, we will expand on this unique vision.
Ask yourself: Who is observing this screen of my brain?
Prana
In the tradition of Sadhguru and Yoga, this energy is called prana. All living beings have an energy body, and you are no exception.
Humans have Earth’s most well-developed neural network, allowing us, with little training, to perceive subtle energies and dimensions impossible for the other animals we share this planet with.
The mystics and occultists of old referred to these energies as the four elements: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. However, today, we can describe them with much greater precision than this ancient adage.
Life Force
The main energy we experience through sensation is our life force—the energy generated by our breath and cellular metabolism that fuels consciousness within the brain. The “elements” involved are fire (metabolism) and, of course, Air (Breath).
The most magnetic of all energies within us, the energy the ancients called “water,” exists within all our body’s cells, the blood, and the cerebral fluid that encapsulates the spine and brain.
Learn more about this force and its role in Yoga and Kundalini.
The quality of this prana is its mutability, meaning it can flow freely through the body, from the body, from person to person, and, in its most refined form, has no limitation in distance or time.
This mutable substance is also the prana of the will. This is where the “magnetic” quality comes in, as it can attract or repel. In its lowest vibrational form, it is lust and desire, envy and jealousy. In a higher vibration, it is love, and higher still, in its most intense vibration, it is devotion to the Divine.
Practice Two — The Beauty of Love
Are you ready to try?
Take a few deep breaths like before, but this time, imagine someone you most dearly love as you breathe.
Think about how dear this one is to you; emotionally feel your love for them.
Don’t hold back; just let your love flow.
Your heart will open wide, and a feeling of devotion will pull you to them. This outpouring of surrender may bring you to tears. Connect with their presence and feel their innermost life force.
Now allow their love to echo back to you, filling your heart inward with absolute devotion to you.
You may experience an overwhelming release, a sense of absolute acceptance and deliverance flowing through you; it might feel like a wave you’ll want to surrender to. Embrace it fully; allow everything to flow in and out simultaneously.
The Divine Feminine
You may have figured this out from the exercise: this is the feminine creative force of the Universe that brings everything back together. This force exists in the Universe as an echo of the previous cosmic cycle. Thus, it is magnetic and attractive rather than repulsive and expressive.
Yes, this is the great law of attraction, which becomes even more profound and powerful when interacting with the physical body. This force is known as Kundalini, and it can propel your being into Union with the Divine through the channel of the self.
