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The
Importance of Energy
From Awaken
to Superconsciousness, by Swami Kriyananda
Energy is the
cornerstone of the yoga teachings. Many meditation teachings insist
that to rise above body-consciousness one should ignore the body
altogether. In so doing they demonstrate philosophical purity, but
fall short of rational clarity. The fact is, we cannot afford to
ignore the body. We must eat to stay alive. We must breathe, sleep,
and in many ways respond to the body's needs. Even if our goal in
life is to meditate, we may as well accept that our bodies are real
to us in our present state of existence. They can be ignored only
at our peril.
An airplane
pilot, before flying, may be mentally already soaring in the heavens,
but he knows that to fly safely the essential parts of his plane
must be checked carefully to make sure they are functional.
Vagueness in
meditation produces vague results. Similarly, vagueness in our interaction
with the body produces only vague success in our attempts to rise
above body-consciousness. Better than ignoring the body is to understand
how body-consciousness obstructs meditation, and then to remove
the actual cause of that obstruction.
Energy is the
link, usually missed, between body and mind. For lack of awareness
of the energy, many meditators never get off the ground, metaphorically
speaking. That is why Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, addressing
this particular controversy, says, "O Arjuna, be thou a yogi!"
Back to: Energization
Exercises: Increase the Flow of Energy
Back to:
Techniques to Enhance Your Practice
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