From Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ to the work on Essence At the very beginning of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we find a definition that forms and is the essence of the yogic practice: Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ. Yoga is the cessation of the movements of the mind. This sūtra is often quoted, translated, and explained, yet its radical … Continue reading Yoga, Impressions, and the Return of the Seer
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Impressions as Food for Essence Part 5
In the book The Reality of Being Jeanne de Salzmann brings an important clarification around how we can and should perceive 'impressions' in order to grow. The decisive point of inner work The moment of impression In the Gurdjieff Work, the word impression refers to a precise and critical moment: the instant at which reality … Continue reading Impressions as Food for Essence Part 5
A call to consciousness, the many I’s and the search for presence Part 4
The section 'A call to consciousness' unfolds over twelve chapters and gradually sharpens the reader’s capacity to observe themselves without illusion. In the next chapter of this section, Jeanne de Salzmann turns attention toward what feels most familiar and at the same time most unstable, the sense of I. We speak of ourselves as if … Continue reading A call to consciousness, the many I’s and the search for presence Part 4
A call to consciousness, the moment life enters Part 3
In the secton of the book 'A call to consciousness', Jeanne de Salzmann (1889, 1990) turns from the general observation I am asleep to something very precise, the moment an impression enters. This moment, she suggests, is decisive. It is where consciousness is either lost again, or has a chance to appear. An impression is … Continue reading A call to consciousness, the moment life enters Part 3
A call to consciousness, the first honest step Part 2
The opening chapters of The Reality of Being are part of a larger section of 12 short chapters, 'A call to consciousness'. This framing is essential. Jeanne de Salzmann (1889, 1990) is not presenting a theory, nor a gradual self improvement program. She is calling the reader into a direct confrontation with the fact of … Continue reading A call to consciousness, the first honest step Part 2
The Reality of Being: Entering the Work of Gurdjieff Part 1
This section is dedicated to the system of Gurdjieff and the Work The Reality of Being, entering the work of Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (c. 1866, 1949) is one of the most important and at the same time most misunderstood spiritual masters of the twentieth century. Like Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895, 1986) and Osho (1931, 1990), … Continue reading The Reality of Being: Entering the Work of Gurdjieff Part 1
The Essence of Somatic Yoga
The core of the 'new American invention' somatic yoga lies in interoception, the lived experience of the body from within. Something essential of all yoga, but redefined again due to so much confusion in the field of yoga. Yoga practice is grounded in first-person sensation rather than external form, visual imitation, or predefined outcomes. Movements … Continue reading The Essence of Somatic Yoga
Structural Yoga and Somatic Yoga
Two Epistemologies of the Body 1. Yoga as a Way of Knowing Yoga has never been merely a system of exercises. At its core, it is a discipline of perception. Every genuine yoga tradition implies a particular answer to a fundamental question: how do we know the body? Is the body something that must be … Continue reading Structural Yoga and Somatic Yoga
Surat Shabd Yoga and hearing of tinnitus, how does these relate? And how can we awaken spiritual seekers for understanding what is Nonsense and what is Truth?
In the world there is so much misunderstanding of spiritual phenomena. For instance the above question already contains a misunderstanding. Here is a dissection of the problem. Surat Shabd Yoga (also known as the Yoga of the Inner Light and Sound) places great emphasis on attuning to the Anahad Shabd or Audible Life Stream—a divine … Continue reading Surat Shabd Yoga and hearing of tinnitus, how does these relate? And how can we awaken spiritual seekers for understanding what is Nonsense and what is Truth?
Surat Shabd Yoga: A Historical Overview and Meditation Practice
Surat Shabd Yoga, often translated as the "Yoga of the Inner Light and Sound" or the "Union of the Soul with the Divine Sound Current," is a contemplative meditation tradition emphasizing direct inner experience of divine light and sound as the path to spiritual liberation. Historical Origins and Development The roots of Surat Shabd Yoga … Continue reading Surat Shabd Yoga: A Historical Overview and Meditation Practice
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