A Delicate Current Of Love Energy: Radiance Sutras Verse 12

During this session, we discuss Verse 12 of the Yukti Verses from the 'Radiance Sutras, a translation of the Vijanana Bhairava Tantra by Lorin Loche. A meditation follows our discussion. These sessions are recorded on a weekly basis and all are welcome.

Transcript

And today we're reading Sutra 12 or Yukti verse 12 on page 47 if anyone has the book.

And if you don't have the book,

That's awesome.

What we're going to do is I'm going to read the passage and then we're going to have a discussion about it.

We have the discussion and the discussion is based on this book,

It's based on this other book,

The Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra,

The Ascent by Swami Satya Sagananda Saraswati.

And in the magic bookshelf on the weekend I found another one,

Vijnana Bhairava,

Divine Consciousness.

I found another book about it.

So our world is expanding,

So that's exciting.

So we're going to have our discussion and then at the end we're going to do a meditation.

And at the end of the meditation I will read this in Sanskrit and then in English.

So let's everybody close our eyes.

Let's just breathe deeply,

Expanding the belly as we inhale,

Contracting as we exhale,

Releasing your shoulders down the back.

With every inhale connecting to your divine self,

Your eternal soul.

With every exhale letting go of our current life,

Concerns,

Worries.

The tantras ask us to go back,

Back to a time that we knew the truth,

That we lived the truth,

You know,

There was no separation between God and self.

And from this place,

Let's listen to these words.

There is a current of love energy that flows between earth below and sun above.

The central channel of your spine is the riverbed.

The streaming is as delicate and powerful as the tingling touch of lovers.

Entering here,

Radiance arches between above and below.

Your whole attention resting in the subtle,

Vibrating in the center of the spinal column.

Tracing this current between earth and sun,

Become magnetism relating all the worlds.

Where do those words take you?

What feelings do they bring up?

What words stick in your mind as above so below,

Divine connection,

Currents of energy from your spine to the sun,

Tingling touches of energy,

The vibration of true love's connection,

Grounded to earth and connection to the universe.

So in that note,

The first word in the sutra is madhya.

And madhya means middle.

It means that which is in between.

It means the conduit.

Exactly.

So if you imagine the human body is the conduit for the magnetism between the earth and the sun,

The earth and the galaxy.

We are in the middle,

Our connection to source.

If you imagine source energy comes from the earth and it comes from the galaxy,

The heavens,

The sky,

The sun.

However we understand that infinite energy.

But we are the center of all of that.

Have you ever seen a torus or a toroidal field?

If you imagine the human being in the center and energy is maybe flowing up through the crown out into the infinite world down to the earth,

The energy is coming up through the earth and it's sort of flowing out in all directions,

Creating a kind of donut formation.

Or maybe it's coming the other way.

The energy is coming down from the heavens through the crown down to the earth out into the universe and it's cycling this way.

But we are in the madhya.

We are in the middle.

We are the conduit for this energy.

So you imagine this and we'll imagine a bit deeper later.

But imagine walking down the street and as your feet touch the earth it feels that negative magnetic pull touching the earth and then that creates a conduit up through the body and we have this sunshine coming from the top.

For the energy of the cosmos,

Whether it's raining or snowing or cloudy,

But we have this amazing energy from the top and we are just feeling this energy as we walk through the world or as we sit here listening right now to feel your crown chakra open,

To feel your earth chakra down into the earth and with every breath feeling that energy flowing through us as a conduit.

Another thing to ponder about this.

So the first word in the Kriya is actually in the Sutra is actually Madhya Nadi.

And Madhya Nadi means the middle energy channel,

The Sushmana.

The Sushmana that runs from the crown to the base of our spine.

If you imagine this energy channel down the center,

Like we've got tens of thousands of energy channels of Nadis,

They call them N-A-D-I,

That's how we write it in English.

Coming out of the right and left nostril is the Ida and the Pingala which are two more powerful Nadis.

Ida rests in the left nostril and Pingala rests in the right.

And they come out and then they circle,

They cross through all of the chakras on their journey down to the first chakra where the Kundalini lives in the Konda where all the nerve plexus come together,

All the Nadis come together and the Kundalini lies there dormant.

Well what's really interesting is Ida which is the one that lands in the left nostril.

So the left nostril,

Ida is everything we bring into the world,

Everything we bring into our bodies.

It's the prana,

It's the life force,

It's news,

It's books,

It's conversations,

It's everything.

It's everything we bring in through Ida.

And Pingala is everything we release.

So the breath is this constant everything I bring in,

Everything I let go,

Everything I bring in,

Everything I let go.

Well it's wild and you also can look at the Ida,

The left nostril cross hatches to the right brain.

So the left nostril is also more connected to that moon energy,

What's beneath the earth,

What's unseen,

The feminine,

Flow.

Whereas Pingala is the right nostril and it cross hatches to the left brain which is what we normally think about as being math,

Science,

Structure,

Spreadsheets,

Order,

Sun energy.

And I've read different accounts of this but generally in the yogic tantric world it's understood that we normally breathe predominantly through one nostril for an hour and 20 minutes and then we shift to the other one.

Different people say different things.

So even right now if you kind of just put your finger under each nostril and just breathe you'll get a sense of which nostril is predominant right now.

And there's a high chance that you may be dominant in the left nostril right now because you're in a listening phase which is the feminine.

But you might be in the other one as well.

But what's interesting is,

So you're going through your life and you're sort of predominantly on one side and then an hour and 20 minutes later you shift to the other and you shift to the other and this is the idea that we're constantly feeding both brains.

What's crazy is in the moment that we shift nostril dominance,

Kundalini rises up the shushmana.

In one of the translations they actually talk about that within one should meditate on the inner space of the medial nadi,

The shushmana,

Situated in the central axis of the body,

The spinal column,

Which is as slender as a fiber of the lotus stem.

And then by the grace of Devi the divine is revealed.

So they talk about how within the shushmana there is even a more subtle nadi that the kundalini rises through.

So now imagine this for a moment.

Imagine we have this silver thread running through this central channel and every time we shift nostril dominance a little bit of kundalini comes up the channel,

Coming up through all the chakras.

And in that moment you're a little bit more creative.

In that moment if you sat down to meditate it would be easy.

The idea through kundalini practice or tantric practice or yogic practice is that we expand that time where we are experiencing the shift from side to side,

That we're experiencing more of this kundalini going up the central channel.

So now imagine in your day to day life,

You're kind of going along and you've got a job to do,

You've got a project you're working on,

You're driving,

Whatever it is you're doing,

But you're kind of singularly focused.

Even if you're being distracted you've got this thing that you're trying to finish.

What if every so often during the day you feel a little different,

Like just something,

You're just doing something and all of a sudden you have some urge to just sit quietly for a moment or close your eyes or you suddenly have an urge to draw something or you suddenly have an urge to sit and write.

What if we didn't override that urge and we honored it no matter what and we almost expected that about every hour and a half I was going to have a little bit of a moment and I'm just going to sit and meditate for a moment or I'm just going to dance or I'm just going to do whatever.

Like what if we honored those moments?

And the funny thing is we may not even be aware of them.

We may not even be aware that they're happening.

But what if we allowed them?

What if we expected them?

What if as we walked through our life we expected that all of a sudden there'd be a moment where I suddenly feel really peaceful?

Even if I'm really hurting,

Even if I'm really angry or I'm really frustrated,

All of a sudden there's a moment where I'm feeling okay and then I shift back into whatever consciousness I'm in.

But what if in that moment we sat down and expanded it?

Wouldn't that be interesting?

Wouldn't that kind of redefine the idea of living a spiritual life?

That I kind of go about my day-to-day business?

I'm doing the dishes,

Doing this,

And instead of finishing the dishes no matter what,

If I'm suddenly inspired to just sit quietly or write something,

I honor that over finishing the dishes,

Over finishing the assignment.

Because I think it's special.

Like you imagine if we're awake for 16 hours a day and our nostrils shift sides every hour and 20 minutes,

I don't know,

Like 12 or 13 times a day,

There'd be a moment when you suddenly feel this beautiful centeredness and then you shift into the other nostril.

Wouldn't that be a fun experiment?

We're going to,

After I finish chit-chatting,

We're going to practice Nadi Shodhana,

Which is alternate nostril cleansing.

And it's interesting when you imagine that this meditation pranayama that we're going to do is literally done in every yogic tradition.

And what's it all about?

Switching nostrils intentionally.

So we're not waiting,

We're actually doing it intentionally.

And what's interesting about that is you can breathe with one side,

Then the other side,

Which we'll do,

And then we'll do the switching.

But it really does make you feel very,

And I'm going to say spacey,

But what if spacey is connected?

It's a very,

Very interesting journey of pranayama when the goal is to actually feel these little flickers of kundalini rising.

Here's something else I wanted to share with you,

Which was really interesting.

That there's a Swami,

Swami Satyananda,

And he basically said that the goal of a yogi is to completely clear the body,

Mind,

Spirit,

Everything,

So that the kundalini can flow effortlessly through the shushmana.

But what he said here,

And I don't really have a lot to say about it,

I just feel like I need to share it with you.

He said,

If for some reason the kundalini doesn't rise up the shushmana,

And it goes up the ida instead,

You'll be a prophet.

And if it doesn't go up the shushmana,

And it goes up the pingala instead,

You'll be a healer.

But if it does go directly up the central channel,

Then you will be a free soul,

A jiva mukti.

I've never heard this before,

But the only thing that comes to me when I hear that is how we said that ida is all about what we bring in.

So you wonder,

If the kundalini is flowing up the ida,

Nadi,

Is that like inspired thought coming in?

Is that what that is?

Right?

Because it's what's coming into our body,

In through the system.

And if kundalini's rising through ida,

Is that what brings us inspired thought?

And I don't know this,

This is not official yogic doctrine,

This is just me pondering it this morning.

In pingala,

If kundalini is flowing up the pingala,

This is what we release,

So is this what gives us healing energy?

That we release the kundalini through pingala to others?

It's very intriguing to me.

So we're going to do a pranayama.

We're going to play with this alternate nostril switching.

Let's actually just stretch out,

If you're sitting still,

Maybe just you want to stretch your legs for a minute,

Stretch out your arms and your shoulders.

Allow your body to release and get ready for meditation.

What book am I reading that info from?

Sri Vibhishana by Ravatantra,

The Ascent.

What he says,

What the paragraph says is,

The yogi aspires for the awakened kundalini to enter shushmana and no other nadi to travel upwards.

If for some reason kundalini enters ida or pingala nadi instead,

There could be either mental or physical imbalance and the spiritual journey of the sadhaka would suffer a set back as the development or progress would not be total but conditional.

In his book Kundalini Tantra,

Swami Satyananda says that if there is awakening in pingala,

One becomes a healer.

When there is an awakening in ida,

One becomes a prophet.

But when shushmana awakens,

Kundalini ascends straight to the sahasraha,

Which is the crown chakra and one becomes a jivanmukti,

A liberated soul.

This could be an extraordinary amazing practice one can bring to one's growth and higher self.

Totally a prophet,

More a prophet like this.

One who sees and shares what they receive.

All right,

So let's sit nice and tall.

Breathing deeply,

Closing our eyes,

As we inhale,

Expanding the belly,

As we exhale,

Releasing the belly.

We really want to make sure that we're expanding the belly,

The ribs,

The upper chest as we inhale and contracting as we exhale.

I'd like you to place your left hand in gyan mudra,

Index and thumb tips together.

The other three fingers are straight and just let your hand rest,

Palm facing up on your left knee in gyan mudra.

Our right hand is going to come up,

Rest your index and your middle finger against your forehead.

Place your thumb against your right nostril just lightly and we're just going to breathe deeply through the left nostril.

Really focus on expanding the belly,

The ribs,

The upper chest as you inhale,

Contracting as you exhale.

We're going to do this for about a minute.

Really deeply go into your inhales,

Elongate your exhale,

Go into all the corners of your lungs,

Your diaphragm.

Let's gently change sides.

Your right hand is going into gyan mudra,

Your left hand is going to come up,

Index and middle fingers on your forehead,

Thumb against the nostril,

Inhaling and exhaling through the right nostril.

Again,

Let's change sides.

The left hand is in gyan mudra,

Right coming up to block the right nostril.

Inhale inhaling and exhaling through the left nostril.

I'd like you to add the awareness of this thread-like energy channel going from your sacrum,

From the earth,

Up through your spine to the crown of your head.

Even though you're breathing out of one side,

Imagine the energy is moving up the central channel and down it.

Expand your breathing to allow for this flow up the spine.

Let's change sides.

Right hand in gyan mudra,

Left hand up coming up to block,

Adding the awareness of this delicate reed,

This delicate string-like energy channel where the light,

The kundalini energy is gently flowing,

Nourishing your spine,

Nourishing your chakras.

Now let's place our left hand in gyan mudra.

We're going to change sides.

But now we're going to place our middle finger and our index finger on our forehead like before.

Take a deep breath in through the nose,

Plug the right nostril,

Exhale through the left.

Inhale through the left,

Plug the left nostril with your ring finger,

Exhale through the right.

Inhale through the right,

Plug the right,

Exhale through the left.

Inhale through the left,

Exhale through the right.

Inhale through the right,

Exhale through the left.

So the pattern is exhale,

Inhale on each side.

While you're doing this,

Bring your awareness to that central channel like the ida and pingala are massaging the central channel,

Allowing the kundalini to gently pulse upward,

Making sure that your belly is expanding as you inhale,

Contracting as you exhale.

Then release your right hand down to your knee,

So with both hands in gyan mudra,

Just breathe naturally through the nose,

Feel the energy flowing up the central channel.

Madhyanadi Madhyasamstha,

Visa Sutrava,

Rupaya,

Dayata,

Antar,

Vyomaya,

Devya,

Taya,

Deva,

Prakashate.

There is a current of love energy that flows between earth below and sun above.

The central channel of your spine is the riverbed.

The streaming is as delicate and powerful as the tingling touch of lovers.

Entering here,

Radiance arches between above and below,

Your whole attention resting in the subtle,

Vibrating in the center of the spinal column.

Tracing this current between earth and sun,

Become magnetism relating all the worlds.

Let's take a deep breath in together,

Exhale and release the mudra,

Release your posture.

Let's come back together.

The Ida is connected to the left nostril and this cross-hatches to the right brain,

Which is the moon energy,

The feminine.

The right nostril is pingala and it cross-hatches to the left brain,

The math,

The science,

The structure,

The masculine,

The sun energy.

You can play with that.

If you're having trouble relaxing,

Then you want to access the moon energy,

The right brain.

So you want to be breathing through the left nostril.

So you might just sit and plug the right nostril and just breathe through the left nostril,

Right?

Because it's cross-hatching to the right brain,

The artistic side,

The moon energy.

And this will calm us right down.

Or maybe we're too calm,

Maybe we're feeling foggy and we need clarity,

We need sun energy,

We need structure.

Then you want to plug the left nostril and you want to breathe through the right nostril and that will cross-hatch to the left brain,

Bringing us clarity,

Structure.

Are you supposed to block the nostril completely?

No,

You don't have to.

Because the thing is,

It's just a suggestion to the body to shift nostril breathing.

So even if you just touch the nose,

Just near the septum,

That will be enough to tell yourself to go to the other nostril,

Right?

Just a gentle,

Gentle touch and you'll naturally shift nostrils.

So it's not like we're blocking it so it can't come out.

It's not like that.

It's just a shift.

Because even when we're breathing,

When you're dominantly breathing,

Say,

Through your left nostril,

You are still breathing through your right.

It's just mostly through the left and then it's mostly through the right.

So to simply just touch the nostril,

It just allows the dominance to shift.

That's all that matters.

It doesn't really matter if airflow still happens.

How do you enjoy life and still be quiet inside?

How do you balance?

See,

That's where I love the idea of being Zorba the Buddha.

This was,

I think Osho created this persona where you want to live life like Zorba the Greek who was this story about him.

And he was just like wine,

Woman,

And song and just live life to the fullest.

Just enjoy everything.

Smell every rose.

Just do everything you possibly want to do.

But do it with the presence of the Buddha.

Do it with a meditative consciousness.

But fully enjoy life.

And that's to me how you really have balance.

Always have this stability inside,

This sanctuary inside.

But then to go out in life and take risks and try new things and really live,

But do it with this deep,

Deep knowing and deep safe place inside.

Well,

Thanks so much.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Reviews

I love coming back to these beautiful places 1st 2nd or 3rd, even if we did it together. There is so much beauty & depth I absorb every time❣️♡°•☆✨️🙏🏼

Incredible as always. So soothing just listening to your voice.

I’ve been getting help from a network chiropractic healer for 12 years now. Basically tending the health of my spine, the conduit of love between Earth and the Sun. This verse speaks to me so deeply. I have practiced alternate nostril breathing through my yoga practice and have always noticed that my left nostril is not breathing as clearly as my right. I have always been good at structure, math, science. But what passions me most is art. I never knew that the nostrils were a conduit to the opposite brain hemisphere. It so makes sense. Studying these verses and listening to you ponder about them is such a delight to me Katrina. Thank you for sharing your curiosity with all of us. I’ll pay attention to the switch and cease the moment to be a magnet of love then 🥰

Soo happy to receive those words... absolutely resonates with me...feeling relaxed and powerful and the same moment...thanks a lot for sharing 🙏💓