“When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still.” – Hatha Yoga Pradipika
My journey of ‘Cleansing the Spirit’ has been a life long journey, beginning from birth. As of late, the phrase ‘Cleansing the Spirit’ has been circulating within my mind. So, during the past 2 weeks, I decided to take some time and let my thoughts flow, through the typing of the keys on this old keyboard. Below is what followed:
My insightful phrase, Cleansing the Spirit, led me to a site related to the granthis (chakras), the energy centers in our bodys’ core. Below is a brief description of the main centers, that which energy circulates through and charges the chakras, circulating back to the main centers of energy, The Granthis.
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Brahma Granthi: First knot. It is the lowest knot covering the area of muladhara [pelvic plexus] & svadhisthana [hypogastic plexus, area below navel] chakras. It is also known as perineal knot.
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Vishnu Granthi: Second knot. It covers the area between Nabhi or manipura [solar plexus, stomach], anahata [cardiac plexus, heart] & vishuddhi (carotid plexus, throat/speech] chakras. It is also known as the navel knot.
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Rudra Granthi: Third knot. It covers the areas of Ajna [Medalu plexus, center between the brows] & Sahasrara [cerebral gland, crown]chakras. It is also known as forehead knot.
These three knots prevent the free flow of prana along chakras & prevent the arising of kundalini.
Brahma granthi
“When the Brahma granthi (in the heart) is pierced through by Pranayama, then a sort of happiness is experienced in the vacuum of the heart, and the anahat sounds, like various tinkling sounds of ornaments, are heard in the body.” Hatha Yoga Pradipika. 4.69
“Brahma granthi is the manifest force of life & creation… It is linked with the urge to procreate & with deep, instinctive knowledge, awareness & desires of sex. It is known as blockage of Brahma [spirit] because it holds our consciousness at the level which is related to the desires of the physical dimensions like sensuality, sex, procreation & the instinctive urge to survive which cannot be transcend. Once this blockage is removed from the realm of consciousness & energy, instincts of the deep rootedness & energy are released.
Vishnu Granthi
“Vishnu Granthi is the area where the personality & the body are sustained… the sustaining aspect of all our human dimensions is governed by these three chakras which vitalize, feed, nurture & balance the subtle bodies. This is the function of the Vishnu granthi. Once the Vishnu granthi blockage is removed we begin to draw energy to sustain ourselves from the universe & not from the localized centers of body like lungs. The energies of the body become harmonious with the energies of the cosmos. The interaction between the individual personality & the cosmos begins to happen naturally & spontaneously.
Rudra granthi
“When the Rudra granthi is pierced, and the air enters the seat of the Lord (the space between the eyebrows), then the perfect sound like that of a flute is produced.” Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
Rudra grathi represents the transformation of an existing form, idea or concept into the universal aspect. Here there is a breaking away of the old, the ego awareness, the “I” Awareness, the mental awareness, the physical awareness & an evolving of the sixth sense or the eye of intuition, as the third eye of Lord Shiva… The sixth sense & beyond is the state where the omniscient nature of consciousness is experienced, where the past, present & future become known. With that omniscient awareness in hand we move on to Sahasrara, where the final merger of the individual soul or atman with the universal, cosmic soul, takes place.
Information found at: Granthis Blocks
Above is a large quote related to something ‘invisible’ yet runs our life. I feel the flow of this energy in certain areas of my body, particularly during Yoga if I diligently do my practice for a period of 3 days in a row, at least…when I am consistent in my practice, I feel this ‘coiled’ energy become released…
The energy is felt, at first, as a lightness in the pelvic ‘floor’, beginning in the lower back (colon area), and it spreads, feeling like a warm blanket beneath the skin, around to the hips, filling the pelvic floor, like a bowl, of warm light energy. This is the beginning of feeling the subtle body. The pelvic bowl is light, and the bones beneath the skin are felt… The process has begun; the rise of this energy.
It is up to you, through your breath and pose, to raise the energy from your pelvic floor, up your spine, and into your heart and crown. You literally, if your mind is ‘one-pointed’, meaning silenced or focused, for even a moment… you literally feel the energy rise… and when it hits a block, it is not the most pleasing sensation. First there is tension… a lot of tension and resistance (especially in the area behind you ribs, where your heart and lungs lie, in the Brahma Granthi), and with that comes strain that leads to pain – emotional pain, not physical… it is very uncomfortable at first, but if you push through it, in time, and maybe even at the end of your complete practice for that day… in time (minutes, seconds, hours, days, which ever you decided for yourself…) In time, you will feel a heat in the area(block) that you felt the tension, the pain, the resistance will ‘burn’ away through the heat, the ‘fire’ of this energy…
There is a reason why desire, passion, is felt like a fire… the soul, made of light, is felt like a fire within, because when ignited (when in tune/felt, through the silence of the mind, stillness of breath) it truly feels like a heat rising within, and quickens the heart… it is fearsome, exhilarating… beautifully strange, foreign, and wholly familiar, all at once… it is a process felt in steps… but one day, the steps will come together, and form a staircase, leading to liberation…. A fire creation… felt within, seen without in subtle ways… your skin will glow, your eyes will shine… all will feel in some way the essence of your being, but most importantly… YOU will feel the essence of YOU… and truly be YOU… not a persona, not a glimpse, not a fragment, but wholly, completely… YOU, spirit, fire… creation… all is within YOU and will shine through.
Tune in next week for ‘Cleansing the Spirit’ Part 2.
Inside A Soul 