Yoga Darshan: Vision of the Yoga Upanishads by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

Author:Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati [Saraswati, Swami Niranjanananda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yoga Publications Trust
Published: 2016-08-02T18:30:00+00:00

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Laya Yoga

The next yoga that has been discussed in the Yoga Upanishads is laya yoga. In theory, laya yoga is similar to both kriya and kundalini yoga. In kriya and kundalini yoga the practices aim at awakening the chakras and nadis, and they deal more with the experiences of the psychic body. The techniques of laya yoga are more meditative in nature. They deal with the various expressions of consciousness, combining and harmonizing those expressions with the manifestation of energy.

Upanishadic kriya yoga

The theory of how the energy evolves from mooladhara to sahasrara, plus the awakening of kundalini, is similarly dealt with in laya yoga. It could be termed the upanishadic kriya yoga. Laya means ‘dissolution’. What does one dissolve here? Energy is not dissolved, rather it is awakened, and dissolution of mind is achieved in kundalini yoga as one progresses through the chakras. Laya yoga is not just having a vision or experience on a pranic or mental level, it is dissolving oneself completely in the cosmic self. This dissolution is seen in the transformation of the normal patterns of consciousness. The nature which was bound to manifestation becomes transcendent. The experience of laya yoga is so profound that it is like death and rebirth; there is total dissolution of the limited, mapped nature and rebirth to a new dimension.

Let us compare the laya yoga of the Upanishads with the kriya or the kundalini yoga of the tantras. Kriya and kundalini yoga both work with the energy structure. The energy is gradually raised from mooladhara to sahasrara, and this raising of energy is the kundalini experience. However, this awakening must take place in two different areas: the area of energy and the area of consciousness.

In kundalini yoga there is a tendency to sidestep the experiences related to mind and consciousness. The conscious experiences are not negated, but there is more emphasis on directing the flow of ida, pingala and sushumna energies, on sensitizing and developing the experience of the chakras in the form of energy whirlpools. On the other hand, in laya yoga, side by side with the awakening of energy, one must observe the changes taking place in the field of consciousness. These changes manifest in the form of an altered thinking process, an altered analytical process, altered patterns of awareness, and so forth.

In kundalini yoga there is an effort to concentrate on the energy pattern, rather than on the awareness of the changes taking place at the conscious level, with the idea that transformation of energy will balance out and harmonize the changes that take place in the planes of consciousness. In laya yoga the drive towards externalization which seemed inherent in the senses, mind and emotions has been overcome; even the remaining samskaras lead towards the inner realms of samadhi.

Lokas or levels of consciousness

In laya yoga, consciousness is observed more intensely and energy simply becomes the tool or medium through which changes within the consciousness take place. So kundalini yoga deals mainly with the seven major chakras:

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