KUNDALINI YOGA AND AND TEN BODIES OF CREATIVITY
Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga, on the Ten Bodies
"You have a spiritual body, you have mental negative, mental positive, mental neutral, then you have this physical body, the arc body which you call it halo, then you have this simple auric body, then you have a subtle body, pranic body, radiant body, ten and they are interlocked, but two are free to go. Whenever the soul desires to leave the arc body and all other bodies remain behind they have no combination. The pranic connection with the pranic body totally breaks and with the subtle body the soul leaves, that means your identity is gone, but you understand what that indicates that subtlety that is what subtle body is. If in subtlety you become very refined and in activity you become very subtle, very subtle, you are very near to your soul because there is a direct relationship between the subtle body and the spiritual body, the spirit and the subtle body are very much related, they never leave each other. So anything which do refine, refined art, refined acts, refined speech which is not gross will put you nearer to the soul. That is a rather a simple way of reaching your God consciousness". 1981
The reason why I practice use Kundalini Yoga as a tool in my creative work is because it's a technology that works. It has its origins thousands of years ago in India and was brought to the United States in the 1960’s by Yogi Bhajan. The technology of Kundalini Yoga has been very useful and transformative for me and so this is the technology I turn to the most when teaching awareness and transformational practices.
What is the Kundalini? Plain and simple, it is your creative potential. It is an energy that we all have. It's like an inheritance that we can use for ourselves, reinvest, share with others.It is experienced when the energy of the glandular system combines with the energy of the nervous system. This creates a particular sensitivity that allows the brain to receive certain signals and integrate them. When this happens, you become totally aware and your creative potential becomes available to you.
"The power of Kundalini Yoga also lies in the actual experience. It goes right into your heart and extends your consciousness so you may have a wider horizon of grace and of knowing the truth. Ultimately you come to understand your existence in relationship to the universe and understand you already are and this brings you to the practical experience of Infinity. You can then radiate creativity and infinity in all aspects of your daily life". ~Yogi Bhajan
Kundalini Yoga is a practical, fast and effective yoga practice. It combines meditation, prayer, mantra and sound, physical practices and breathing exercises so it's a comprehensive practice.
When the mind speaks to us, we can ignore what is has to say or bury it in the subconscious. But when the body talks, we have to listen. It doesn't lie. The way we move the body affects the soul and the breath and they, in turn, affect the mind. Therefore, working on the physical body is the quickest way to discipline and elevate the mind.
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There are basically two ways to grow: either through meditation or the physical way. The mediative way takes a long time, needs lots of discipline, endurance and concentration. The physical way is immediate, effective and works in the here and now. Both ways are good ways but the best way is to employ both. In terms of Creativity, Kundalini Yoga is a great tool for accessing it, managing it and keeping it moving. Like an monetary inheritance, if you don't reinvest or manage your creative energy, you'll go through it pretty quickly and thus, won't be able to use it in the most sustainable way. If you run through your energy like money badly invested, you'll end up without...or less than you need.
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​What are the Ten Bodies?
According to yogic teachings, the human body is made up of ten bodies: the physical body, three mental bodies, and six energy bodies. There is also the eleventh embodiment which is a pure state of consciousness that happens when all the bodies are in balance and under your direction.
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You can think of the ten bodies as layers of energy with the physical body being the one layer that you can see, feel and touch. The other bodies are equally real, maybe even more so, but because they are purely energetic or mental, you cannot see them. There are 72,000 channels of energy in the body called "nadis". In Chinese medicine they are called meridians. The flow of these channels of energy make up the ten bodies and affect us in important ways. Each of the bodies has a particular purpose which can help with creativity. And knowing how these energetic bodies function can help to explain how "subtle activism" works. When dealing with community, an effective group consciousness can be achieved by doing forms of energy work like meditation, prayer and focused intention.
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TEN ENERGETIC BODIES
SOUL - BIRTH OF CREATIVITY
NEGATIVE MIND - PROTECTION AND DISCERNMENT
POSITIVE MIND - PROJECTION IMAGINING
NEUTRAL MIND - COMPASSIONATE INTELLIGENCE
PHYSICAL BODY - MANIFESTATION AND PRODUCTION
ARCLINE - SELF-CONFIDENCE AND POSITIVE PROJECTION
AURA- SELF-CONFIDENCE AND POSITIVE PROJECTION
PRANIC BODY - ENERGY ACCESS AND MAINTENANCE
SUBTLE BODY - POWERFUL SENSITIVITY
RADIANT BODY - SUSTAINABILITY