Our specific approach to Yoga is slightly different from how it is often being practised. With help of a Yoga Master called Śri Yogācārya Ajīta Mahārāja, we have learned to look beyond the surface of Yoga, to the energy behind it. This has slightly changed the interpretation of some of the exercises and parts of the philosophy to be even more aligned with their true nature. In this way, the results of very ancient practices, as they were promised to practitioners in Yogic scriptures, are more effectively and precisely achieved.
This is in line with a larger shift that is happening in spirituality in general. A shift from coarser practices to subtler practices. From physical and mental approaches to energy-based perspectives. While this is little more than a change in emphasis, the effects are deep and profound. We call this energy-based spirituality.
How does energy-based spirituality work?
There are many people nowadays who talk in phrases such as ‘changing the energy, ‘feeling a certain energy’, ‘doing energy work’ or ‘I work with energy’. While energy is apparently on the minds of many people, there are few people — even among those who practice types of energy work — who at the same time are getting very real results and who seem to really understand what it is they are doing and how they are doing it.
Allow me to explain a few basic principles.
In brief, in the total Unity that is the Universe, there are two main streams of energy: a positive and negative stream. They can be seen in either their pure form or in perfect balance. Thus forming three basic modes of energy together, that we call the guṇas.
Besides forming these modes, they can also form four simple patterns of combinations of these modes, together forming seven main patterns of energy behaviour, sometimes called the Seven Rays. They are also a part of our programmes.
The three guṇas are easy to learn to observe; inside yourself and outside yourself. This happens more mentally at first and more through feeling a bit later. You can learn to sensitise yourself to perceiving them through various exercises, up to a point where you can more and more just see or perceive directly the energies that are at play.
Why study energy-based spirituality?
The guṇas are the most important tool for any serious Yoga practitioner. When you are able to perceive them in some object, you can more easily come to an understanding of that object. Therefore you can more easily work with it and predict its behaviour or what it needs. This object can be a thing, a hobby, a relationship, an animal, another person, a characteristic; it can in fact be nearly anything.
Learning to perceive energy in any object is a very satisfying thing to do. It gives us insight, and helps us more easily develop skill. And it connects us to our spiritual nature while intensively working with the material world and all the layers of our own consciousness. It leads to a more holistic experience of life and to a feeling of being more whole, more complete as a human being. This, in itself, is an important aspect of experiencing happiness.
Energy-based spirituality is about learning to observe and better perceive those energies, as well as to influence them in the direction of greater harmony. Ultimately imbuing each moment with greater creativity.
Our belief and vision is that the energy-based approach to spirituality will, over the coming decades and beyond, be organically spreading into and/or spontaneously arising in all the great world traditions of religion & spirituality.
