Magical Super Powers…I mean, isn’t that the real reason we do yoga? There are lots of magical super powers called Siddhis that develop when you have a firmly established meditation and yoga practice. Do note that I wrote “meditation” first and “yoga” second. Powers include seeing the future, never getting sick, levitation, seeing auras, and today’s topic, astral traveling.
Why is this up? Well, tonight at the 21 Stages at 8 pm, we are going to experience a 66 minute intensive Kundalini meditation to project our presence. Basically, it’s astral traveling. You beam your presence where ever you choose or where ever needed to cultivate healing.
I first learned how to astral travel when I did Seduction of Silence at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. Basically I spent 7 days in a padded room learning how to levitate (a blog for another day) and astral traveling was a bonus at the end of a very long and arduous meditation process. I’ve never attached to it because Dr. Chopra set it up as a party trick. He said it was fun and irrelevant. I did find it fun to check in on my kids at school and such, but it was a lot of work for that purpose. I set the practice aside long ago.
Tonight’s practice, however, has given me a new understanding of the purpose of astral traveling. It is the ability to project your presence in a healing form to where ever healing is needed. So, instead of just checking in on a kid at school, you could show up during a very hard test that they were anxious about and calm them with your presence. It has purpose. It’s not a party trick.
Yogi Bhajan says that we are much more than our animal nature. We are god-like. This is what sets us apart from animals. We have the ability to be everywhere all at once and our purpose on earth is to help and heal others. He explains that we are like a lighthouse and project in the same way. He also explains that understanding your projection can help you too…not just others. The example given in “The 21 Stages of Meditation” is if you are wanting to be a successful business person, you simply project that you are. This allows the fear of failure to diminish.
One caveat to this is that you must drop the ego. I think this is funny because if you cultivate a magical super skill, then you are bound to attach to it in an egoic fashion in some way. Right? I mean, it’s cool to astral travel. You could easily set aside your other practices to cultivate this magical skill to use for a multitude of purposes. The same is true for any magical skill. Well…when you do that there is a karmic whiplash and your skill diminishes. That means you must do this from the heart and project from the heart with light and love.
Winding up to tonight’s practice, my ego and will has certainly been tested. I’ve found myself pushing my own agenda of “I’m good at this…just let me do it for you” vs. being patient and allowing folks to find their own way. I’ve even had to bow out of a few things as I realized I was not coming from a heart centered place, but from a will centered place. I’ve had to reframe my thinking and choice making to the thought, “What is the greatest good for all parties involved in this process, this plan, this interaction?” In doing that, I’ve been able to drop my ego and simply hold space allowing others to work through their own lessons.
So, as impractical as Astral traveling seems, it really does have a practical application.
Oh…and this meditation also allows you to see auras. cool. Om, pamela
$17 drop in for the workshop.
*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.