Raja Yoga may be more commonly known
as the yoga of the mind, and that it is.
Here we find many methods
of working with the mind through creative visualization
and use of verbal and vocal process. There is a lot
of learning about the functions of the mind followed
by skillful use of mind energies to achieve certain
results within the body; as in healing, and out in the
world as in manifesting your dreams. Meditational practices
that take you out of the normal world to explore the
inner world are a large part of this Raja.
This type of Yoga awakens
the power of the 5th Chakra: Vishuddha.
The element of ether is best
translated today as that of electromagnetism. It is
this energy which sustains most others. In fact all
of the lower energies are condensations of this one.
In its free form it fills the universe, containing all
those quantum frequencies of energy that we perceive
as light and heat, as well as those we do not normally
perceive at all. Radiant energy emanating from each
of the billions of stars, and coming at us from all
directions. By its very vibration it moves out in all
directions, just as sound does.
The vibratory nature of this energy is indeed very
much like sound. In your nervous system and brain it
stimulates thinking as a verbal function while at the
more physiological level it is most evidently flowing
in the throat. As you might have guessed the voice is
involved.
The sense plugged in at this level is hearing. Voice,
hearing and sound are all connected don't you think
?
The endocrine gland in the throat area is the thyroid,
while within it lies imbedded four smaller glands called
the para-thyroids. These hormonal producers put out
the chemical messengers that govern several functions.
Of the most known is the influence on metabolism. The
thyroid is in charge of the speed with which you metabolize
food, the actual rate of the cell's activity. This of
course controls the body temperature as well.
The para-thyroids have to do with bone structure and
the utilization of calcium by the bone cells. Whether
or not you assimilate the calcium in your diet depends
on these tiny little glands.
Mentally this fifth chakra energy influences the verbal
thought process, whether this is voiced out loud or
remains part of the internal dialogue it is still vibrating
energy. This places it right back in the realm of electromagnetics.
Now if you observe the speed at which you think and
then change it by speeding it up a little you might
notice that you can control it, kind of like with the
accelerator on a car. All that has to do with vibration
lies in this center but the actual control of it comes
from the center above.
Blue is the essential color of the energy, like the
sky. Though talking and verbal thinking may not always
be up there, the sky blue color is an indication of
how high the thoughts can be. In the electromagnetic
spectrum (which are called the akashic records) are
all the philosophical thoughts and the true knowledge
about the universe. At this level one can see that the
brain is just the radio, the universe is the broadcast
and the communication is in the energy waves. You decide
what station you want to be tuned in to.
North is the direction to face while looking into the
realm of Vishudha chakra as it helps line up our brain
cells with the magnetic currents from north to south,
making for an easier flow of energy through those cells
and a resulting clarity of mind. The gateway to knowledge
lies in this direction, but you need to be aware that
knowledge comes in bits and pieces of information and
does not necessarily lead to wisdom. Too much of this
energy creates an overactive intellect, and that is
probably white man's greatest disease.
