So far in this series, RAVI VENKATESAN has introduced the Heartful Strategist framework, and explored how our consciousness results in the strategies we adopt, the choices we make, which in turn have consequences that impact the ecosystem of which we are a part. He has also explored the concept of thought patterns, and learnt how past impressions create these tendencies or thought patterns in us. He reviewed the Heartfulness technique of Cleaning, which uses the power of auto-suggestion or self-suggestion to introduce positive shifts in our subconscious and thought patterns. In the last article we specifically explored Turiya, the level of consciousness that we would consider the ideal for a Heartful Strategist.
In this article we’ll spend some time on practices that can help with the development of this state of consciousness.
This is a good way to understand consciousness at a basic level. However, just as physics evolved from Newtonian to Relativity to Quantum theories, our understanding of consciousness needs to go deeper. The generalizations we adopted earlier will need to be left behind.
The simple Heartfulness practices of Relaxation, Meditation, Cleaning and Prayer, complemented with practices to detox anger, fear, passion and stress, can lead one to this ideal consciousness level of Turiya in an effective and efficient manner. You can refer to www.heartfulness.org for more information on these practices.
Let’s see how this happens. The practices of Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation lead one to a state of deep absorption that is akin to deep sleep based on brain wave patterns. This has been proven by TerraBlue XT’s studies using a wearable medical detection device. Deep sleep brain waves are indicative of deep physical relaxation. While in this state of deep absorption, which is the Turiya state, an adept meditator is able to retain awareness and seek guidance and inspiration from within. The answers seem to come in a magical manner from a place within ourselves, yet a source beyond ourselves with which we are connected.
Heartfulness Cleaning, when done regularly, starts to free us of the thought patterns that limit us, and opens up our hearts and minds to receive and act on the guidance that meditation can offer us. It also performs the vital function of removing the impressions gathered during our waking hours, before they sink from our active consciousness to subconsciousness when we sleep.
Heartfulness Prayer allows us to connect to a source beyond ourselves. Carl Jung called this the Collective Unconscious. Whatever label we ascribe to it, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The best way to experience the power of connecting to a Source beyond us, is simply to try it!
Here is an experiment to try. Over the next few weeks try these freely available practices, and observe your experiences during meditation. Hold any important questions or choices in your mind before you start meditation and see what emerges from within. Don’t throw logical reasoning and analysis out the window, but try to balance the results of analysis with the inspirations from within. This will lead to a different level of decision making and choice, and your own experience will show you the proof points for it.
Article by RAVI VENKATESAN
Ravi Venkatesan
Ravi lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Cantaloupe. He is also a regular public speaker and public speaking coach. He has been a Heartfulness meditator for over 20 years and is passionate about app... Read More
