Soften. . . soften . . . soften Your Heart

I recently was watching some children interacting. These sprites ranged in age from 3 to about 12. I watched how the smaller ones just approached others without fear and were completely openhearted. It seemed to me as the children progressed in age, their openness and ability to be vulnerable became more repressed somehow. It was as if I could see clearly the way our hearts become more protective as we gain more years behind us. I then watched the adults in the room (myself being one of them), and noticed how that openness in its pure and true sense seemed to diminish completely. Most of us were on our phones, or when we interacted it was with niceties and not the grit of reality. It was as if we were all speaking with little fortresses around our auric fields.

I realized then that it doesn’t matter how much ‘work’ we do in the safety of our homes or yoga studios, if we can’t relate the work into places that are outside of our comfort zones.

In the Japanese form of Buddhism I practice they talk alot about the ten worlds. In Kundalini yoga there is also a reference to the ten bodies. There are many similarities between these two philosophies, and the more I grow in consciousness, the more I realize that the only way to really be present is to expand and soften our hearts. One way is to be aware of ways that we can balance the ten bodies through meditation, opening the heart chakra, using essential oils on certain meridians, energy work, and conscious breathing.

A few years back after a challenging break up, I remember working hard on clearing my heart chakra. I was so elated when Guru Jagat came to me after class one day and  said that my arcline looked clear from the challenging times I had had in matters of the heart.

Today I am working on keeping my heart soft though the challenges of life can take it’s toll. With a softer heart we may become more vulnerable. But without vulnerability there is no openness and without that there is no love . . .

The Ten Bodies as described by Yogi Bhajan. “If you understand that you are Ten Bodies, and you are aware of those Ten Bodies, and you keep them in balance, the whole Universe will be in balance with you.” ~ Yogi Bhajan

The Ten Bodies

1st Soul Body
2nd Negative Mind
3rd Positive Mind
4th Neutral Mind
5th Physical Body
6th Arcline
7th Aura
8th Pranic Body
9th Subtle Body
10th Radiant Body

What are the Ten Bodies?

The truth is that the human body is made up of ten bodies: the physical body, three mental bodies, and six energy bodies. The eleventh embodiment – when all ten bodies are under your direction – produces a pure state of consciousness when you have the ability to see all events as God’s Play and recognize the God in all.

You can visualize your various bodies as layers of clothing, the physical body being the overcoat you wear for a lifetime. We know we have a physical body; we can see it, touch it, and feel it. We also have other bodies that are equally real, if not more so.

Tags:Buddhism, Kundalini yoga, meditation, spirituality, ten bodies, Yogi Bhajan