This 3-week online certificated course, organised by NAMAH, the Journal of Integral Health, offered insights into the inner psychological processes that shape an individual's external behaviour and life-experiences. Rooted in the teachings of Integral Yoga, the course aimed to connect theoretical insights with practical applications that contribute to one’s inner growth in alignment with Sri Aurobindo's vision. The coursework included fifteen focused sessions, dedicated to exploring, understanding, and experiencing the processes that unfold on the path of conscious self-work and addressing the totality of the being. A central theme throughout the course was the cultivation of a conscious inner space as preparation for deeper work, alongside acknowledging and understanding the surface movements. The participants were encouraged to progressively open to a higher force, establishing a firm foundation within — a n essential feature of Integral Yoga Psychology. In addition to daily sessions embedded with self-reflective exercises, reading materials, weekly sharing circles, and project work submission at the end were part of the participant’s journey to take full benefit of the space designed for exploration and transformation.
The theme for week one was ‘the delight of discovery’. The five sessions focused on the nature of human beings, which is composed of different parts often pulling in different directions, exploring the Mind-Vital-Physical framework and their play in the world. Integral Yoga does not limit itself to the Yoga of liberation, it is a Yoga of transformation. It is not limited to the individual alone, it is focused on working on the self so that the world also benefits from this work. Our personal story is not our exclusive identity, we are all connected to the world and not separate from it. In the session on ‘search for truth’, the facilitator explored the deep connection between psychology and yoga, encouraging participants to reflect on their inner calling, the role of language in the experience, and the expression of the inner truth as we have not learnt the vocabulary to express our inner experience. There was also a discussion on the meaning and expression of Truth in alignment with the understanding given by The Mother: that Truth is something that cannot be known but has to be lived, and that it is more of an experiential journey turned inwards, with an aspiration, to discovering the core, the origin of all. The next session focused on exploring ‘our manifold being’ and highlighted the importance of the intention behind the action as a key contributor to understanding the context of our interactions in the world. It aligns us to the Spirit, to the essence of every experience. A reflection on truth-consciousness and the need to align with it more and more, while being aware and present in one’s current context, was highlighted with the exploration of the vast and complex inner landscape. The goal is to make a conscious shift from a sense of incompleteness towards a sense of completeness by working on oneself being mindful of the larger Truth. The sessions that followed in the week took up each of the three aspects of the surface personality in detail and the facilitator shared about the nature and characteristics of the parts and how an in-depth understanding and experience of each part can help build a comprehensive view of the framework of the surface personality. There was a lot of emphasis on recognising the dangers and delight of the working of the vital force that an individual encounter as part of the purification process on the path of yoga.
The theme for week two was ‘preparation on the path’. The sessions were designed with the aim of becoming aware of the inner processes that determine one’s outer experiences. The first session on the Psychic Being emphasised that the core of Integral Yoga is to recognise the voice of the psychic being and to organise the instrumental personality more and more around it. In the session that followed, the facilitator brought out the nuances of ego and its role in the development of individuality, emphasising that true individuation comes from rising above the ego and establishing ourselves in our inner truth. On the path of yoga, it is essential that we move from the ego to the psychic being and remember that the lens of the ego wants immediate change and visible progress, attached to an identity of its making. When we are progressing and rooted in the process of transformation, there is a lot of construction and destruction that is happening, we can find ourselves in the no-man’s land, ego will not allow the time or the trouble of that kind of process to work out. The light of the psychic being is required to make that change. Our task is twofold; we have to recognise that our work is a process-oriented approach and that it is a parallel processing approach where we can utilise the charge of the world for our work, and where we can progressively infuse little awareness into the ego identity so that it gets transformed and the psychic being gradually begins to find expression. Later in the week, the how and the why of developing a witness poise and the absolute necessity of cultivating inner silence and peace were discussed so that clarity of inner movements can emerge and one can see the movements of the surface nature more as universal movements of nature and is able to experience less charge on the outside and more connectedness with the inner sense of being. In the closing session of the week, the facilitator shared how inner growth starts when we set an intention to shift the orientation of our awareness to the inside. Gradually the inner takes control of the outside. The growth is limitless and there is both a sense of universality and our unique contextual lens to it, our individuality. As we are creatures of habit, we often start with a change of habits. When all the parts come together in collaboration, the change that we seek is easier. The physical needs support of the mind and the vital, a change in the mind will lead to a change in the physical action. We are striving to blossom in our own context, rooted deeper and truer in the basis of our own inner truth. There is an emphasis on unity in Integral Yoga, it is not on uniformity. The aspiration is to establish unity in multiplicity.
The theme for the third week was ‘a personal search’. The week focused on how when there is a greater awareness of the purpose and the process, one can begin to contextualise the universal teachings and bring attention to the current state of one’s being and take steps in the direction of conscious constructive self-work by bridging the knowledge-practice gap in experience. One attempts to bring light to the lower nature and to open it to the higher forces and all the qualities of the Mother help us in the world and become part of our work. Sincerity is a key to being on the path. When we sincerely engage with a quality, we discover its opposite so that all the darkness that needs to be offered to the light is brought out. At the core, all qualities merge into each other and one can start with consciously cultivating any one quality that aligns with one’s surface nature and the current context of the individual. A key reflection then becomes bringing focus on the fact that the material required to build the bridge between the inner and outer are the qualities. Faith, sincerity and surrender are the pillars on which we open ourselves. As the week progressed, the facilitator brought out some fundamental attributes of Integral Yoga that act as guidelines for the path; the process of aspiration-rejection-surrender being one of the key attributes. Anchoring within and strengthening the connection between the inner divine and the outer parts can give the faith and the will to conquer the darkness and make progress on the path. One of the factors about human nature that emerged were how often we talk about obstacles; it is as if we are habituated and trained to talk about them. Instead, one should focus on nurturing a firm determination to get through the obstacles we encounter on the path. The facilitator shared about how the Mother has talked about various kinds of ‘examiners’; set by the forces of Nature, by spiritual and divine forces, or hostile forces and often we are caught off-guard by these if we are not conscious of our inner work. As we begin to have more awareness of the inner landscape, we experience how the psychic presence within naturally moves towards the truth, the good, the beautiful. The human has both possibilities; the animal part is pulled by the lower towards ignorance and unconsciousness, the divine part wants to find its truth. The discussions brought out the importance of not giving charge to the obstacles that come on the way. The inner being does not understand the surface categorisations, it looks at how it can find opportunities to grow. When the intention is to grow in the light of the Divine, obstacles can be opportunities. When we are poised within, we are much freer to explore all situations without charge and find a key to handle the obstacles, and not submit to the lower forces. We must grow in understanding the language of the inner being which is free from the residues, free from the charge of the surface and everything there is an aid. Also, discovering how one can bring everything together in the system, see their workings, and find one’s own roadmap to navigate the path free of the illusions, hypocrisy, falsehood, unconsciousness, and whatever else that comes as a hurdle on the path. This naturally gives way to the certain sense of oneness within that we are seeking, a divine rhythm within us, which is by nature harmonious. We start operating based on the core of our being, the more we open to the light and the peace that resides within us, the more the harmony that emerges in our experience and expression.
These 3 weeks gave participants a glimpse into the subtle psychological processes that take place within an individual and the understanding of various methods and practices one can cultivate for living a life that can take one closer to the Divine. Along with the reflective exercises during the sessions, the participants took up individual project work to deepen their journey of self-work and at the end of the programme, shared their journey through presentations bringing out the unique aspect of their journey and their attempt to bridge the learning with their experience. When an individual becomes conscious of the divine Presence within and works on becoming individualised, it automatically through contagion also has a significant impact on the collective. The course was offered in alignment with the core aspiration of Integral Yoga, it being a life-affirming Yoga with its emphasis on offering the totality of the being to the Divinity within and of realising the potentialities as an integral expression in the world, such that the gains made by an individual also benefit the collective leading to an expedited terrestrial evolution and the will of the Divine being realized in the world. This course on Integral Yoga Psychology was a humble offering at the Lotus feet of our Sweet Mother.
Feedback
“The workshop opened a new dimension of exploration on an issue which I have been struggling with for a long time.”
“Got clarity, a direction how to take the learnings in my therapeutic practice as well as improve on myself.”
“I got an understanding of where to begin transforming my ways and a clear path forward. The duration and commitment by Aditi really helped me want to participate in the transformation.”
“Yes, I really feel a comprehensive approach and roadmap to work and transform and offer to the Divine now exists.”
“I can’t imagine any areas to improve the event.”
“I got a better understanding of the vital. In the last class, my mind remembered the book, The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, and the four control dramas. I see that these dramas may be the vital. // I got it when you stated something to the effect that you are not the Source but the Medium. // How can I respect who I am becoming. // Keep myself in the Center but I am not the Center. // Access to the Psychic Being is true freedom. //When I speak, where is it coming from? // How do I use the mind? //The mind understands by division.// Seeing the vital for what it is and not what I think it should be. //Imagine the slowness of time. Align the body movement with time. // I have to become aware of my nature, keep stepping back. (Back is in my last name- could be a clue to the key in myself// The more I interact with the world, the more I know who I am. ( That seems profound for all of us. // Am I looking for a voice that dictates to me or a voice that supports me? // How do I experience this world? // The Psychic does not know how to criticize..// How do I utilize my vocabulary? // Anchor in the inner.// I am attempting to collaborate with myself. //keep offering to the Divine. // I carry a bag of qualities - when I open my bag and what do I bring out? // What is my why? // Am I habituated to suffering? // Change happens when the higher //Good, truth, beautiful step forward: signs of the psychic presence.// When I am alone, is my self-talk about Divinity? // Pray for Perfection. (Add here - “Perfection is my natural state: Light is Triumphant.) // I have to feel it and want the change.// Resolution is the master key.// “
“Yes, it gave real building steps how to live towards the higher consciousness such as perseverance, sincerity and surrender.”
“The workshop worked on the real nature of the human being, including the darker sides of our prakriti which are often supressed as we hinder ourselves on our journey of Integral Yoga.”
“To continue with these beautiful offering and exchange in the next programmes.”
“ I got an objective understanding of the overall knowledge and its practices for progress in self-work. All the 14 topics were helpful, leading to Harmonising the instruments and Integral Expression.”
“Perfect. It was a spontaneous flow of inner experiences of the speaker. “
“It was opening layers in the inner being and outside instruments.”
