The teachings of Laya Yoga are divided into five sections, or five yantras. These are the five major sections of the teachings that the student studies in sequence:
Prajna Yantra — the section of wisdom that teaches us contemplation, awareness, and meditation
Shakti Yantra — the section of energy that teaches us to manage our inner energy
Yoga Nidra — the section of dream yoga that teaches us how to work with the subtle body in dreams
Nada Yantra — the section of sound yoga
Jyoti Yantra — the section of light yoga
The sections of Nada Yoga and Jyoti Yoga belong to the higher teachings; they are not transmitted to beginners but only to students who have advanced sufficiently along the path. The foundational sections of Prajna Yantra and Shakti Yantra are transmitted after the basic practices have been completed. To study Laya Yoga means to study the five yantras, that is, the five sections of the teachings.
The Three Golden Principles
The three golden principles of the teachings are called in Sanskrit: shravana, manana, and nididhyasana. Translated into English, they mean the following: one must receive from the teacher a direct insight into the primordial nature of Mind, then eliminate all uncertainties and doubts about this nature, and thereafter continuously abide in the nature of Mind from second to second, from minute to minute, from week to week, from year to year, from month to month. In other words, one must cultivate the natural state throughout one’s entire life.
These three golden principles describe the work of contemplation and entry into the natural state. In essence, all of a yogi’s further practice consists in clarifying and applying these three golden principles.
The Principle of Sahaja — the Natural State
The key term in Laya Yoga is the state of sahaja. Sahaja means “natural.” The principle of sahaja points to the mirror of our Mind, to the nature of the “I,” to pure Mind as such. It is called the fundamental Ground, the supreme Source, the primordial “I,” basic Consciousness, Mind as such, true suchness (Tathata), and the nature of Mind. In Vedanta, it is described as Brahman; in yoga, as the principle of Shiva, nirvana. Thus, various terms may be used.
For us, the Absolute, God, the divine First Principle, is always a state of awareness, awareness itself. We do not pray to God, recite mantras to him, or address him as the Father in heaven. The term “God” is, rather, an informal term. One could say that for us, God is awareness; it is the presence of awareness that we realize at the moment of contemplation. It can either be known or not known, worked with or not worked with, discovered or lost.
Laya Yoga states that the principle of the Absolute is realized when we change our level of awareness. Even if we speak of God, sing his praises, recite mantras or prayers, or repeat his names, this does not mean that we have realized him. The principle of the Absolute implies nonduality, but if we remain in duality, there is always a distance between us, and we are always separated. Since we are separated from the Absolute, we are never satisfied with our practices. The principle of the natural state means that we train ourselves to contemplate in such a way as to enter nonduality.
If someone asks me to show them God, I can say: “You can see him yourself if you change your level of awareness, if you learn the principles of contemplation. After some time, if you practice well, you will be able to see him yourself. You must strive to do this. You yourself must apply diligence in your practice.”
The Path to Realizing the Natural State
The three golden principles mean that a disciple whose mind has been prepared receives instructions with the help of a teacher and enters this state of sahaja. When he enters it for the first time, his mind opens wide. But this state is not yet stable; it is merely a brief taste. The disciple still has doubts, so he loses it. He must stabilize this state by asking questions and dispelling all doubts. He may wonder, “Is this the state, or is it not?” When he experiences this state repeatedly, his doubts disappear, and then his task is to maintain it continuously from morning until evening—while walking, working, eating, talking, standing, sitting, lying down, dressing, and attending to bodily needs.
That is, he must integrate the principle of awareness into his daily activities and bring it into every everyday situation. If the principle of awareness is brought even into ordinary situations, the yogin is said to be practicing Laya Yoga and engaging in contemplation. However, bringing this principle of awareness into daily activities is already the level of a mature practitioner who has gone beyond concepts and trains at the level of subtle awareness.
But even if such integration has been accomplished, this does not yet mean that realization and enlightenment have been attained. The yogin must continue training and control the winds and channels in order to deepen this principle of awareness. For example, he applies various methods of yoga, mudras, pranayamas, asanas, concentration on the chakras, visualization, kindling the inner fire, and working with bliss and emptiness in the chakras. He does this to deepen the principle of awareness. He also continues seated meditation in order to deepen the state of contemplation.
Testing Awareness in Destabilizing Situations
To develop contemplation, the yogin trains in a special way. For example, he confronts the natural state with various destabilizing situations that disrupt his habitual perception; for instance, he visits places of power where his awareness remains undiminished.
When encountering destabilizing situations—that is, when spirits create obstacles, suffering arises, or disharmonious energies manifest—the yogin trains to maintain this awareness, thereby honing its strength and depth. It is said that highly accomplished yogins can maintain their awareness regardless of disturbances, obstacles, or the suffering of the physical body. They can maintain it even in dreamless sleep. For example, if such a yogin goes into the mountains, to a place of power where spirits create obstacles for him, he can subdue them through the power of his contemplation.
Higher Methods and Attainment of the Rainbow Body
Finally, for this awareness to reach its culmination and dissolve the elements of the physical body, the yogin applies the methods of Nada Yoga and Jyoti Yoga, which represent the spiritual culmination, the pinnacle. These are profoundly secret esoteric methods that make it possible to attain the rainbow body within this very lifetime.
If the yogin is fortunate enough to receive transmission into these methods and applies them correctly, then by the end of his life his physical body gradually dissolves, ceases to cast a shadow, and disappears. The yogin is then said to have attained the realization of pranava-deha, the rainbow body. He victoriously completes his spiritual path, realizing the highest state of liberation and becoming a fully liberated deity.
