Kundalini.Tantra.by.Satyananda.Saraswati

of the world, other things were also discovered and used, some being very mild in effect
and others being very concentrated.
With the help of the correct herbs, purified aspirants were able to visualize divine
beings, holy rivers, mountains, sacred places, holy men and so on. When the effects of
the herbs were more concentrated, they could separate the self from the body and travel
astrally. Of course it was often illusory, but sometimes it was a real experience as well.
People were able to enter a state of samadhi and awaken their kundalini. In this particular
field of awakening, the sexual instinct was completely eliminated. Therefore, many
aspirants preferred this method and have been trying to discover the appropriate herbs for
many centuries.
With aushadhi awakening the body becomes still and quiet, the metabolism slows
and the temperature drops. As a result of this, the nerve reflexes function differently and
in most cases the aushadhi awakening is a permanent one. However, the aushadhi method
of awakening is no longer practiced because it was misused by the ordinary people who
were neither prepared, competent nor qualified. As a result, knowledge of the herbs was
withdrawn and today it is a closely guarded secret.
Everyone is craving kundalini awakening, but few people have the discipline and
mental, emotional, physical and nervious preparation required to avoid damage to the
brain and tissues. So, although no one is teaching the aushadhi method of awakening
today, its knowledge has been transmitted from generation to generation through the
guru/disciple tradition. Perhaps some day, when the nature of man changes and we find
better intellectual, physical and mental responses, the science may again be revealed.
Raja yoga
The fifth method of inducing awakening is through raja yoga and the development of
an equipoised mind. This is the total merging of individual consciousness with
superconsciousness. It occurs by a sequental process of concentration, meditation and
communion; experience of union with the absolute or supreme.
All the practices of raja yoga, preceded by hatha yoga, bring about very durable
experiences, but they can lead to a state of complete depression, in which you do not feel
like doing anything. The raja yoga method is very difficult for most people as it requires
time, patience, discipline and perseverance. Concentration of mind is one of the most
difficult things for modern man to achieve. It cannot be undertaken before the mind has
been stabilized, the karmas deactivated and the emotions purified through karma and
bhakti yogas. It is the nature of the mind to remain active all the time, and this constitutes
a very real danger for the people of our time, because when we try to concentrate the
mind we create a split. Therefore, most of us should only practice concentration up to a
certain point.
Following the awakening through raja yoga, changes take place in the aspirant. He
may transcend hunger and all his addictions or habits. The sensualities of life are no