Sadhguru: Mysticism does not come from the East,
it comes from within.
Before you attempt anything
that is considered as a mystical process,
it’s very important
to stabilize the five fundamental elements within us.
These are known as pancha bhutas
or maha tatwas in the yogic science.
This body,
this very earth,
the universe and the cosmos –
all, are just a play of five elements.
This body’s composition is such
that seventy-two percent of this body is water.
Approximately twelve percent is earth,
six percent is air,
four percent is fire
and the rest is space or akash.
How thesefive elements behave within you will determine just about everything.
Bhuta means element. Bhuta Shuddhi means to become free from the taint of elements
or to cleanse the element.
It means to become free from the physical nature
Right now, the physiological and the psychological processes
are having a complete grip over most human beings.
What we call as our physiology,
is something that we accumulated.
What we call as our psychological process,
the whole content for this is also accumulated
in the form of impressions.
Between these two, who you are or existentially what is the nature of your being is completely missed.
If one wants to access dimensions which are not yet in your experience,
dimensions which are considered mystical,
first thing that we need to do is to start cleansing the five elements
so that in the purity of the elements, you distinctly know the difference between what is physical,
what is psychological and what is existential.
WATER
There is substantial evidence today to show
that water has a great sense of memory.
Everything that happens around a body of water
is in some way stored in the water molecules.
It is being referred to as a fluid computer.
Among the five elements,
water acquires the greatest significance
because seventy two percent of this body is water.
If we take sufficient care about the water that we consume,
not just in terms of its purity,
it being baceria free and those kind of things,
but the way the water is kept,
in what kind of container you keep it,
how you keep it,
how you touch it,
how you approach it,
because there is substantial scientific evidence today
to show you that a thought,
an emotion,
a touch,
these things can change the molucular structure of water
and greatly alter the way water behaves within your system.
So one needs to understand,
you are not dealing with a commodity,
you are dealing with life-making material.
Water is life.
It is just that
right now it’s outside of you,
so before it enters your system,
how you treat it..
If you keep the water in a container which is metallic,
preferably copper or an alloy of copper,
and every day if you wash it with an organic substance
and keep the water in a place
where it is not touched by other smells
and other substances,
there is sufficient space around it,
and when you approach it,
if you can just hold this vessel with your hands,
with a certain sense of gratitude and reverence -
because this is life-making material -
and then consume it,
you will see,
it will do wonders within your system.
Healthfulness and equanimity will be a natural consequence of this.
Earth
Sadhguru: The soil that you walk upon
has a certain sense of intelligence and memory.
So even if you happen to live in a concrete jungle,
it is important to keep in touch with the earth upon which you live.
Create ways for yourself to somehow
remain in touch with the soil or the earth upon which you live,
that part of the earth.
With your bare hands and bare feet,
see particularly the palms and the soles,
if they come in touch with the earth on a daily basis,
at least for a few minutes,
a certain harmonizing of the physiological process will happen,
just being in contact with the earth.
If you spend at least a few minutes in your garden
barefooted,
touching plants or trees,
because this is the basis of your life.
All life,
yours and every other creature,
has come out of this earth -
stay in touch with it
and harmonize your system.
Air
Though air represents only six percent of your body’s elemental constitution,
it is the most dynamic part of the element,
in terms of the transaction that happens,
on a minute-to-minute basis.
What kind of air you breathe is definitely important
and that’s well-known,
but how you breathe
and how consciously you breathe is equally important.
Especially those of you who are living in large cities,
the kind of air that you breathe
may not be in your hands,
so it’s good at least for a few minutes,
take a walk in the park,
along the lake or the river,
or whatever is available to you.
Especially if you have children,
it is important that you take them out at least once a month,
far away enough from the city,
where nature is in reasonably pure state,
where they can climb a small hill
or walk in a forest
or swim in a river,
something natural to be in touch with nature
and to do something where breath will be in a dynamic state.
This is not just for aerobic exercise,
because constant exchange of air is happening
from within and without
and the very intelligence in the body will take care of this,
that when it senses the air is pure and alive,
the way the body breathes is different,
you can notice this
and the exchange will happen,
cleansing will happen within the system
because breath per se is only one to two percent of the air transaction
the rest is happening in many other ways.
So if you remain in pure air,
it’s important that you bring breath to a dynamic state with a certain activity.
You don’t have to do too vigorous an activity,
just enough to see that,
you’re breathing deep enough,
slightly deeper than normal is happening to you for a period of time.
And especially for growing children,
this becomes very important
because this will greatly enhance the body’s integrity and strength.
But on a daily basis,
if you’re not able to take yourself out,
within the house
you can do a simple yogic practice called Nadi Shuddhi
to cleanse the breath.
Fire
Fire accounts for four percent of your elemental makeup.
What kind of fire burns within you?
Is it the fire of greed,
hatred,
resentment,
anger,
lust,
love,
compassion?
If you take care of that,
once again your physical and mental well-being is well taken care of.
You become an equanimous and exuberant being.
A simple process you can do to cleanse the fire within you is
get some sunlight every day.
Fortunately,
you cannot contaminate the sunlight,
though we have contaminated every other element,
sunlight has remained pure,
make best use of that.
If you wish to use fire,
you can light a fire with an organic substance like straw or firewood,
without any oil
and stand facing the fire,
with your hands open
and keep your eyes open for three minutes,
then stand with your back to it,
exposing your spine for three minutes.
This will cleanse your aura
and bring about a new sense of resurgence in the system.
This is to rekindle and reconnect the fire within
with the fires outside.
This is the basis of all fire-based rituals in the East.
If having a fire is not very practical for you,
at least a lamp with vegetable oils or ghee,
you light a lamp and be around this lamp,
first face the lamp and sit
and then turn around and sit
so that the fire element within you gets rekindled.
Akash
The fifth and the most expansive dimension of the elemental composition is akash
or etheric space.
This has a certain intelligence.
How this akashic intelligence behaves within you
determines the nature of your life.
The nature, quality and the power of your life
essentially is determined by
how much access can you find
into the akashic intelligence.
As I said,
this is an expansive part of the elemental composition,
that means there is no limit.
There is only that much water,
there is only that much air,
that much earth
and that much fire
but the akashic dimension is a limitless possibility.
If you find access in a limitless manner,
both your perception and intelligence can grow.
One simple process you can do to find more access to akash
or the akashic intelligence is
after sunrise,
before the sun crosses a thirty degree angle,
you look up at the sky once
and bow down to akash
for holding you and this planet in place.
After the sun crosses thirty degrees,
sometime during the day,
anytime, look up and bow down again.
After the sunset,
within the forty minutes after sunset,
look up at the sky and once again bow down.
You are not bowing to any imaginary gods up there,
Just to the etheric space around us,
which is holding everything that we are, in place.
If you get the akash to co-operate with your life energies,
life will happen in magical ways.
An intelligence that you have never thought possible
will become yours.
For a human being,
to have an element of grace in their lives,
Shambhavi mudra is a process
that is like opening a window so that
one becomes receptive to grace.