How Siddha Yoga works

According to ancient Indian scriptures called Vedas, human body is a gross form of the divine Absolute whom we call God by various names. The feminine half of the Absolute is known as Shakti, a potent cosmic energy force. This force lies dormant in human body at the base of the spinal column. It lies coiled around the spinal base in three and half spirals like a sleeping coiled snake. It is therefore known as ‘Kundalini’, the coiled one.

Within human body exists on a subtle plane a network of Nadis / veins, connected to six Chakras or energy hubs, placed at regular intervals above one another from the base of the spinal column up to the Thyroid Gland in the throat. These Chakras exist in a vertical nerve called Sushmana which runs parallel to the spinal column and rises right up to the crown of the head. The tip of this crown is known as Sahasrahara, which is the dwelling of God.

If and when Kundalini is awakened, she surges upward to meet her lord in Sahasrahara. During her journey upward, she passes through each of the six Chakras along the way, which in turn activate and electrify the entire network of Nadis. This entire structure of Chakras and Nadis, vibrating and pulsating with the cosmic energy force, purifies each and every pore and cell in the body, resulting in internal cleansing and healing of ailments and diseases. With the piercing of each Chakra by rising Kundalini, the person experiencing this amazing play of the cosmic force, begins to develop special spiritual powers called Siddhis. These Siddhis enable him to look into the past and future events, but above all help him to understand the true nature of his own self, and to realize God. The self-realization takes place when the feminine divine meets her male counterpart after completing her upward journey.

However, Kundalini cannot be awakened by merely reading yoga books or by following a yoga trainer’s instructions. The very central purpose of Yoga is to promote spiritual evolution of human race. Therefore, only a spiritual master like Guru Siyag, who has attained the highest level of spiritual consciousness himself, can awaken the dormant Kundalini force.

Guru Siyag awakens the seeker’s Kundalini by initiating him/her into Siddha Yoga as his disciple through a process called Shaktipat. During initiation, known as Diksha in yogic terms, Shakti, the feminine divine, is activated through a Mantra, a Divine Word, given by Guru Siyag. Mantra represents the primal sound through which the universe is believed have come into existence.

The disciple is required to repeat the mantra silently all the time (without moving his tongue just as one reads a book silently without moving the tongue and lips) while carrying on his routine chores. The Mantra acts as a trigger that prods the sleeping ‘Kundalini’ awake and then sends it surging upwards.

The silent repetition of the mantra is called Naam Jap. After continuous chanting of the mantra for over a fortnight or a month, the disciple doesn’t have to make an effort to chant; the chanting happens automatically on its own whether he/she is awake or sleeping. This state is known as ‘Ajapajap’ (roughly translated as involuntary chanting). When chanting of Mantra is accompanied by regular meditation, preferably for 15 minutes each, early in the morning and evening, it slowly unleashes a wave of ‘Ananda’ (bliss), which is so soothing that the disciple feels he/she is on a high, and doesn’t want to come out of it. Indian saints have described this state of Ananda as intoxication without drugs. The Ananda brought on by the Mantra and mediation is incomparable to the calming effect of any addictive drug because it (Ananda) doesn’t depend on any external inducement and lasts forever. This is the reason why a disciple initiated into Siddha Yoga by a Siddha (Empowered) Guru is freed from drug-addiction completely and irrevocably.

A unique aspect of Siddha Yoga is that a spiritual seeker need not necessarily have theoretical knowledge of Yoga system or Vedic philosophy to be Guru Siyag’s disciple. All a seeker needs is an intense desire and willingness to submit himself to Guru Siyag to qualify for his blessings and guidance.

The term ‘Automatic’ denotes another most unique aspect of Siddha Yoga. Once a person becomes Guru Siyag’s disciple — through Diksha or by practicing the Siddha Yoga meditation with Gurudev’s photograph, without being initiated — both get connected spiritually on a subtle plane. Even if time and distance separate them, the spiritual connection remains strong and subtle. Through his unique spiritual power, Guru Siyag maintains a benevolent watch over each of his disciples for his wellbeing, no matter if the disciple happens to be living in a far-off place in India or half way across the world in a different time zone. Thus Guru Siyag leads the disciple to self-realization or realization of God safely through the human existence, which is full of pitfalls, sorrows and attachments. However, this divine realization can be achieved only through complete surrender to the Guru; it cannot be gained through the use of money, manipulation, stealth, deception or intimidation.