Higher states of consciousness are naturally interesting to people because we all inherently know that things are simply easier to understand when we aren’t lost in our usual day to day problems that plague us from day to day.  There are rare experiences when we are able to see the higher meaning of our lives and these moments help us to achieve greater clarity and value in the things we do.

In addition to the higher value and clarity that we can all achieve in a higher state of consciousness, we can also alleviate the negative feelings that come from our normal day to day routine.  Higher states of consciousness transcend all of our negative emotions and leave us feeling as though we were “floating on air” in a perfect state of peace and contentedness.  With such great promise as this, it is a great wonder that these higher states are so rarely reached and that the secret to their achievement often seems so hard to discover.

The reason why the difficulties arise has to do with a fundamental difference between what is called “theory” and what is called “application”.  In “theory”, we know that higher states of consciousness exist and we can talk about them, read about them and think about them to no end. In “application”, however, we find that we must actually begin to do things that are more real and concrete.

Thinking and reading and talking are all very concrete things and yet they often aren’t concrete enough to bring about a higher state of consciousness.  Our thinking and our books can only take us so far until we find that we actually need to transcend ourselves and go even further.  This makes spiritual work seem extremely hard or even impossible for most people.  We often decide to just “give up” and later on we discover that our “giving up” was actually part of the spiritual process which was necessary in order that we approach our task from a new angle.

Having “given up” on spiritual efforts, we discover that there is still a part of us which seeks those same higher states of consciousness that we originally set out to achieve.  With a new strategy and a more open attitude, we reach a proverbial “second wind” which is mentioned in the classic spiritual book The Cloud of Unknowing.  In this book, the anonymous writer explains how an initial effort to reach a higher state of consciousness often fails but that a person who returns to the effort again after years of “giving up” is almost sure to reach those higher states which they first set out to attain.

The basic effort that is required to reach these states has to do with letting go of negative emotions and becoming more aware of ourselves in the present moment.  We can practice these things each day but often find that they are very hard to achieve for any extended period of time.  Letting go of our grief, anger, fear and guilt are all part of what spiritual effort is all about but actually doing these things turns out to be much harder than we first imagined.  Watching ourselves, observing our thoughts and coming to understand ourselves better are also important elements of spiritual effort but these things only come slowly over years of work and long hours of reading, writing and participating in spiritual groups.  The efforts sometimes seem to much for many people after one or two years and they eventually become distracted by something and fall away from their path.

Falling away from the path is a normal part of spiritual growth and can actually be viewed as a positive step forward after some initial effort has truly been expended.  If the person who falls away from their path doesn’t fall too far off course, they can often find a renewed hope in the idea that there is a “second wind”. This second wind is something that often indicates a true spiritual seeker and someone who has come to understand the true meaning of devotion and dedication to spiritual principles.

If you are intent on reaching a higher state of consciousness, it will be important for you not to forget your second wind.  Many people begin on a spiritual path and even reach certain higher states of consciousness in the beginning.  The true spiritual devotee, however, is that person who has come to a seeming end in their path and has actually fallen away for a time to wonder how a higher state of consciousness can truly be reached.  It is only after their second wind that they truly come to see what higher states of consciousness are really all about.  Good luck to you on your path and don’t forget your second wind!

Waking, dreaming and sleeping states of consciousness are common to all of us. Higher states of consciousness are adored by every individual. Everyone hopes to delve deep into the realm of consciousness. With the help of scientific spiritual and yoga practices, in the deep state of contemplation, absorbed in meditation, the serious practitioners become familiar and enjoy the higher states of consciousness. Gradually those deeper nooks of our awareness become their normal states of mind.

The most extroverted state of our mind is when we perceive sense objects – when we are hearing, touching, viewing, tasting and smelling various things. This is sensation bound state of mind.
Second and deeper state of mind is related to mental and emotional faculties. Reason, logic, thought, analysis, memory, will power or volition are one part and feelings and emotions are second part of our mind.
The third type of condition of mind is dreaming and sleeping. Despite great scientific advancement, the later two states of mind are little understood.

The Five Progressive States Of Consciousness:

It is said that the spark of life in body and mind is provided by soul or pure consciousness. At the time of death, soul leaves the body with all its vital organs intact and we die. And we see this truth everyday. Death is one of the greatest enigmas for science and medicine.

The science of yoga mentions fives progressive states of awareness.
1.Bound State
2.Scattered or distracted mind
3.Sometimes scattered, sometime focused
4.Concentrated or focused or streamlined.
5.Centered in soul without any quiver in mental faculties.

Spiritually most of the persons remain in first three states of awareness. As we practice meditation and contemplation, we start to taste focused state of mind. Finally after a long and dedicated practice, the state of pure consciousness without any quiver of mind is realized. With this experience, we find that we have started to identify ourselves with pure consciousness. Previously, our identification with body and mind is so deep that we could not let go of it despite a lot of thinking of doing so. The experience of self or soul makes this identification very easy.

It will be easy to understand if we think of consciousness like a stream. In bound state of mind, our awareness is limited to gross world of sensations, and thoughts and emotions limit or condition the stream of awareness. It feels as if our mind is glued to them.

In scattered and distracted state of mind, our awareness only sometimes has glimpse of that state of pure awareness, and that glimpse is also indirect.

In third stage, as we practice being centered in self-awareness, we feel that our mind is sometimes scattered and sometimes collected.

Fourth state of consciousness is achieved only in deep meditation, when there is continuity of awareness on the object of contemplation. This is like uninterrupted flow of consciousness to the exclusion of everything else. Three entities remain – observer or pure consciousness, object of contemplation and the process of contemplation.

In fifth and the highest of all stages, even the single quiver of mind is absent; there is full absorption of all of our mental and emotional faculties in our own pure consciousness or soul. This stage is achieved usually after a long and dedicated practice of the science of meditation and yoga.
Eight Limbed Yoga and Higher States Of Consciousness:

The first two of the eight limbs of yoga are related with good behavior and personal discipline. The third step of posture makes us sit still with ease for prolonged time. The fourth step is breathing exercise that leads us to higher stages of meditation with absorption of mind.

The fifth step results from the above mentioned practices – the interiorization of mind – mind becomes absorbed and outer sensations of five senses are not able to disturb. It might be like conscious sleep. The rest of the three higher states of consciousness are concentration, continuity of concentration and merged state of mind.
Samadhi Or Yogic Trance And Higher States Of Consciousness:

Usually the three types of mind is recognized – conscious mind, subconscious mind and superconscious mind. Superconsciousness is used for the deep state of meditation or for trance like state.
There is one type of trance that is like suspended animation and it does not produce any good. The other types of trance that are experienced in deeper states of meditation are good as we remain aware in those higher states and enjoy greatly the deep and merged state of mind.

There are several sub-stages of superconscious state of mind and that would only complicate the topic. It is better to ponder over other topics now. Why do we need to experience these deeper states of consciousness? What are the benefits of experiencing them?

To become more aware, to use our full potential, to become more happier, to become healthier, to earn more money, to have better control on our self, to become successful in whatever we choose, to lead a more fulfilled and purposeful life, to connect ourselves with God or Universal Consciousness or our source. There could be thousand reasons.

Remember spiritual domain is not exclusive of material world, it includes all domains and life and other domains that are beyond our comprehension yet. There is a science and art behind this, much deeper and complex to be understood by mind, because mind simply doesn’t exist when we experience those higher states of consciousness. They belong to experiencing our true nature – our soul – the Spirit in us. Let us explore our true nature, our potentialities in Spirit! Let us become conscious of that we are made in His Image!