Yogi Ashwini

The universe sustains because of balance in nature. Every force in nature has an equal and opposite force balancing or complementing it, for if something as small as an atom goes into imbalance, it can lead to disaster. Atom bomb is one such example — it shows that even the smallest existing force when out of balance can create havoc in the universe.

The whole Creation rests on this one principle, and the forces of nature are always at work to maintain this balance. Day and night, summer and winter, darkness and light, North Pole and South Pole; every force, every phenomenon is complementing another equal and opposite aspect of it in nature.
Positive thought exists because there is negative thought; both are necessary, as one cannot exist without the other. Even if one aspect of Creation increases disproportionately, the entire Creation is at risk of destruction. Whenever something like this happens, there is need for Divine Intervention. In the dimension we exist, the Bhu Loka, the Divine comes in the form of an avatar to correct imbalances — as a “deva avtar” when evil exceeds the prescribed level, and as an “asura” when goodness exceeds the prescribed balancing limit for that level of Creation.
Life itself is balance. Whenever the smallest constituent in the body goes out of balance, it results is a disease. The complete sciences of Yog and Ayurved are based on balance, both aiming at achieving a state of balance. Ayurved deals with balance in detail. Any imbalance is called vikriti (against nature) and balance is prakriti or nature. Vikriti creates disease and prakriti health.
All Ayurvedic treatments are designed to bring the body in a state of balance. And the kriyas prescribed in Yog, asanas and pranayamas, too aim at bringing all the forces which constitute the various layers of the body in a state of balance. The former affects the physical and the latter acts upon the subtler layers, thereby translating to the physical. Pranayamas are done to clear blockages in the etheric body. There are channels called “nadis” in the etheric body through which prana flows. The three main nadis are Sushumna (the white column which runs along the spine), Ida (Chandra or cold nadi) and the Pingala (Surya or hot nadi). Hyper (fast) and hypo (slow) pranayamas are done in cohesion to clear the blockages in the etheric layer and distributing prana where there’s excessive collection. The result is balance, which translates at every layer of the being — physical, financial, emotional and spiritual.
No one technique is picked up in isolation as balance between two opposing forces is necessary to keep the body in harmony, for when there is balance, a higher level of existence is achieved. It is something similar to what happened at the time of samudra manthan. It explains very beautifully the importance of balance and what happens when a state of balance is achieved.
Both suras and asuras churned the ocean to obtain amrit, the elixir of life. When devtas and asuras collected to churn the ocean, the Sumeru Parvat was taken as the churner, the Vasuki Nag was used as rope to churn. Sumeru Parvat was put on the back of a tortoise, which was the Kurma avatar of Lord Vishnu, and on top of the mountain sat Lord Brahma. The Sumeru Parvat is likened to Sushumna nadi in a human being, Ida and Pingala to Vasuki Nag entwined around the Sushumna. The kundalini force resides at the base of the mooladhar chakra in a shell like that of a tortoise. When through the practices of Yog one is able to balance the flow of prana in both Ida and Pingala nadis, then the force called the kundalini shakti rises in the sushumna nadi. This results in the achievement of yog or atma sakshatkar, which is like obtaining amrit.
Now, along with amrit what came out of the churning also was the most potent form of vish, the halahal, which nobody was ready to take. Then Lord Shiva, who is said to encompass all aspects of Creation and who does not distinguish between the positive and negative forces in nature, took the vish and held it in his throat.
If amrit is important, the importance of vish is also depicted here for it was not destroyed by ingesting it but was held to maintain balance in nature. Also positive and negative worked together to bring about the desired results, proving that both have to work in tandem in Creation, both have their own place in Creation.
Yog consists of many techniques which are aimed at achieving balance. As each one of us is a separate entity the state of balance also differs among us. When one starts practicing yog, this slowly starts to change. Initially, both the negative and the positive get enhanced. That is why these practices are done under the strict guidance of one’s guru. Only the guru can channelise these forces in the right direction. It helps one reach a higher state where s/he need more positive and less negative for existence and one evolves to a higher body. Balance can be summarised as a necessary condition for survival, which is unique to an individual at a level of evolution.

— Yogi Ashwini is an authority on yoga, tantra and the Vedic sciences. He is the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation. He has recently written a book, Sanatan Kriya: 51 Miracles... And a Haunting.
Contact him at dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com