The Hidden Power of Friendliness

The Power of Friendliness is a framework from the Yoga Sutras with guidelines to enhance a sense of friendliness into your own life. Its principles are based in recent science as well as demonstrating applications in neurobiology and psychology.

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The Power of Friendliness is a framework from the Yoga Sutras with guidelines to enhance a sense of friendliness into your own life. Its principles are based in recent science as well as demonstrating applications in neurobiology and psychology.

The nature of consciousness to know itself is the subject of the Yoga Sutras. As an ontological framework of how this formless, untraceable entity is capable of perceiving itself and its own ability is phenomenal. That the quantum realm suggests a basis for how the nature of consciousness operates is a rich topic in psychics. Studies in neurobiology and psychology affirm the unique dynamics of consciousness as a causal influence.

According to Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, consciousness and its earth moving potential is uncomplicated. Simply light up your grin from the inside-out and feel “the hidden power of friendliness.”

Good Vibrations

Friendliness from the heart is transformative. Patanjali extracted this revelation from earlier Vedic texts and synthesized the process of coherent states around 200 BCE. Now the science in brainwave frequencies synchronized with positive emotions is integral with improved mental health.

Like a universal tuner, dialing into a smiling channel becomes immediately apparent. The Sutras suggest “The Four Positive Attitudes” for increasing benevolent wattage.

The Four Positive Attitudes

Sutra 1:33 emphasizes practicing attitudes of friendliness by first establishing it into your own life. In the book, The Secret of the Yoga Sutra, author, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD., and spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, notes that “friendliness should feel normal, not pretentious.” He says that the mental agitation of artificiality is distracting and shrinks perspective.

In turn, genuine thoughts, speech, and actions expand one’s internal environment. With an atmosphere of authenticity, Tigunait describes how these sentiments listed in the Sutras cultivate openness while reducing the disruption of mental toxins:

Maitri. Adopting a sense of goodwill when encountering someone who is happy or successful rather than with envy or negativity.
Karuna. Compassion for those who are struggling by offering support and kindness.
Mudita. The delight in appreciating good deeds instead of casting aspersions.
Upeksha. (Equanimity) A state of balance when encountering those who are obnoxious or instigate animosity.

As a result of elevating these attitudes, balance and composure can be felt through clearer perception and better decision-making. By practicing compassion, stronger more fulfilling relationships are available. Accepting one’s own strengths and imperfections stabilizes inner balance.

How to get Friendly From Within

Sutra 1:35 offers “Kapla-bhedi” pranayama to quiet the mind and flow peacefully.

Kapala-bhedi (skull piercing) is a three step process:

Puraka (inhalation)
Rechaka (exhalation)
Khumbaka (holding the breath.)

Popularly known as “box breathing” this pranayama unites mental awareness with the breath which becomes a focal point for the mind.

Here is a simple breakdown of Kapala-bhedi pranayama:

Quietly breathe in a comfortable amount of air diaphragmatically.
Hold the breath for about the same amount of time. (Counting is helpful)
Exhale through the nose expelling more than taken in. Feel the belly deflate as the navel sinks toward the spine.
Comfortably hold the breath.
Repeat.

Watch the breath and spot any distractions throughout the cycle and let it go. This sutra also mentions that breath retention is a distinct period of awareness. It engages the mind to further focus.

The unobstructed space created in this practice not only steadies the mind, it also supports the next step. A meditation called “Lotus of the Heart.”

Lotus of the Heart Meditation

In many spiritual contexts, the lotus is used as an image for the sublime. Facilitating the mind with a symbolic embodiment is a useful point of reference while observing your natural presence. The metaphorical heart used in this meditation combines pranayama, visualization and mantra to occupy and poise attentiveness.

Because this system of meditation described by sutra 1:36 moves outside the margins of the body, the anchoring of breath, images and sound, encourage the mind to flow willingly.

Begin by breathing in through the region of the eyebrow center. This inhalation from the Ajna chakra, governs meditative vibrations, intuition and spiritual awareness. It is very subtle, yet active.
Breathe out feeling the delicate energy of your life force. Feel it move up through the crown of the head and simultaneously down through the physical heart while radiating outward past the confines of the body.
Rhythmically add the mantra, So-Hum. (I am that) As the lungs fill, exhale with the sound of “So” and sense a discrete energy spread. Followed by the sound of “Hum,” feel your center of awareness expand.

Center of Awareness

Just as the physical heart is located at the center of the body, the spiritual heart is at the center of awareness. Here, the lotus of the heart does not have shape, size, or color comparable to anything physical, but a quality perceptible by the mind. Feel it move effortlessly within this space of consciousness.

In tantric philosophy, the metaphysics of Purusha (the seer) and Prakriti (primordial matter) are evident during Lotus of the Heart meditation. Sutra 3.4 elaborates on the process where the seer and the seen merge. It is also Patanjali characterizing consciousness and the subatomic field.

Consciousness and Quantum Theory

According to the classical Indian school of Vaisheshika logic, Purusha is consciousness. Like energy, it is unchanging. Prakriti represents the invisible or atomic material of the universe. These principles are central to modern physics.

This cognitive pattern of frequencies can be seen as a consequence of shared vibrations or excitations within the quantum field known as entanglement.

This discovery goes beyond just thinking about ideas; it suggests a connection between how we think and what happens to us.

In the 2021 study, Quantum Fields and the Brain, the human brain has shown to intertwine with abstract quantum particles and waves. A recent discovery of "microtubules" inside the brain’s neuronal web corroborates this theory. How thoughts and emotions as well as physical energy is as a source of stimulation within other quantum fields is worth noting.

The Neurobiology and Psychology of Friendliness

Like the Sutras, neuroscience highlights the brain's ability to adapt and change. As in the Four Positive Attitudes, neuroplasticity suggests that thoughts can shape the brain's wiring. Fostering a friendly disposition strengthens neural pathways thereby changing the brain’s structure and function.

Positive psychologist, Dr. Maike Neuhaus, specializes in behavioral strategies. Comparable to the “Eight Limbs of Yoga,” (2:29) she applies lifestyle modifications with her self-help approach.

Neuhaus’ brand of thought and action to boost meaningful goals echo yogic prescriptions.

Her Mind-Body therapy targets breath control, exercise, sleep, and diet to improve a positive mental state.

Neuhaus emphasizes how the brain barely distinguishes between real and vividly imagined events, so when accompanied by a good feeling, visualization primes other organs with the objective.

Positive Affirmations or short phrases spoken with feeling in the present tense is guided by the “self-fulfilling prophecy.” She says it shapes a thought with the intent of materializing an idea.

Additionally, fusing thought and action adds congruency by closing the gap on cognitive dissonance.

In essence, the Sutras supply a means to the rhythm of life. The power of friendliness requires participation in the frequencies we choose to emit. Altering brain and body chemistry at various intersections in the crosscurrents impacting reality, is a real goal in yoga.

Consciousness is the ultimate inanimate life force which has no alternative but to be cognizant of itself when allowed. From its intangible workings, the mind and the power of friendliness not only shines in an acceptance of others, but frees the self to resonate with new found strength, skill, and ability.