The Yoga of Self-Inquiry

First published in Australian Yoga Life magazine, Issue 9, 2004

Who Am I: The Yoga of Self-Inquiry

Self-inquiry, the art of asking questions for inner guidance, is a powerful yogic pathway taught by masters of many traditions. It can be surprisingly simple and bring amazing results.

There's an ancient yogic tale about the nature of life and birth. It says that while residing in the womb, an individual soul repeats "Soham, soham, soham," meaning "I am That," or "I am that universal consciousness which is eternal and free." This soul is totally connected to the flow and wisdom of its own divinity. The story says that right after the moment of birth, the child enters the full human experience and cries "Koham, koham, koham," meaning "Who am I?"

Inquiry, the practice of asking questions, is one of the most fundamental activities of the mind. It's how we learn, how we grow, and how we develop relationships - with ourselves and with others.

Self-inquiry is the practice of asking questions about who we are and what actions to take. It guides us deep inside to a vast well of universal awareness. It also is a vehicle to find our own happiness and experience the unchanging, ever-present inner self. The internal work of self-inquiry helps dissolve mental and emotional blocks for free-flowing energy and clarity.

From the earliest days of yoga, accomplished yogis worked not only with their bodies but also with their mind and emotions to maintain balance and inner peace. The yoga of self-inquiry is the process of learning how to ask the right questions to receive the wisdom from within.

You may want to read through this article for an overall impression at first, then reread the parts that are important for you and focus on the practices. Be careful not to get lost in your own inquiry by doing too much at once, overanalysing or getting caught in negative emotion. Self-inquiry is an ongoing investigation. Even a single inquiry might need to be done over a period of time.

Inquiry towards the state of oneness

One of the best guidelines of self-inquiry is to set aside who you think you are and what you think you know. When you ask yourself the fundamental question, who am I, you may receive any number of answers you have used throughout your life to define yourself.

The yogis of the wisdom tradition, known as jnanis, say this is false identity. Nisargadatta Maharaj, a 20th-century jnani, said "To know what you are you must first investigate and know what you are not. And to know what you are not you must watch yourself carefully, rejecting all that does not necessarily go with the basic fact: ‘I am.' The ideas: I am born at a given place, at a given time, from my parents and now I am so-and-so, living at, married to, father of, employed by, and so on, are not inherent in the sense ‘I am.' " He advises us to separate ‘I am' from the quality or description of identity, or the way we label ourselves and others. He says, "... try to feel what it means to be, just to be."

Another great 20th-century master of self-inquiry was the great sage Ramana Maharshi. He said "Yoga aims at union of the individual with the universal . . . Find out what is immediate, intimate, instead of trying to find out the distant and unknown . . . Find out, ‘Who am I?' The pure ‘I' is the reality, the absolute-existence-consciousness-bliss."

This pure ‘I' can be described as the state of spiritual connectedness, calmness, well-being, a state both extremely subtle and remarkably expansive. According to the yogis, the underlying ‘I' is our natural state, who we truly are when we drop our many identities.

Swami Venkatesananda, in his commentary and translation of the classic work The Yoga Vasishta, said ". . .When the ‘I' is rightly understood, its meaning is seen as the infinite consciousness . . . The higher form of ‘I-ness', which gives rise to the feeling, ‘I am one with the entire universe, there is nothing apart from me,' [this] is the understanding of the enlightened person."

Practice:

Ask yourself Who am I? Allow the words and their meaning to resonate deep within. Over time the labels of identity, such as I am a man or woman of this age with this family and this education and this job, will arise and subside. Eventually the mind lets go into the simple recognition of I am. Repeat I am. Allow it to resonate. How does it feel? When you think about it, I am is the only truth, the only thing we can truly know. As you practise the Who am I? or I am inquiry, watch the thoughts that come up, and go progressively deeper into the experience of being one with the universe. You can use the I am inquiry to lead into meditation or sleep, or at any time during the day. It's especially helpful when you feel agitated or whenever you want to connect with your inner self.

Inquiry and the Mind

It is the nature of the mind to think. Thoughts appear. Like waves in an ocean they rise and fall of their own accord. Thoughts in themselves are neither positive nor negative.

As the mind creates a series of thoughts, it develops a running commentary called self-talk. This self-talk can be helpful in navigating the world, doing our work and making everyday choices. Benevolent self-talk is positive or neutral, even if it can be intrusive by its endless chatter.

Negative self-talk, however, can be so detrimental that it can destroy confidence, ruin relationships and careers and, at its worst, bring a person to emotional paralysis. Even in its mildest form negative self-talk offers up comparison, judgment, opinion and criticism. Today's world sometimes seems as though it revolves around the negative. Dramatic events are often related in their negative context, from wars and famine to short interpersonal encounters. In addition, we often absorb criticism more readily than praise.

The difference between positive self-talk and negative self-talk is emotional attachment. When a particular thought and its emotional response create disharmony, it results in an uneasy feeling. This manifests in any of the full range of emotions from irritation or worry to paranoia, rage or intense depression. It also can show itself in physical symptoms such as stomach pains, a lump in the throat, headaches or feeling stabbed in the back.

In our culture we have been taught to believe that outer circumstances or other people create the disharmony we feel, but it is our thinking that is the actual underlying cause. Certainly, people and events offer us challenges and obstacles, and it's appropriate to respond with a corresponding emotion. But we want to avoid depletion from the lingering aftermath of emotion, or dwelling on the same issues over and over. Self-inquiry reveals internal cause and effect.

The 19th-century yogi Sri Ramakrishna said "The mind is like white linen fresh from the laundry; it takes the colour in which you dip it."

Self-inquiry is the process of dissolving issues that make you uncomfortable. It's especially powerful any time you are at war with your mind or the world, feel defensive, aggravated, victimised, want more control, or think your life or other people should be different. Likewise, it's equally good to investigate feelings of peace and contentment as they can readily lead to the awareness and experience of the inner self, or I-consciousness.

Practice:

Watch your thoughts with as much neutrality and dispassion as you can. Notice the patterns of self-talk. Are there some that repeat? What are the feelings that arise? Look for upliftment connected with positive feelings such as joy, satisfaction or love. Notice the downward spirals with negative feelings, such as unfulfilled desires, jealousy, frustration or regret. Especially keep track of when your thoughts want to argue with what already is. Or when the mind wants to prove it is right by keeping accounts or building a case. You might want to practise watching your thoughts at a certain time, such as when driving a car or travelling by bus or train. Whenever you can, try to become more aware of your thoughts and their corresponding feelings. In time, you can develop more awareness of your thoughts and can investigate them when you have created negative emotion.

How to do self-inquiry

Inquiry is the practice of investigating. Once you have identified a thought, a pattern of self-talk or a story, you can inquire into it. You can inquire at any time - a quiet moment or while in the middle of a muddled frenzy. Just by stopping you already have more power. If you are inclined, you might want to read through the following suggestions, then pick an issue to inquire into.

It's important not to force an answer or expect a result. Don't try to analyse or make up an answer. Sit and wait. Be still. Silencing the mind allows the answer to arise. Wait for the upwelling wisdom, which may or may not come at this moment. Let the answer find you. You may need to pursue a particular inquiry over a length of time, from one day to months or years. Keep asking the question.

Typical self-inquiry questions are:

Where does it show up in my body? Mentally scan your body to identify tightness or tension in specific locations. Inquire into them by the most obvious means. Ask yourself, what is the connection? A lump in the throat may be something you need to say. A searing headache might be something you don't want to think about. A ‘gut reaction' might be something you can't ‘stomach' or ‘digest'. Painful shoulders might be something you can't keep carrying.
What is this about? The first place to look is in the story you might keep repeating to others or to yourself. Does it relate to a person, place or event? Can you identify the origin of a nagging feeling?
When did this happen? If you don't readily know what it's about, review your day or week. You were fine until? What thought triggered the emotion?
What does it mean to me? Inquire into why you are so upset. This is the time to be totally honest and uncensored about how you feel. Express your feelings to yourself without judging them, such as, it's selfish or I shouldn't feel this way. Turn them into simple statements, such as, I feel frustrated, I'm not getting my way, I'm envious of someone else's success, or any such expression. At the same time you inquire into your own truth, be compassionate with yourself.
Is there something I should do? Self-inquiry is not about analysing; it's about letting go. If there's something you can do, what is the next step? If you can't make a difference, can you drop the series of thoughts? How do you feel without those thoughts?
What else can I ask? Sometimes another question arises, such as, is this really what it is about, or is it something else?

Inquiry is more than a technique for guidance or clarity. It is accessing and sitting in the state of being that is the deepest, most vivid aspect of us. With practice we learn how to ask questions that lead to appropriate answers and effective action. All the answers we ever need are always available inside us.

Good questions

Use any of the following questions as a guideline. Over time you will develop many questions you find helpful.

Is it true?
Is it true from the deepest part of me?
What is my underlying motivation?
What do I want from this?

Bad or unhelpful questions

Depending on how they are asked, some questions can perpetuate the downward spiral. These may include the following.

What's going to happen? (Worry)
Why does everything bad happen to me? (Victim)
How come I always have to do it myself? (Martyr)
Why? (Try to be more specific, such as, For what reason? In what way? Avoid ‘why' questions when they put you on the defensive or fuel negativity.)

Questions for release

Sometimes we simply need to let go of negative thinking. Try the following when you're stuck or ready to drop it.

Can I let it go? How do I feel when I let it go?
I forgive myself (or another person)
I accept what happened, I accept myself
I embrace the full human experience

Receiving the Answers

Keep in mind that you're listening for your own answers, not other people's. Don't block yourself by any belief. In receiving the answer, reject nothing. Be open to possibilities beyond your previous experience. Don't dismiss ideas or feelings because they seem strange or unusual. When the mind asks sincerely, the heart responds.

Once you experience the right answer, you'll know it. You may feel a tingle, warmth or chill. You may be shocked or have a jolt of recognition. Your heart may beat faster or your breath may be taken away. It may even hit you like a punch in the stomach or a wave of nausea.

How does the answer feel? Sit with it and be gentle with yourself. The right answers accompany upliftment, relief or a feeling of positive alignment. You might experience a feeling of perfect harmony or balance when it suddenly feels right. Often people experience a welling of tears. Truth feels more peaceful than discomfort or stress. The adjustment to truth can also be painful. You may respond with a flash of anger or sob with grief.

Does it ring true? Visualise the answer and its opposite. Or contemplate two or more choices that arise. Ask yourself, does this one feel right? Does this one feel wrong? Is this one more right than the other one. Do none of them feel right? Then inquire more.

Try on the answers like you're trying on clothes. Some fit better than others. What is the feeling if you stay with the thought? What is the feeling without the thought? Inquiry is about finding the truth.

Turning judgement into value

Judgment and a closed mind block good self-inquiry, but are excellent stepping-stones for investigation. In the practices of observing the mind, doing the Who am I? inquiry, and inquiring into stressful states, many judgments arise. These may be about ourselves or about other people. Rather than judging your judgments, flow into them. Accept even your most hideous judgments with compassion and love. Then inquire into them. Are they true? If not, drop them.

But what if your judgment, in your opinion, is true? Some people like to plan and others like spontaneity. Some prefer high risk and others prefer safety. Some go for full disclosure and others keep to themselves. Some like change and others let things stay the way they are. These are all personal values. Rather than fighting with these judgments and their subsequent frustration, turn them into values. Say to yourself, this person values planning or spontaneity or high risk or safety. This practice can release you from your own judgments and help you to accept others.

Ongoing inquiry

The contemporary yogi of self-inquiry, Swami Shankarananda, says "When self-inquiry is kindled in seekers they become intensely alive, intensely active. Their yogic awareness burns, assimilates, transforms and purifies. Individuals who have done self-inquiry for a while become aware of every nuance of their reactions and feelings in every moment. This is not a form of narcissistic self-obsession, but a heightened awareness, like that of a woodsman who hears deeply into the sounds of the forest. Yogis of self-inquiry are more aware of what is really happening than others."

The practice of self-inquiry requires courage. The truth can sometimes feel painful at first and big issues can feel like battles. Be gentle with yourself and develop self-inquiry through experience. You do the inquiry, you get the answer, you follow it. How does it turn out? The more you do the right things, the more you trust your self-inquiry, and the more you have the courage to continue work on yourself. Over time the mind automatically questions its own stressful thoughts and feelings and unravels them before they develop further. When you have done intensive self-inquiry, there are no personal issues you can't resolve. Through self-inquiry we have the capacity to draw on understanding and information from a sublime source of knowledge and guidance - the inner self.

The Tibetan Buddist master Tulku Thondop says, "our minds create the experience of both happiness and suffering, and the ability to find peace lies within us. In its true nature the mind is peaceful and enlightened. Anyone who understands this is already on the path to wisdom".

References:

Maharaj, Nisargadatta, I am That, Acorn Press, Durham North Carolina, 1986, pp. 59-60.

Talks with Ramana Maharshi, Inner Directions Publishing, Carlsbad, California, 2000, pp. 8-9

Venkatesananda, Swami, The Supreme Yoga: Yoga Vasishta, The Chiltern Yoga Trust, South Fremantle, WA, 1998, p. 122.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, translated by Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna Vivekananda Centre, New York, 2000, p. 195.

Shankarananda, Swami, Consciousness Is Everything: The Yoga of Kashmir Shaivism, Shaktipat Press, Mt. Eliza, 2003, p. 149.

Thondup, Tulku, The Healing Power of Mind, Shambala Publications, Boston, 1996, p. 17.