Perhaps you have encountered the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton and his particular approach to the study of epigenetics, wherein one can affect one’s own gene expression (to some extent) by adjusting one’s internal environment via the intentional “superimposition” of positive thought and feeling, which can have many positive, lasting effects on both physical and psychological health.
In the linked article above, Lipton says, “the brain […] translates your perception into chemistry that complements that perception.”
This is the essence of his version of epigenetics (at least as we understand it): that, by use of mental effort, choosing to regularly immerse our psycho-physiology in thoughts and feelings of positive states such as love, we have a positive effect on our biochemistry, which reduces gene expression that leads to our various stress experiences.
In this blog entry, we are going to discuss what we will call endogenetics, which esoterically expands on Dr. Lipton’s work, reaching to the pre-genetic root of life’s stress responses, all of which we refer to as karmic data. Instead of only superimposing feeling and thought, endogenetic yoga interfaces with all stress points and feels them while sustaining a loving presence on the body-feeling level. This approach allows the stress response identified to conclude its expression through us once and for all.
Endogenetics recognizes a key human characteristic: there are thoughts and feelings we can choose to have, yes, but, more often, most of our thoughts and feelings just happen without exactly our intention to conjure them. When we get angry or sad, as a result of, say, experiencing a particular life event, those feelings just happen reflexively, and, more often than not, we cannot choose to instantly shut them off. Additionally, we each react to life in different ways, and, often, we think of ourselves as being identified with the reaction patterns that manifest through us. This is just the way I am.
Endogenetics looks at these reflexive-like patterns and focuses on transmuting the root of them so that they can no longer be triggered. This is how we choose to finish a particular response pattern, to liberate ourselves of a limiting belief or emotional response – not just soften it or learn how to cope with it via the relentless overlay of positivity.
Epigenetics includes choosing to feel and think a certain way to flood the body with benevolent biochemistry, so to speak. While this has shown to be beneficial, this approach from the outside (epi-) does not access the root of the pattern, but, rather, stills the waters of the emotional body temporarily so that it does not keep stimulating the detrimental biochemistry.
Even though it is not (likely) intended to be so, this superimposing of the desired state alone is a form of bypassing, because it does not [appear to] include engaging with the problem, but focuses on showing it how you want it to behave while (inadvertently) ignoring why it was misbehaving in the first place.
The endogenetic approach does not default to this attitude of ignoring the thing that appears to be causing the undesired expression by overpowering it with positivity. This is because endogenetics is aware that the undesired feelings don’t disappear if ignored – they still exist even if you pay attention to something else with seamless perfection.
Epigenetics will tell you that if living in a metropolis is bad for your health, that you shouldn’t only immerse yourself in good feelings and beliefs, but even consider relocating to a smaller town so that the stress is no longer triggered.
Endogenetic yogis know how to interact with their psychology and physiology in such a way that allows them to discover the inner – the esoteric, or pre-physical – cause of the imbalance and process its data so that it can no longer be triggered into expression, even if we, in the case of our current example, go on living in the metropolitan environment.
With the external approach of epigenetics, a limiting belief can be reinforced by the very act of superimposition – simply because we do not deal with the root cause of why the belief remains integrated into our sense of self. We move away from the city compelled by the belief that the city is harming me, or even that the metropolitan environment in general is inherently detrimental.
Yogis who practice endogenetic awareness confront and transcend all limiting belief. They ask: “why do some people thrive in the city, but others founder?” Then they ask, “what do I feel in my body when I experience stress in the city? What is my feeling experience when my beliefs about the city come alive in me?”
They ask this because they know that the cause of suffering comes from what is triggered internally by external phenomena. The karmic data of those who thrive is different from those who long to escape. The karma must be dealt with directly in order for the symptoms to subside permanently.
In the Golden Pagoda, we share that all karmic data that one loads into this particular lifetime is temporary: that it is brought here to be healed, which involves concluding our eons of having it incorporated into our identity.
To continue with the example of “urban suffering,” when we use a heart-based practice such as the Shining Heart, we are able to identify the source of that suffering within our system – through body sensations, through active emotional processes, through thought patterns – and effectively transmute it so that it can no longer be triggered by the city’s natural environmental factors (as they express at the current time).
This is a very scientific process because, after feeling our way to the other side of the origin point of the suffering, we can test to see if our system continues to react in the same old ways. Inevitably, if our practice is accurate and regular, even after only a couple of months the results will be incontrovertible. And since we have resolved the pattern at the root, it would not resurface even if we were to stop the practice.
However, if we go on practicing and – even with the palpable improvements in vitality, stamina, mental-emotional stability, etc. – there is still the feeling that “this place is not for me,” then we may be dealing not with a triggering of karmic material, but a dilemma of the soul.
You see, after extended practice with the Shining Heart, the nature of the self as we know it can change. If we process the vast majority of the karmic content that influenced our choice to live in one particular place, we might start to feel incompatible with that place if it is not our soul’s intention to do its work there.
Therefore, endogenetics does not only focus on the yogic transmutation of the karmic data loaded for this lifetime – to focus only on this would not complete the process of rendering forth optimal self expression in body.
The function of the heart chakra is two-part. Besides enabling us to access the cosmic root of our (ancient) chaos, it also has one other key function: downloading the soul consciousness into the lived experience so that its impulses define what we do and attract.
The act of downloading the soul is less an act of superimposition and more a subsumption: because it is specifically coupled with the heart chakra, there is a complete rewriting of the of the default patterns of self in body to conform to the soul’s dynamic patterns of expressing.
According to the Akashic Records, similar to epigenetics, endogenetic yoga leads to an alteration of gene expression from the “yogic adjustment” that results from these two concurrent processes: the releasing of karmic data through direct interface with the pain point, and the subsumption of soul data into the psycho-physiology (the 7 Koshas). If you are interested in helping us confirm this via modern scientific standards, please contact us. In the end, whether it does or doesn’t affect gene expression is of little importance since the results speak for themselves.
Often, as this change develops, we can experience many incompatibilities with the life yielded by our karmic nature that we must practice recognizing so that we can make the proper adjustments.
This can be a delicate process, for we are so karmically prone to rejecting what we don’t like that we can easily convince ourselves that we have upgraded to an incompatible state when really we are – once again – succumbing to the (karmic and therefore temporary) desire to rid ourselves of woe.
This is why we recommend these ingredients for the most fruitful endogenetic practice:
- Regular and sufficient time with a teacher
- A Sangha or community of practitioners
- A regular personal practice that remains faithful to the details intimated by the instructor
This reveals to us the third key aspect of awakening the heart consciousness, be it by the Shining Heart technique, or by another tried and true system: that the full extent of the work can really only be accomplished in community, because it is with others that we are able to commit the actions of the newly awakened soul consciousness in a meaningful way.
We are grateful for the immense dedication of Dr. Bruce Lipton, and how his work has assisted our own research over the last decade.
Contact us if you resonate with the endogenetic approach to begin your Shining Heart training.
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