Before anything can be created, there must first be an intention for it to exist. In the Tantric tradition, this primordial power of intention is known as Icchā Śakti, the power of will.

Icchā Śakti is more than determination or ambition. It is the capacity to direct our energy towards what we truly value and remain unwavering in that direction. It is the force that moves consciousness from possibility into manifestation.

We live in an age overflowing with information, yet genuine wisdom has never been rarer.

We can access millions of opinions with the touch of a screen, but that doesn’t necessarily bring us closer to truth. In fact, the more information we consume, the more difficult it can become to distinguish what is real from what is merely convincing.

This is why the Tantric tradition speaks of Jñāna Śakti, the divine power of discernment.

There is a vast difference between being busy and being effective.

Many of us spend our lives constantly doing, working, planning, striving, and reacting. Yet often feel as though we’re moving in circles. Tantra teaches that the problem isn’t a lack of action. It’s a lack of aligned action.

This is where Kriyā Śakti comes in.

Kriyā Śakti is the divine power of action. It is the innate capacity to know what needs to be done and to do it without hesitation, doubt, or resistance. It is not forceful action driven by fear or ego, but effortless action arising from clarity and alignment with Dharma, your highest purpose.

When Kriyā Śakti is awakened, life begins to flow. Decisions become simpler. Procrastination dissolves. You stop wasting energy on what doesn’t matter and naturally move toward what does.

The Anandamaya Kosha is the subtlest of the five sheaths, the “bliss body.” It is the final veil between the individual and the Self. Here the unconscious gives way to pure presence, where the fluctuations of the ego temporarily dissolve and a deep sense of peace, contentment, and wholeness can be experienced.

The Vijñānamaya Kośa is the sheath of higher intelligence, wisdom, discernment (viveka), and deep inner knowing. It is the seat of the buddhi, the faculty of intuition and discrimination that allows us to see clearly, beyond the fluctuations of the thinking mind.

It is here that our inner teacher resides, quietly guiding us toward our Dharma, our deepest purpose and the path most aligned with our true nature.

Manomaya Kosha is the mental-emotional sheath. It is composed of manas (the sensory mind), along with our thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, imagination, and the processes of ideation and contemplation. It is also the sheath through which we interpret our experiences and construct meaning. The three guṇas, sattva (clarity), rajas (activity), and tamas (density) are said to strongly influence this layer of our being, colouring the way we perceive ourselves and the world.

The second Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, relates to an individual’s energy field or vital life force. Within this energetic or pranic layer exist several subtle systems, including the Chakras, Vayus, and Nadis, many of which cannot be physically measured or observed through conventional science. These systems work together to distribute and regulate prana throughout the body, influencing vitality, health, emotional balance, and consciousness. Of these, the Vayus are among the most accessible through practice and can be cultivated through conscious movement, and the intelligent application of the six pose categories of asana.

Annamaya Kosha, often referred to as the “food sheath,” is the outermost layer of our being according to yogic philosophy. It is the physical body, the tangible, material aspect of ourselves made up of the elements of the earth. This layer is called Annamaya because it is sustained by the food we consume, and its health and vitality are directly influenced by the nourishment we receive.

Bhakti is far more than a belief in a higher power. It is the recognition of the profound gift of existence itself and the cultivation of a living relationship with that mystery. It is the willingness to orient your life towards something greater than the limitations of the individual mind and ego. At its heart, Bhakti is an attitude of gratitude, a deep appreciation for the opportunity to experience this life and all that it offers.

Tantra embraces both duality and non-duality, honouring the dance of opposites while simultaneously revealing the underlying unity from which they arise. It teaches us to engage fully with life, recognising that every experience, whether pleasurable or painful, sacred or mundane, can become a gateway to awakening.

Advaita, on the other hand, points directly toward the Absolute. Its gaze is fixed on the transcendent reality beyond mind, body, time, and matter. Through deep inquiry and progressive detachment, the practitioner is guided toward the recognition that their true nature is pure awareness itself, untouched by the ever-changing movements of life.

In the yogic tradition, the Suṣumṇā Nāḍī is known as the sacred stream of consciousness and energy that flows through the centre of our being. Often described as the energetic counterpart of the physical spine, it serves as the primary channel through which higher states of awareness are accessed and awakened.

This week we enter the fourth tongue of the fire, Rudrani. Sitting proudly at the centre of all seven tongues, Rudrani represents the very essence of the fire itself. It is the reminder of what we are truly keeping alive within us. Not simply intensity or ambition, but conscious transformation. The unwavering commitment to truth, awareness, discipline, and inner evolution.

Prana Dharana is both a specific yogic technique and a broader concept within the traditional yogic sciences. At its essence, it is the art of gathering, stabilising, and directing Prana, Vital Life Force so that our practices become awakened from within rather than remaining purely mental or mechanical.

Viveka Shakti, the highest expression of spiritual discernment, is the awakened power of Buddhi (intellect) operating at its highest level. In some Tantric traditions, it is regarded as a Siddhi, or spiritual superpower. Imagine seeing the truth in every situation—free from projection, delusion, or confusion about yourself and your capacity. Such clarity would profoundly transform your life.

Santati points to continuity, an unbroken stream of experience that doesn’t begin and end on the mat but extends into the way we live, perceive, and relate to the world. Many people experience a sense of openness, clarity, and connection after practice, yet this often fades quickly. This isn’t because the practice isn’t working, but because the worldview we return to cannot sustain what was experienced. Your worldview shapes how you interpret everything. If it is rooted in separation, external validation, or constant doing, then even profound moments of stillness or awareness will be reduced to something temporary and eventually dissolve back into familiar patterns. Without a framework that can hold the depth of what is felt, those experiences become fleeting.

There is a fire within you that does not destroy, but transforms. It refines, awakens, and clears the heaviness that keeps us bound to old patterns. In the yogic system, this is the path of Kundalini, our dormant spiritual potential, and when awakened specifically at the navel centre, it is known as Rudrani. This is the technical name for activated Kundalini at the navel and is considered the cornerstone of Traditional Hatha Yoga.

There is a current within you that is neither pushing nor softening, neither activating nor withdrawing. It is the space where both can exist without conflict. In the yogic system, this is known as Sushumna Nadi, the central channel running along the spine, representing balance, integration, and the potential for deeper awareness. Where Ida cools and Pingala energises, Sushumna harmonises. It is not something we force open, but something that reveals itself when the system comes into equilibrium.

Pingala is associated with the right nostril, the left hemisphere of the brain, and the qualities of logic, structure, and discernment. When this channel is active and balanced, there is a sense of focus and direction. The mind becomes sharp, the body feels energised, and there is a natural drive to move forward and take purposeful action. It is not frantic or aggressive energy, but a steady, controlled fire that supports clarity and execution.

There is a current within you that doesn’t push, strive, or force. It softens, it receives, it listens. In the yogic system this is known as Ida Nadi, the lunar channel that flows along the left side of the spine, carrying the qualities of stillness, cooling, and inward awareness. It is deeply connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, the aspect of our physiology responsible for rest, digestion, and repair. While much of modern life pulls us into stimulation, output, and constant motion, Ida offers a return to balance through slowing down and turning inward.

The element of Ether, or Space, is the most subtle of all the elements. It is not something we can grasp, hold, or even truly perceive in the conventional sense, yet it is the very field in which all experience arises. Without Space, nothing else could exist. It is the container, the silence, the openness that allows everything to be.