Psychic Knots In the end we become a channel of pure love in the world - No more knots. I had this experience physically and visually during my own meditation practice and found out later about the concept of the Psychic knots. According to the yogic tradition, a granthi (“knot”) is an energetic and psychic contraction preventing the free flow of prana (energy) along sushumna nadi (the main energy channel in the subtle body). The granthis impede the awakening of the chakras and the rising of kundalini shakti (the fundamental force of our being, generally lying dormant in muladhara chakra). In order for kundalini to achieve its final upward movement to sahasrara, it must first pierce through each of the three granthis (Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra). These three psychic knots are located at the level of muladhara, anahata, and ajna chakras. Each granthi can be associated with a particular state of contraction of the personal consciousness. Such a “knot” is the expression of a form of attachment that presents an obstacle on the path to higher knowledge, therefore obscuring the truth of our essential nature. When the granthis are pierced, kundalini will rise spontaneously, bringing a profound expansion of consciousness. This is when, according to Swami Sivananda, “The Yogi drinks the Nectar of Immortality.”

Prospect Park, New York 2012

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Costume design, concept development : Patricia Buraschi.

Photography and retouching: Hanna Agar