Adhah Gati and Adho Gati

2 weeks ago By Yogi Anoop

Adhah Gati and Adho Gati

Where the ease of the downward flow of movement exists, I call that Adhah-gati. In this ease, fear (disease) cannot sustain itself. In nature, both letting go and holding are effortless. Observe carefully: in nature there is neither action nor inaction—there is only a process. Action implies the sense of a doer, while inaction implies that the doer has realized non-doership.

For example, the inhalation and exhalation of the breath are a process. With inhalation, a natural contraction occurs; with exhalation, a natural relaxation occurs. Whether you are aware of it or not, this process continues on its own. You are not doing anything in it—this is its own process, its nature. Contraction and relaxation are its inherent qualities.

However, when, during inhalation, one forcefully draws a deep breath inside, the contraction that occurs then is called action. And when, during exhalation, one experiences the breath being released on its own, that is called inaction. That is, in inhalation there was a sense of doership within oneself, and in exhalation there was a sense of non-doership.

Now let us go a little deeper. When one filled the breath inside, one experienced doership—meaning the feeling that I inhaled the breath. Notice carefully: within this doership, effort was required. This effort itself tires one. If this effort is full of excessive stimulation, the fatigue will be of the same nature. If, however, discernment is used by the doer within this effort, the fatigue will be minimal—and whatever remains will dissolve in the act of letting the breath go.

Now let us reflect on exhalation. While releasing the breath, there was awareness, yet one experienced that it went out on its own, as is its nature. The lungs already possess the nature of release; while the breath was going out, one merely recognized its spontaneous letting go. In doing so, one removed one’s ignorance, within which an interfering contraction was hidden. That is, no effort of contraction was made in releasing the breath. One only recognized the spontaneous movement of the breath outward—meaning one realized non-action within oneself. Notice this carefully: more than the awareness of the breath, there was awareness of oneself. The breath was already moving according to its nature. One realized within oneself, I too am non-doer in accordance with it; I have recognized its release.

Now observe further. Earlier, one was already a doer, because in every process (inhalation and exhalation) there was a habit not only of action but of over-action. Now, in exhalation, while experiencing non-doership, one recognized the letting go of the breath. That is, one fully recognized the ease of the breath. And one could recognize the ease of the breath only because one had oneself become at ease.

Now pay deeper attention and try to understand this: the experience of letting the breath go spontaneously—that is, the experience of its ease—leads one to the realization of non-action within oneself. This realization of non-action establishes one in health (swastha), meaning being situated in oneself. The root meaning of swastha is precisely “being established in the Self.” When one becomes established in oneself, all the organs too begin to function naturally and more effectively, whereas earlier they were disturbed due to constant interference. They were unhealthy precisely because the doer was always interfering.

Thus, it is established that where the realization of ease has occurred, the absence of disease becomes possible. Conversely, where, in the name of solving problems, the doer keeps increasing contraction upon contraction, understand that disease has already taken birth in the mind—because the greater the experience of doership, the greater the disease in the inner mind, and its adverse effects on the body will certainly be seen sooner or later. For the extreme experience of doership is death (suffering), and the experience opposite to that doership—non-doership—brings the experience of the absence of contraction, which is liberation. That itself is health.

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