Have you ever walked by a yoga class and heard a group of people humming? Well, they were most likely saying OM or AUM. In yoga, the sound of AUM + the silence that follows represents the four states of human consciousness. The four states of consciousness, as determined by the Mandukya Upanishad, are waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and enlightenment or bliss. Each of these states — reflected by the letters in AUM + silence and their Sanskrit term — are described in depth below.
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What Is Consciousness?
Consciousness is the knowledge and intuition that a person has about their own existence and the physical world around them. The existence of consciousness requires in-depth cognitive processing, including perceptive and sensory processing, as well as gross motor functions. Whether verbal or nonverbal, statements like “I am breathing” or “I am feeling” are indications of conscious awareness.
Understanding consciousness and its altered states can help us better adapt and improve our mental and physical wellbeing. A deeper knowledge of consciousness and the subjective experience removes us from the mundane flow of daily tasks and leads to an intentional life of intuition and inner intelligence.
First State: A — Jagrat (Waking)
The waking state, known as Jagrat, is the most tangible form of consciousness and connects us with our physical world. It includes the sense organs, action organs (karmendriyas), breath (prana), the mind (mana), intellect (buddhi), emotional or ego-driven mind chatter (chitta), and ego (ahankara). The sense organs include the physical five senses as well as corresponding organs that receive and process information — for example, the retinal ganglion cells and visual cortex send and receive information to the eyes.
Humans remain in this waking state the most and it provides the opportunity to communicate with others about subjective reality and the revelations of the deeper states of consciousness. Gamma waves, 30 to 100 hertz, and beta waves, 12 to 30 hertz, both occur in the waking state and are associated with intense focus and rapid information processing.
A few ways to connect to this state in your personal yoga practice include flowing through asanas (poses), practicing mindful walking or eating, and aligning the breath with movement. A specific breathwork practice that is known to awaken essential digestive and elimination organs and simultaneously calm the restless mind is called Bahya pranayama.
Second State: U — Svapna (Dreaming)
Svapna is known as the dreaming state. This state builds on and is informed by the experiences and knowledge obtained through Jagrat (first state). In this level of inner consciousness, the mind experiments with desires, attractions, and fantasies that are not to be acted upon in the external world. For example, in a dream you may forever live in and explore the depths of the ocean without gear, yet in the Jagrat you know that a limited supply of oxygen is available to explore underneath the ocean’s surface.
In most cases, dreams are uncontrolled. However, lucid dreaming is when one is aware that they are dreaming and may have the ability to control the direction of that dream. Those with consistent occurrences of lucid dreaming have an increased capacity to address fears or process waking state issues. Journaling before sleep and after waking can bridge the gap between experiences in the waking versus dreaming state.
Theta waves, with frequencies from four to eight hertz, are most commonly observed in this dream-like state of consciousness. Theta waves contribute to emotional healing, memory consolidation, learning, and creativity. Alpha waves, ranging from eight to twelve hertz, may occur here during light meditation or breathwork and are known to enhance memory retention.
Third State: M — Prajna (Deep Sleep)
Prajna, the third state, is a removed and unconscious, deep sleep state. Here the subtleties of the mind are planted, yet no dreams or desires or physical sensations can occur here. The Buddhist concept of Prajna means wisdom — not the intellectual knowledge found in books or traditional education settings, but a wisdom that unlocks the gate to true understanding of the pure self and state of bliss.
The brain wave associated with this state is delta. Delta waves, ranging from 0.5 to four hertz, are the slowest of human frequencies and are vital to regenerative processes such as cell growth, immune function, and muscle repair.
Fourth State: (silence) — Turiya (Pure Consciousness)
The fourth state of consciousness is Turiya, which is beyond cognition and simultaneously the absence of cognition. Also referred to as Brahman (infinite self) or Atman (individual self), this fourth state of consciousness is our pure, unchanging, essential being, not confined or defined by number or quantity. This super-consciousness is aligned with ultimate freedom from judgment, grief, desire, and delusion.
Further research is being explored on brain wave activity in this state, though some research has identified the presence of both delta and gamma waves associated with it.
Getting to the Fourth State of Consciousness
The Mandukya Upanishad states that the mind is active, and it gets tired of activity. The beauty and purpose of yoga is to calm and control this mind chatter (chitta vritti). This gradual withdrawal from the senses toward the true state of bliss can occur through meditation or the practice of yoga nidra. Meditation is a mental practice done for the purpose of reaching higher levels of spiritual awareness. In meditation the focus is on the breath, a rhythmic sound, a reflective question, or other mantra.
An example meditation that aligns with the transcendence from the physical world to pure consciousness is the Bija (seed) mantra meditation. Repeating the one-syllable seed sounds (Lam, Vam, Ram, Yam, Ham, Om, and Ah) connects to the energetic characteristics of the seven chakras (root to crown).
In contrast, yoga nidra is a relaxation technique that allows a person to explore the state between wakefulness and sleep. The goal is focused on understanding the subconscious rather than quieting the mind.
Closing Thoughts
In summary, consciousness transcends both the physical and spiritual realms of humanity. The ethereal sound of AUM + silence is a direct representation of this phenomenon and, when paired with conscious awareness and intentional meditation, it can help us reach these deeper levels of consciousness and a successful journey toward pure bliss.