Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Self Knowledge Articles
We are currently looking for an Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Self Knowledge". If you have expertise in Self Knowledge and your own website and/or product for this topic, please review this form for complete details. The Official Guide Position is part of our Premium Placement Package
- Understanding the Path of Devotion, Bhakti Yoga - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2023 from santosh krinskyDevotion is not something measured externally by how an individual sings, dances, prays or manifests various signs such as ‘speaking in tongues’, although any one of these activities may indeed be expressions of a deep inner devotion. The measure of devotion is one that reflects the internal ...
Views: 485 - Understanding the Physical Body in its Gross and Subtle Aspects - by Submitted on Jul 07, 2023 from santosh krinskyWhen a particular power of consciousness is intended to participate in the evolution in the external world, it utilizes the physical body as the foundation or anchor of its action. This fixes its action in the world, while at the same time, imposes limits on the power due to the watering-down ...
Views: 427 - Understanding the Physical Mind and the Process of Change - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2023 from santosh krinskyThere is in Nature, a conservative force that resists change. There is a benefit inasmuch as it ensures that life does not devolve into chaos, and there is a further benefit that it forces the change-process to become much more solid and effective in order to eventually bring out the intended ...
Views: 420 - Understanding the Quality of Sincerity in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on May 10, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe general definition of sincerity as understood in society is the quality of unifying one’s intention with one’s words or actions. This definition is a good starting point for understanding sincerity in the yogic sense. The major difference between the two is the level of inward review and ...
Views: 581 - Understanding the Relationship of Various Parts and Planes of the Being to Our Current External Mental, Vital and Physical Consciousness - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2023 from santosh krinskySri Aurobindo frequently describes going inward to discover the deepest inner being, the psychic being, or soul, as one way to come into contact with the truth of one’s existence and unify one’s being with the Divine. This is a way to overcome the artificial wall of separation that we set up ...
Views: 422 - Understanding the Respective Roles of Personal Effort and Divine Grace in the Transformation of Human Nature - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2025 from santosh krinskyIt is one thing to adopt, in one’s mind, the idea that since the Divine is doing the work, we need simply accept the idea and let things take their course. It is an entirely different thing if we actually want to accomplish the transformation needed to bring about a change in human nature based ...
Views: 164 - Understanding the Role, Nature and Action of the Vital Mind - by Submitted on Oct 18, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe vital mind is the dominant process for most people in the world today who live an external life and work toward some form of fulfillment, success, progress or development in their lives and in their relations to family, friends, community and their society. Very few, comparatively, are those ...
Views: 593 - Understanding the Separate Aspects of Being That Make Up the Human Individual’s Personality - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2023 from santosh krinskyMost people look at what they consider to be their personality in a very simple and straightforward manner. The mixture of ideas, thought-process, emotional responses, vital reactions, desires and physical needs and cravings is simply ‘who they are’. When they conclude that something needs to ...
Views: 434 - Understanding the Stage of Development of the Vital Man - by Submitted on Jan 01, 2025 from santosh krinskyHuman beings are not all at the same stage of evolutionary development. We can see this clearly when we observe the different interests, ways of responding and directions that people take as they grow and begin to participate in the life of the society and the world at large. We see some people ...
Views: 232 - Understanding the Stage of Striving and the Role of Instincts in Response to External Events - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2025 from santosh krinskyBeyond the stage of “flight or fight” we see in panic and the eventual recoil into inertia, where we see the initial reactions of instinct at play, the stage of ‘striving’ begins to harness energy of response by the vital being, albeit still very much under the influence and control of the power ...
Views: 196 - Understanding the Stages of Coping and Mastery in Response to External Events - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2025 from santosh krinskyAt some point in life, the individual becomes aware that the former methods of reacting to circumstances and events are not only counter-productive, but actually harmful to their own health and well-being and the successful resolution of the situation. Struggling and striving, fighting and ...
Views: 188 - Understanding the Stages of Panic and Inertia That Arise When Facing Difficulties and Obstacles in Life - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2025 from santosh krinskyBoth panic and inertia are responses to situations that arise in the life of individuals. They come about when something new or unexpected comes forward to challenge the individual. In the case of panic, there is clearly a perception of danger, and the rising of fear in the being. This drives ...
Views: 206 - Understanding the Terminology in Sri Aurobindo’s Use of the Words ‘Soul’ and ‘Psychic’ - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2026 from santosh krinskySri Aurobindo’s use of the terms ‘soul’ and ‘psychic’ started out with the common usage of the time, but as his work developed, he determined it was best to create a more precise terminology than was commonly in use. In order to appreciate the nuances involved and follow along with the central ...
Views: 54 - Understanding the Transmission of Our Vital Inheritance - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2023 from santosh krinskyFew are those individuals who were conceived through a consecrated and conscious act of prayer and dedication by the parents. Those individuals are blessed with the opportunity to live a life of dedication and devotion. Most people, however, are conceived without much thought or consideration ...
Views: 400 - Understanding the Various Aspects of Mental Activity - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2023 from santosh krinskyWestern medical researchers have invested a considerable amount of time and attention on gaining an understanding of the way the brain functions, mapping the regions of the brain responsible for various types of activities, and monitoring the function of neurotransmitter chemicals and nervous ...
Views: 446 - Understanding the Yogic Process and Its Developments Through the Action of Time - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2025 from santosh krinskyWe frequently overlook the element of time in any inner review of progress toward spiritual fulfillment, surrender to the Divine, or any other aspect of our spiritual path. We want and expect instant results, and thus, when we once take up spiritual practice, we want it to be immediately ...
Views: 158 - Understanding Vital Dissatisfaction and Withdrawal of Energy - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere are times when we feel a total lack of inspiration and energy. Dullness pervades, there is no initiative or interest in anything. These times come in the ordinary day to day life, but they are covered up with distractions, entertainment, intoxication, and vital forms of enjoyment. The ...
Views: 581 - Understanding Your Underlying Drives and Motivations - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2012 from Graham & Monika Burwise“MAN, KNOW THYSELF” is a recurring theme throughout many religious and spiritual teachings, for without this understanding we remain reactive and uncertain, adrift in an overwhelming sea of experiences. By understanding our motivational drives we are able to actively shape our unique identity ...
Views: 2173 - Unflagging Perseverance and Persistence Is Required for the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2025 from santosh krinskyAthletes undergo extensive training routines, logging many thousands of hours with, in many cases, tough physical conditioning and practice, in order to achieve their goals for physical development and to be able to participate in a competitive sporting event. Many who are not athletes undertake ...
Views: 143 - Unifying the Entire Being Around the Aspiration for the Divine - by Submitted on Jun 27, 2023 from santosh krinskyA spiritual seeker identifies with his aspiration and the focus and actions that come about as a result of that aspiration. It may be acts of prayer, acts of giving, acts of consecration, acts of meditation, or dedicated works. During the moments that he is engaged in these acts, he feels like ...
Views: 452 - Unique Feature of Islam Among All Religions - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2018 from Marghoob Bin SafdarIslam is the most practiced religion in the world. Muslims are present in almost every region of the world and practicing the teaching of Islam. Islam has the complete code of life. It is the best and unique religion in the world. It is the Question asked by the number of people that how Islam ...
Views: 1285 - Universal Forces and the Subconscient - by Submitted on May 10, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere are many functions of our existence that take place without the conscious awareness or intervention of the mind. All of the complex functions of the body and its organs, for instance, are very much independent of control by our conscious mind and will, although some of these functions may, ...
Views: 327 - Universal Forces and Their Impact on the Individual and Means of Protection From Their Action - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2026 from santosh krinskyWe are constantly being inundated by forces active in the world. These forces may be physical, such as the radiation from the sun, radioactivity from the earth, the power of wind, waves, gravitational influences, etc. They may also be vital forces that provoke sympathetic vibrations within us ...
Views: 82 - Universal Forces, the Aura and the Individual Consciousness - by Submitted on May 09, 2024 from santosh krinskyMany people hold that the truth of existence is an “either/or” proposition. If the universal forces create all of existence, then the individual is essentially an illusory conception; and on the other hand, if the individual is a real and separate entity, then the universal is somehow denied or ...
Views: 319 - Universal Forces, the Chakra Energy Centers, and the Utilization of the Forces - by Submitted on May 27, 2024 from santosh krinskyEach individual has his own unique types and levels of receptivity, and these too can vary over time. The universal forces are constantly there, but if an individual is closed off, unresponsive, then he does not gain the full benefit of that force. The ancient description of the energy centres ...
Views: 300 - Unlocking Abundance: The 369 Manifestation Secret Code - by Submitted on May 07, 2024 from Sahib BerwalHave you ever felt like there's a secret to manifesting abundance that's just out of reach? Something that seems too good to be true, yet tantalizingly close? What if I told you that the key to unlocking your dreams lies in a simple yet powerful code — the 369 Manifestation Secret? In today's ...
Views: 486 - Untying the Knot of the Ego-Consciousness - by Submitted on Jun 26, 2023 from santosh krinskyAs long as an individual is locked within a framework of understanding, he is unable to truly recognise or exceed the limits of that framework. The ego-consciousness is such a frame of awareness. It creates the sense of a separate individual, apart and having his own autonomy in ...
Views: 457 - Use NLP for Addictions - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2012 from Nigel MooreNLP refers to neuro linguistic programming. This is a highly successful methodology for creating excellence and change in yourself and others. The principle of NLP services is based on the fact that all kinds of behaviors have a psychological structure which can be located, memorized and adapted ...
Views: 1165 - Use the Power of Affirmations to Be a Class Act - by Submitted on Aug 13, 2017 from Scott & Stephen PetulloHave you ever noticed that people who behave like a class act tend to go further in life, and their work and personal relationships are more harmonious and less stressful? Why is that? Is it because they have less drama and chaos in their life than most people? Maybe sometimes, but often ...
Views: 2062 - Useful Tips For the Seeker on the Path to Realization - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2024 from santosh krinskyMany people believe that realisation comes from reading specific texts, or practicing specific techniques of posture, breathing, prayer, mantra etc. The Mother provides a counterpoint to this belief by showing how the practice should take up all the actions and movements of life and transform ...
Views: 336 - Utilizing the Mind-Body Connection - by Submitted on Jan 03, 2025 from santosh krinskyWe find that our state of physical health clearly impacts our minds. In cases of severe pain, the mind may actually be fixated on the pain signals and be unable, for that period of time, to focus on virtually anything else. But the connection is more subtle than simply reacting to acute pain. We ...
Views: 262 - UV Baggage Disinfection System - by Submitted on Sep 03, 2020 from Lillian GishDue to the advancement in technology, now it is easier to disinfect the luggage. No one can deny this fact that domestic, as well as international flights, have become the primary reason for spreading the COVID-19. Luggage or bags are a vital part of the journey, and these are carried by almost ...
Views: 915 - Various Forms of Meditation and Their Potential Benefits - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2022 from santosh krinskyMost people are confused about what meditation is. One of the causes of this confusion is the variety of forms of meditation that are recommended and practiced by various traditions. Some forms of meditation require strenuous efforts and considerable time to bear fruit. The Mother provides ...
Views: 563 - Vastu Tips for Your Pooja Ghar That Will Enrich Your Life - by Submitted on Jan 28, 2020 from vivek choudharyIn Indian Hindu households, the Pooja Ghar or the space of shrine is an important aspect. All Hindu households contain an area, usually in the northeastern corner of the house which is meant for meditation and spiritual wellbeing, that holds Brass Idols of Hindu Gods for daily worship. The ...
Views: 978 - Vedic Astrology, Karma and the Power to Change the Predicted Destiny - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2024 from santosh krinskyThe question arises as to what exactly the science of jyotish, Indian astrology, is able to calculate and incorporate. Looking at the line of karma, the antecedents, direction and trajectory of energy in a particular stream, it can help to determine the life-path and major challenges facing an ...
Views: 484 - Vedic Seers Describe the Sevenfold Ignorance and the Sevenfold Knowledge - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2023 from santosh krinskyAs we take up the next chapter in the Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo cites, in the headnotes, some revealing passages from the Rig Veda and the Upanishads to indicate the 7 types of Ignorance that needs to be overcome, and to point out the 7 forms of Knowledge required to achieve realisation. Before ...
Views: 502 - Vibrational Patterns of Existence and the Advent of Harmony Through Intervention from Higher Planes - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2024 from santosh krinskyWhen we are fixed in the external consciousness and perceive things with the external senses, we treat material objects as ‘solid’. We do not see that they are actually energy that has been condensed to appear solid to us, while in fact, they are a form of energy. Western scientists, however, ...
Views: 294 - Vigilant Awareness Is Needed to Manage the Energies That Arise in the Lower Regions of the Being - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2026 from santosh krinskyMost people respond to life as it comes to them and react according to the energy that they are able to receive and process in some form or another. They remain immersed in the external personality. They become the fear, the anger, the hunger, the thirst, the craving, the pleasure, the pain, the ...
Views: 69 - Violence and Non-Violence — in Life and in Yoga - by Submitted on Jan 05, 2022 from santosh krinsky‘The law of the jungle.’ ‘Dog eat dog’. ‘Survival of the fittest.’ ‘Darwinian evolution.’ These ideas illustrate the way we understand life on earth, and its requirements for survival and success in worldly life. When Jesus proclaimed ‘the meek shall inherit the earth’, he expressed an idea that ...
Views: 544 - Violence and Spiritual Change - by Submitted on Jan 04, 2022 from santosh krinskyThrough ambition or impatience, the spiritual seeker may try to rush the spiritual progress, and in many cases, this is attempted through various forms of overt or sublimated violence. The overt forms include various extreme penances or even self-punishment, while the sublimated forms may ...
Views: 546 - Virtual Learning amid the New Normal – An Insight - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2021 from Saurabh GuptaWe all know how the Corona pandemic took the entire world in its grasp. The infection hasn’t yet gone entirely, and different countries around the world are at different points in their COVID-19 infection rates. But if there is one thing common among the 186 countries across the world, ...
Views: 669 - Vision to Transformation - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2012 from Nadine LoveA radical inner transformation and rise to a new level of consciousness might be the only real hope we have in the current global crisis brought on by the dominance of the Western mechanistic paradigm. ~ Stanislav Grof A brisk walk on the beach and luminous meditation, perched on a giant ...
Views: 1356 - Visiting the Symbolic Transcription of One’s Inner Being As Displayed to the Conscious Awareness - by Submitted on Sep 19, 2022 from santosh krinskyFor those who are anchored in their outer external awareness of the world and of themselves, there is no understanding or acceptance of the reality of inner occult states of awareness. Thus, they deny the reality of the inner experiences, until perhaps they happen to have a near death ...
Views: 495 - Visualization as an Aid for Entering into Contact with One’s Psychic Being - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2022 from santosh krinskyFor those who have the power of visualisation and who are ready and willing to concentrate in this way, there can be tremendous progress in developing the relation to the psychic being. The mind transcribes the energetic relationships of the various parts of the being into different rooms and ...
Views: 488 - Vital and Mental Life Forms Interact With Us in the Material World - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2024 from santosh krinskyWe scour the galaxy for signs of intelligent life elsewhere. The reality is that unless an extra-terrestrial race has found a way to circumvent the constant of the speed of light, through some method of ‘folding’ space or creating “wormholes” that truncate the distance to be travelled, setting ...
Views: 291 - Vital Beings and Their Interaction in the Evolutionary World on the Material Plane - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2024 from santosh krinskyAccording to sages and rishis who have investigated the issue deeply, the earth, the material manifested world we live in, is the place where evolution of consciousness takes place, and thus, where the psychic being develops to carry the progress in this evolution at the individual level through ...
Views: 338 - Vital Beings Utilize Vital Drives to Control Human Action for Their Own Benefit and Enjoyment - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2024 from santosh krinskyVital beings, by their very nature, take advantage of our ambitions, desires, greed, and fears to convince us to interact with them, and they then use these responses for their own enjoyment or nourishment. The more we are motivated by these vital drives, the easier it is for such beings to toy ...
Views: 298 - Vital Disturbances Arise from Universal Nature and Bring Forth Habitual Responses - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo explores the boundaries of the Ignorance and a framework for attaining knowledge. He describes at some length, the ‘circumconscient’ influence on what we believe are our own internal actions and reactions. We view ourselves through the ego-consciousness and ...
Views: 527 - Vital Energy in Ordinary Life and in the Spiritual Life - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2023 from santosh krinskyWe generally do not question the movements of the vital nature in our ordinary daily life. They are so much a part of what we consider to be human nature and human experience that we simply accept them and treat them as inevitable. It is true that human society has developed a framework within ...
Views: 384 - Vital Forces and Spiritual Forces and the Evolution of Consciousness - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2026 from santosh krinskyVital Forces and Spiritual Forces and the Evolution of Consciousness Posted on January 8, 2026 Most people do not recognise the active role and intention of conscious vital forces in their lives. First, the physical body tends to shield them from direct perception of these forces. While they ...
Views: 88