 Namaste, welcome to the eleventh session of the course Yog and Positive Psychology for Managing Career and Life. In the previous sessions, we discussed about ways of attaining well-being and happiness as described in the Charak Sahita and that is also a foundation of yogic perspective. So we discussed about the takta-bodha, the importance of knowing, importance of winning over our senses, dharma-kriya that is directing our activities, day-to-day activities in harmony with self and social and natural environment and sukhayu, hitayu. We also looked at that these four components are actually self-reinforcing, they enforce each other, they facilitate each other. In this session, we are going to look at obstacles on the ways of attaining well-being and means to surpass those obstacles. We all know that these are the four things which we discussed earlier are if followed we can get the eternal happiness, we can also attain well-being. But in spite of knowing that, we many a time not able to pursue that path because we face obstacles and most of the obstacles are actually intrinsic obstacles. So we will talk about what are the intrinsic obstacles and we will also look at what are the ways of surpassing those obstacles. To understand the obstacles and ways of surpassing those obstacles in order to attain well-being, we need to understand what is the nature of mind, what is our real nature. So that is where we look at the first four sutras of Patanjali Yoga Sutra. Patanjali Yoga Sutra in the first two sentences or sutras gives the very precise definition of yoga. It says that yoga is anusasana, yoga is a discipline and it is about restraining the mind stuff, yoga s chitta vrati niroda, restraining the mind stuff from taking various forms or vrittis. In the third and fourth sutra, Patanjali Rishi mentions what is the outcome, what is the fallit of pursuing yoga and what is the fallit, what is the outcome. It is at that time means once the yoga chitta vratis are controlled or niruddha with the help of yoga, at that time seer rest remaining in his own nature. tada dristum sorupe vasthanam, at that time the seer, the one who is really performing yoga get established in his own nature. What happens when myself is not established in its true real nature, it wanders around. At other time when not in the state of yoga it identifies itself the seer which is actually the witness identified with the various modifications. So actually most of us are more familiar with the modifications not the real nature of self which is equanimous which is quiet which is perfectly calm. So most of us are not actually aware of it and most of us are most of the time are not in that state. So, we need to understand what are these modifications. In order to understand the modifications we need to understand the different states of mind and state of mind is used not in the technically perfect way according to the yogic tradition because the real self is eternal, it is non fluctuating which is actually Purusha. But here we are trying to understand ways of attaining well-being. So we are using more contemporary language more which is actually more imperfect but that is used most of the time and that is useful for us to understand the matter. So what it says that different states of awareness, different states of consciousness and these state of consciousness is taken from the Mandu Kupanishad. These states are mentioned at so many places in Vedantic tradition and yogic literature. But Mandu Kupanishad very beautifully captures this and in a very focused way explains these states of consciousness and in the Kupanishad it says that Atma, the Brahman has four states and the fourth state is the real states and that is the ground on which all other states are reflected. But we can look at this whole aspect of functioning of mind through this perspective and hopefully as we all practice we can experience what is being stated in the Vedanta. So in a normal language we can say that human consciousness happens to be at different states. As it is understood in the modern psychology it is at three states. However in the Vedic tradition as well as in the yogic tradition we also understand in the Vedantic tradition and yogic tradition we also talk about fourth state. So what are the first three states which modern psychology agrees as well as the Vedantic tradition also mentions. First state is state of wakefulness. We all are awake, we are delivering lecture or listening to this lecture this is a wakefulness state. In the Mandu Kupanishad it is termed as Vaishwana that is the state where most of the physical transactions take place between body and the world. Deeper to that awakened state is the or subtler than the wakefulness state is a state of sleep when dreams are on. The dreaming phase which is not the deep sleep state is considered to be the second stage or second state of the consciousness. Settler than dream state is the deep sleep. This deep sleep is where we do not have self-awareness we are not able to reflect when we are in the deep state when we are in the deep sleep and this is also a state where bahindris as well as antarikindris. External senses are anyway closed when we are in the dream state but in the dream state internal senses, anta hindri those are also active that is why in the dream state we listen we see objects or people lot of experiences take place in the dream state. So, it is considered that corresponding to the extrinsic indrias external senses sense of vision or auditory sense or touch all those have their corresponding intrinsic senses as well and those are active in the dream state. In the deep sleep intrinsic senses also do not function are not active. So, these are the three states which modern modern consciousness studies or modern psychology predominantly also consider. But Vedantic tradition talks about fourth state and that fourth state is even beyond the deep sleep in that state there is a deep relaxation as relaxed at deep sleep but also there is an alertness that is the foundation that is the underneath consciousness that is a constant integrated equanimous consciousness which is the playground in that playground all other rithis all other mental fluctuations take place that state is called turiya. Turiya state is the fourth state in the modern literature we look at the construct like self-transcendence and flow these two constructs in my understanding are able to indicate they may not be able to completely capture the essence of turiya but they can indicate what turiya may feel like on a constant integrated continuous feel. So, turiya is the ultimate objective of yogic practices even it is experienced for few moments our perception about life our approach of dealing with things dealing with senses dealing with world get transformed. There are many many experiential accounts of some of the very well known people who once have experienced the turiya state after even coming out of the turiya state they do not remain same person and similar research findings we can see in the self-transcendence literature in a study conducted by our team we have found that even people have slight glimpse of self-transcendence states through yogic practices their healthfulness increases their level of moral reasoning increases their ability to pursue thing with more resilience that also increases their happiness well-being and flourishing increases. So, turiya is not totally unattainable by the people the normal people like all of us only thing is we can with the practice can have some glimpse of it and even that glimpse even that experience for few moment can have major positive impact on our overall well-being and overall happiness levels. There are at least three very popular meditation techniques which can help people to experience and to get glimpse of this turiya state transcendental meditation taught by Maharshi Mahesh Yogi and his organization that that is probably very widely researched techniques of the amongst the yoga yoga practices and the description about those that technique seems to be indicating that people are able to experience something which is deeper and more relaxing than the deep sleep. So, I infer that that is the implication that is so that is the glimpse of turiya state art of living foundation teaches sahaj samadhi that also seems to be of the similar approach isha yoga foundation teaches sunya meditation that also has similar experience as reported by people who are practicing tm means transcendental null and transcendental meditation and that seems to me the indication or the glimpse of the turiya state.