The Three Functional Minds (according to Kundalini Yoga)
In Kundalini Yoga the ‘human being’ is seen as made up of ten bodies: 1 physical body, 3 mind bodies and 6 energy bodies.
The mind has different levels of consciousness and different facets, but for the purpose of this article we will look at the mind’s 3 ‘mind bodies’. These mind bodies are the 3 functionalities of the mind.
They are the Negative Mind, Positive Mind and Neutral Mind.
Negative Mind (Protective Mind)
The negative mind is that part of the mind that keeps us safe. Its priorities are to preserve and protect us. It scans the environment (both internally and externally) for danger and tries to keep us out of trouble. It is sensitive to pain and tries to avoid it. It calculates risks, keeps us secure and creates our boundaries.
When balanced; the negative mind is rational and we have healthy boundaries.
However a negative mind that is too strong can overwhelm and override the positive and neutral minds, which interrupts the flow between the Physical Body, the Soul Body and the Subtle Body, leaving us disconnected, frustrated, fearful and sad.
When too strong it limits our experiences in the world. It sees everything as a threat or danger. Not only does it prevent us from taking risks or experiencing anything new, but it views that which is familiar with doubt and caution. It makes us hold onto beliefs and patterns so tightly that we cannot see past these beliefs or patterns, which means we live a small life, a limited life and a strained life. This creates unhappiness, resentment and discontent.
A negative mind that is too weak can leave us exposed to danger and foolish decisions. We will have no boundaries whether those boundaries are physical, personal, emotional and we won’t be able to honour our values or beliefs. We are easily used, abuse and manipulated.
Positive Mind (Expansive Mind)
The positive mind’s qualities are of positivity, trust, hope, a good sense of humour, risk taking, seeking pleasure, wanting fulfillment and equality. The positive mind calculates what is going right and sees good in everything, everyone and every situation. It is expansive in nature, so it sees many opportunities, possibilities and paths in a situation. If you had to ask the positive mind if it wanted to do / experience XYZ it would immediately say ‘yes’ without thinking as it wants to be included and wants to experience everything.
When strong we experience deep soul power. We feel excited for the challenges that life gives us and fully trust that everything will turn out well. We experience the world from a space of appreciation and enthusiasm.
When the positive mind is too strong and out of balance we will have no safety and protection coming from the negative mind. This means we will take dangerous risks and put ourselves in harms way.
The positive mind is expansive, so when it is weak, things that we deal with or think about get magnified and blown out of proportion. When the positive mind is weak it means the negative mind takes over. So the thoughts that come from the negative mind get expanded and blown out of proportion. When this starts to happen the positive mind moves into memory and finds old thoughts, old patterns and old memories to attach to. Some of these may be traumatic or negative. You will then experience anxiety, fear, panic, anger, or feel like giving up.
Neutral Mind (Meditative Mind)
The neutral mind is the most powerful of the 3 functional minds but it is the one we have to work on the most. We easily bounce between the negative and positive minds but we have to cultivate the neutral mind.
Its attributes are compassion, service, balance and awareness. It observes and assesses everything without any attachment. It is the meditative mind.
If the neutral mind is nurtured and strengthened our attachment to the dance of duality of the positive and negative mind stops. We move beyond duality and come to a space of tranquility. This mind can look at both sides of the positive and negative minds, look at the bigger picture and then come up with a decision or solution that is for our highest good.
When the neutral mind is strong, it allows us to see everything that has happened to us (good or bad) in terms of blessings and gifts. Obstacles become opportunities.
It is this mind that allows us to drop our small, limited experience of self and replace it with the vast acceptance of the Infinite.
If it is weak we are then either in the positive or the negative mind.
Mind and the Chakras, Elements and Gurus:
Each functional mind is linked to a specific chakra, an element and a Sikh Guru.
Negative mind: Sacral Chakra, the water element and Guru Angad.
Positive mind: Solar Plexus Chakra, the fire element and Guru Amar Das.
Neutral mind: Heart Chakra, air element and Guru Ram Das.
Balancing the minds
If you are trying to create balance in any of the functional minds, you can:
a) Work on the specific chakra related to the specific functional mind. You work a chakra by doing an exercise / breathing practice / Bij mantra / hand mudra / meditation specific for that chakra.
For example:
- Negative Mind. Sacral Chakra: Forward and back spinal flexions. Cat and cow asana. Camel pose. Belly breathing. Chant VAM.
- Positive Mind. Solar Plexus Chakra : Body twists. Side bends. Boat pose. Breath of fire breathing. Ego Eradicator. Chant
RAM.
– Neutral Mind. Heart Chakra : Deep breathing into the chest and rib cage. Bhastrika breathing. Arms movements. Cobra pose. Fish pose. Chant YUM.
b) Work with the element:
– Negative mind. Water: drink water, have a shower, swim. Go with the flow.
– Positive Mind. Fire: Breath of fire breathing, eat warm foods, visualise a flame in your meditation.
– Neutral Mind. Air: All slow mindful breathing practices. Any activity that gets the breathing rate up.
c) Work with the Guru:
When you work with a guru you are connecting to the qualities that they embodied (like compassion or leadership) and then you bring awareness to those specific qualities within yourself. You can work with a guru by singing or listen to mantras that have the guru’s name in it. You can repeat their name over and over in a chant. Or you can call upon the guru to be with you in your meditation.
Other ways to balance the functional minds
Besides working chakras, elements and gurus, each mind has it’s own unique ways to be balanced:
Negative Mind: Work on acceptance.
Positive Mind: Work with positive affirmations.
Neutral Mind: Giving of yourself selflessly / volunteer / giving of service.
For all 3 minds you can chant mantra. Mantra creates vibration and frequency changes that affect the brain and the mind.
Raja Yoga and Balancing the Functional Minds
In Patanjali’s Sutras he refers to Raja Yoga (8-limbed yoga). This is the blueprint of how to live a spiritual life. There are 8 steps / branches to this blueprint and interestingly each one of the 8 steps relates to one of the three functional minds.
To Balance the Negative Mind practice the Yamas & Niyamas:
Yamas:
1. Non-harming (Ahimsa)
2. Truthfulness (Satya)
3. Non-stealing (Asteya)
4. Sensory and sexual control (Brahmacharya)
5. Non-posessiveness and non-hording (Aparigraha)
Niyamas:
1. Purity and cleanness of environment, body and mind (Shauca)
2. Contentment (Santosha)
3. Austerity / determination / dedication / practice (Tapas)
4. Study of spiritual scriptures, philosophy and of self (Svadhyaya)
5. Devotion and letting go of the Ego (Ishvara Pranidhana)
To Balance the Positive Mind practice:
1. Asanas (Poses / movement for the body)
2. Pranayama (Breathing and energy practices)
To Balance the Neutral Mind practice:
1. Pratyahara (Synchronising of senses and thoughts – removal of attachment to senses)
2. Dharana (Consistent concentration of the mind)
3. Dhyana (Meditation)
4. Samadhi (Merging with universe consciousness, deeper sense of awareness, bliss)
Article by: Nicola (Sita Amrit Kaur) July 2021
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