Lesson 3
IN THIS LESSON
In this layered and illuminating teaching delivered at the Bramananda Ashram in San Francisco on June 7, 2008 Mark Griffin introduces the student to the Four Bodies—physical, pranic, subtle, and causal—and the flow of prana, or life energy, that animates them all. This teaching explains how breath and the ajapa japa mantra So Ham work together to open the deeper structures of the self, creating alignment across the entire field of your being.
The ancient mantra So Ham, meaning “I am That,” is not merely a phrase—it is a vibrational thread that links the individual to the universal. When paired with conscious breathing and an awareness of prana, the mantra becomes a powerful current that moves through all levels of your system.
This lesson reveals the multidimensional nature of spiritual practice: a single breath can touch the infinite. Through understanding and experience, you begin to feel how deeply connected your inner architecture is to the greater whole—and how the path of awakening is already built into your very being.
Prana, SoHam, and the Four Bodies
Prana, SoHam,and the Four Bodies
Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa
🧘♂️ Module 3: Prana, SoHam, and the Four Bodies
✨ Teaching Summary
This module is a deeply technical and esoteric talk that dives into the yogic use of breath (prana), the mantra SoHam, and their relationship to the four bodies (physical, subtle, causal, and supra-causal). Mark Griffin opens the talk by establishing the breath not just as a tool for meditation, but as a primary vehicle of consciousness itself. He describes SoHam as the natural mantra of the breath, a current of vibration and identity that arises from the Self and returns to it.
He describes the movement of prana as a multidimensional force, navigating through channels (nadis), spheres (chakras), and bodies that span the gross to the transcendental. The practice of breath awareness is given shape through specific techniques like Ajapa Japa (repetition without repetition), bellows breath, and single-pointed concentration.
Crucially, Mark links breath and mantra to the inner journey of moving identification from the personality to an alignment with the inner witness—the still point from which all consciousness arises. He explains that working with prana and SoHam opens the gates to Shaktipat, and initiates transformation not just in the mind, but in the energetic architecture of the being itself.
🌀 Questions for Contemplation
Contemplation is the means by which we can “feel” our way into the deep, existential questions of life. In this way it is a mode of “thinking” that differs from discursive fact gathering —the step-by-step means by which we assemble and organize information. While this form of knowledge gathering can be crucial to our mastery of a subject, contemplation activates the intuitive faculties of mind that lead towards insight, understanding, wisdom, and realization. Begin to observe how this ability to feel deeply into a subject differs from the more rudimentary stages of learning. Let Mark’s words move you into a space where the mind has room to integrate your own fields of deeper knowing. Towards that end each module will offer an opportunity for focused contemplation. We recommend journaling as a means to engage with these questions and to activate one’s own intuitive faculties.
What does it mean to me that the breath is not just a bodily function, but a carrier of consciousness and spiritual identity?
Reflect on the possibility that every inhale and exhale is a message from the Self.Can I observe the movement of prana—not just in the lungs, but in the subtle body?
Explore the inner texture of breath. Where do you feel it? What does it reveal?What is the mantra SoHam revealing to me when I follow it with awareness?
Investigate how this mantra resonates within your meditation. Does it shape your sense of self?Where am I still identified with the outer world of thought and emotion, and how might breath and mantra bring me closer to the witness within?
Begin to feel into that shift—from personality to Presence.