How Viveka Discerns: Four Subtle Distinctions

These distinctions are not intellectual.

They are felt, tested, and revealed over time.

Viveka does not argue.

It quietly clarifies.

1. Awareness Itself vs. What Arises Within Awareness

This is the most fundamental discernment in yoga.

What Arises Within Awareness:

Thoughts. Sensations. Emotions. Visions. Energy. Bliss. Fear. Expansion. Even the sense of “I am

awakening.”

These are objects of awareness.

They arise.

They move.

They change.

They pass.

Even the most luminous mystical state is still something known.

Awareness Itself

Awareness does not arise.

It does not move.

It does not peak.

It does not leave.

It is the unchanging field in which all experience occurs.

How Viveka Discerns This

Viveka notices:

• That awareness remains present before, during, and after the experience

• That awareness is untouched by intensity

• That awareness does not need interpretation to be known

Somatic Clues:

• Awareness feels wide, neutral, quiet

• Experiences feel textured, moving, charged

• When identification shifts from experience to awareness, the nervous system softens

Why This Matters

Without this discernment:

• People identify with states (“I am awakened”)• Or fear states (“Something is wrong with me”)

With Viveka:

• Experience is honored

• Identity is not hijacked

2. Insight vs. Stimulation

Not everything that feels profound is insight.

Stimulation

Stimulation excites the nervous system.

It can feel:

• Electrifying

• Euphoric

• Overwhelming

• Compulsive

• Urgent

It often creates:

• A need to talk about it

• A need to repeat it

• A sense of specialness

• A crash afterward

Stimulation moves fast.

Insight

Insight arrives quietly.

It feels:

• Simple

• Obvious

• Grounded

• Unimpressive at first

• Enduring

Insight does not demand attention.

It reorganizes perception.

How Viveka Discerns This

Viveka asks:

• Does this clarify life after the state passes?

• Does it reduce confusion or increase dependency?

• Does it bring steadiness rather than intensity?

Somatic Clues:

• Stimulation often tightens the solar plexus or head

• Insight settles into the belly, heart, and breath

• Insight continues to function under stress

3. Guidance vs. Energetic Momentum

This distinction is especially important after transmissions, awakenings, or powerful practices.

Energetic Momentum

Energy can feel intelligent — but it is not discernment.

Momentum:

• Pushes

• Accelerates

• Demands action

• Feels urgent or inevitable

• Overrides bodily signals

It often says:

• “Do this now”

• “You must follow this”

• “This is your path”

Guidance

Guidance is quieter than energy.

It:

• Waits

• Respects timing

• Includes the body

• Allows questioning

• Never pressures

True guidance can be delayed without loss.

Somatic Clues:

• Momentum feels like being carried

• Guidance feels like being accompanied

• Guidance does not override fatigue, fear, or discernment

4. Integration vs. Spiritual Bypass

This is where discernment becomes ethical.

Spiritual Bypass

Bypass uses spirituality to avoid:

• Grief

• Trauma

• Attachment

• Relational repair

• Humanness

It often sounds like:

• “It doesn’t matter”

• “It’s all illusion”

• “I’m beyond this”

• “That’s just ego”Bypass creates distance — not freedom.

Integration

Integration brings the experience into life.

It:

• Makes us more present

• Deepens humility

• Softens reactivity

• Improves relationships

• Grounds insight in behavior

Integration is often slow and unglamorous.

How Viveka Discerns This

Viveka asks:

• Is my capacity for relationship increasing?

• Can I stay present with discomfort?

• Is my spirituality making me more available to life?

Somatic Clues

• Bypass numbs or dissociates

• Integration increases sensitivity with steadiness

• Integration includes grief, limits, and embodiment

Across all four distinctions, Viveka is discerning depth vs. movement.

Depth is quiet.

Movement is loud.

Viveka listens for what remains when the movement settles.