Yogini: The Enlightened Woman

Yogini, the Enlightened Woman

by
Shambhavi Lorain Chopra
From the book Yogini, Unfolding the Goddess Within (2006)

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"To be a Yogini is the highest spiritual goal for all women... Yet it is not an outer
appearance but a state of inner energy and ecstasy that makes the Yogini."

A true Yogini is an enlightened woman with exuberant passion, spiritual powers and deep
insight.

Yoginis communicate a sense of freedom, a sheer mastery in whatever they do. With their
compelling gazes, they can hypnotize even a great yogi and are capable of changing their
shapes at will. Tantric scholars have written about Yoginis as independent, outspoken, forthright
women with a gracefulness of spirit. Without them, yoga can fail in its purpose and remain
sterile.

Shakta texts honor both women and the Earth alike as sources of energy, vitality, physical and
spiritual well-being. Noting this analogy between a Yogini and the earth, an 11th century
Tibetan Cakrasamvara commentary states: “Having recognized a Yogini who will delight and
transmit energy and power to him, and feeling passionately attracted to her, if the male aspirant
does not worship that Yogini, she will not bless the yogi, and spiritual attainments will not
arise.'' Miranda Shaw’s book, Passionate Enlightenment, which was introduced to me by Lokesh
Chandraji, first exposed the world of the Yogini to me from a Buddhist perspective.

In Hindu thought, the Yogini represents the Yoga Shakti herself, the Kundalini, as well as the
resident powers or female deities of the different chakras. The Yogini possesses the power of
Yoga herself and can awaken that in others, not only generally but at any point or place in the
body or mind. A man's ability to achieve the higher states of Yoga can be facilitated by his
association with such a female companion who reflects this energy.

Just as a Goddess blesses and benefits her devotees, and the Shakti vivifies all biological,
cultural, and religious practices, so a woman can channel this life force or spiritual energy to her
consort-devotee. A woman is no more depleted by providing this spiritual nourishment than a
mother by nursing her child. In fact, it causes deeper energies to well up from within her.

This spiritual energy is not something that a man can extract or take from a Yogini at will. She
chooses when and on whom to bestow her blessings. Her ability to enhance a man's spiritual
development depends upon her innate divinity as awakened and brought to fruition by her own
yogic practices, which include envisioning herself in the forms of various Goddesses and
investing herself with Their appearances and ornaments, tender and wrathful expressions, and
supernatural powers for liberating beings. By conferring energy and grace upon a man -
''blessing '' or ''empowering'' him - she is not weakening herself but rather sharing her energy
voluntarily with one who has won her favour by meeting the various requirements that she may
impose.

This relationship parallels human-divine relationships in so far as the deity is the benefactor and
the human devotee is the beneficiary. Although the Deity may derive some gratification from the
relationship, the devotee has much more to gain than does the sovereign object of his devotion.
What supplicants ultimately want from their deity is supreme deliverance or liberation, and this
is what male Tantrics should seek to gain from their relationships with spiritual women. Tantric
texts reiterate that a man cannot gain enlightenment without respecting women and allying
himself inwardly with a woman. The woman's beneficence is a gracious, yet voluntary
response to her devotee's supplication, homage and worship.

The Goddess is a great Yogini, devoted to Shiva, yet matching His powers. She is the
embodiment of pure energy, the Mother and matrix of all manifestation, the source of all time,
space and creation. As they practiced Yoga together, Shakti accepted Shiva as her Guru, and he
taught her the ways of transcendent being to guide her to her ultimate liberation. Shiva in turn
also accepted Shakti as his Guru, and she initiated him into his ultimate liberation through
putting him in touch with the supreme power of consciousness.

The Goddess Chinnamasta, the deity who cuts off her own head, symbolizes the great Yogini,
the wonderful consciousness beyond the mind. She represents the opened Third Eye from which
flashes forth the lightening of direct perception that destroys all duality and negativity. She is
the Yoga Shakti or power of Yoga in its most dramatic action of granting enlightenment. Hence
she is also known as Vajra Yogini. The Vajra is the supreme lightning force of the inner Self.
Chinnamasta is the Para-Dakini, the supreme or foremost of the Dakinis, the attendant
Goddesses on the yogic path, who are the yoginis as the powers of the chakras. Sadhakas
seeking the path of yogic powers should worship her, as reiterated by David Frawley in his book
Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses, invoking her through the mantra based on her name
as Vajra Vairochani. This facilitates all inner transformations in a dramatic way.

The Yogini is also Bhairavi or the Goddess of Fire below in the muladhara or root chakra. It is
she who becomes Chinnamasta as she reaches the third eye and opens the crown chakra
beyond. Her blood is light that illumines everything.

Mary Magdalene was such a Yogini, manifesting her Shakti through the flow of light from her
heart and soul. Her Divine love was unconditional and independent of external situations and
dogmas. Yet Divine love is not limited to the ascetic. In my understanding of Tantra, if two
spiritually evolved beings come together in unconditional love, they also can create an energy
field that is most positive and rare, exuding high vibrational levels of peace and love into the
universe.

The ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, Tibet and India have esoteric traditions glorifying the
initiatory power of the woman. She is considered to be the high priestess who unfolds all higher
knowledge and powers for us. She is Sophia, the source and font of wisdom or Prajna, the
deepest insight into the nature of things. Tantric teachings stress the importance of physical
beauty in a companion but only to initially stimulate and then elevate passion from the sensual
to the spiritual plane. The beauty of the soul surpasses physical beauty.

The ‘initiatory’ power of woman is tremendous, providing the force of passion that is necessary
for developing experiential mysticism. By sharing the secrets of love, a woman can bestow
transcendental power on her lover. The highest form of Shakti is the direct expression of the
wisdom-energy she releases, creating a joyful transformation. A woman can initiate her partner
into such mystical experiences through trust, surrender to higher ideals and spontaneity. It is
the Goddess within each woman who really initiates.

To be a Yogini is the highest spiritual goal for all women. It is the way to become one with
the Goddess within and to bring her out in expression to uplift the world that is really her
creation. Yet it is not an outer appearance but a state of inner energy and ecstasy that makes
the Yogini.

...She cannot be manipulated, defined or even ever entirely known.

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to read more about Shambhavi and her book, go here