States of Consciousness 1/3 : Samadhi & Other Altered States – Peter Marchand
Attaining altered states of consciousness is a central practice in yoga philosophy. Lifting the veils of illusion allows us to move beyond the waking state, dream state and deep sleep state into the more subtle realm known as Turiya. Many types of altered states of consciousness are known, among which those induced by substances, exhaustion, special breathing techniques, extreme emotions, spiritual support, etc. Each of those lifts some veils of illusion, yet might leave others in place. Only the state known as yogic Samadhi allows us to entirely merge with the ultimate reality behind all states of consciousness. The profound personality changes brought about by such sattvic Samadhi are what characterizes a true yogi. The subconscious reprogramming produced by non-yogic alternate states of consciousness is less profound and not always desirable. We need to differentiate yogic Samadhi from other altered states of consciousness and recognize it in our own practice. That is essential to not be distracted during meditation and truly master that highest of all yogic practices. This lecture is not so much a scholar’s view on yogic Samadhi, rather a sharing of experiences by a practitioner of both yogic and other altered states of consciousness.
Peter Marchand was born in Belgium in 1963, and at the age of twenty he met his original teacher Harish Johari. He studied with him until Harish Johari left the body 16 years later, also meeting some of his many teachers, such as Narayan Rishi and Baba Dwarka Das. Along with his guru brothers and sisters, as well as with the family of Harish Johari, Peter founded Sanatan Society around 2001, as a worldwide networking association to promote the late Harish Johari’s teachings. Peter later received further support and guidance from other teachers, such as the sadhus Narmada Devi Puri and Avadh Behari Das Kathiababa, as well as the shamanic healer Kedar Upreti.
Peter first started teaching in 2005 at the Santoshpuri Ashram in India, while his teachings remained a hobby until 2020. He has written several books – The Yoga of Nine Emotions (2006); The Yoga of Truth (2007); Love Your Ego (2019); Tantric Advaita (2022) and Samadhi, the Deep Meditation Handbook (2024).
