The sages of Yoga tell us that in our daily lives, we cycle through different states of consciousness. These three states are the waking state, the dreaming state, and the deep sleep state, known as Jagrat avastha (waking state), Swapna avastha (dreaming state) and the shushupti avastha (deep sleep, dreamless state). Ordinarily, in our waking state, we are concerned with the outer reality of our physical existence.

We are concerned with our bodies, our minds and our interactions in the world around us and in our environmental exchange, of relationships, jobs, eating, drinking, talking etc. We experience the world through our five organs of sense perception the eyes, ears, nose, skin, tongue, as well as through the five organs of action: hands (arms), feet (legs), reproductive and excretory and speech organs. In the waking state, our consciousness resides in the Ajna chakra.

Some schools of thought maintain the consciousness resides in the eyes, predominantly in the right eye. In the waking state, we are aware of our bodies, we are aware of our environment. We are aware of our thoughts. The mind is active outwardly and involved in the likes and dislikes, the duality of nature is apparent, prana is dual in nature through the inhalation and exhalation.

In the dreaming state, we are not necessarily aware of our bodies, our names, our jobs, our families. Consciousness resides in the mind which correlates to the throat chakra. The mind and prana are drawn inward.

In the deep sleep state, the mind and prana are withdrawn. Our sensory faculties are withdrawn, we return to our seed state, the causal body. Consciousness dwells in the heart, not the physical or emotional heart but the spiritual heart, the hridaya, unconsciously and not consciously. We are not aware we are in deep sleep, we, therefore, are not conscious of this state. Swami Veda Bharati says it is as close to the bliss - ananda state that we can get. In the deep sleep state, we return unknowingly to our Source. This "unknowingness" or Mula avidya in Vedantic thought is the ignorance behind our lives. Deep sleep is our natural state of samadhi (absorption of the mind) yet it is born of ignorance. Once we move beyond our ignorance of the deep sleep state, we naturally enter Turiya.

As Dr. David Frawley says, "Deep sleep is not just a biological phenomenon, it is a spiritual limitation...non-being, darkness, and death are the nature of our consciousness on this side of deep sleep. Being, light, and immortality arise once we cross over deep sleep into the ever-wakeful awareness, the inner light. Crossing over death is not possible without crossing over deep sleep. That is the alchemical journey of the soul, which involves a transformation within our own core awareness and self-identity."

Turiya, the Fourth

Beyond the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep, the sages of Yoga tell us lies the Fourth. The name Turiya in Sanskrit means "the Fourth". This Fourth of Turiya is simultaneously in Advaita Vedanta, that which transcends the three states. It should not be seen as the first second third and then fourth. Since Turiya is not a state, it is what underlies all three states.

Swami Nikhilananda comments on Turiya " Turiya cannot be described by any instrument of empirical knowledge, because of its unique characteristics, specific or generic, being one without the second. Being actionless, it cannot be described by any activity, such as creation, preservation, etc.... When a person realizes his Self to be Turiya, he is freed from craving for outer objects. .... The realization of the self as Turiya destroys ignorance, desire, attachment and, aversion, etc.... The gist of the teachings of the Upanishads is the identity of the self as Turiya." Turiya correlates to the superconscious, where the mind is merged in samadhi.

Sri Ramana Maharshi describes Turiya as : There are three states only, the waking, the dream and the sleep, Turiya is not a fourth one; it is what underlies these three. But people do not readily understand it. Therefore it is said that this is the fourth state and the only Reality. In fact it is not apart from anything, for it forms the substratum of all happenings; it is the only Truth; it is your very Being. The three states appear as fleeting phenomena on it and then sink into it alone.