Ok, so do you agree if I say that the goal of yoga is to be more and more in the turiya state? And this in the three states of waking, sleeping and dreaming?
Hi Jac,
The first three states are waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Turiya is the pure awareness, the inner silence, that is both present in the first three states, and which transcends them. So, turiya is synonymous with “atman”, and “Brahman”. And yes, the goal of yoga is to come to know turiya, and to abide in that, as that.
This is from the Mandukya Upanishad:
“The one who experiences all of these states of consciousness is the omniscient, indwelling source and director of all. This one is the womb out of which all of the other emerges. All things originate from and dissolve back into this source.” [Mandukya Upanishad Verse 6]
and this is from lesson 157:
"There are three states of consciousness we all know well:
- Waking state - what we experience in our daily activity.
- Dreaming state - what we sometimes experience in sleep.
- Deep dreamless sleep state - what we don’t experience much, but we were somewhere.
Inner silence is a state distinctly different from these three. We know it in our deep meditation as blissful awareness without any objects. Or it can be mixed with objects too, like thoughts, feelings, or whatever. But in its pristine state, it is without objects. So in yoga it gets its own number as a unique state of consciousness: - Inner silence - it is all those descriptive words and definitions mentioned already. In yoga it is sometimes called simply “Turiya,” which means “the fourth state” in Sanskrit.
The difference between inner silence and the other three states of consciousness is that inner silence is unchanging and can be cultivated in the nervous system as an unending presence superimposed under, in, and through the other three states of consciousness. Those who have meditated for some time find this to be the case. It starts as some inner peace and an awareness of a silent quality coexisting with and within the objects of our perception. This happens with external observations through the senses, and with our thoughts and feelings too. We see them as the objects that they are, occurring external to our unconditioned inner silent awareness. With daily yoga practices, inner silence grows and becomes the movie screen upon which all our experiences are projected. We become the movie screen - the infinite movie screen of life." [Yogani]
And this is from the AYP glossary of terms:
“Turiya - Means, the fourth state. This is the experience of inner silence cultivated in meditation. It is called turiya because it is distinct from the first three states of consciousness waking, dreaming and deep dreamless sleep. As yoga practices advance, turiya gradually comes to coexist as a constant condition during the other three states of consciousness. It is the beginning stage of enlightenment. In that situation, one is never unconscious, whether awake, dreaming, or in deep sleep. That is called witnessing.” [Yogani]
So, as usual, it all comes down to the cultivation of inner silence, and all these words are just different ways of describing that.
Christi
Hi Jac,
Another way to make the distinction between turya and turyatita is in relation to the witness state: If turya (the forth state) is the witness, present and transcending the first three states, in turyatita the witness dissolves into pristine unity.’ Turyatita is the ground state from which all the other states emerge. Turyatita is a state of being and non-being and something else. 
Hi Blanche and Christi,
Thank you very much for your enlightening answers!
I feel so lucky to know and practice AYP and also have access to this forum… 
Jac