[1] Central to Integral yoga is the idea that Spirit manifests itself in a process of involution, meanwhile forgetting its origins.

[3] Aurobindo suggests a grand program called sapta chatushtaya (seven quadrates) to aid this evolution.

[web 1] It is the One, having three aspects: Sat (truth), Citta (consciousness, awareness), and ananda (bliss, happiness).

The lifeforms and substances are stretched out on a wide range, from physical matter to a pure form of spiritual being, akin to the five koshas or sheaths, where the subject becomes fully aware of itself as spirit:[6] Above Mind proper lie various higher levels of Mind, which ascend toward Spirit.

[web 2] Integral Yoga involves going beyond this surface consciousness to the larger life of the Inner Being, which is more open to spiritual realisation.

[18] In Integral Yoga the goal is to move inward and discover the Psychic Being, which then can bring about a transformation of the outer nature.

This transformation of the outer being or ego by the Psychic is called Psychicisation; it is one of the three necessary stages in the realisation of the Supramental consciousness.

This Psychic transformation is the decisive movement that enables a never-ending progress in life, through the power of connecting to one's inner spirit or Divine Essence.

The Psychic begins its evolution completely veiled and hidden, but grows through successive lifetimes, and gradually exerts a greater influence, taking on the role of spiritual Guide.

[19] Central Being refers to the transcendent and eternal spirit, as opposed to the incarnate and evolving Soul, which he calls the Psychic Being.

[note 5] The Vital level of the being refers to the life force, but also to the various passions, desires, feelings, emotions, affects, compulsions, and likes and dislikes.

Unlike Western psychology, in which mind, emotions, instincts, and consciousness are all lumped together, Sri Aurobindo strongly distinguishes between the "Vital" and the "Mental" faculties.

For Sri Aurobindo, Mind or the Mental being is not simple and uniform, but consists itself of various strata and subdivisions, which act at different levels of being.

[38] In his letters answering questions from disciples, Sri Aurobindo summarises the characteristics of the various levels of Mind.

Supermind is the dynamic form of Sachchidananda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss), and the necessary mediator or link between the transcendent Sacchidananda and the creation.

[45] Humans are stuck between matter and Spirit,[46] due to the habits of personality and partial awareness, which arise from Ignorance.

[46] According to Aurobindo, humans face three basic problems: The fundamental cause of falsehood, error and evil is Ignorance.

It consists of the inward psychicisation by which the sadhak gets in contact with the inner divine principle or Psychic Being; the spiritual transformation or spiritualisation; and the Supramentalisation of the entire being.

The Divine Soul serves as a spiritual Guide in the yoga, and enables one to transform the outer being.

[54][55] Guided by the evolving divine soul within, the sadhak moves away from ego, ignorance, finiteness, and the limitations of the outer being.

As a result of the Psychicisation, light, peace, and power descend into the body, transforming all of its parts, physical, vital, and mental.

[citation needed] Aurobindo asserted that spiritual aspirants may pass through an intermediate zone where experiences of force, inspiration, illumination, light, joy, expansion, power, and freedom from normal limits are possible.

One can pass through this zone, and the associated spiritual dangers, without harm by perceiving its real nature, and seeing through the misleading experiences.

Those who go astray in it may end in a spiritual disaster, or may remain stuck there and adopt some half-truth as the whole truth, or become an instrument of lesser powers of these transitional planes.

[web 3] Aurobindo had a strong influence on Ken Wilber's integral theory of spiritual development.