Creativity, Conflict and Resolution

Posted on August 4, 2015 by admin

The spiritual journey is as easy as 1,2,3. In theory anyway.
Part 1: Discover the problem.
Part 2: Come up with a creative solution and resolve the problem.
Part 3: Reap the benefits.

1. I am asleep to my true nature.
2. Find an awakened teacher who does not share my shadows.
3. Wake up myself and live life fully!

To live fully essentially means that you will continue to uncover challenges, conflict and trauma, you will again and again utilize the wisdom of the awakened mind, and you will continue to be a creative contributor to the Cosmic unfolding.

This three step process can be found in many forms, including at the beginning of The Yoga Sutras, although Patanjali changes the order slightly.
I-4: vrtti sarupyam itaratra:
(The problem is ) identifying with dysfunctional ideas about myself.
I-2: citta vritti nirodha.
“yoga (the creative solution) is resolving the dysfunctionality arising in the mind field.”
I-3 Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam.
“(When mental conflict is resolved), ever-present Being reveals itself effortlessly.”

Nirodha is often translated as ‘stopping’ or negating, but those English words do not capture the energetic alchemy of the mind field Patanjali’s ‘creative resolution’ describes. This yoga is not empty-minded, but rather is the vital, energized, dynamic aliveness present in an awakened mind. Or to use a slightly different wording, when the light of the soul shines unobscured, it can evoke creative responses to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that befall us.

The light of the soul is ever-present, unbounded and infinite. It does not appear as the result of eliminating conflict. It is unchanged whether the mind is conflicted or not. What the yoga alchemy does is to liberate, or ‘unstick’ some of the mental energy stuck in dysfunctional identification and point it to the soul. This is the beginning of the awakening and the birth of creativity. This process is like raising children. It requires nurturing, patience and deep trust in the mystery of Being.

How can we begin to resolve our own conflicts and trauma, connect with this ‘inner light’ and discover our own unique and infinite source of creativity? As somanauts, how can we use our practice on the mat to embody this process and integrate it into our moment to moment existence off the mat? How can we get unstuck and find freedom and creativity?

We are going to call on an old friend to help us look more deeply into the notions of creativity, conflict, and the alchemy of yoga described by Patanjali. Ron Alexander, author of “Wise Mind, Open Mind” will offer insights from his book on the role of mindfulness and his own ‘three step’ program in awakening to the soul, and evoking our inherent creativity to transform conflict and trauma into positive action in the world. (Ron and I went to high school together; Braintree High, class of 1968, Go Wamps!, and Kate and I had a lovely dinner with Ron and some friends the other night in LA.)

Before Ron became a psychotherapist, he was a musician, and thus had an intimate understanding of the artistic mind and the nature of creativity. He became involved in yoga and meditation practices in college and thus began a life long exploration of the body/mind/spirit connection. When he began his therapy practice in LA, he came into contact with actors, musicians and artists who were struggling with the usual human issues of loss, anxiety, and other emotional traumas, and thus were often ‘stuck’ in their lives. Realizing that he could ‘speak their language’ and could use that as way to begin helping them get ‘unstuck’, he used his experience and training to create the three step process described in his book. Anyone could use this process to help resolve the stagnation and reawaken the flow of creative juice and he based it upon the ‘simple’ practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a word that points to the art of being ‘present to’, or ‘aware of’, whatever is arising in consciousness, on a moment to moment basis. It involves a ‘meta’ level of attention because there is a distancing or separation from the particulars of what is appearing in the mind field and a conscious choice to not get lost, entangled, or stuck in their stories. It’s power lies in the capacity to observe ones thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and ongoing commentary from a place, or a mental space, of open curiosity. As the mindfulness becomes ‘stronger’ through practice (hello Hebb’s Axiom), the capacity to see conflict and trauma from a distance awakens.

We are all subject to conflict and trauma. The teachings of Buddhism begin with acknowledging that life will bring dukkha, usually translated as suffering. Dukkha literally means to be stuck. The wheel of life stops flowing through you, or if it does flow, it is not smooth, but jarring and unpleasant. This is universal. Mindfulness is stepping back and noticing. Wow, I am stuck. I am suffering. From the open mind this may actually become ‘something is stuck’, suffering is happening and it is very unpleasant, or worse.

Dr. Ron’s first step, once established in mindfulness, is ” Let Go”. “The art of creative transformation begins with the willingness to be mindful of your hidden resistance, examine it, and break it down so that you can sweep it away like sand on a door stop.” When we resist what is unpleasant, we reflexively contract. We become gluey and dense, on every level of existence. As somanauts, we can find tension in the skin, muscles, fascia, fluids and organs. In our ‘samyama in asana‘ we use gravity, leverage, subtle movement, breath and intelligence to transform this holding and tension into freedom. We learn how to support the body in letting go.

Stuckness can arise in life situations as well. “If all signs point to the need for change, it’s important not to deny them and cling to the status quo even as it is slipping away.” These moments can arise in relationships, jobs and even with spiritual teachers and spiritual communities.

Ultimately, what we are letting go of are our dysfunctional ideas and beliefs that perpetuate our own stuck-ness. These all stem from feelings of inadequacy because we have lost sight of the light of the soul. Inadequacy can lead to feeling small and unworthy, burdened with negative self commentary. It can create an exaggerated sense of self importance and entitlement. Or inadequacy spawns a helplessness that needs to continually impose its will on the world to feel safe. When mindful attention allows us to see the futility of these beliefs and patterns of behavior, and the problems they inevitably create, we can begin to release them, to stop feeding them with energy.

This intuitively arrives at Ron Dass’s second step, ‘Tune In’. “The second step in the creative process is tuning in and listening to the wisdom of your soul by achieving open mind, the state in which core creativity takes place, beyond the limitations of the mind’s thought process. Whenever you reconnect to this core, authentic self through open mind, the temporary circumstances of life stop distracting you. You’re able to trust that the creative process will produce opportunities and possibilities in due time. You don’t find yourself feeling that you’re running out of time and must make a decision quickly.”

The ‘open mind’ Ron mentions, developed in a strong mindfulness practice, is also the foundation of our somatic explorations. Somanauts learn quickly that thought is useless in the deeper levels of cellular inquiry. Something else, something unknown, mysterious and vibrant, must emerge. In yoga terms, the soul is the vehicle of the prana shakti, the Divine Feminine, as it emerges into atoms, cells, organs and fluids. As B.K.S. Iyengar frequently noticed, asana is prayer, an invitation for the Divine to emerge as aliveness. This is the soul. Ron adds: “The soul, which recognizes its connection to the divine and to eternity, is quite different from your false, external self, the part of yourself that identifies with the temporary world of your senses.” This is the identity problem described by Patanjali in I-4. This false self keeps throwing dysfunctional road blocks in our way, but when we can step back and watch this phenomenon in action, and then let the inner light trigger creative imagination, we are unstuck, we are back in the flow of Divine imagination and creativity.

Then step three arises: ‘Move Forward’. “Accepting that discomfort and suffering are a natural part of life, you’ll understand that happiness ebbs and flows, and that you can’t be a Zen master at all times. You’ll never be able to fully eradicate the little voice in your head that harshly judges you with thoughts such as “You’re no good” or You’ll never succeed.” In many ways, this voice is like an undertow in the ocean, trying to pull you out to sea and away from what you want. To be successful at surging forward, you have to learn not to be sucked into the undertow.” Practice and discipline become part of your life, like eating and breathing. A confidence arises that is not artificial, but stems from a deep connection to the soul level, where you and the Cosmos are surfing the moment to moment waves of creation. Everything is exactly what it is. Your life continues to unfold.

Here is an opportunity to evoke your Divine imagination, and because Bonnie is coming to Santa Barbara in February to do more explorations in embryology, we will imagine that the spinal discs dissolve into fluid and/or light and then we will bring back the nucleus pulposi, one per disc, as a string of luminescent pearls. These are the remnants of the original notochord, a crucial component to embryological development.

Start simple with one of the large lumbar discs. I’m in a serious supported bridge pose phase and this is a fun place to play with this. find a balance across the block and float the lumbar vertebrae. With a balance of double action, zero in on the disc and find its center. Feel fluid vibrancy. Let the center of the disc emerge as a pearl of light. Link it to the one above and below so you begin to create a strand. I can get one or two, but T12 keeps disturbing the vibes when I try to link in the thoracic discs. T12 is my spinous undertow and muse. It wants to suck me back into the past, but also invites me to find a new and more creative future. As long as I stay open to my soul, no worries. An who knows what surprises will arise when the discs become luminous?

Holos: The Nine Limbed Torus

Posted on July 27, 2015 by admin

In our on going explorations in embodying Sacred Geometry, we continually cycle back to the torus, and the corresponding torroidal field, one of the primary patterns of cosmic creation. It is time to add a whole new level of torroidal intelligence to our somatic journey, and to do so, we will bring in my ‘across the street in Ojai’ neighbor Brian Berman, and what he is calling a HOLOS, a symbol for one humanity.

Brian, a spiritually awakened sculptor and peace activist, had an inspirational vision in 2012. It began as the illusion of his separate self dissolving into wholeness, emptiness and deep silence. Only Being/Knowing. Then a thought arose as a spark on energy that then dissolved back into the silence. Then another. Forms coming and going. Then, an image of a torus appeared, emerging from his heart as strands of energy spiraling out from stillness, and then spiraling back into the infinite stillness at the core of his heart. He recognized at once that the torus was a symbol of unity, of many linked as one, rooted in the infinite. From his many years as a peace activist, he realized the possibility of using this image as an international unifying symbol for all engaged in bringing peace to the world. And it did not hurt that, while on a 2014 pilgrimage to Ramana Maharshi’s ashram in Tiruvannamalai, India inquiring about using art in a spiritual way, he got a clear ‘bring this into the world’ message.

The center of the Holos represents the infinite, wholeness, stillness and silence, the Source of all creation. The nine spirals represent the emergence of any and all forms, from atoms to galaxies, and everything in between. Think of the holos as a three dimensional expression of the pranavah, the sacred syllable ‘OM’. The nine spirals can be seen as linking three equilateral triangles, each of the 9 apices being 40 degrees apart on the circle. Nine is composed of a trinity of trinities. According to Michael Schneider in ‘The Beginners’ Guide to Constructing the Universe” “nine is considered thrice sacred and most holy, representing perfection, balance and order, the supreme superlative.”

We are going to take this unique torus and use it to help clear out the chakras and invite it to provide an organizing intelligence for the water and collagen molecules in the Living Matrix of the body. Finding and differentiating the nine strands may take a while, but we are all in this for the long haul, so be patient. Consider this like the Vajrayana Buddhist practice of mandala visualization meditation. Much to be revealed in the future as we play with this!

In any comfortable sitting pose, align yourself with heaven and earth and bring your attention to your heart center. Feel the spherical volume, above/below, front/back, right/left, alive, fluid, spacious. Now convert the sphere to a torus, opening the center like in a bagel, so now the center is emptiness. Stay open to heaven and earth and stillness and begin to notice how the tissue in the heart region is responding. In the holos, ascending energies move clockwise and descending energies move counterclockwise. Let the field and your imagination do the work. Try not to help muscularly. Find where your energy field is weak or distorted, or overworking. (My right posterior quadrant is challenged). Now imagine the limbs differentiating, lengthening or spiraling to help create space. Visualize the empty space between the solid limbs of the holos. Feel it from above and below as in the very top picture. Try moving it around; up and down, right and left, forward and backward. What does this do to your feeling?

If we combine the holos with a hoberman sphere, we can expand and condense both the empty center space, as well as the nine spiraling lines, in a gyroscope like action. This action really awakens new possibilities in the holos. Feel how the centrifugal expansion increase space between the lines as they rotate outward. Feel the spirals rippling through the fluids and tissues as the chakra line stabilizes. Same with condensing centripetal action. For most of us, the heart space (prana vayu) needs more expanding and the belly space (apana) needs more condensing.

The well known sacred geometer extraordinaire, B.K.S. Iyengar, (how many different triangles can you find in this trikonasana?) describes this phenomenon in “Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”, in his commentary to sutra II-46: “Conative action is the exertion of the organs of action. Cognitive action is the perception of the results of that action. When the two are fused together, the discriminative faculty of the mind acts to guide the organs of action and perception to perform the asans more correctly; the rhythmic flow of energy and awareness is experienced evenly and without interruption, both centripetally and centrifugally throughout the channels of the body. A pure state of joy is felt in the cells and the mind. (For a deeper discussion of this, see Samyama in Asana.)

The holos field is a fractal, so it can be found all over the body. Imagine it to help to open any place that feels restricted. Take it into your limbs, head and tail until it finds its place. The center is always stillness and the energies emerge and dissolve again and again, moment to moment, day by day. Take time to help the larger field and the mini fields also, stabilize. Find the patterns in any pose, at any time. Let them settle and stabilize. No hurry, no worries.

Celtic Yoga

Posted on July 21, 2015 by admin

One of the fascinating joys of the awakening process is the discovery of another brilliant and charismatic teacher who captures this amazing moment in unique and deeply insightful ways. I am a bit late to the party with my Irish Catholic brother John O’Donohue, who very unfortunately for those of us still here, passed on in 2008. But, wow, is he is opening the eyes of my soul in unimagined ways with his amazing imagery and use of language. As his brother Pat says in the introduction to “Four Elements: Reflection on Nature, “he wrestled the terms of reference that were used to think about ‘soul’ from the religious institutions. He carried them outdoors to the landscape and let them free among the elements. Here they danced their dream of possibility…”

He reminds me a lot of one of my other mentors, Thomas Berry. Both were Catholic priests and scholars who found tremendous spiritual depth in Creation, the manifest world of earth, water, fire and air. While not formally a monk, John also found deep healing in solitude. The powerful forces of Mother Nature shaping the landscape on the western coast of Ireland were his inspiration, providing an invitation to plunge into the inner world of mystery beyond the seen and the known. Without needing the formality of asana, he knew the body to be a gateway to the soul, that the body is immersed in the soul, and not the other way around.

He lived a life of integral spirituality with vitality and joy. And he was at home with the deep pain of loss and despair and other afflictions of the human psyche and soul. To John, all is sacred, all holy. To lead a good life, all one requires is solitude and friendship; longing and belonging; being deeply engaged with one’s own inner world, and deeply engaged in sharing that journey of self discovery with others. And to recognize that even on the inner journey one takes alone, we can befriend all we encounter. There is no ‘other’.

Here are some of my favorite observations from John.

From Anam Cara: (Irish for ‘soul friend’ or, friend to your soul)

“The Celtic mind was not burdened by dualism. It did not separate what belongs together. The Celtic imagination articulates the inner friendship that embraces Nature, divinity, underworld and human world as one. The dualism that separates the visible from the invisible, time from eternity, the human from the divine, was totally alien to them.”

“Humans are new here. Above us, the galaxies dance out toward infinity. Under our feet is ancient earth. We are beautifully molded from this clay. Yet the smallest stone is millions of years older than us. In your thoughts, the silent universe seeks echo.”

“If we become addicted to the external, our interiority will haunt us. We will become hungry with a hunger no image, person or deed can still. To be wholesome, we must remain truthful to our vulnerable complexity. In order to keep our balance, we need to hold the interior and exterior, visible and invisible, known and unknown, temporal and eternal, ancient and new, together. No one else can undertake this task for you. You are the one and only threshold of an inner world. This wholesomeness in holiness. To be holy is to be natural, to befriend the worlds that come to balance in you. Behind the facade of image and distraction, each person is an artist in this primal and inescapable sense. Each one of us is doomed and privileged to be an inner artist who carries and shapes a unique world.”

“Human presence is a creative and turbulent sacrament, a visible sign of invisible grace. Nowhere else is there such intimate and frightening access to the mysterium. Friendship is the sweet grace that liberates us to approach, recognize and inhabit this adventure. … Friendship is a creative and subversive force. It claims that intimacy is the secret law of life and the universe. The human journey is a continuous act of transfiguration. If approached in friendship, the unknown, the anonymous, the negative and the threatening gradually yield their secret affinity with us.”

‘Silence is a great friend of the soul; it unveils the riches of solitude. It is very difficult to reach that quality of inner silence. You must make a space for it so that it may begin to work for you. In a certain sense, you do not need the whole armory and vocabulary of therapies, psychologies and spiritual programs. If you have a trust in and an expectation of your own solitude, everything that you need to know will be revealed to you.”

“At the deepest level of the human heart, there is no simple singular self. Deep within, there is a gallery of different selves. Each one of these figures expresses a different part of your nature. Sometimes they will come into contradiction and conflict with other. If you meet these contradictions only on the surface level, this could start an inner feud that could haunt you all the days of your life. They are in a permanent war zone and have never managed to go deeper to the hearth of kinship, where the two forces are not enemies, but reveal themselves as different sides of the one belonging.”

From “Four Elements”

“How can people be so sensitive to the dignity and independence of landscape?….Landscape has a vast and wonderful presence. … But landscape is not merely extensive; it is full of opaque depths. The depths of landscape reach down into eternities of silence and darkenss. But they are not the hopeless depths of a black inferno, for at their ultimate level they rest upon the tender emptiness of the cosmos.”

From “Eternal Echoes”

A Blessing

May you listen to your longing to be free,
May the frames of your belonging be large enough
   for the dreams of your soul.
May you arise each day with a voice of blessing
   whispering in your heart that something good is
   going to happen to youMay you find a harmony between your soul and
your life,
May the mansion of your soul never become a haunted place,
May you know the eternal longing which lives at the heart of time
May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within,
May you never place walls between the light and yourself.
May your angel free you from the prisons of guilt, fear, disappointment and despair
May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, mind you, and
   embrace you in belonging.