I’ve Got Rhythm (and so do you!)

Posted on October 7, 2015 by admin

Who could ask for anything more?

One of the major means of facilitating shamanic journeying is the rhythmic beating of a drum or shaking of a rattle, to help the brainwave patterns shift to 4 – 8 cycles per second (Hz) theta waves, the range just above the delta waves of dreamless sleep, but just below the alpha waves of waking consciousness. This dream state band is a rich source of information about not only our inner world, but also about the hidden dimensions of the outer world. What is it about rhythm that is so powerfully transformative? There is no culture on the planet that does not have a rich tradition in music and dance, including India, home of yoga, so we may discover the roots of yoga embedded in the inner rhythms of our embodied being. What is the connection between rhythm and our aliveness?

Many eons ago Mother Nature decided a nervous system would be useful for life on planet earth. Animals (as opposed to plants, which do not have nervous systems) needed to be able to move about their environment, to find food, mates and shelter, while simultaneously avoiding danger. The nervous system evolved to coordinate perception, prediction and movement so animals could learn and master certain survival skills that could be called upon in a moments notice. Mother Nature’s secret to coordinating this complex system is rhythm.

Rodolfo Llinas, In ‘I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self’ develops a model of how timing waves generated in localized neuronal structures modulate global neuronal activity, much as a conductor sets the pace and dynamics for an orchestra. He describes the origins of the nervous system, and the related mind and ‘the mindness state’ as the need for “predictive interactions between mobile creatures and their environment.” (Here is the beginning of dance.) “Neurons arose within the space between sensing and moving. This space mushroomed to become the brain.” (The possibilities of dance became more and more complex.) “Neurons came into existence in order to facilitate and orchestrate the ever-growing complexity of sensori-motor transformations.” (Action and perception are integrated rhythmically. As we yogis know that samyama is the integration of the organs of action and the organs of perception with the intelligence to create a single conscious movement within the entire body, we can now say that yoga involves learning how to shake your buddhi. )

From the back cover of ‘I of the Vortex’: “At the heart of Llinas’ theory is the concept of oscillation. Many neurons possess electrical activity, manifested as oscillating variations in the minute voltages across the cell membrane. On the crests of these oscillations occur larger electrical events that are the basis for neuron to neuron communication. Like cicadas chirping in unison, a group of neurons oscillating in phase can resonate with a distant group of neurons. This simultaneity of neuronal activity is the neuro-biological root of cognition. Although the internal state that we call the mind is guided by the senses, it is also generated by the oscillations within the brain. Thus, in a certain sense, one could say that reality is not all “out there”, but that we live in a kind of virtual reality.”

Not that we need to ground our shamanic experiences in science, but here we are. We are resonant with the world around us at a multiplicity of frequencies, both internal and external, and we build a sense of reality and self from our perceptions of these fluctuating rhythms. How many of these resonances do we actually perceive, how many are fully activated and integrated into our daily activities, how many others are available to explore in our practice?

Llinas goes on to propose that in the background of the brain, “continuously humming”, are 40 Hz coherent electrical waves linking the thalamus and cerebral cortex in timing waves that may be the basis for a ‘self sense’. As we mentioned above, the shamanic journeys often involved traveling on the 4 – 8 Hz theta wave frequencies in the brain. There are many other rhythms of aliveness available for exploration as well.

Practitioners of Chinese and Tibetan medicine learn to read the pulsing of the heart and circulatory system and a skilled practitioner can differentiate 24 – 29 different types of pulse. Heart beats run in the 40 – 100 beats per minute, translating to .8 – 1.6 cycles per second. Craniosacral therapists tune into the three tidal rhythms of the cerebro-spinal fluid system. These much slower rhythms include: the cranial rhythmic impulse at 8 – 12 cycles per minute; the middle tide at 2 – 2.5 cycles per minute, and the very subtle long tide is 90 – 100 seconds per cycle. We will explore these craniosacral rhythms in a future post.

Yogis and other somanauts learn to travel on the physiological frequencies of the respiratory system, and our exploration in the next few posts will be to play with these in pranayama practice. The breath is universally acknowledged as a gateway into the inner functioning of mind and body as it links the structures, diaphragm, ribs, spine and limbs with all of the emotions, from fear and anxiety, to delight and joy. We will learn how to ride the rhythmic oscillations of the breath like a surfer and possibly discover new worlds and new rhythms of connectivity between our selves and the inner realms of creation.

The first step, and our practice today, is to establish contact with the feel of the breath and dive deeply into its waters. In yogic terms, it is dharana – dhyana – samadhi aka samyama applied to the flow of energy we call breathing. The fundamental rhythmic pattern has four stages: inhalation where the lungs fill; exhalation where they empty; a brief pause where the inhalation ends and before the exhalation begins; and another pause after exhalation and before the inhalation begins. In a normal healthy breath, these pauses are smooth and fluid. There is no residual tension. If very relaxed, the pause after exhalation may be quite long, revealing a deep inner stillness. (Remember that all energetic processes arise in stillness and look to find completion by returning to stillness.) These pauses are unique and very important in our practice.

Either lying or sitting in a comfortable position, let your attention move to and stay with the breath. (This is meditation 101.) Sustain the sense of being suspended in the breath while your curiosity awakens. Some questions to consider: How does the skin move/respond to the breathing? the bones? the large outer muscles? the smaller, inner muscles?, the pelvic organs? the abdominal organs? the heart and lungs? the neck, throat and face? And: can you feel your diaphragm? your intercostal muscles? Many questions for many days and years of practice. Perhaps only one is needed to nourish you in this practice session.

Allow the breath to become smoother and softer by dropping whatever tension and sense of effort you can. Pay special attention to the pauses. The breath may become more shallow, or possibly deeper. Either way, let the breath lead you. You are feeling, listening, receiving sensation riding on the waves of breath. Let the breath lead you deep into the stillness and rest there. Let the stillness radiate out through your cells. Nurture this state so it becomes easier and easier to access. Then bring it into your daily activities.

Here is Patanjali on pranayama, (with my commentary) from the Sadhana Pada.

II- 49 tasmin sati shvaasa-prashvaasayor gati-vicchedah praanaayaamah
The mastery of asana allows the exploration of more subtle life energies through regulating the natural flow of inhalation and exhalation.

Mastery of any asana means the ability to sustain the posture through time without any aggression or dullness in the organism. This is the natural state of the animal kingdom but because the human mind can interfere with this natural state of relaxed aliveness we need the interventions learned in asana. Eventually asana, the innate intelligence of posture and movement sustains itself as we move through life. (We do need to keep practicing to maintain this!) When the outer layers of the body, the musculo-skeletal system, are harmoniously integrated (sattva) the more subtle physiological or organic movements are seen more clearly and they may reveal more subtle blockages in the pranic flow. Pranayama practice is a way to help dissolve these blockages.

II- 50 baahyaabhyantara-stambha-vrttih desha-kaala-sankhyaabhih paridrsto diirgha-suukshmah
The movements of breath are outward, inward and restrained. Practice involves allowing the stages of the breath to become longer and more subtle as you explore where the breath is felt inside the body, how longs the movements take, and how many cycles you can perform safely.

Pranayama is not a practice of the will the way asana can be. It emerges as a natural sensitivity to the pranic flow that you can ride the way a hawk rides a thermal or a school of fish rides ocean currents. The practice involves constantly getting out of the way of aliveness, of dissolving the subtle blockages in the pranic flow from emotional memories and habits, and releasing the inner currents of prana through the organs and cells.

Although Patanjali mentions three movements of the breath, there are technically four: exhalation (rechaka), restraint or retention after exhalation (baahya kumbhaka), inhalation (puraka), and retention after inhalation (antara kumbhaka). The two retentions are different from each other because of the physiology of respiration and are included in the more advanced forms of pranayama

Inhalation is a neurologically initiated action. When the CO2 level in the blood reaches a certain level, the vagus nerve triggers the diaphragm to contract and draw air into the lungs. Exhalation does not have such a trigger and thus we often have to learn to exhale. This is especially true in cases of COPD, emphysema and asthma where sufferers struggle to inhale into lungs that have no room because the exhalations have been forgotten. In yoga, the exhalation is learned first as it is calming to the nerves and mind. Then, when exhalations comes easily, inhalation can begin to be prolonged. Trying to force air into lungs still half full is stressful and pranayama is about releasing stress, not adding more.

Over time, the ribs, diaphragm and spine become more elastic and integrated and the breathing cycles flow more and more effortlessly. Then you begin to notice the natural pauses that arise at the end of the in breath and again at the end of the out breath. These ‘restraints’ are spontaneous and natural. As your pranayama practice becomes more relaxed, you begin to prolong the pause after the in breath. This is known as retention after in breath or antara kumbhaka. As there is no reflex to exhale, this is safe. The ribs are sustained in an open state and the diaphragm is suspended dynamically. Ideally there is no sense of strain or effort but simply an allowing of the lungs to absorb more and more of the oxygen and release more of the CO2.

In baahya kumbhaka, retention after exhalation, the lungs and blood stream have become so saturated with oxygen from the expanded inhalations and retentions that there is no reflex to inhale for quite some time. This is a very quiet internal state and can lead to the experience of a new level described next.

II- 51 baahyaabhyantara-visayaaksepii caturthah
The fourth (in addition to outward, inward and restrained) surpasses the limits of outward and inward.

This suspension of the breath is spontaneous and not the result of the previous mentioned kumbhaka practices. In other words, there is no sense of ‘practicing pranayama’, but of resting in deep neurological stillness.

II- 52 tatah ksiiyate prakaashaavaranam
Then the covering of illumination is weakened.

Obscurations is a lovely Buddhist word describing the nature of the dull or stuck (tamasic) and agitated or chaotic (rajasic) mind states and activities that are said to cover the inner light of seeing, vidya, of the Seer resting in unbounded awareness. Even the breath can be seen as a very subtle disturbance and when the mind is in deep rest, the breath is effortlessly suspended and only light remains. This is not an action of the will, but the result of a natural stillness.

II- 53 dhaaranaasu ca yogyataa manasah
And the mind becomes fit for concentration

Manas is that aspect of mind dealing directly with the senses and thus it is often busy. When it is still and undisturbed, buddhi, the aspect of mind that sees, is now ready for its refinement. The vital energies, as prana, have been calmed and clarified by pranayama practice leaving an alert stillness in the mind field.

Photo of George and Ira Gershwin courtesy of Stephen Pond.

A Shamanic Cosmology

Posted on September 29, 2015 by admin

Cultures throughout history have had some sort of cosmology; that is, a story or model, or belief system that defines the origins, structures and functioning of reality as experienced by that culture. The modern era’s cosmology is a quirky cultural stew of scientific rationalism, religious dogma, and enlightened spiritual insight. My vote is for an enlightened spiritual insight which arises from an ongoing, direct and intimate contact with the world as it arises moment to moment. The question here becomes what do we mean by “the world as it arises?” The shamans have a very interesting view on ‘the world’, feeling all of creation is spiritual, and that much of the world is unseen to the human eye.

Reality: An Overview

From a shamanic perspective, reality has two fundamental expressions: the seen, and the unseen. The seen is what the average human would recognize as the physical world. It includes the sky, with clouds, stars and planets, mountains and the rest of the continents, oceans, rivers, lakes and streams, weather, and living beings of all sorts, etc, etc. All of these are experienced through the five senses and we are in constant relationship to this world in our daily activities.

The unseen can also be called the dream or spirit world and and has two primary levels, the lower and upper. The lower realms include the spirits of the earth, including plant and animal spirits as well as spirits associated with rocks, rivers, weather etc. The shamanic animist reality sees all creation is being imbued with a spiritual as well as a physical expression. (Thomas Berry’s ‘Principle 3’ acknowledges these two levels.) The lower realm, or underworld is often the destination of the dead, where human souls go in the afterlife. There are many fascinating tales and teachings about what happens to souls when they get there.

The upper realms include gods, angels, devas, celestial beings, saints, ascended masters, and spiritual guides. In most cases, heaven is the highest reward, and place of eternal beauty, health and happiness and reserved for those departed souls who have passed strict qualification tests, either on the earthly plane or in the underworld. These tests vary across cultures, but they all weed out the unworthy.

This three part reality is almost universal: The heavenly realms, the earth where the action or karma of our lives take place, and the underworld, and the nature of these realms varies tremendously from culture to culture. The modern Western world is currently dominated by the patriarchal monotheistic religions who were terrified of the power of the shamans and thus redefined the lower realms as hell and murdered nearly 100,000 women through the middle ages.

The Shamanic Journey

The modern shaman uses ‘technology’ to enter ‘altered’ states of consciousness, travel to the lower and upper realms, acquire help and helpers in the form of spirit helpers or teachers, and information, to help bring healing to the middle realm of action, in the body, in culture and throughout the planet. The entry point of the journey is through the body, or body soul, aka physical soul, where perception takes place, and the ‘technology’ is to use a drum or rattle to rhythm entrain the brain waves to fire at the Theta or 3 – 8 HZ. “Theta brainwaves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant in the deep meditation. It acts as our gateway to learning and memory. In theta, our senses are withdrawn from the external world and focused on signals originating from within. It is that twilight state which we normally only experience fleetingly as we wake or drift off to sleep. In theta we are in a dream; vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond our normal conscious awareness. It’s where we hold our ‘stuff’, our fears, troubled history, and nightmares.” (from www.brainworksneurotherapy.com). The drumming or rattling have to be accurate and consistent to sustain theta for 20 minutes or so. We will go further into some of the protocols and process of the journey in the future.

Our Practice

In the last post, we began the process of differentiating the felt sense and movement possibilities related to the lower six chakras. Today we will go a little further with this exploration. Imagine a ladder; two parallel lines linked by six horizontal lines. Imagine a circle or sphere in the center of each rung, and these will represent the chakras. Now, lying down in savasana, find the chakras and the two parallel lines running down the right and left sides of your body. Visualize and feel these two lines passing through key places aside the different chakras: inner ears, two sides of the jaws, two lungs, two kidney, two pelvic bones, two legs/feet. these are just a few suggestions. Find what awakens in your own perceptual field.

Now imagine the space between the chakras becoming like a frisbee and let the energy spiral back and forth, ascending and descending around each of the chakras.you may begin to notice something that looks like this. Enjoy the ride. This is the ‘fishbody’ we have been working with for many years now. Smooth out the spaces. You are liable to find places on the sides of one or more chakras where the energy is sticky, or just plain stuck. In that moment, the habit is to ‘contract’ something to force the issue. Inhibit this urge. Contraction vrtti nirodha. Relax. Use imagination and visualization to help open channels.

Now return to the ladder image and find the points where the rungs intersect the vertical. Imagine all twelve points breathing together and feel. Imagine the heart beating simultaneously in all twelve points and feel what arises. This may take some practice and patience. Now take this into your asana practice and discover these points and energetic patterns anew. Let them dance you, reshape you, awaken you from deep within. Now go out into nature and do the same. Feel nature dancing with you. Be open to surprise, awe and wonder.

Further Reading: “A Bowl of Light” by Hank Wesselman, and all material at sharedwisdom.com.

(It was an amazing weekend!)

Inhabiting the Chakras: Finding Space

Posted on September 21, 2015 by admin

In the previous post we discussed the triune soul as a habitat, a place to live in harmony with the whole of creation, and what is means to begin to inhabit these three realms. Here we will explore the chakras as habitats, ie actual locations with structures, energies, ecologies and relationships. You will need your imagination, the ability to stay immersed in the energetic world for 20 minutes or more, a comfortable pose or place to be, (supported savasana) and some understanding of anatomy. The intention is to evoke new sensations and perceptions, awaken more integration in movement open to the intuitive revelations that arise from the subtle realms of the body.

To inhabit the inner spaces, for a somanaut, requires a deepening increase in perceptual sensitivity. For our work with the chakras, this begins by learning to differentiate the various structures and elements that allow freedom of movement from the inner most layers of the body. An important note about the chakras before we go further: chakras are portals or gateways into ultimate mystery, and thus cannot be pinned down with any meaningful accuracy. What we can do is recognize their possible effects upon the structures, energy patterns and movements, and explore the sensations that arise as we proceed inward. Each of us will have unique experiences, so when I describe what I feel, that is only a starting point for your own explorations. Your experience may be quite different, but equally valid.

It is my own inner experience, and from what I see again and again in teaching, there are certain areas in the body when structures are con-fused, or stuck together. Thus we cannot differentiate the various components that make up that area. From a chakra perspective, the 1st and 2nd are quite undifferentiated, as are the 3rd and 4th, and the 5th and 6th. Our perceptual field and capacity to feel movements does not quite align with the model above. So we will begin by looking at ways to open up some space along the chakra line. The most subtle, but very powerful is to work from the level of ‘field effects’. The magnetic field is familiar enough for all to use, and the basic rules are opposite charges attract and like charges repel. If we imagine the 1st and 2nd chakras both carry a positive charge, the 3rd and 4th both carry a negative charge, and the 5th and 6th both carry a positive charge, some interesting movements begin to awaken.

Lie in a supported savasana, knees elevated to help keep the pelvis neutral. Imagine the legs, femurs to feet slowly oozing away from the trunk of the body. Imagine the pelvic bones releasing laterally very slightly to release the sacro-illiacs and then flowing away with the legs. Finally imagine your tail bone slowly lengthening and releasing in the same direction as the legs. Visualize the central organizing activity of all of these as the 1st chakra being repelled downward (away from the head) by the 2nd or sacral chakra. The sacrum moves in the opposite direction, upwards toward the heart or 4th chakra. Find the space that opens between 1 and 2 and rest in the depths of that space. Feel whatever sensations arise, looking for pulsation, vibration or slow wave motion as clues for the larger energy patterns. What is happening in the fluid body, through the blood vessels and the extra-cellular fluids? What happens to the lower lumbar discs, nerves, vertebrae? What other realms are there waiting to be noticed in the deep background?

Now bring your attention to the center of your diaphragm and imagine the 3rd chakra just below and the 4th chakra just above. Now add a negative charge to each and let them push apart a bit more. Feel the negatively charged 3rd chakra descending toward the rising positively charged second chakra. Feel the negatively charged 4th rising up toward the 5th chakra/throat region. Feel the organs and deep connective tissue structures of the mesentery, mediastinum, coronary and falciform ligaments melting, softening, opening. Follow the blood flow and the deeper rhythms of the body.

Finally, bring your attention to the soft palate at the back of the mouth. Imagine a positively charged 5th chakra below and a positively charged 6th chakra above, gently pushing apart. The positive 5th descends toward the negatively rising 4th, while the positive 6th rises toward the crown chakra just above the top of the skull. Soften inner ears and the backs of the eye sockets. Release the tongue, teeth, gums and jaws. Feel the field generated by all of these penetrating through the cells of the body.

Notice that the 5th, 3rd and 1st chakras are all moving downward slightly. This follows the natural flow of peristalsis and the gastro-intestinal tract energy. By unblocking the first chakra, back pressure is relieved from the anal mouth so grounding can continue at all levels. The unblocking down of the 3rd chakra allows the esophagus (and the vagus nerve) a free run down through the diaphragm at the esophogeal hiatus all the way to the anus to help to prevent or heal hiatal hernias here. At fifth chakra, where swallowing begins, the descending energy helps release tension in the neck and shoulders, the vocal cords, and the floor of the brain.

The ascending currents of the 2nd, 4th and 6th chakras resonate with the cranio-sacral system, with the heart chakra synchronizing with the cranial and sacral regions. In a future posting, we will explore the cranio-sacral system in more depth, including the three layers of the tide. In the overall field of the body, there are always ascending and descending currents seeking dynamic balance and harmony, within and without the body/mind/cosmic field.

Notice also that as the 2nd and 3rd chakras are drawn toward each other, they combine to help strengthen the lumbar region and integrate its movements with the sacrum and thoracic regions. Similar in the cerivical region when the 5th and 4th combine to support and integrate movements of the neck with the rest of the body. Humans seem to be the only creatures who have lost the inherent liquidity of their spinal columns, including flexibility and subtle integration. The upright posture is only partially to blame as we can restore some of the integration by waking up and inhabiting the spine and chakras again.

We can use our supported bridge pose to deepen the sense of space and expansion along the chakra line and through the chakra spaces and we will use a great new prop designed by old friend Randy Dean, the Bhoga Block. These blocks are hollow, making them lighter and easier to move around. They have a squared end for standing upright, and have curved surfaces that allow a much more organic experience of the back-bending support we can use to open 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. Experiment where you place them, and which direction the square end faces. You can use a single block, or a pair, so there are many different possibilities to support, perceive, awaken and integrate.

Here I am using two blocks placed between 2 and 3, the weight of the tail and chakra 1 inviting chakra 3 to follow the downward flow to the feet, opening the liver and root of the diaphragm, among other structures and energies. The feet gently pressing out, following the direction of 1, create a rebound at 2 sending it up toward the heart. As soon as possible, let the repelling/attracting magnetic fields take over the work and you can rest in the stillness between and around the field lines.

With the blocks higher up, three is starting to sneak back up, creating a slight break in the field, but 4 is releasing up lifting the sternum, opening the shoulders. The blockage at 5 is slightly more pronounced leading to redness. Inner adjustments are needed, but the inner glue is beginning to melt. Fire and water are beginning to work more coherently, but it is a work in progress. Finding the magnetic field lessens the strain tremendously.

By removing the blanket under the head, I can get more differentiation at 5-6, especially where the cranial bones sit on the neck at skull – C1, the atlanto-occipital joint. My crown chakra opens into the floor to help 6 open into the back of the skull. 3 still needs to move toward the feet.

To bring in rotation, we can use the basic standing wall twist. Now that we are vertical, the chakra line and gravity have a radically different relationship. The role of the feet in grounding the energy is enhanced when we can relax down into them, receiving Mother Earth effortlessly. The ascending energy is then more internal. In this photo, there is still congestion at the back of 4, the origin of the wings. but there is lift rising up through the skull. In rotation, the chakra spaces expand radially outward, perpendicular to the chakra line that is the central axis of the body. We will look at this more deeply next week. Or soon! Our shamanic weekend at Esalen is coming so the next blog might be about our experiences journeying to new places.