2014 Year Long Training: 1st Weekend Summary

Posted on April 30, 2014 by admin

Homework for Weekend 1:
Read Adyashanti’s “The Way of Liberation”
Write a list of possible goals you would like to accomplish in the course.
Keep practicing at home. Bring Questions.
Primary postures will be standing poses, dog pose and variations, restorative poses.
Read Samyama in Asana, Parts 1 and 2

Theme for weekend # 1. What is the nature of spiritual practice?
In a nutshell, it is as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Being able to differentiate and discriminate between:
the unbounded, unchanging all pervasive Absolute (Purusha and Drashtuh, the Seer in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, ‘Now’ in Eckhart Tolle, Atman/Brahman in Vedanta, ‘Being’ with Adyashanti, etc.) and the transient, constantly changing world of forms (Prakriti, creation, time and space, etc.).
2. Realizing, recognizing, remembering that the true nature of ‘you’ (the ‘I am’ we all experience) is the infinite unbounded, unlimited Purusha and not anything created in the realm of thought and posing as you.
3. Realizing that creation, the world of form, prakriti, is never separate from the infinite, just as the ring is never separate from the gold, even though ‘ringiness’ is different from gold. In other words, differentiated does not mean separate in this case. Samsara is nirvana; nirvana is samsara.

When the Hsin Hsin Ming starts to resonate with you, you will know you are on the right track! See also Bhagavad Gita, which we will study later in the course.

Also, emotional regulation is the beginning of this process of self realization, as the mind has to be able to settle down to begin to ‘see’ the nature of what is. Emotions are relational and we will spend one of the weekends developing this further. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra I – 33 is a beautiful teaching on emotions.

Samadhi, or sustained focal attention, is the practice of settling the mind onto very specific streams of energy and information. The hub of awareness meditation, from Dan Siegel, allows us to see how attention can be moved and sustained in different ways. It can be directed inwardly of outwardly through various portals to learn about the world of form. Or it can rest in, or dissolve into itself. Then, we rest as purusha, pure awareness, the infinite, even if only for a split second. Patanjali, in sutra I-3, says yoga is resting as the infinite, stably. Tada, then, when in ‘yoga’, the true nature, sva-rupe, of the Seer, drashtuh, is stable, ava-stha-nam. Stable, from the Sanskrit root ‘stha’, is a key word that will show up again and again in spiritual teaching and neuroscience. But just a tiny taste is all it takes to propel the process along.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras Homework: Find one or two that intrigue or puzzle you. Be practical, not theoretical. Relate the practice/instruction to energy as: too much/too little/just right! Connect to your on-going emotional state and integrate into sustaining emotional equilibrium (samatvam).

For the somatic or embodied work we do, attention is brought to the streams of proprioception (feeling the inner physiological movements of fluids, cells, breath, heart, peristalsis etc.) and kinsethesia, the felt sense of where the body is in space and where the various joints, limbs bones are in relation to each other.

For most beginners, the proprioceptive stream is hard to find. Following the breath is the main introduction. In asana, kinesthesia can be amplified by moving, slowly and mindfully, in and out of the poses. This is ‘not necessarily’ athletic, dance or gymnastic in nature as our intention in yoga is to feel the movements, track them carefully, expand feeling and open to the proprioceptive pathways. This can certainly be the foundation of dance and other athletic endeavors.

We first learn to differentiate ‘too much effort’, usually felt as connective tissue tension, and tightness of the breath and sense organs; and ‘not enough action’, usually felt as heaviness, dullness, sluggishness, spaciness. Just right feels brings a sense of flow, of some ease, less effort, more balance, of a presence that allows us to listen to the proprioceptive and kinesthic streams and let the intelligence guide the practice from these information streams. This is quite different from trying to remember instructions and will the body into some abstract notion of what the pose is supposed to be.

We begin to identify pathways of energy in the body where the energy flows effortlessly and we works with these, explore them in different poses, discover ways to enhance the strength of the highways, and notice habits that hinder or inhibit flow through them. Sacred Geometry describes lines and circles of energy.

The primary line of energy is along the spinal axis, through head and tail, along the chakra channel, and also out through hand and feet, arms and legs. This is the first ‘masculine’ line of energy. We find the feminine ‘circles’ in movement, first through the hip joints; the flexion/extension circle of forward and backbending, then the ‘fish body’ or lateral flexion circle of ardha chandrasana, trikonasana, and parsvakonasana. And finally the rotation circle of twisting.

When working with lines, we look for opposite action along the line, like the energy of the arrow when a bow and bow string are move in opposite directions. From here we find the fulcrum of balance, where the two opposite actions begin to work as one to create a dynamic charge of energy. We can oscillate or pendulate back and forth, or sustain the dynamic stillness of the archer just before releasing the arrow.

In the circle, the balance is between expanding and condensing the circle, or as Iyengar describes in “Light on the Yoga Sutras”, the centrifugal and centripetal forces. The expansion field of the centrifugal force opens from the center and expands outward. This is difficult for beginners who are more likely to contract the body inward to find stability. Centripetal energy is not contraction but a condensing inward, counter balancing the outer centrifugal energy. Again these can oscillate, like in the action of the lungs in breathing, or can be sustained in a dynamic stillness.

The Sinoatrial Node

Posted on December 11, 2013 by admin

When I first discovered Charles Ridley’s book “Stillness: Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Practice and the Evolution of Consciousness, there was an amazing flash of insight awakened after reading just a few pages. Here was an articulate presentation of a very subtle and yet highly embodied wisdom that I knew in the depths of my sixth chakra to be true, but had not quite been able perceive or experience. These were cosmic clues on the great treasure hunt of embodied awakening waiting to be explored.

This was six years ago and now some of Charles’s insights are finally emerging in my own living matrix as sensations, perceptions and clarity. I am not a cranial sacral practitioner but I do swim through the inner waters of my being and find Charles’ maps incredibly relevant for us yoga/somanauts. This brings us to a fascinating place in the body, the sinoatrial node. This natural pacemaker, a bundle of neurons surrounded by connective tissue in the form of collagen fibers and fibroblasts, sits at the upper back portion of the right atrium near the superior vena cava.

Those of you who have been following along in the Tuesday class know we have been exploring the the inferior vena cava and the connective tissue structures surrounding it, as it comes up from behind the liver and enters the heart, while also tracking the pressure gradient from the lower dantian (belly) up into the chest cavity. By following the blood vessels, we can bypass the diaphragm, which tends to divide our sense of the torso into upper and lower. As the lower dantian energy, in the form of pressure, is trained to rise up, it lifts, stretches and opens the diaphragm and expands the chest cavity from the inside. This creates more space for the heart.

The superior vena cava, bringing de-oxygenated blood down from the head neck and arms empties, along with the inferior vena cava, into the right atrium. Here the descending and ascending energies of the venous system meet right at the SA node. How delightful. According the Charles, (and this is a lot to take in, but give it a go);

“…embryogenesis is the power for transmutation….Biodyamically speaking, this act infuses the life-giving radiance from the heart field into the inertial patterns and transmutes it into a healthy state. … Non dual awareness is the stage upon which transmutation acts out its mysterious drama in full consciousness. The fulcrum or center of this stage is your hearts pacemaker, or sinoatrial node, where infinite stillness and finite form unite.”

The sinoatrial node, surrounded by collagen and fibroblasts, is the center of the connective tissue intelligence. Living here in sensitivity is a major goal of awakening in the world of form. As we trace perception and the energy fields and charges along the connective tissue pathways, we are also returning to our embryological origins and reawakening a primal intelligence that permeates all life forms. Resting in the silence of the heart is a beautiful thing. Feeling the origins of integration in the embryological pathways allows a deep settling of all unnecessary fear and anxiety into the vast ocean of stillness. This is ‘sthira sukham asanam’, the drashtuh sva’rupe , spoken of by Patanjali. This is the non-dual integration of form and formless in direct experience. We need patience and persistence to awaken the intelligence of these tissues as these sensitivities tend to be subtle or hidden in the beginning. But they are the ‘core’ of the body and, as such, carry information to every cell in the body, integrating nervous system, circulatory system and the gut tube.

Feel the heart as the center of all action and perception. Open the main channel through the chakras, through crown and root, connecting heaven and earth. Trace to centers of hands and feet. From feet follow Tom Myer’s “deep front line” to liver and heart activating with a charge of energy like you are charging a smart phone. Feel the link to the sa node. Drop into stillness. repeat… forever…

Samyama in Asana (pt 1)

Posted on September 6, 2013 by admin

Summer of 1984 saw two major conventions happening in San Francisco. The Democrats were first, in July, nominating Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro for the ticket to run against Ronnie Reagan and George Bush the elder. Ferraro was the first female ever nominated for either President or Vice President, but, unfortunately it was a Republican world and they had no chance.

Later that summer, the world wide Iyengar community descended upon the Bay Area for the first (and only!) International Iyengar Yoga Convention. (Check out the hairy guy with Judith Lasater in the flyer!) During one of the question and answer sessions at the convention, Ramanand Patel asked B.K.S. Iyengar “what is ‘samyama in asana?” As asana is the main focus of the Iyengar system, Ramanand’s question was designed to link posture with the meditative depths of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. We recorded the sessions on those old fashioned audio cassettes and I transcribed Iyengar’s answer word for word. Carol Cavanaugh and I edited it for punctuation and clarity and we published it as the lead article in the Iyengar Yoga Institute Review in October 1985.

I wish I could include the audio but I cannot find it. I listened to this so many times back in the 80’s his voice has burned into my brain cells. Even as I write this I hear his animated voice. After almost thirty years of my own enquiry I find his words ringing with amazing genius and depth. Words are not his strength, but he was inspired that day. As you read the transcript, recognize that the words were being spoken to an audience. This first part will include the article in full, as it first appeared in 1985 and I have also added some photos and charts that were not part of the original publication. In part two, coming soon, I will integrate my own commentary from the perspectives of neuro-science and my personal practice.

****************

Note: the following is a transcript of a discourse given by B.K.S. Iyengar at the First International Iyengar Yoga Convention in August, 1984. Unfortunately, Mr. Iyengar’s first sentence or two were not recorded and the text begins in mid sentence. However, his ensuing discussion strongly implies that the missing segment introduces the five gross elements: fire, air, earth, water and ether. These elements compose part of the 25 principles of the Samkhya model of reality. Samkhya is the philosophical foundation of yoga. (See accompanying chart.)

In this model, the evolution of consciousness proceeds from the most subtle aspects of mind to the grossest aspects of matter. Mr Iyengar describes the use of asana to retrace this process from the gross level back to pure consciousness. This requires the integration, the uniting of all the diverse aspects and elements into a single harmonious flowing consciousness. The yogic term for this integrative process is Samyama. Samyama is the simultaneous practice of Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, the last three limbs of Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga and is described and discussed in Chapter Three of the Yoga Sutras. Kofi Busia’s succinct translation of the first few sutras of this chapter may be of use to the reader who is unfamiliar with these terms.

“Concentration (Dharana) consists of keeping the attention centered in one area. Keeping the attention uninterrupted in that state is meditation (Dhyana.) Enlightenment (Samadhi) comes when the attention-keeping ability shines forth as an entity in its own right, quite separate from the means or objects first used to create or draw it forth. These three together are called insightful perception (Samyama). Achievement of it brings the very highest wisdom. It is used to discover higher and higher planes of wisdom.”

Mr. Iyengar’s discourse begins … “have peculiar qualities known as touch, form, sound, taste and smell. Our body is made up of these five elements with these five qualities of the elements; it comprises flesh, bones, bone marrow, blood, and so forth. Along with the five elements and five qualities of elements, each human has in their system to know five organs of action and five organs of perception. Legs, arms, excretory organs, generative organs and mouth are known as organs of action. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin are known as organs of perception. The elements are felt by action from the organs of action. There is tremendous communication between the organs of action and the organs of perception. While performing the asanas, the flesh, the marrow of the bones and the bones are organs of action, The skin, the feeling, the smell, the touch, the vibration, the movements are all connected to the organs of perception.

While performing the asanas, you and I, we have to very carefully observe that if the muscles are extended strongly, heavily, or with speed, the organs of perception cannot receive the action done by the fibers, by the cells, by the spindles, or the muscles. Hence they do not receive the actual functioning of the inner system which can only imprint on the organs of perception – the skin – to be felt later by the other parts: the eyes, the ears. So, when performing the asanas, one has to be very careful. The spindles of the physical elemental system (the fibers of the muscles) should act so as to not disturb the fibers of the organs of perception, the inner layer of the skin. If they are not overstretched, naturally the organs of perception can receive the exact action done by the flesh. So when we are performing the asanas, we have to adjust in such a way that the fibers of the flesh do not protrude toward the skin more than what is essential.

(In making contact between the movement and the organs of perception, all the elements become involved.) The power of intelligence you use to make contact is the element of air flowing in the system. They call it bio-energy, we call it prana. The will, the mind that you use, is the fire; the circulation which take place is connected to the element of water, and the mass of flesh within is nothing but the element of earth. And, while performing, as there is a pause between two sounds, a pause between two actions, as there is a space between two words, so also in the system there is an inner space, which is known as the element of ether.

When the asanas are performed, the power of intelligence, the element of air, should be spaced in such a way that the spindles of the organs of action, the flesh, allow the movement to come in contact with the spindles of the organs of perception, the inner layer of the skin. Then you understand the perfect balance of the presentation of that asana. If there is an overstretch, they are hard; you hit the organs of perception so strongly that they become insensitive. If there is an under-stretch there is no feeling; the organs of perception do not perceive the action. So when the organs of perception maintain their sensitivity, the fibers of the flesh, the organs of action have to be carefully handled inside, using the intelligence so that the fire, the mind, may not burn or move the fibers too fast or extinguish them.

And if you can do that way, than you know the contacting and balancing of the cells of the organs of perception through the cells of the organs of action; the ligaments, fibers and so forth. When they commune while performing, when you have understood the tremendous inner balance, without aggravating the organs of perception or of action, then you have mastered the asana. Only that asana! So the communication between the organs of perception and the organs of action should commune to the intelligence a certain rhythm and balance while performing. When that is performed, that asana is mastered. Sometimes we overstretch, sometimes we under-stretch, sometimes we use with will, sometimes we use the force of our body. These are known as imbalances in our presentations. When these are removed, the asana is perfect.

Now, there needs to be tremendous reflection because the elements have no reflection at all, they only act; but in acting they send a message to the organs of perception, triggering them to feel the essence of the action. In order to feel that, the organs of perception, which are connected to the brain, which is connected to the mind because the flesh is connected to the bone, and intelligence which is connected to the consciousness, must be intermingled to create the exact mixture, the exact blending of the fibers of the flesh with the fibers of the organs of perception. This requires tremendous repose, rethinking, reflection. Flesh acts, so it is a forward action from the flesh. Organs of perception should receive, should draw back. In order to draw back you have to create a pause, a space for the action, or the force of action which has been used, to be received by the organs of perception. That receiving movement is meditation in asana.

The acting movement requires skillful action. You have to create even more skillfulness to receive that skillful action with skillful organs of perception. That is why I said you have to communicate with each cell, with the air which is intelligence. So the intelligence acts as a bridge to bring the space, the ether, through vibration, sound, so that the organs of action and the organs of perception are brought very near, without hitting each other. Each cell of the skin, while performing an asana, should exactly face level to the top layer of the flesh, or the cells of the flesh should be exactly facing the cell of the skin. One head of the spindle actually facing the other head of the spindle of the organs of perception. If that is done, that is known as integration, Samyama: that my cells of the body are completely one with the cells of the organs of perception. When the cells of action and the cells of perception have become one, the intelligence dissolves in those two, and makes these three vehicles of the consciousness as a single conscious movement in the entire body – this is samyama, or samadhi in that pose. I hope you understand – it is very difficult.”