Pranayama and Meditation

Posted on November 3, 2015 by admin

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

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

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

From Ramana Maharshi’s Upadesa Saram ( The essence of the Vedantic teachings.)

11: Vaayurodhanaalliiyate manah
Jaalapaksivadrodhasaadhanam
By restraining the breathing, the mind is controlled, like a bird caught in a net.

12: Cittavaayavascitkriyaayutaah
Shakhayordvayii shaktimuulakaa
The mind and the prana are endowed with the ability to know and act respectively. These two are like two branches stemming from one power.

From Swami Dayananda’s commentary to the Upadesa Saram:

“It must be borne in mind that pranayama, controlling the breath, is a technical process and should be done under the guidance of someone who is competent. An easier process is called prana-viksanam, or observing the process of breathing. The mind is given the occupation of watching the breath entering and leaving the nostrils and there is no attempt to change or control the pattern of breathing. The mind gets an occupation in which no deliberation or will is involved. Mind gets absorbed in observing prana which is formless and part of the subtle body. This is much easier and does not involve any complication associated with the pranayama with kumbhaka.”

From “The Way of Liberation” by Adyashanti” (his italics)

“Meditation is the art of allowing everything to simply be in the deepest possible way. In order to let everything be, we must let go of the effort to control and manipulate our experience – which means letting go of personal will. This cuts right to the heart of the egoic make-up, which seeks happiness through control, seeking, striving and manipulation.”

The interlinking of breathing and mind activity, citta vrttis, is well known, both to spiritual practitioners ans well as neuroscientists. Quiet breath equals quiet mind, and a quiet mind is the beginning of meditation. Here we come to the paradox of hatha yoga, especially in the ‘I need to be in control’ modern world. When our body/minds are entangled in patterns of trauma, stress and confusion, how can we bring some stillness and healing to ourselves and others? How can we explore the many lessons yoga offers around healing and wholeness, while simultaneously remaining in a state of surrender to what is? What if ‘what is’ is ‘stressed out’? Now that I am living in one of the major surfing regions in the world, I am finding a very helpful clue lies out on the water.

A surfer is at the mercy of the ocean. Big waves, small waves, no waves, whatever; the surfer has to accept the reality of the moment. You cannot control the ocean. If you are a wind surfer, or kite surfer, you can add wind to the mix. But what you can do is refine your capacity to see and feel the wind and waves, learn how your board and body respond, and allow your body to become one with the whole process. Wiping out is included in the possibilities. You start as a beginner, learn from your experiences, and move on to the challenges that suit your capacity. Surfing is a process of cosmic alignment. The same goes for sailing where the sailor learns to read the wind, water currents, tides and waves, as well as the lines, sails and feel of the boat. In hatha yoga, we are both the sailor and the boat, the surfer and the board, navigating our embodied lives as we sail and surf through cosmic space. This is dynamic meditation, or meditation in action.

In working with the breath, the inner prana is the ocean, a dynamic fluid field of emotions and habits; of heart beat, peristalsis, and respiration; of waves, pulsations and tidal forces. We might even compare the diaphragm to a surf board, although it is way more complex. The surf board links the inner ocean of the surfer to the outer ocean. When the diaphragm is relaxed and riding along with the breathing, there is the effortless surrender that is felt from skin to cells. When the diaphragm is tense, restricted or inhibited, there is fear anxiety and distraction.The yogi cannot feel the inner movements of the prana because of the tension patterns in the nerves, fluids and tissues.

As Swami Dayananda mentioned above with prana vikshanam, and as was mentioned in a previous post, quietly observing the breath is the beginning practice that can last for years. It eventually becomes a basic life skill functioning, 24/7/365.2422, and naturally leads to ‘mindfulness meditation’. This is just being present to what is arising moment to moment, whether on the mat, or in the world. As we enter into more formal pranayama practice, relaxing, feeling and allowing are still the primary practices. Then we can begin to surf.

The Practice: Viloma Pranayama

In traditional viloma pranayama, the in-breath and/or the out-breath are divided into several small steps, like walking up and down stairs. There are many advantages to working this way. First, we begin to notice the pauses more clearly because shorter breaths are less stressful and easier to sustain effortlessly. Secondly, we can use the steps to notice different parts of the body. If my in-breath has three steps to fullness, the first step can fill the lower lungs, the second fills the middle, and the third fills the upper lungs. I can learn where in the body I have intelligence, sensitivity and space and where there is restriction. Thirdly, I can begin to differentiate ribs, spine and diaphragm. Because I am moving slowly and deliberately and pausing periodically, I can be more attentive to these areas and notice how they are working.

A whole other level in viloma arises when I learn to use the pauses in different ways. In traditional viloma, the pauses are like mini kumbhakas. You are neither breathing in nor out, but just waiting without tension. The ‘without tension’ part requires a lot of patience and practice and here is where some other options can be helpful.

Option 1: I call this ‘rolling viloma’ and it is the breath that totally changed my understanding of pranayama. Another way to describe it is two steps forward and one step back, two steps forward and one step back, etc. Viloma 1 would be: Inhale 1, 2 and 3 is a slight exhalation, inhale 4, 5 and 6 is a slight exhalation, gradually filling the lungs. It feels like a wave inside a wave, as the pause is now a loop. Then a relaxed, normal exhalation. Viloma II would have a normal or slightly longer inhalation followed by: exhale 1, 2, and 3 is a very slight in breath; exhale 4, 5, 6 is a slight in breath, continuing until the lungs have emptied. The pause is again a loop of energy rather than a stopping.

Option 2: Here, the pause becomes an opportunity to re-balance ribs and diaphragm. As mentioned in a previous post, ribs and diaphragm can work together beautifully, or not. In Viloma, we use the pause to re-adjust the action of each. In Viloma I, where the emphasis is on the inbreath, the pauses are used to recharge the ribs and intercostals and relax the tension in the perimeter of the diaphragm, without releasing any breath. Then normal exhalation. This is a it more challenging than Option 1.

Viloma II, although now the exhalation is emphasized, the pauses are used similarly. The ribs tend to drop too quickly, so the pauses are used to recharge the ribs and inter-costals, like in viloma I. But now, during the pause, the center of the diaphragm is lifted up, stretching into the rib space, so it begins to sit higher and higher in the chest where it belongs. Exhalation ideally stretches the diaphragm, just as the inhalation shortens the diaphragm. The longer the excursion, that is, how far the diaphragm can more between full in breath and full out breath, the easier and more effortless the breathing. Both ribs/intercostals and the diaphragm need to stretch and open a lot. This comes with pranayama, and not prana vikshanam.

Viloma with Mantra or Japa:

(Thanks to Miami based yoga teacher Jodi Carey for this suggestion!)
As viloma has steps or stages, these can be integrated with a mantra. As an example, in Viloma I, the inhalation would be: Om namah shivaya, pause, Om namah shivaya, pause, Om namah shivaya, pause, and the exhalation could be Om. Reverse for Viloma II. The mantras are repeated silently, so it is a japa practice. A simple Om, or Om mane padme hum, or Om shanti shanti shanti are other possibilites. Be creative.

In all pranayama practices, there are certain indicators of strain that need to be monitored. We are trying to be in harmony with healing, not fighting against our habits, and this is not easy. Pranayama is not an easy practice because it requires diligence, patience and honesty.

First: observe the nature of the pause at the end of each exhalation. If it was relaxed, you may proceed with another cycle. If the pause after the exhalation had some excess tension, allow several normal breath to come and go to bring the pause after exhalation to a state of relaxation. Then continue with another cycle. Viloma is very good at easing the transitions after exhalation and is the best pranayama for beginners.

Second: Watch for tension in the face, eyes, ears, jaws, neck and throat. A natural jalandhara bandha, with the brain dropping without collapsing the chest will help if you are sitting. It is like bowing your head to pray. The brain surrenders to the heart without tensing the throat. Also, the mechanics of breathing do not need any help from head, neck or shoulders. If the strain continues, just watch the breath.

Third: Monitor the felt sense of pressure in the brain. In pranayama, and all healthy breathing, the brain ‘exhales’ when the lungs are inhaling and the brain ‘inhales’ when the lungs are exhaling. This is subtle, and not subtle at the same time. If the brain does not relax on the in breath, just watch the breath. Be patient.

Fourth: After practice, lie down and relax, letting the practice be digested by the nerves. Enjoy the stillness. Let it seep into the depths of the cells. Be meditation. Be.

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!)