Hello and Happy New Year

To all my fellow somanauts, yogis, yoginis and explorers of the bio-cosmic fields of consciousness and ultimate mystery: the next series of Zoom classes is coming up and want to let you know the themes.

Embodying Presence involves deep dives into the two primary modes of exploring consciousness.
The first and primary is articulated by Patanjali in sutra I-3, the Seer stably abides in its own True Nature.
In modern terms, resting in and as the infinite Stillness. In Embodying Presence we use the Zen practice known as just sitting, or shikantaza.

This is a both very simple and very difficult multi layered exploration of embodied Being. The urge to do’ something’ is a deeply engrained habit, especially in those of us who have been doing a somatic practice for many years. It gets easier as the vibrancy of the body increases, but this needs a simultaneous dropping of the mental chatter, the ‘cittta vrttis’, so this first section is also PYS I-2, citta vrtti nirodha, restraining the urge to analyze, judge and comment on everything in a seemingly non-stop stream. There are gaps in the stream, and we find them and rest there, awakening the stillness and open heartedness of the Ground of Being.

Ground of Being is always and already present, but it is usually not recognized or ‘realized’ because our attention is habitually attracted to what is moving within the Stillness; usually thoughts, emotions and sensations. As the mind settles, the vastness of the unbounded open heart begins to reveal itself.

The second is somatic samadhi, or deep absorption into and exploration of the energy fields of the body to bring increasing coherence and vibrancy to the cellular and organ levels of consciousness. Here attention is not invested in thought but feeling and the inherent intelligence of the organism. Attention rests in our innate bio-physiological aliveness and not the mental chatter. Poses used are primarily sitting and restorative, but each student is encouraged to discover and explore the postures and movements that best support their own process of awakening.

As the organic intelligence awakens and expands, it allows the emotionally dysfunctional mental activity to slowly be transformed/dissolved and integrated into the organic intelligence. This allows the ever-present Ground of Being to more clearly reveal itself and for our separate sense of self to dissolve. This is Awakening.

This happens both individually and collectively and as we are in a major shift in collective human consciousness, with the deep pathologies being released like the opening of Pandora’s Box (Greek) or the Churning of the Milky Ocean (Vedic). All hands on deck are needed to help heal the old cultural wounds and clean up the mess we have created on the planet.

The somatic Theme for the winter is awakening and stabilizing the Center. When the center fails to hold, the whole system begins to break down. This is happening in America and in countries and cultures around the world. We will use Western, Taoist and esoteric anatomy to find some fun and important ‘centers’ to explore.

The liver will be a major one! The classic Taoist text on medicine and philosophy, the Nei Jing, says ‘the liver is the foundation of curtailing extremes’.
How perfect for our moment!

The classes also have ample time for questions, group conversations and community building. The fall class series worked well with this format. A video recording of all the classes will be available, so you do not have to worry about missing one or two.

Feel free to call me if you have questions about the structure of the classes.  805 272 8573
or email me at yogarthur@aol.com
There are two sets of classes:
3 Saturday classes: January 22, February 12 and March 19.Time : 9 – 11 am PST, 12 noon – 2 pm ESTTuition: All 3 classes $75, individual classes $35Registration: direct payment to me through Venmo, Paypal or personal check.


Tuesday series: 12 consecutive weeks beginning January 11.Time : 9 – 11 am PST, 12 noon – 2 pm ESTTuition: $300, no single classes
Class Size limited to 20
Registration: direct payment to me through Venmo, Paypal or personal check.
with much love,

Homework for the Embodying Presence:
Saturday Workshop series

We are cultivating the three faces of Embodying Presence: Being, Becoming and Belonging,
using the mental faculties of attention and identification.

(review previous blog posts at: BBB pt1, BBB pt 2 and BBB pt 3

Being: primary practice is ‘just sitting’. No goal, no expectations, but recognizing the always and already present, silent, still, calm and open-hearted Awareness, independent of anything that may be arising in Awareness. By learning to allow attention to come to rest here (PYS I-3 then the Seer rests in its own nature), we begin the process of dis-identifying with the egoic processes: PYS 1-4: (at other times the Self identifies with the activities of the mind.) Awareness cannot be manipulated by the mind, although aspects of the mind will attempt to grasp, label, control or distract our attention. These are the dysfunctional vrttis mentioned in PYS I-5. (there are 5 types of vrttis and they can increase suffering, or not), and it is important to recognize, identify and stop feeding these with further attention

Coming to rest is not the mind’s habituated state. It tends to grasp after any sensation, thought or story to keep it busy, so our first stage is to recognize and accept this. Our intention is to rest in the innate open-hearted stillness of Presence, but this is not so easy. The next intention is to allow things to be just as they are. In other words, accept the reality of the ‘monkey mind’, but begin to study it with curiosity, patience, love and compassion. Our mantra to help with this, from Frank Ostraseski, can be used while sitting, but also during our daily activities. Pause, Relax, Open, Allow.

Pause: When we realize we have become distracted, we first pause. We step off the train of thought. Then we Relax: No effort needed. (PYS II-47) We soften as best possible into the present moment. In relaxing, we
Open to any and everything that is arising; open minds and open hearts.
Allow: We invite this moment to reveal whatever is necessary for us in this moment.

Becoming: Evolving, maturing, realizing our potentials and manifesting them in the world. Healing old wounds and traumas, releasing dysfunctional ideas and beliefs about Self and reality. Discovering ‘heart centered’ Being as the root and foundation of Becoming.

Becoming as somatic samadhi. Somatic samadhi practice, or absorption in the bio-energetic fields of aliveness/qi/prana. Here attention moves away from thoughts, beliefs and other verbal constructs to the non-verbal sensations of energy flow patterns and the fields that shape them. Being able to track the breathing through the tissues is the starting point to awaken the innate intelligence of life as expressed as the flow qi/prana in cells, tissues and fluids. We use the three qualities of energy, the gunas, as a guide. Tamas/dullness: increase the vibrancy/energy; more yang. Rajas/agression-distraction: decrease energy/effort/yang; more yin, softening quieting. Sattva: balance/harmony; when self sustaining we relax and let go into the cosmic flow, macro and micro.

In time we learn to allow the intelligence of the cells, organs and organ systems to communicate directly with each other, by-passing our attempts to control or manipulate from thoughts and concepts. This natural sattva is the basic principle of accupuncture, ie opening the lines of communication throughout the organism so it may continually monitor and modulate the flow of blood and qi to maintain health and well-being.

The fundamental energetic shape of the cosmos, at all levels of existence, is the sphere. In our human form we can further divide one into three spheres, the dantiens as seen below. We have a primary axis along the spine (top-bottom), as well as ones running from side to side (right-left) and front to back. Each of these axes is an organizing line seeking balance and freedom across its center point and the spiral is the primary pattern that best integrates all three.

Patanjali describes the three aspects of asana in the Sadhana Pada. II-46: posture is the balance of stability and freedom of movement. II-47: relaxing effort and absorption in the cosmic fields: II-48: then, dualities are seen to be expressions of unity and wholeness. If the first chapter sutras help define ‘Presence’, these sutras define ‘Embodying’.

We will be using maps from Taoist energetic anatomy such as the micro-cosmic orbit, linking the yin Conception and yang Governing Vessels and the three Dantiens; embryological developmental patterns and structures; and basic Western anatomy for references to guide our attention. Any and all asanas are available, but sitting and restorative postures are best suited for the deep dives of somatic samadhi.

Our starting point is the three dantiens (elixir fields) as seen to the left. The lower dantien is centered in the pelvis, the middle dantien in the rib cage and the upper in the skull, so we have some tangible reference points. The key to the pelvis is the pubic symphysis, the cartilage between the two pubic bones. When the pubic region is awake and alive in movement and stillness, the lower spine, especially the lumbar-sacral area frees up. Sitting practice takes deep support from the lower dantien for grounding. For more detail see this blog post.

For the middle, we will use the sternum and the skull, the middle of the occipital bone. In time we will explore some more points along the microcosmic orbit to discover our own places of holding and letting go. When these regions are integrated in breathing, the overall feeling is an enlivening of the organs that supports and releases the entire spinal column from unnecessary tension.

Becoming as Freedom in Movement. To be free in the body is to move with freedom. Whether walking, running, swimming, dancing, vinyasa style yoga, qi gong, or any martial art or athletic endeavor, allow the energy to flow freely. (Jon Batiste ‘Freedom’) Let me see you wobble!

Belonging: Participating in the communities (sanghas) of life and culture. Opening our hearts to and feeling communion with all of creation. Feeling all of our feelings as part of our innate humanity. Finding Belonging through and from our own innate wholeness found in Being. All of our moral and ethical principles are put into practice as basic life activities.

Feel free to scroll though some of the other previous blogs for suggestions and more support in you own practice and explorations.

I am slowly figuring out the Zoom world and evolving a way of teaching somatic awakening on line.

Embodying Presence: the Next Sessions

4 Saturday classes:

December 4, January 22, February 12 and March 19.

Time : 9 – 11 am PST, 12 noon – 2 pm EST

Tuition: All 4 classes $100, individual classes $35

Class Size limited to 20, first priority to those registering for the whole series.

Registration: direct payment to me through Venmo, Paypal or personal check.

Feel free to call me if you have questions.  805 272 8573

Tuesday Session

12 consecutive weeks beginning January 11.

Time : 9 – 11 am PST, 12 noon – 2 pm EST

Tuition: $300, no single classes

Class Size limited to 20, first priority to those attending the fall session

Registration: direct payment to me through Venmo, Paypal or personal check.
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The primary intention of these classes is to support our stabilizing of the Awakening process, or as Patanjali says in Sutra I-3, tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam: then the Seer (each of us) abides in our True Nature, aka the Tao, Buddha Nature, etc., and expressing this through the three faces of Embodying Presence: Being, Becoming and Belonging

The primary practice is Just Sitting, or shikantaza.
Very simple both very difficult. Nothing to do, nothing to acquire or accomplish. The egoic self does get bored!

The classes will offer four supports for you.

First is guided meditations in Stillness at the beginning and end of every class. I call this Being practice.
Second: ongoing inquiry into sutra I-2: yogash citta vrtti nirodha, yoga is the restraining and resolving of mental activity; and I-4: Vrtti sarupyam itaratra (at other times) there is identification with the mental processes. In other words, when not in the ‘state of yoga’, we mistake the egoic processes for the True Self. Patanjali is an amazing guide to the inner journey

The third is the ongoing practice of awakening and amplifying vibrancy and sensitivity of the cellular, organ and tissue systems of the body through somatic meditations, postures and subtle movement explorations. Patanjali II-46 – 48)

The second and third supports I call Becoming Practice.

The fourth is the support of the community of the class. We have teachers and very experienced students in the classes and there is time during and for 30 minutes after the main class to support each other with our unique view, questions and experiences.
This is our Belonging Practice.

The Fall series has followed this format and has worked well.

Many blessings to you all for the upcoming holiday season,

in love and light,