Spanda and the birth of asana

The topic of spanda has been covered here before, but I was inspired today to approach it from a different viewpoint.

In the context of yoga asana practice we all can be protective of concepts of right and wrong as teachers and practitioners. Whenever I feel myself needing to protect my viewpoint or hold on to what I think is the right way--I remember the quote "If you see the Buddha kill the Buddha" meaning that if you think you got it right then boy are you in for it :) You can truly only be right in the moment and then after that the next moment opens up and you have to evolve into it--no holding on to what was or the ideas or rightness that was that moments--each moment has it's own "rightness"

I like the quote from rumi---

"Out beyond ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there."

I think that if we are in Spanda we can't go wrong--because we're not seeking "right" but rather living energy, spirit. From that place a practice emerges that is no longer a practice but an experience of being that living energy.

"Spanda is a Sanskrit term for the subtle creative pulse of the universe as it manifests into the dynamism of living form. Spanda can be translated to mean vibration, movement, or motion, referring to waves of activity issuing forth from an unseen Source of spontaneous expression. On a more personal level, spanda refers to consciousness as it orients through thought and intention to organize into authentic action. You may experience spanda as a desire to live according to your own innermost urging, act in line with your interest, follow your curiosity, and attend to your body's natural rhythms as they harmonize within the grander scale of natural life seasons and cycles.

Living in a way that keeps us connected to our core beliefs and desires brings health, stamina, and joy. When we lose our creative "spark" or spanda, disconnecting from our own personal expression of vitality, we lose energy, focus, and a sense of well-being and may eventually fall ill. Connecting with what drives us, feeling that presence in our bodies, is also when we are most aligned with the natural spontaneity that defines life processes." from www.spandayoga.com

I also like how in the book "Bringing Your Yoga To Life" by Donna Fahri, she says this "Every asana that has come down to us today began with an authentic inner impulse that was felt and experienced by someone at some time and then recorded so that it might be shared. Literally translated as "comfortable seat" the word asana means to relax into the consciousness of life as it manifests through the expression of each posture." (page 87)

Thar inner impluse she is writing about is Spanda. So even if you take shape in a traditional pose--the idea is not to express it the same every time, nor to mimic the teacher--but to get inside and feel the spanda and express the living energy you feel. Try it see what happens. Begin to notice the evolving shapes your body makes. As long as you are moving slow and mindfully and listening (big one here) to the feedback your body is giving you then you will never hurt yourself practicing (living) this way.

Try it in your old familiar friends and see what begins to emerge--who knows maybe you'll even create a new asana!

Peace!

Make It Happen

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."-- Goethe

I think this passage connect beautifully to the last entry--that's why I made sure to put it in here the same day so we could all make the connections.

The "hidden stuff" Emerson speaks of is the creative pulse that Goethe is speaking of that helps to move boldness into deeper expressions of substance and action. There is this movement towards creation and in order to be co-creators then we have to enter into the stream so to speak. The river is always flowing and we can either look at it--which is pretty and meaningful in it's own way. At the same time we can also make a choice which Goethe is hinting at, which is to actually get in the river and swim-follow the current and take action. There is also the possibility of deeper expressions of action--rather than swim we can get into a boat and use some oars to be more conscious co-creators.

So if you are feeling stuck, or waiting for something to happen to you, why not jump into the waters and start flowing into the creative juices and as you are deeply filled by them allow providence to sweep in and carry you fully into more powerful expressions of your ideas.

ABRACADABRA means create as you speak. So literally as we think, as we speak, we begin to create and so as we create--let's put some action into it. See where things take you--and begin to trust that if there is power in those ideas and creative flow in their expression, then your boldness will ignite a path of genius, power, and magic adding to the shakti of the world.

May you have a magic filled day!

Connecting to the Rhythm

"Everything in nature contains all the power of nature, everything is made of one hidden stuff" --Emerson

How powerful it is to remember that within us is the same life force that animates all things everywhere. Emerson reminds us that there is not a single thing in nature that does not have that animating power. The power of the wave is in us, the flight of the eagle is in us, the strength of a hurricane is in us. How we channel that life energy is up to us of course and how it manifests within each of us is truly unique and awe inspiring.

In the practice of our asana and breath work we can begin to glimpse this "hidden" stuff and begin to reveal this energy that has been concealed and channel it towards greater realms of creativity and brilliance. The more we recognize this energy the more this energy reveals itself to us. It can begin to manifest through the power of our spoken words, the energy of our touch, the strength of our intention and visions, the living energy within our eyes, the creativity of our thoughts, the bravery of our hearts, and the courage of our being.

The power of nature while different within its various aspects such as plant, animal, wind, wave, gravity, us--has a common unifying presence which we can recognize as the inner impulse towards life--creation. It's the seedling seeking sun, it's the touch of lovers, the flow of practice, the breath inside the breath.....

So what is to be done?

I'm suggesting a return to a primordial language.

One that exists as the deepest knowledge and expression that humanity knows.

It predates spoken language, it has its roots in the emergence of awe.

It is present ill everyone, as an elemental music and reflection of molecular and stellar movement.

It is a genetic design built into leaf patterns and the bobbing of sea horses.

It is eminently present to children, we have educated it out of them.

But it is the story of our place in the universe and we must begin to tell that story again.

What we are losing is our ability to speak to the hole.

The songs of celebration, the poetry of praise."

(Author unknown)
from Bringing Yoga to Life by Donna Farhi

May you all have great revelations within your practices and may those revelations lead you deeper into the song of celebration and poetry of praise.

Peace and love to you all!

The Yoga of Food

The issue of food has been coming up a lot lately so I thought I would give some resources and suggestions. Nothing we do has a greater impact on our health and the environment as the food choices we make. From what we eat, to where we buy it from, and whether it's filled with harsh chemicals, genetically modified, fair trade, or organic --all makes a difference on our health and that of our local economy and the environment.

This is tricky because food is such a sensitive topic that covers a broad range of issues along the lines of economics, personal preference, environment, health, and animal welfare, etc. When we educate ourselves and really see things as they are on this issue we will all begin to make great decisions for us and our families that work for where we are along all those issues.

Rather than preach about it (which is what I feel I have been doing lately) I'd like to ask that all of you who read this blog start looking in to this issue more closely. It seems that if we are doing this deeper work of yoga to make ourselves healthier then it would be fair to take a look at our food choices and the impact our choices have on the world around us.

Check out this site: http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

see if you can order the book and read it. Not only is it a good read but very eye opening.


Rent this Documentary The Future of Food

(you can also see on you tube)


Read -Healthy at a Hundred

and

Food revolution

and

The China Study


I would love to hear if any of you take this up and what you think.

Peace and Love

Being the present moment

I have been reading Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth" and have really enjoyed the overall message of the book. It's always nice to be reminded of truth as it's spoken in many different ways through different teachers. While it wasn't exactly in line with how I have been experiencing life through my study of Tantra--it was good to be grounded in the message that the present moment is the only thing that is real.

My favorite moment from the book was when he talked about allowing ourselves to be OK with stripping away our "identity" and to be fine with not knowing who we are or what we are doing. Rather than finding who we are from what we do or what we have accomplished, to find the deeper truth that we are really the stillness and the space that is surrounding all of it.

My favorite quote from the book, although not from Eckhart is "It has been said that stillness is the language God speaks, and everything else is a bad translation.” I find that to be so true. Words and language lose through translation the depth, peace and space that can be found from stillness. An example he gave in the book is just look up at the stars at night when you can--especially in a place that doesn't have light pollution and just feel the sense of awe about how much space there really is. What we actually experience in our day to day is so small compared to all that is around us. Even what we see as space is so limited as there are things our eyes and our telescopes just can't see. He then goes on to say how that space is the same space that can be found within us. I have heard that said before in a book by Marianne Williamson in which she said the Universe is holographic meaning that everything contained within the whole is present in every piece--so literally we are what the stars are-so above so below.

It's nice to remember that spaciousness is what we are and while we have form even within the form our atoms and molecules have so much space between them. So while it appears that we are quite solid--we are actually much more spacious than solid. Our solidity is an illusion. The more we come to accept this--the more freedom it brings to us. I love applying it to the crowdedness I feel around me, in my body, in my life, and as soon as I remember this spaciousness my identity shifts from limitation to space. I do this in my practice as I find myself trying to get into poses to just be still for a moment, listen, feel, and grow into the space and realize that it's infinite. The boundaries of my body are an illusion--I am space. It changes everything because while my "body" in its form may have a boundary, my inner body which is formless and spacious does not. This is where I feel the yoga really gets interesting is through becoming more and more aware of that spacious place and moving and expanding from that.

I also like how paying attention to this inner body awareness completely grounds me in the present moment--which is the only thing that is real. Play with this idea in your life this week. Notice how often you are not in your body and just try to feel awareness in one part like your hands and just keep attention there. Notice how the mind takes you all over the place, and keep bringing yourself to "beingness" notice how often you want to be entertained and distracted and try to bring yourself to stillness and just allow all your senses to be drawn into that deeper listening. You are not trying to do anything--you are just allowing yourself to be. Notice how often your try to define yourself and what you base your worth on, and see if your worth can be based on the stillness you feel and the beingness, rather than on the doing and accomplishments. How freeing! We don't have to do--just be!

The best advice from the book I think was when asked what workshops this student should attend Eckhart replied that any of them would be great, however, all they would really need to do is pay attention to their breath as often as they could for one year and they would be transformed more than they would from attending any lecture, hearing any teaching, or doing anything else (and it's free!). That's a good challenge for us all--pay attention to your breath as often as you can when you notice your breath you are in the moment--the only thing that is real.....

Peace!

Thank you Chicago

I just wanted to express my thanks and gratitude for all who came to the workshops this past weekend in Chicago. I had so much fun connecting with old friends, and meeting new adventurous yogis as well. I look forward to harnessing more powerful energy with you all into the future. I know for sure I will be back in March, but I may be coming back before then too---so stay tuned for more info about that.

Peace,

Michael