Mandala Namaskar-Journey to the center

"The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community.

"The integrated view of the world represented by the mandala, while long embraced by some Eastern religions, has now begun to emerge in Western religious and secular cultures. Awareness of the mandala may have the potential of changing how we see ourselves, our planet, and perhaps even our own life purpose."
(From Mandala: Journey to the Center, by Bailey Cunningham)

This week in practice we are engaging in the ritual invocation of the mandala. Carving out a sacred space from which we connect to all that is. We step out of the rectilinear pathway that so often takes up space in the practice and instead invite the spherical--a living embodiment and reflection of nature. We invite ourselves to the center of creation and find it to be the source of our nature. The circle reminds us of our infiniteness and paves a pathway to shift our awareness from external sources to the rich internal planes of consciousness that take us to the evolutionary "big bang"--the recognition of the fertile energy inside us.

Each of the mandalas I have crafted for this week's practice are rooted in one of the elements: Earth, Fire, Water, Air. Connecting the elements in way that allows us to experience the sustaining, nurturing, and transforming qualities of those elements. To invite the ritual of connection and celebration of co-creation with the elements.

Earth- A very real sense of groundedness, nurturing, support. Something that we can root into so that we can rise. Something symbolic that we can compost our issues into that will transform into rich nutrients for our soul.

Fire- Giver of life, spark of divine energy. To burn through whatever separates you from you. To create from the depths of spirit.

Water- Ritual cleanse. A current from which we can navigate life. An ocean of power and support. Shiva Rea a teacher of mine often points out “Our bodies are 70% water, which nourishes and purifies and is the conductor of prana, nutrients and life energy.” For Shiva, the way to tap into the potential of our fluid being is to connect to the wave motion within the body and nature. “How do we relate to the fluid beings we are?"

Air- The freedom of flight. The vast spaciousness which reflects the nature of consciousness itself. The wind that cuts through our obstacles and free us.

Sequence

Child's pose (I am grounded, I am supported)
Table Top
(Flow between the two with breath--and then eventually add in half push-up)

Exhale Child's pose, Inhale Table, Exhale half push-up, Inhale Table etc..

Transition- Down Dog

Grounding in the earth element. Focus on what is touching earth and feel the nourishment in the hands and feet. Hug the rich nutrients from the earth into the body and then compost it through deep attentive breathing and give it right back to the earth through your fingertips and your heels.

Inhale to plank (push-up) and press through the hands and feel the support of earth, then press through the heels to send that energy through the body. Make your heart soft and lower all the way down to earth. Become rooted through the legs, making them strong (spread the toes) Keep the legs rooted and rise through the heart for a low Cobra. Feel the hands isometrically pulling towards you so that you rise forward and up simultaneously.

Exhale Back to Down Dog

Mandala Prep:

Inhale the Rt leg up behind you. Stay strong in your body--feeding the earth element from hands to feet. When you lift a leg up the shoulder could become unstable and sink--squeeze your arms towards each other-- that will help to keep your arm bones lifted--stay lifted then press your heart to the legs.

From single leg down dog step through for low lunge. Come up onto your finger tips inviting more lift. Inhale bow to the heart (look into it) the spine will round and belly firm and exhale lift the heart and press energetically through both the legs. Do this a few times. Keep the back leg active with the exhale so you feel a stretch at the top of the thigh. Think front shin pressing forward and back heel presses back. In this pose you can also squeeze hips together with the inhale (like you have a block between the thighs).

Inhale spin to the left facing the side of your mat for squat. Turn feet out 45 degrees and grab the inside of your ankles. Lift and spread the toes and ground the heels. Traction knees over ankles and align elbows with knees. Inhale bow to the heart and round the spine (back of the body becomes full and spacious) and Exhale pull heart forward as you press your thighs back. Repeat three times.

Inhale spin to the back of the mat lunging lt leg. Three pulses like first side.

Inhale step back plank. Hold it--be strong. Exhale lower down all the way heart first to earth, Press up Cobra. Exhale Down Dog.

Leading with the rt leg again. Inhale leg up behind you and exhale step through for lunge. Repeat earlier steps to circle back through the the front.

You make a full circle.

Repeat circle with Left Leg (make sure to make a full circle and keep leading with the left).

Now if you want to do one more round of the Mandala prep--you can, or you can deepen it if you like by adding in Maha Pigeon instead of lunge (go to outer edge of foot and walk hands out further in front. Leg is like pigeon and you press through the outer edge of the foot while keeping it strongly engaged and foot flexed/ankle strong. Inhale same process of bowing in and then exhale like a push up come down and widen the outer thigh bone of to the side. Head of thigh bone goes into the hip socket more fully.

Then rather than malasana squat you can do sideways lunges side to side (skandasana) Foot pivots out 45 degrees, knee over ankle, press thighs back and upper body pulses in and out of a push-up shape.

End the earth element with Bakasana (Crow)

Ground your hands, and expand your back body (round it with power and depth) go wide with your hands and shift into your finger tips like your clawing the earth, and then squeeze your feet to your butt. Feel that your kidneys are lifting up more than your butt.

Fire-- I am burning. I am creating. I am Rising

Begin in down dog. Inhale extend rt leg behind towards to sky. Invite fire by hugging to the mid-line-spread toes to feel fire all through the legs. Step through to lunge, rise up crescent warrior (arms to sky). Pulse in the warrior, Inhale bow to the heart and firm the legs and exhale curl the heart open to the sky energize the arms and press proudly through the legs. When you inhale the back body puffs up and as you exhale the spine elongates and expresses the fullness and power of the back body.

Inhale step into warrior three (back leg lifts up arms stretch out in front of you). Stay in the fire and lift your belly. Keep arms and legs pulsing with the aliveness in your center. The rt leg is grounded into earth from the top of the hip to the bottom of the heal. The back leg is reaching to the wall behind you. The back foot is flexed so you can press through the heel--like stepping into earth.

Step back crescent. Inhale pivot to the left high squat. Feet turn out 45 degrees. Clasp hands behind head. Press thighs back and deepen the squat (this is a wide leg squat. Knees over ankles. Exhale side bend to the right,and inhale back to center, exhale to the left and inhale back to center. Do this several times, lengthening the sides of the body and strengthening the core.

Pivot the the left facing back of mat and when ready step forward into warrior three second side. Hold for 5 breaths.

Step back to lunge then to plank. Lower down to earth. Interlace hands behind back and rise up bound locust. Keep legs grounded. Press up down dog.

Continue the circle leading with the right leg.

Second circle begins with the left and you lead with the left the whole time. If you want to deepen the fire experience you can add in bound warrior three--hands interlace around the back ankle--ends up looking like Nataraj.

Water: I am bathing in. I am washing away. I am in the current of.

Continuing the journey of the circle. Begin in down dog but add the element of water. Bend your knees and shift onto your toes lifting the heels. Scoop your tail bone and begin to round the spine shifting towards plank. Get to plank and bends the knees to the earth and press butt back towards the heels and keep doing that--creating a wave in your spine.

Then lift the right leg up. Exhale knee to chest and circle leg off to the side and repeat 5 times. On the fifth step through to lunge. Rise up Warrior Two. In warrior two inhale make the front leg straight and bring hands to heart. Exhale lunge back into it and radiate the arms our in both directions. Express even energy in the legs. Inhale you hug muscle to bone and hug energy from earth to pelvic floor and as you exhale send the energy out in all directions.

After a few times--pivot to the left and come to wide leg squat. Embody water element here (this is like a loosely inspired tai chi movement) The arms become like the ocean swaying side to side as you sink to the hips more.

Pivot to second side warrior two. Repeat pulse. Lower to earth and step back to plank. Lower all the way down to the earth. Come up to cobra and sway side to side and floss the shoulders out, let a river run through and remove the silt of tightness.

Repeat leading with the right side again. Second circle you start with left side.

Air: The freedom of flight. I am spreading my wings. I am free.

Handstand/Tripod circle

(Note this round is for advanced yogi's only) If you are newer than go to a wall and practice the handstand L (come to table top feet against wall. Make sides of the body long and back body full (cat pose) rise up to dog pose and then walk feet up the wall) Keep shoulders buoyant. and press powerfully from heart into earth and follow the echo of that movement up to the tail bone and then press the tail bone into the heels and root deep into the wall with your heels.

If you want to move into the circle from down dog step one foot forward half way and come onto the toes. Lift back leg up and squeeze thighs towards the center. Lengthen your sides and firm the belly. Look toward your fingers. Just lean and lift as far as you can into the handstand. Harness the wildness and discipline it into powerful yet soft lifts into the handstand. Even if it's a inch off the ground--your learning to lift lightly.

Then pivot to the left wide leg forward fold. If your head easily touches root the head and hands in prep for tripod. Press into the head--rooting it. Head of arms bones forward and shoulder blades on the back. Come onto the toes lifting heals up and rise up tripod headstand. Lift through the heals as you squeeze your thighs. Come down. Pivot to the back leg lunge and try handstand with second side. Repeat circle.

Bringing back to the earth. Child's pose

Finish practice with some forward folding and then a sweet long resting pose.

Enjoy!


So what you just went through is the experience of finding your connection to the sacred pulse of the all that is. Your place in the larger circle of life.


"Micro to macro

Representing the universe itself, a mandala is both the microcosm and the macrocosm, and we are all part of its intricate design. The mandala is more than an image seen with our eyes; it is an actual moment in time. It can be can be used as a vehicle to explore art, science, religion and life itself. The mandala contains an encyclopedia of the finite and a road map to infinity.

Carl Jung said that a mandala symbolizes "a safe refuge of inner reconciliation and wholeness." It is "a synthesis of distinctive elements in a unified scheme representing the basic nature of existence." Jung used the mandala for his own personal growth and wrote about his experiences.

It is said by Tibetan Buddhists that a mandala consists of five "excellencies":

The teacher • The message • The audience • The site • The time
An audience or "viewer" is necessary to create a mandala. Where there is no you, there is no mandala. (from: You Are the Eyes of the World, by Longchenpa, translated by Lipman and Peterson)."

Find out more about symbolic meaning of mandalas at http://www.mandalaproject.org