Blog Archives

The Ego as a Contraction of Consciousness

8/28/2015

The ego personality is a necessary contraction of Consciousness. We need to view the world from this singular perspective to make sure we get what we need, to keep us safe.

But in order to make sure our needs are met, the ego seeks out what we lack. And in order to keep us safe, it seeks out threats. The ego personality functions from a place of fear.

But when we know we are safe, we can let go of that contraction.

We can let go of thoughts about the past and future, regrets and worries.

We can let go of inner criticisms.

We can let go of all the mental chatter that keeps the ego contraction in the lime light.

There is a saying that on the spiritual journey there are many paths that lead up the same mountain. All those paths, all the different kinds of Yoga and meditation, all the mystical paths of the monotheistic traditions – all of them – are about letting go of our habitual tendency to see the world from the contracted perspective of the ego.

In Hatha Yoga, we practice moving our awareness not only inward but downward. We practice staying conscious of our body. And through this mental discipline, through this particular kind of self-remembering, the ego contraction is removed from center stage.

So, as you move on your mat, notice when you become trapped between your ears. When thoughts come up, instead of getting tangled in words, come back to your breath, to your body, and to that quiet stillness between thoughts.

That is where you can reconnect with your true self, who is beyond words. That is where you let go of contraction and begin to expand.

The ego is not an entity but an activity. It is a contraction of the field of Radiance.” Adi Da

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Prasarita Padottanasana

8/22/2015

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Prasarita—separated

Pada—foot

Ut—intense

Tan—to stretch out

Asana—posture

The great yoga anatomy teacher Leslie Kaminoff says, “Wide-stance forward bend is probably the safest, most accessible inversion in all of yoga practice.” This is a big deal because inversions are a big deal. Ever since Iyengar named shoulder stand and headstand the queen and king of yoga poses, they were coveted postures in the race to shed the ego. (Yes, that sentence is purposefully paradoxical!)

But with the publication of William J. Broad’s The Science of Yoga, it became widely known that the queen and king both have potential dangers built into them. Because of the pressure in the cervical spine, being misaligned or holding either of these poses for too long can lead to neck injuries or even the formation of blood clots, which eventually travel to the brain and cause stroke.

No one is saying don’t do inversions; just do them safely.

For those who would struggle in more athletic inversions, the benefits are still available in poses like this one.

Getting into the pose

First of all, this pose should come after several warm-up stretches of the hips, thighs, and low back. It is not something to fall into unprepared!

Stand tall: Take a wide stance, the widest you comfortably can. (Iyengar says 4.5 to 5 feet!) Angle your heels slightly outward so you are just a little pigeon toed. Keep pressing your feet into the floor and your legs strong. With your hands on your hips or in the hip crease at the top of your thighs, extend your spine upward.

Fold half way: Fold forward from your hip creases. Keep your spine lengthening and your neck in line with the rest of your spine as you bring your hands to your legs, blocks, or the floor. It’s a wide angle Table-type posture, like in this beautifully simple picture I found at eveyoga.com.

At this point, a teacher might say some crazy thing like, “spread your booty” or “blossom your anus.” What they are getting at is, for beginners, you want to internally rotate your femur in the hip socket which will feel like you’re expanding your backside. I say “for beginners” because once you become very flexible it’s easy to overdo this motion, rotating to a point that can put too much torque on your knees because your feet are firmly planted.

Release into forward fold: If your lower back is healthy, lower down and allow the spine to round slightly. A common misalignment at this point is for the hips to move forward or back; keep them in line with your heals.

Hold for 30 seconds. Breathe up your legs and down your spine.

Variations

For most Americans, this is their full expression. However, if you are a bendy type and looking to go deeper, there are several advanced variations.

Complete pose: Bring your palms in line with your feet. Spread your fingers wide and draw your elbows back and toward each other to bring your upper arms parallel to the floor. You can hold a block between your forearms to get a feel of the inward motion required. Set the top of your head lightly on the floor or a block. Do not let the crown of your head bear any weight or pressure.

Prasarita Padottanasana 2: From the Iyengar school, Prasarita Padotttanasana 2 adds prstanjali (prish-tan-jali) mudra, a.k.a. namaste or prayer hands behind the back. While standing upright in wide angle, bring your hands behind your back, palms together, pinkies into your back moving up toward the space between your shoulder blades. Then fold forward.

Prasarita Padottanasana A, B, C, & D: From the Ashtanga school, in pictures from Ronald Steiner’s ashtangayoga.info page.

History

I couldn’t find this pose in any of the early lists or illustrations, meaning it was probably a gift of the Hatha Yoga renaissance in the early 20th century.

Benefits of prasarita padottanasana

Wide angle forward fold strengthens the feet and legs; stretches our ankles, hamstrings, and inner thigh muscles; and extends the spine allowing the discs to hydrate. Plus, it has all the benefits of an inversion: reversing the effects of gravity on respiration and blood flow and therefore allowing rest for normally taxed organs and new work for normally resting muscles; balancing the nervous system (forward fold inversions are relaxing); and changing our perspective.

This last one might sound like fluffy nonsense, but I remember clearly as I got into Yoga in my 30s thinking how long it had been since I was upside down. Being upside down was for children. Being in an inversion changes your perspective on both what you see and how you see yourself. No small potatoes.

Finally, if and when you do bring your head to the floor, mystically speaking, you are stimulating your sahasrara chakra, the thousand-petaled lotus at the crown of your head. This is the enlightenment chakra, symbolizing detachment from illusion and living in the knowledge that All is One.

The crown of the head is the seat of Shiva, while the tailbone is the sight of the goddess Shakti in her form as Kundalini energy. Postures that extend the spine and bring awareness to the connection between the tailbone and crown help draw our spiritual awakening along the spine, symbolically moving through all the stages of spiritual development, to bring Shiva and Shakti, divine masculine and feminine, yin and yang, together again to experience Oneness.

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Becoming ready to teach

8/22/2015

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From Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.

Kasan was asked to officiate at the funeral of a provincial lord.

He had never met lords and nobles before so he was nervous. When the ceremony started, Kasan sweat.

Afterwards, when he had returned, he gathered his pupils together. Kasan confessed that he was not yet qualified to be a teacher for he lacked the sameness of bearing in the world of fame that he possessed in the secluded temple. Then Kasan resigned and became the pupil of another master. Eight years later he returned to his former pupils, enlightened.

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Virabhadrasana II

8/18/2015

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Named after Virabhadra, the personification of Shiva’s fury, the Warriors are postures of purpose, strength, and confidence. You can find the full story behind the pose here, Warrior: The Origin of Virabhadra.

The birth of Virabhadrasana II most likely took place in Krishnamacharya’s yoga shala in Mysore as Warrior II features prominently in Iyengar and Pattabhi-Jois’ styles but not in Sivananda’s or earlier texts and lists of asana.

Building the Pose

Stance: Turn sideways on your mat to use its width. Stand with your feet wide apart. How wide? Some schools say four feet, some say as wide as your wrists when your arms are extended. Really, until you get further into the posture, you won’t know exactly how wide they should be. So, for now take them comfortably wide.

Feet: For ease of description, I’ll start arbitrarily with the right side. Turn the right foot out 90 degrees and the left foot in 30 – 45 degrees. Lift your toes. On both feet, feel the ball of your foot, the outside edge, and the heel firmly planted on the mat. Keep the engagement through your arch and legs as you set your toes back down.

Legs: Bend the right knee. Bring your thigh toward being parallel to the floor. Do not overstretch your hip, overburden your hamstrings, or strain your knee. Look at your bent leg; if your knee is in front of your ankle, adjust your stance to make it wider. Ideally, the bones in the lower leg (the tibia and fibula) will be perpendicular to the floor.

Hips: Keep your hips pointed toward the wide edge of your mat. This may mean easing the left hip back, as it will want to move forward and to the right.

Torso: From your pelvis to your shoulders is just like in tadasana (mountain pose). Your spine is extended upwards; your core muscles are engaged; heart gently lifted. Both the chest and upper back are wide. The most common misalignment here is leaning toward the bent knee. The shoulders should be directly above the hips.

Arms: Extend your arms out from the shoulders or just below. Try to keep your shoulders relaxed and don’t hike them up toward your ears. Engage the muscles of your arms so they hug in toward your bones. The palms of your hands are face down. Reach out in both directions through your fingertips. A common issue is the arm over the extended leg drooping downward. Look back to make sure your arms are evenly raised.

Neck, head, and gaze: Now, turn your head toward the right to bring your gaze over or to your right middle finger. Be sure not to lean the upper body toward the right or let the left hip roll in toward the right as you do this.

Breath: As you exhale, root down into your foundation. As you inhale draw up from your pelvic floor to the crown of your head.

Modifications

For more gentle options, decrease the width between your feet and keep your hands on your hips. If you have a knee injury or replacement, consider doing the pose seated, as demonstrated by senion Iyengar teacher Eric Small.

How long should I hold the pose?

Some schools say we should stay in Virabhadrasana II for 30 seconds. Some say start with three breaths and work up to six. Most people don’t stay in as long as they could and therefore sacrifice some of the benefits.

And what are those benefits?

Warrior II strengthens our legs, hips, pelvis, core, and shoulders. It increases flexibility in our hips and neck. It works the cardiovascular system and squeezes all of our lymph nodes, giving the immune system a boost.

But most importantly, Warrior II makes us feel strong. It is an embodiment of confidence and courage. It teaches us at a cellular level that we can face the future while standing firmly in the present.

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Warrior: The Origin of Virabhadra

8/13/2015

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If it were up to Shiva, he would sit, meditating on Mount Kailasa all the time. It is only because of his interactions with the goddess in her many forms that Shiva takes any kind of active role in the world.

Here is the story of Shiva and Sati, and of how Virabhadra (of virabhadrasana/warrior pose fame) came to be.

Sati’s father is Daksha. Daksha is the son of Brahma the Creator, and all of Brahma’s children also create; Daksha creates culture. Since Shiva stands outside of culture, there are many stories that set Shiva and Daksha against one another. This is one of them. Sati married Shiva against her father’s wishes.

So Daksha held a huge fire ceremony (yajna) and invited all of the gods and goddesses and the great sages. But he did not invite Shiva and Sati. When Sati heard of this, she was angry and determined to go anyway. Shiva said, “Nothing good will come of it,” but he did not stop her.

When Sati arrived, the ritual was already underway and a great fire was burning. Her father was not happy to see her. When she asked why they had not been invited, Daksha ranted. He told her that Shiva was worthless and not deserving of respect. He called Shiva names he considered disgraceful: king of the goblins, beggar, the ash-man, and the long-haired yogi.

Hearing this, Sati replied, “Shiva is everyone’s friend. No one but you speaks ill of him. All that you said, the gods and goddesses know and still they adore him.” According to custom (to culture), when a wife heard her husband reviled, she was to either leave the place with her hands over her ears. Or, if she had the power, she should end her life.

Sati walked into the fire and died.

When Shiva heard of this, he was furious. He tore out one of his dreadlocks and from it created the personification of his anger – Virabhadra, a thousand-armed demon.

In Sanskrit, vira means hero and bhadra means blessed, fair, beautiful, and auspicious. Just as in the renaming of Rudra into Shiva, we see a wild and violent deity beseeched to mercy through naming.

The description that follows of Virabhadra and the ceremony is from Tales of the Shiva Purana, compiled by H. G. Sadhana Sidh Das.

“Virabhadra shone with energy and he had thousands of mouths and eyes. His hair glistened like lightning and his hands were full of all sorts of weapons. When he spoke it was like thunder. From his body, Virabhadra created a female demon named Bhadrakali.

“’What are our order?’ asked Virabhadra and Bhadrakali of Shiva. ‘Go and destroy Daksha’s Yajna,’ was the order. To help them in this mission, Virabhadra created several other demons from the parts of his body. All of them had a thousand arms and carried weapons. Virabhadra, Bhadrakali, and these other demons headed for Daksha’s Yajna. When they got there, they found that the sacrifice had already started and the sacred fire was burning.

“The sages were reciting hymns and the Gods were watching. Musical instruments were being played. Virabhadra roared and the sound of the roar was so loud that several of the Gods began to run away. The earth shook and there were tidal waves in the ocean.

“Daksha was frightened. But he summoned up courage and inquired who they were. ‘We are Shiva’s assistants and we have come to take part in the sacrifice,’ replied Virabhadra. Virabhadra and the other demons then proceeded to burn down the structure where the sacrifice was being held. They tied up the priests and threw all the offerings away.
“With their weapons, they attacked the Gods. Whatever resistance the Gods tried to put up was taken care of by Virabhadra’s [trident] and Bhadrakali’s spear. The Goddess Sarasvati lost her nose and the God Agni lost his arms. The sage Bhaga had his eyes gouged out and the sage Pusha lost all his teeth. Virabhadra sliced off Daksha’s head and gave it to Bhadrakali. Thousands of thousands of Gods died and the sacrifice became a battlefield.

“Vishnu tried to fight it out and he and Virabhadra shot arrows at each other. But one of Virabhadra’s arrows struck Vishnu on the chest and he fell down unconscious. Spurred on by Brahma, the Gods began to pray to Shiva. These prayers pacified Shiva and he asked Virabhadra and Bhadrakali to refrain from causing further damage. Brahma asked about the Gods who had been killed to bring them back to life.

“When Shiva calmed down, he returned the lives of the dead Gods and everyone was back to normal. But Daksha’s head could not be restored. So a goat’s head was put instead and Daksha was forgiven.”

Shiva, the long-haired yogi who lives outside of culture and is concerned only with meditation, defeats the Culture Maker whenever they come up against one another. Culture is maya, an impermanent illusion. Culture led Sati to throw herself on the fire and Shiva sent a vicious reminder that some things are more important than following the rules.

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Expansion and Contraction of the Spirit

8/8/2015

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Expansion or contraction, from the perspective of psycho-spiritual growth, these are our choices.

Contraction

Contraction stems from fear, from stress, from not having our basic human needs for safety, rest, and belonging fulfilled. Contraction comes from expectations and attachments, which themselves come from fear—the fear of not being in control, fear of change, or the fear of being overwhelmed and unable to successfully navigate the rough seas of this life.

So we contract. We pull inward and make ourselves small and hard like a tired, grumpy turtle pulling into its shell.

And sometimes withdrawal is necessary: sometimes to protect ourselves from very real threats, sometimes to heal, sometimes like the hermit who goes into her cave to seek enlightenment or mystical union with God.

But many of us get stuck here, in this protective place of contraction. And then we stop growing. We stagnate or decline.

Expansion

Expansion comes from love, from feeling safe and cared for, from being patient and compassionate toward ourselves. Expansion comes from being accepting and understanding of ourselves so we can be accepting and understanding of others.

Expansion comes from letting go—letting go of expectations and attachments to how we think things ought to be. Letting go of the judgments and criticisms of self and others that stem from these attachments. Letting go of worries about the future or regrets about the past or whatever it is that keeps us from being fully present, in this moment right now.

When we can let go, we can let our hearts and minds, our whole being shine with love, and we become open, inclusive, expansive. Joyful.

Expansion on the Mat

This is what we need to practice on the mat to continue expansion:

Feeling safe. Yoga meets everyone right where they are, with no expectations for you to be anyone other than who you are right now, body and mind.
Slowing down. To let go of self-criticism we must become aware of it, and to do that we have to turn inward and stay mindful; we have to listen to the internal chatter so we can consciously decide which voices to encourage and which to turn off.
Being patient and compassionate with ourselves. This job takes time. We’ve spent a lifetime listening to the chatter and taking it seriously. It won’t be turned off in a day. But if we can continue to observe and accept ourselves right where we are, the voices that lead us to contract will fade away.
Letting go. Let go of fear and worry and self-criticism. Let go of all those things that make us emotionally and spiritually small and hard.
Filling up. Fill up with compassion and ease and joy. Fill up on all those things that help us expand.

That is how we grow on the mat.

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Adho Mukha Shvanasana

8/4/2015

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Adho – downward

Mukha – face

Shvana – dog

Asana – posture

Traditionally, dogs have been seen as scavengers in Indian culture. They live outside of the community on scraps and waste. This made them perfect companions for Shiva, Lord of Destruction, Transformation, and Yoga, who also lives on the fringes of society, in cremation grounds and other places civilized people do not go. His marginalization symbolizes the outsider consciousness of a spiritual seeker.

Downward facing dog is an iconic pose. In the first half of the 20th century, adho mukha shvanasana was a forerunner of headstand, and students were told to bring the front of the head to the floor. This caused a lot of strain in the shoulders. These days Down Dog is pictured as the perfect inverted V shape, with hands and feet flat on the ground.

For most of us, straightening our legs and bringing our heels to the floor are just not options right off the bat. Here are a few ways to find the benefits of Downward Facing Dog without overdoing it.

Finding the Shape

To begin, come to hands and knee. Move your hands one handprint forward, then lift your knees and bring your hips up high.

Hands: Press into the pads of your fingers and the "ball" of your hand (as if your hand were a foot), especially the base of your index finger and thumbs.

Arms: Let your elbows be straight but not locked. The “eyes” of your elbows are halfway between facing each other and facing forward.

Shoulders: Sink the humerus (the long bone of the upper arm) up into the shoulder socket. Keep your shoulders relaxed as you widen the upper back, sliding the shoulder blades away from each other.

Neck: Let your head hang and your neck relax. Your head acts a weight at the end of your spine, helping extend it.

Spine: This whole pose is about spinal extension. When you enter Down Dog, keep your knees bent and heels lifted while you press back and lengthen through your arms and spine.

Legs: If it doesn’t cause excessive strain, lower your heels toward the mat and straighten your knees, but do not lock them.

Feet: "Hips-distance" is the usual cue given here, as in, "Keep your feet hips-distance apart." This refers to where the femur enters the hip socket, not the outside edge of our hips. A wider stance may make the pose more accessible.

Modifications

There are many ways to make adho mukha shvanasana gentler: you can keep the knees bent, place blocks under your hands, or perform it with your hands on a wall or chair seat instead of the floor.

Feeling a strap around the thighs being pulled from behind can help us learn to shift the weight back and find more evenness in the pose.

To add more challenge, put a strap around your thighs or around your upper arms and press out. Other variations include:

Extended dog, wherein you take one leg straight back and up at a time

Hip-opening extended dog, wherein you take one leg back and up and then roll the lifted leg’s hip up, bend the lifted knee and bring the foot toward your seat

Dolphin, which is Down Dog from forearms

How Long Should I Hold the Pose?

Iyengar recommends holding Down Dog one minute in Light on Yoga, but modifies that downward in more recent books to 30 seconds for beginners. Pattabhi-Jois said three breathes.

Interestingly, Down Dog only shows up in schools that stem from Krishnamacharya’s lineage, making its origin at Mysore in the early 20th century quite likely.

Benefits

Adho mukha shvanasana strengthens our legs, lower backs, shoulders, and arms, especially the deltoids and triceps. It stretches our ankles and wrists, hamstrings and calves, hips, spinal muscles, and shoulders.

Eventually, believe it or not, Down Dog becomes a resting pose, a place where we can pull energy up from the earth through our hands and feet and recharge.

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The Ego as a Contraction of Consciousness

Prasarita Padottanasana

Getting into the pose

Variations

History

Benefits of prasarita padottanasana

Becoming ready to teach

Virabhadrasana II

Warrior: The Origin of Virabhadra

Expansion and Contraction of the Spirit

Contraction

Expansion

Expansion on the Mat

Adho Mukha Shvanasana

Finding the Shape

Modifications

How Long Should I Hold the Pose?

Benefits

Yoga Talk

Archives

Categories

The Ego as a Contraction of Consciousness

Prasarita Padottanasana

Getting into the pose

Variations

History

Benefits of prasarita padottanasana

Becoming ready to teach

Virabhadrasana II

Warrior: The Origin of Virabhadra

﻿Expansion and Contraction of the Spirit﻿

Contraction

Expansion

Expansion on the Mat

Adho Mukha Shvanasana

Finding the Shape

Modifications

How Long Should I Hold the Pose?

Benefits

Yoga Talk

Archives

Categories

Expansion and Contraction of the Spirit