Upsurgence in Vampire Interest

     Today's resurgence of interest in vampires is representative of mass suppression in the unconscious of society.  There is a blood sucking or energy sapping effect on society as a whole due to the fact that much of our alive energy in the form of creativity, music & art is being suppressed.  The general focus of energy is on the superficial to the point where spirit is not recognized.  Irrational fear plays a big part in this suppression.  Those using fear as a tactic for motivation and as a pole around which to organize life are the most suppressed and anal. 

Dualism Rampant in Modern Yoga

     It is ironic that a practice such as yoga posture practice which was initially intended as way to unveil the unity underlying all phenomena so often derails into a practice that reinforces ones ego and sense of separation.  Though often well intentioned and sometimes not, the modern application of yoga posture principles has devolved away from the recognition of unity.  There are probably many reasons for this.  Perhaps the most influential one is our unfamiliarity with unity.  Because by far most of us live in a dualistic framework, we are unaccustomed to knowing and often unable to know the difference between unity and duality.  Speaking about or knowing intellectually, as with many subjects, comes easily in yoga.  Embodying and living the subject matter is quite different.
     Most Yoga instructors today will recognize Patanjali as a foundational source for what is now known about yoga posture practice.  However, it is clear from the commentaries written since the time of Patanjali that interpretation quickly moved away from the unity pointed to by Patanjali towards duality instead.  The grasping tendency so common to us in modern times was quickly imposed on top of Patanjali's pure invitation to oneness.  Yoga Posture Practice became a sequence of steps which if followed by the severely disciplined would grant the grand prize of Samadhi.  Hints of patriarchal exclusionism can be found in texts on yoga up to the present day.  Big movers in the modern yoga world like Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois & many others fueled the fire of this dogmatic approach.  An American culture immersed in "more is better" mentality and a blind extremism took this line and has been pushing it hard.  Sprinkle in Madison Avenue's commercialism juggernaut and voila you have the perfect lie of an approach to yoga posture practice completely infused with dualism while being packaged as a product that can deliver oneness.
     A simple way to discern your own relationship to this phenomena is to ask yourself;  "Does yoga posture practice invite an honestly deepened experience and expression of unity or does it in fact subtly identify "me" with "my" body/mind and invite a never ending carrot and stick game where yoga is something that is pretended and never experienced?"   Body image, physical ability, intellectual prowess and the accumulation of knowledge are all fertile ground for the ego to root in and grow quite nicely.  Clarify why you are practicing yoga.  If it be for dualistic reasons, fine, but acknowledge it and be honest about it.  If, on the other hand, you're serious about settling into unity, make sure that your practice is inviting just that.    

Marga Convergence

     One of the things that really appealed to me about the eastern religions compared with the western that I'd been brought up in was that they seemed much more open.  They recognized the vastness of God and consequently allowed for the infinite variety of ways in which women & men worship.  If you visit a Hindu home and they invite you to see their puja (worhsip) room, you will often find a variety of gods and gurus on the alter.  There may be a primary family deity, secondary deities and a living guru who gives teaching and clarification.  There is no conflict here.  This diversity represents the many faces of God and gives the devotee many views from which to meditate on the divine.  Contrary to popular western perception, these different faces of God are exactly that and it is recognized by most that the one God transcends all classifications, names & forms.  Consistent with this openness, the ancient texts suggest a variety of paths or Margas for the spiritual apsirant.  For some Bhakti is the best where they can develop a personal relationship with their chosen form of God.  For others Seva or service is the best option where they can get down and get their hands dirty making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.  Another possible orientation is that of Hatha Yoga, where the individual finds God through the physical body.  The Jnana Marga is another option for those drawn to the process of self-inquiry. 
     A fascinating aspect of these Margas is that at some point they all converge.  You could say that these apparently diverse paths ultimately lead to the same end.  At some point, if followed with diligence, the omnipresence of God is recognized.  So if you're spiritually inclined, pick the path that most suits your nature and inclination and rest easy in the fact that God is revealed regardless of the marga.  For the atheists out there, we need not name any of this.  Often times naming carries baggage and distracts us.  For atheists we could call it a path of increasing the experience of Love in life.     

The Unifying Theme of the Bandhas

     If yoga means unity, then it follows to make sure that all technique and practice conveyed in yoga instruction invite the experience and expression of unity.  The Bandhas do this in a way that simplifies yoga and renders its access easy.  Commonly, the bandhas are defined as mulabandha, uddiyanabandha and jalandharabandha.  These three adjustments take place in the torso.  Mulabandha invovles gently drawing the lower abdominals back and up towards the spine eliciting a passive lifting of the pelvic floor without any tension or gripping in the pelvic floor.  Uddiyanabandha involves the lifting of the ribcage.  This means the complete ribcage; front, back, sides, top & bottom  are elevated away from the pelvis.  This lifting of the ribcage elicits a passive drawing in and up of the upper abdomen without any tension or gripping in the upper abdomen.  This lifting of the ribcage is continuous whether one is inhaling or exhaling.  If the practitioner cultivates these two bandhas, the third bandha, Jalandharabandha, will manifest naturally.  With jalandhara bandha changes in the neck and throat will occur which will elicit a subtle and passive drawing in of the glottis with no tension in or around the glottis.  The consequence of this change in the throat elicits a soft sound as air passes through the reduced diameter of the throat.  This sound need not be created intentionally.  It will happen on its own as uddiyanabandha develops.  Trying to accomplish this through intentional action will lead to subtle tensions in the throat and consequently in the breath.  Though it is possible through the will to cultivate a deep, smooth breath with a pronounced, even sound in the throat, this doesn't compare with allowing the sound to evolve organically from the body.  When this breathing, called ujayi  breath, is willed or forced it simply replaces old tension with a new controlled tension.  Allowing ujayi breath to arise naturally ensures we will not be creating new habits of tension.  Considering that yoga is widely known for its ability to relax, it is ironic that this very diversion into tension can be found in so much of modern yoga in this instance of ujayi breath as well as many other aspects of technique and practice.  It is surprising how easy it is for dualistic principles to seep into modern yoga instruction despite even the best of intentions robbing the practitioner of the best fruit of yoga practice.  
     Another fascinating aspect of the bandhas is that they can be accessed or reflected through the whole body, not just the torso.  Opening the hand as described in an earlier blog is an expression of the bandhas.  Activating the arms, legs and feet is an expression of the bandhas.  Activating can be defined simply as engaging the muscles with the Minimum Necessary Muscular Effort to broaden and lengthen and open.  For the arms and legs the lengthening is most easily experienced, however there is a broadening that is occurring as well which can be felt in time.  With the hands this activation is perhaps easiest, the feet will come in time.  The important thing here is not how broad and long practitioners can get but rather that this principle of broadening, lengthening and opening is happening throughout the torso, limbs, core and even the neck and head.  In view of this one can see how the body is quickly invited to a state of unity via the muscular body.  Most yoga practitioners are familiar with the principle that what occurs in the body is a reflection of external experience.  Consequently, when the muscular body is taken towards a state of unity then unity is invited at the mental and spiritual levels of awareness as well.  The nice thing about this is that there is really no need for excessive thought in this process.  This technique essentially requires that one's attention be in the body making it very difficult for the mind to take our attention out of the moment into discursive thought.  This is the grand promise of honest yoga practice.  Namely, the recognition of unity or presence or God or Love or the undefinable.   This is the same promise of meditation or awakened awareness.  Though we give it different names and though there are many paths outside the field of yoga that invite this state also, as we settle into this awareness, these distinctions become blurry and less necessary.

Basic Techniques in Sarvanga Yoga

So we've touched on some of the basics already.  Breath-Body Synchronization, Weight even across foundation, Ullolas and their ability to invite more sensitivity.  Another biggy is Minimum Necessary Muscular Effort (MNME).  Now the commonly used cue is effortless effort.  This would be fine but for the fact that its very unclear.  It leaves the practitioner guessing.  MNME states what is really required.  It means that when applying muscular actions in yoga we have to apply enough effort as necessary and not a scintilla more.  Some effort does need to be applied.  The amount of effort required will very greatly for practitioners depending upon a myriad of qualities that differ between individuals.  For example a practitioner who is new to yoga may need to apply much more effort to achieve a certain goal as compared to a more experienced practitioner who may be more flexible and stronger.  Though this is the case, it is still true that yoga may be accessed any time by any person.  Still it is good to know how MNME works and that it is something that will change as you practice.  In other words, each individual's body is different.  One may be stronger the other more flexible.  One may be sick and another more healthy.  Regardless, as each learns to apply MNME they find that the practice is easier and more accessible.  Using enough effort enables us to have the stability that we need and enables us to move towards the necessary alignment.  Using too much effort will result in a tightening of the body.  A simple way to get an idea of this is to hold out one of your hands in front of you.  Open your hand with a lot of force.  The palm may even round a bit as the finger tips curl back.  Notice how tight the back of the hand is.  This is not yoga.  Then relax the hand.  The fingers go limp & the back of the hand rounds.  This is not yoga either.  Then activate the hand and engage the muscles so that the hand is open with the fingers and thumbs spreading apart but in a way that causes no strain in the bones and tissues of the hands.  This is MNME.  Once learned in the hand, it can be applied through the rest of the body.  Learning to apply this in the rest of the body requires feeling for this neutral quality throughout the body.  When the leg is straightened, it is done so that there is no tension in the ankle, knee or hip.  When the muscles of the arms are being used, they are activated without strain in the wrists, elbows or shoulders.  After a few weeks of becoming familiar with this quality throughout the body the practitioner can use it to guide her or him through yoga poses and movement.  Once applied in the whole body simultaneously the state of yoga is invited.  With this qualiity of MNME present throughout the body it will be easier to feel the ramifacations of actions throughout the whole system.  One misleading tendency in modern yoga is to habitually associate specific action with localized results.  Really, every action affects the whole body.  We want to keep joints as open as possible when in poses.  However, there is a point at which opening one joint will start to close another.  So we must open all joints to the degree possible and this means sensing how the joints relate to each other when applying actions.  If we think of poses in terms of opening specific parts of the body we move away from yoga.  A major aspect of this cultivating MNME relates to accessing spirals in the body.  Spirals can be applied in the arms and legs.  The spiral dynamic is expressed in the hands, feet and torso when the Bandhas are applied.  In our next post we'll get into the bandhas and how they relate to practice and the experience of yoga.  For now, enjoy your time on the mat and everywhere else.

Sarvanga Yoga Applied on the Mat

     As mentioned in the last post I'll will clarify and flesh out how to access these principles on the mat.  We've already mentioned the importance of sensitivity on the mat.  Sensitivity is cultivated by inviting practitioners to feel what's happening when they undertake actions.  This may sound obvious and you could say that it is happening to everyone who gets on the mat and starts exploring.  However, real sensitivity means that the practitioner is feeling more and more at deeper levels and applying action accordingly.  In other words instead of being overly dependent upon the instructor you could say that one is learning to feel their way through practice rather than being directed through it.  This means that the practice is coming from the practitioner, from their own sensation.  Go to any number of yoga classes and see how this simple principle is being violated.  Its often unconscious and unintentional but it has the effect of taking people away from yoga.  Let me say here that the criticisms that you'll find throughout my blog are not intended to malign people.  They don't stem from my own insecurities.  Many folks in the yoga world are well intentioned and enthusiastic.  However, we need more than that.  These problems that are common in yoga today are simply facts that any honest observer can see for themselves if they look at the wide array of yoga practice in the marketplace objectively.  What commonly happens in yoga classes is that the practitioner is instructor dependent.  Now of course some of this will happen with all yoga especially in the beginning.  But good yoga instruction will wean the practitioner off of dependency and into self practice.  If I allow my students to depend on me to much, they'll never feel things for themselves.  This does not mean allowing the practitioner to injure themselves.  In the beginning much care must be taken to instill prudent action in the practitioner.  This can be done without cultivating dependency. 
     The best way to cultivate sensitivity in the practitioner is to have them practice Ullolas.  In a later blog I'll go into this more deeply.  For now suffice it to say that ullolas are wave like movements between two or more poses.  For example to move from balasana (child's pose) to satangasana (all four position, table) and back again is an ullola.  It is not uncommon to move back and forth between these two poses 20 times.  If this movement is just one among many as it would be in chandra namaskar (moon salutation) then its easy to slip by it without learning much.  If its done in the ullola approach where you move in and out of the same pose many times, you can learn a great deal about sensitivity.  The variety of ullolas is limited only by your own imagination.  So play around with this idea.  Get into a stance like you're preparing for Utita Trikonasana, then move into it and back out again on the breath.  Exhale into and inhale back out of it.  Clarify the bandhas while you continue to move.  Synchronize the movement with the breath so that at the end of the inhalation the movement stops and at the end of the inhalation the movement stops.  Notice weight distribution in the feet as you move and keep 1/2 of your weight in one foot and 1/2 in the other foot.  This last point alone is almost universally forgotten in yoga classes.  It is often alluded to by the instructor but never enforced and consequently people don't learn it.  In people's eagerness to get their hand to the floor all kinds of compromises are made in terms of weight distribution across the foundation, collapse in the joints especially the knee and hip over which one is bending, and a loss of the bandhas which endangers the health of the back.  With the ullola, because you keep moving, you can't settle into an unhealthy position.  Rather, one must maintain integrity to be able to move in  and out of the pose smoothly.  Once this is learned one can move onto holding the pose with integrity.  Needless to say, it matters not whether the hand is on the thigh, knee, shin, ankle or floor.  What matters is what the practitioner is feeling across the foundation, in all the joints, and how the breath is affected by the maintenance or loss of the bandhas.  Let's end for today and we'll continue in the next blog with clarifying the bandhas. 

Applying the principle of Sarvanga Yoga in practice and instruction.

      To continue from the previous blog some questions might be;  How can we provide yoga instruction that invites practitioners to rapidly experience a unity that is already present yet unrecognized?  How can we do this without taking detours down the side roads of diversification?  First we must cultivate the practitioner's sensitivity.  Without feeling, nothing can be done.  The rampant injuries occurring in the yoga world indicate that sensitivity is lacking.  Any yoga practice that is causing injury reveals a tremendous lack of sensitivity.  This is a trap I've fallen into myself.  So step one is cultivating sensitivity.  This means that practitioners must learn what it feels like to apply an action in one part of the body and feel those effects throughout the rest of the body.  Practitioners need to explore the application of effort and learn to apply action with the minimum necessary effort possible.  There are qualities we want in a yoga pose or movement that require action but this action must be applied with awareness and often it is not.  This can be learned in a few weeks with proper instruction though minds that are thoroughly enamored with popular yoga trends are the most resistant.  As sensitivity is being embraced, we can begin to explore alignment and foundation principles.  Alignment is not a god.  It is important and there are certain poses that need alignment for injury to be avoided.  Nevertheless it is only part of the picture and if it is overemphasized it becomes a barrier to yoga.  Sensitivity is the quality that allows us to find the right alignment for our individual bodies without injury.  Proper foundation is of course important and must be understood somatically so that poses can express their full integrity.  Here we lapse into the relevance of the bandhas in this approach.  The bandhas which are themselves frequently mis-taught are recognized as adjustments that are made in the torso.  Their expression is the result of certain muscular actions made in the lower abdomen and upper half of the torso.  However, their dynamic can also be applied and experienced in the limbs, hands and feet.  Sarvanga Yoga refers this principle.  The term Sarvanga Bandha means bandhas throughout the limbs.  In this approach when referring to the bandhas, we mean actions made which affect relationships between the pelvis, ribcage and the spine in addition to actions that are being made throughout all limbs of the body.  When the limbs are active or muscularly engaged, broad and long they are expressing the dynamic of the bandhas.  When the hands and feet are active, broad and long they are expressing this principle.  So we begin to see that this principle of Sarvangabandha is a way to have the muscular body applying effort in a unified, comprehensive way.  This is extremely powerful.  It can be learned relatively quickly and provides a ready gate to the recognition of unity.  Where other approaches work in a step by step fashion sometimes directing attention here and sometimes there in the body this principle of Sarvangabandha ensures that unified application of effort which necessarily invites unified awareness will be present regardless of the pose, movement or yogic technique.  The only task left is to be very careful with the instructions we are using in class.  Instructions must be simple, direct and clear without any possibility of confusion so that practice time is not spent in trying to guess what the instructor is saying.   Actions and their consequences must be understood by the instructor so that there is no misleading of practitioners down the vague road of metaphor, artistic interpretation or fantasy.  In future blogs we'll explore in more detail what this instruction looks like for instructor and practitioner.