Be the discipline of Yoga

Notice a dream goes on within us continuously. A man can live without sleep but cannot live without dreams. Sleep is only needed so you can dream. If you are not allowed to dream, you will not feel fresh or alive. If you are in a dreaming state, only then do you listen to me. Dreaming is somewhere other than the here and now. You are jumping ahead. True yoga is the path to consistently be here and now. Yoga means you are ready not to hope or glimpse ahead. If you are hoping yoga will bring something for you, then yoga is not for you. Yoga is about not moving toward the past or future, but about moving within you, being present in your deepest centre. The mind must be here to enter this reality. Yoga does not invite you to learn anything. No belief or faith is required. It is not mental. Simply venture bravely into the unknown, and experience things directly. Only by tuning in, and settling the mind as it is does transformation happen. Yoga is both death and a new life. Unless the old dies, the new cannot be born. Unless you are ready to die, you cannot be reborn from the ashes. This is not something you think about, it is something you must be. Sometimes guidance is useful to get out of the head and into the heart. Yet, the gist must be done, known alone. To grow aware of Now, is to see pattern of life is confusing and meaningless, desires dissolve, deep anguish and suffering arise. If whatever you do brings pure misery then the moment is now. You cannot ask for this but earn it. Only then does one begin to understand the discipline of yoga. You cannot obtain the capacity to know until you obtain the capacity to be. This is not a curiousity or intellectual. It is far deeper. Dissatisfaction is not real and total as long as hope exists. All hope must fall to truly enter yoga. The one who promises to do or do not do is no longer. Who is going to be blissful? Silence is only possible in harmony, when no crowd exists.

Realize the Rite of Passage

Notice every genuine spiritual tradition echoes the right of passage. Each tradition offers stories, symbols and metaphors that are understood differently based on level of consciousness. Of course, we can misunderstand a message, resist deeper truths or, only allow ourselves to be taken part way along a specific journey. The thing is, partial success does not yield a rite of passage. One either passes the test or, clings to what holds one back until ready to make a leap.

One metaphor is the idea there is no going back to the previous level of ignorance (and "levels" exist). Another metaphor is the need to endure 1 or several ego deaths, so to experience rebirth at a higher level. Letting go here is key to clarity and access to "higher" reality. And then, the metaphor of alchemy, a refinement process, a gradual extraction of who you are from a false construct. You might surmise this is worse than a quick ego death, as it involves many processes--burning, distilling, simmering. This said, clinging to ideas about suffering is problematic. Its made complex or simple.

Funny- the ancient yogic view echoes 'rite of passage' is not at all a "passage" or "ordeal". It is simply awareness of one's own mistaken perception. In the metaphor of a rope for a snake, the snake never exists, only a rope. Rather than a rite of passage as is so often assumed, the key is to realize (see) things as they are. The truth is that no snake exists and thus, it has no need to be feared, killed, controlled, avoided, alchemically transformed or burned. So why not take the easy way? Why turn self-realisation into an ordeal? The "ordeal" is only attachment. Ego resists letting go of its suffering, narrative, or belief it is/is becoming what its not. The ego resists giving up mental ideas, defenses, those things that are creating its problems and tearing it apart. No snake then needs attention. No rescuer is required either. Seeing energy as it is never happens in the future, only now.

In a nutshell--Samsara is Nirvana. There is no nirvana other than samsara seen as it truly is. To see clearly, simply remove the scales, veils, delusions, projections, false beliefs, all of those qualities that have ego think its unique and special. Simply tune into silence, dissolve into absolute consciouness, in which one is never differentiated from infinite intelligence and never born. No metaphor captures the truth of supreme reality. And yet, it is what one is and one cannot be anything but that. One is yoga.

Once one attaches to the imagined process, one splits into self and others and the prospect of disappointment, betrayal, sense of dependency unfold. "We" get caught in that double bind that begins to replicate itself in every situation: it cannot know what it wants for it always wants and wants the opposite of what it wants, because the one consciousness is torn and split. At times, it seems one never left the infantile state for one was too attached to being cared for by the other. The illusory adult is simply a strategizing construct that struggles to separate itself from its attachments and codependency and its inability to gain real power and real freedom. So long as any construct whatsoever exists, any system of belief or any projection of a world, so that there is any illusion you have a name and a form, so long as any hallucinations and delusions infest the mind, there cannot be realisation of the Oneself as the Absolute. What happens, that samskara, predisposition once the physical verhicle dies, creates another and another, in attempts to liberate itself from suffering. Nothing heroic about it. Only suffering must be sacrificed. This happens at any moment as nothing really happens.

The Zen koan everyone is facing is the attachment to their baggage. As Ramana said, "you are on the train, holding your suitcase on your head as if you are convinced it will not come with you." You can leave Samsara for Nirvana, but samsara will never go away. Turning this into some long-term process is not a rational path to self-realization, but it is common. Why extend suffering? To end it now, use your power of reason and love. Together they guide you to liberation. Being free opens you to the beauty and bliss of a reality you can choose over the unreality and never return to unhappiness.

May your third eye open to see the real, such that all illusions fall away. May you know freedom from all attachments, attitudes and judgments that consciousness hides within (including highest hopes and worst fears). Liberation is now or never. May you choose the Truth Now. May you choose peace that comes with the realisation that inner and outer are one. May you choose the knowing of self-created illusions, realize you are never born, never changed and you have never left mirvana. You have always realized the paradoxical nature of the real for that is what you are. May you know the supreme bliss of getting the joke in the wonderful sense of humor of the Divine Source who abides as the ultimate knower in your heart.

Secrets of 5 Vāyus of Yoga

The five prana (vital energy) currents are the Vāyus ("airs" in Sanskrit; The Sanskrit word Vāta literally means 'blown'; Vāyu, 'blower' and Prāna, 'breathing' (note: the breath of life; the *an- in animate). To be aware of these currents and how they influence balance, imbalance is to gain valuable insight and pointers to sustain well-being.

1. Prana Vāyu (feeds energy into other four)

PRANA vāyu is responsible for the INTAKE (forward-moving air). It moves downward and inward, providing the basic energy that drives us. It is primarily located in the head, lungs and heart. Imbalances in Prana flow can show up as anxiety, fear, anger (head); breathlessness, asthma, sleep apnea (lungs); heart palpitations or stroke (heart).

Yoga asanas to focus on balancing the Prana Vāyu:

Inversions

• Kriya Asana Vanekom -Earth Salutation
• Ardha Salabhasana – Half Locust Pose
• Paripurna Salabhasana – Full Locust Pose
• Urdva Mukha Svanasana - Upward Facing Dog Pose
• Nindra Kokkusana -Crane Pose

Poses with Raised Arms

• Talasana -Palm Tree Pose
• Virahdrasana I -Warrior I Pose
• Utkatasana -Chair Pose

Heart Openers

• Ustrasana -Camel Pose
• Setu Bandha – Bridge Pose
• Urdva Dhanurasana - Upward Bow Pose
• Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose

Some breathwork to use in conjunction with Prana Vāyu asanas:

• Ujjaii Breathing (Ocean Breathing)
• Bhastrika Pranayama (Breath of Fire)
• Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing)

2. Udana Vāyu

It circulates in the head and neck and is responsible for growth. It moves upward and results from other vayus working properly. It governs our ability to stand, our speech, effort, enthusiasm and will. It is concentrated near the diaphragm and throat and is responsible for certain respiratory functions, speech and mental functioning (by supporting the blood movement to the brain). Imbalances in Udana vayu functioning include asthma, emphysema; stuttering, voice hoarseness; depression, poor memory, lack of creativity, direction or goals.

Yoga asanas to focus on balancing the Udana Vāyu

• any of the Warrior Poses
• Gardusana -Eagle Pose
• Minasana-Fish Pose
• Pathi Minasana -Half Fish Pose
• Vilasana- Bow Pose
• Vibaritakarani Asana (Half Shoulder stand)
• Kalapoy Asana - Plow Pose

Some breathwork & other practices to use in conjunction with Udana Vāyu

• Focus on Exhalation, particularly diaphragmatic breathing
• Udana Breath (IN: Breathe in through the mouth, attention at the throat chakra EX: Chant OM)
• Chanting (i.e. Om Kriya Babaji Namo Aum; So-Hum- Om Namah Shivayah)
• Meditations that highlight raising awareness of head and neck

3. Vyana Vāyu

VYANA vayu is responsible for distribution. It moves outward in a circular, pulsating motion. It is located in the heart and lungs and is involved in cardiac activity, circulation and voluntary nervous system. Imbalances may show up as poor circulation, blocked arteries, heart attack, edema; peripheral neuropathy, symptoms of MS.

Yoga asanas to focus on balancing the Vyana Vāyu include:

Side- Bending Asanas

• Preparatory Sidebend (on the back)-
• Utthita Trikonasana- Extended Triangle Pose
• Supta Garduasana- Reclined Eagle Pose
• Balasana-Child's Pose
• Sukasana- Easy Pose
• Parsva Tadasana- Sidebending Mountain Pose
• Parighasana -Gate Pose
• Utthita Parsvakonasana- Extended Side Angle Pose
• Prasarita Padottanasana -Wide Legged Forward Bend
• Janu Sirsasana -Head-to-Knee Forward Bend
• Parsva Upavistha Konasana -Side Seated Wide Angle Pose
• Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana - Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose

Heart Openers

• Sun Salutations
• Namaste Prayer

Breathwork or Pranayana that balance Vyana Vāyu:

• Focus on Inhalation and expansion -Pulse Breathing
• Retention of breath (hold after Inhale)- Wim Hof Breathing
• Vyana Breath (Place the hands on your chest. IN: Bring the arms out, expanding from the center out into the periphery, filling up the lungs; hold 2 seconds; EX: Place the hands back on your chest. Keep your focus at the heart center)
• Any breathing activities that give you joy, touch your heart

4. Apana Vāyu

APANA vayu is responsible for elimination. It moves down and out and also helps retain things in. It is primarily located in the lower abdomen and is associated with functions of elimination, reproduction and bone health (regulating the absorption and retaining of minerals). Imbalances in Apana flow can show up as constipation/diarrhea, IBS; menstrual problems, sexual issues; bone density issues. It helps us go deeper in our seated forward folds. It can also bring a sense of calm and inner strength. Bringing awareness of Apana-Vayu in any yoga pose creates a focus to ground and stabilize the lower body.

Yoga asanas that focus on balancing the Apana Vāyu:

• Standing postures (especially standing on one foot)- Eka Pada Utkatasana-Figure Four
• Paschimottanasanas-Seated forward folds
• Half Bound Lotus Forward Bend | Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana
• Parivrritta Sukasana - Seated Twists

Breathwork, Pranayama or other Practices that help balance the Apana Vāyu

• Nauli Kriya- Abdominal Massage
• Agni Sara Kriya- Fire Essence Purification of Abdomen
• Ashvini Mudra

5. Samana Vāyu

SAMANA vayu is responsible for processing things and moves toward the center in a churning motion. It is concentrated around the navel. It is responsible for digestion on all levels, including the mind. It is associated with processes of digestion, absorption and assimilation. Imbalances in Samana vayu function include metabolism issues, poor digestion, bloating, loss of appetite.

Yoga asanas to help get Samana vayu re-balanced:

• Supine Twisting Postures
• Planks
• Arm-balancing poses

Breathwork, Pranayama & other practices to help get Samana vayu back ' on-track':

• Focus on Exhalation with abdominal contraction (i.e. Kapalabhati)
• Suspension of breath (hold after Exhale)
• Progressive abdominal contraction (Zip-up)
• Uddiyana Bandha-like practices
• Samana breath (IN: Imagine pulling the energy in toward your belly EX: Contract the abdomen, imagine the energy becoming more concentrated; hold contraction for a moment.)
• Kapalbhati (to stimulate agni)
• High-vibrational food & fasting

5 Tips for Living Whole-heartedly

For many, stress and trauma may seem a regular part of life. The question is, at what point do we stop allowing this to hijack our energy and focus? And how do we go about healing from emotional trauma and shift to living whole-heartedly? Consdier these 5 Tips:

1. Accept, Forgive and Be Willing to Heal

The first step to any healing or recovery is acceptance. Denial is a common coping mehanism of emotional trauma. Watch what happens as you choose to empower yourself by reframing the experience in love. Rather than allowing ego to echo that something is wrong with you, choose to see the expeirence in a cathartic way. Responses to experiences are simply pointers and do not define you. You are not your emotions, experiences, mindor body. You are the soul. You are not what you do or do not do, not your personality, not your behaviour. You are pure love.  Love yourself enough to go through the healing process because you deserve the happiness. Trauma may be part of the journey to truth.  It hasn’t taken anything away, you are a whole and complete.

2. Community & Support

Regaining your sense of safety is key to transmuting energy from emotional trauma and living wholeheartedly. This step may look different for everyone, depending on what makes you feel safe and what your idea of stability is. Creating community and a support system can include friends, family, professional help, even a pet.  Being open to vunerability brings strength.  Allow those closest to you to support you and be there for you while you heal. Take the time to ground connect with nature. 

Nature has a very balanced and high frequency vibration that calms the mind and warm the heart. The purity, simplicity, and divinity of nature are very grounding and great for meditation and mind clearing. Society can be very overwhelming by presenting triggers and even just general stress into your life. It’s always helpful to step away from it and take some time to tap into the therapeutic properties of nature.

Even in urban living remember that you, yourself are nature.  You can tap into the divine within you through meditation and you can experience the same soothing and grounding feeling. Allow yourself to reset with calm surroundings. See the beauty in the nature and people around you and begin to trust the universe again.

3. Let it go

The power of releasing feelings is oftenunderestimated! Healing from trauma doesn’t mean brushing it under the rug. To truly heal, it’s important to face it, and let yourself experience all of the emotions it brings up for you. Purge yourself of the negativity, and only leave what’s productive and positive. Cry out your sadness, scream out any shame, punch out your anger at a boxing class, and face and accept your fear.

Purify yourself by letting out all the emotional responses that you have pent up. Sometimes many of the long-term responses you have to trauma are actually a result of holding in your emotions more so than the trauma itself. Exercise and physical activities are an incredibly therapeutic way to heal from trauma for this very reason. They’re a great outlet for letting out emotions and channeling negative ones into something positive. 

Now, the goal isn’t to relive the trauma, but it most certainly is also not to escape the uncomfortable emotions that it brings up. The goal is a healthy middle ground that allows you to heal and process the trauma. Aside from cleansing the pent up emotions the trauma has caused, it’s also important to grieve what you may have lost as a result of the trauma, whether it’s a certain quality of life, a person/being/pet in the case of death, even just peace of mind and sleep. Be patient with yourself.

4. Process and Empower

After you’ve allowed yourself to let out your pent up emotions surrounding the trauma, it’s time to look at the trauma itself from a balanced and logical place to pick it apart and strip it down to something you aren’t attached to anymore. For this tip it’s very important to have a therapist that you trust and feel comfortable with in order to help you analyze the trauma and the how’s, why’s, and what now’s of it.

A professional can help you put the trauma into context and process it in a healthy and constructive manner, allowing you to then empower yourself by detaching from it. The goal here is to see the trauma as something that doesn’t control you and your emotions anymore, to realize that you are bigger and stronger than the difficult experiences. To be able to confidently declare that your trauma is just something that happened to you, it is not a part of you and it does not define you.

Other activities that can help with this tip are meditation and reflection, as well as creative activities. These things help you step back and look at what happened and what it means for you, and even how to move forward from it. Creative outlets and activities are also good for Tip 3.

This step is all about taking the power back from your trauma by moving on from it, and realizing that your trauma is something outside and separate from you, a moment in time, it’s not part of you or who you are. You can leave your trauma in the past and move on to brighter days because it’s not attached to you anymore!

5. Reconnect, Balance, and Live Wholeheartedly

This last tip is all about how to maintain a healthy and wholehearted lifestyle after the bulk of the trauma healing process is done. While it’s important to do this throughout the process, an important factor in moving on and not being pulled back into the darkness of past trauma is having a stable, balanced, and structured lifestyle that includes healthy habits, a healthy support system and social life, and a healthy work-life balance.

When all the major areas of your life are doing well and in check, you enjoy a sense of stability and safety that make it easier to deal with things like triggers. Trauma often causes intense feelings of danger and instability, which is why a balanced and stable lifestyle and environment is so important when it comes to trauma healing. When you lead a healthy lifestyle — eating well, exercising, taking care of your body — your mind is clear and your emotions are more stable to handle reminders of past trauma and future trauma, even.

When you have a strong foundation, it’s hard for the storms in life to knock you down. When you’re living a physically and psychologically unhealthy life, you’re living life on the edge, and any little thing can push you over into chaos and spiral into depression. When you’re living a balanced and healthy life where your mind, body, emotions, finances, and relationships are all stable, you can handle and weather just about any storm.

Staying in touch with nature and maintaining a meditation practice are great ways to keep your mind and emotions healthy, while exercising and eating well are great for the body. Meditation helps quiet down your thoughts and calm the chatter of your mind, so that you can connect with your true self and experience wisdom, acceptance, and appreciation for life.

Emotional trauma gets stored in your body, and the body also benefits from meditation practice and the calm feeling of being in a thoughtless, meditative state. Exercising and activities such as yoga not only release endorphins, which make you feel safe and stable, but yoga aids in releasing the trauma stored in your body.

It’s also always important to continue therapy sessions and to maintain your strong support system to talk to whenever you are struggling with trauma or anything else. Shifting from self-isolation to connection is key as relationships are one of the most important pillars of happiness and balanced living.

Expand into True Harmony

(Image from "Decoding the Neuroscience of Consciousness" in Nature Magazine -https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02207-1) 

Notice modern Science echoes that the whole of existence is a reverberration of energy. Another way to say this is that energy oscillates between physical existence and unseen vibration. So the Source of all that is physical is vibration or light energy. Yogic sciences recognized this eons ago. The original context of yoga was spiritual development practices to train the body-mind to self observe and become aware of true divine nature. The purposes of yoga were to cultivate discernment, awareness, self-regulation and higher consciousness in the individual. It dawns where vibration exists, sound typically exists. In human terms, sounds are experienced as vibration. Only a small band of frequencies is typically accessible to the human ear (sonic sound) athough the universe emits a wider range of vibrations. Those sounds above the sonic range are "supersonic". Vibrations below are "subsonic." The wider range of frequencies are only available to those who take the steps to expand consciousness. Those humans in a certain state of consciousness may hear sounds beyond 'normal range' of the spectrum. Other familiar senses may also sharpen as one shifts to tune into subtle senses. Such inner shifts only occur as we shift towards that which nourishes growth within and outside of self. Without this, a person may feel frustrated. Thus, we are inspired to be more fearless and grow in new directions. In essence, everything we think and do is a tool for aligning with harmony or well-being. Listening to certain tones or elevated frequencies of music facilitates natural human evolution into expanded consciousness. Recognize and let go of all that is disharmonious to True Being