Expansion and Contraction/Taking the practice On and Off the Mat
The Tantric teachings tell us that this whole world is comprised of various contracted forms of the great unified Consciousness. Everything from rain forests, to sky scrapers, to whatever show you recently binge watched, to each and every one of your thoughts, are all comprised of contracted Shakti. The aim of our yoga practice is to bring us back into the remembrance of connection, of reunification, and the dissolution of these seeming separations between self and apparent “other.”
Yogis talk all the time about taking the practice “off the mat,” meaning that we allow the remembrance of unity to take effect in our living by becoming more loving in our relationships, more compassionate toward ourselves and the planet, and by engaging in various forms of activism. Without even entering the world of national politics, there is currently a ton of activism happening right here within the Yoga community. This looks like conversations about cultural appropriation, how to create a welcoming environment for trauma impacted communities and students, exposing abuse of power by gurus and senior teachers, and the exclusion long felt by people of different abilities, sizes, races, and ages, and perhaps the most controversial of all, FOR GOD’S SAKE what is “correct” alignment?!
If you’re like me, you are eager to hear these different points of view, appreciate being shown blind spots you didn’t know you had, and are looking to constantly refine yourself and the way you move through the world. By entering these conversations, more thought will be created as you assess beliefs, behavior, and contemplate the point of view of whoever you have been dialoguing with or reading about. This is a necessary part of the process of progress and integration. However you may notice that before too long, you are trapped in a dense thicket of thought or emotion, or a sense of anxiety about all that needs to be improved or rectified. It feels anything but free and unified. In an attempt to expand the practice off the mat, the Shakti of the internal state has now contracted, consumed with duality in the form thoughts around justice/injustice or right/wrong or me/you.
So what do we do? We come back on the mat. We return to the tried and true techniques that have been laid out by the wise ones who came before us. We withdraw in order to expand. We dive deep into the experience of present thought and emotion for the purpose of resolving these variables back into the oneness of AUM. Hopefully daily we attempt this reconnection to Source, debunking duality for a brief time so that we can better live in a world that appears to be rife with it. Expansion, contraction, expansion, contraction, ad infinitum.
I believe it is essential that with so many abounding ideas and philosophies about what Yoga is, or should be, or how it should look, or how we should look in it, that we each come back to the fundamental act of practice itself. In the words of Sadhguru, “Shiva is not a philosopher, he is a yogi.” And the yogi practices, plain and simple. Let us welcome the dialogues, the differing points of view, and the potential discomfort these conversations will conjure. Simultaneously, let us commit to the continued practice of Yoga, which is aimed at bringing us deeper and more permanently into the experience that all of this is really the same Consciousness dialoguing with itself.
Loka samasta sukhino bhavantu,
April
How to layer meditation into your asana practice:
Yogic lore describes a subtle cord at the center of the body called Shushumna Nadi, which runs between the pelvic floor and the crown of the head. This cord is the highway of energy that connects the individual self with the universal one. Much of the Yoga practice is aimed at refining our awareness of this subtle channel and unclogging any blockages along its path precisely so that the awakening to the big “I” can occur. Seated meditation is a potent practice for working with Shushumna Nadi, but if you are new or resistant to a seated practice, try working with the Tantric meditation technique below (taught to me by Alan Finger) during your asana practice. Perhaps, over time, the technique will take root and Sukhasana will become the only pose necessary to tap into this central river of prana (life force).
Start with a simple Vinyasa such as cat/cow. Work with the eyes closed.
Physical: Cow Pose/Cat Pose
Come to all 4s
Inhale to lift your tail and your head, extending your spine and broadening your chest
Exhale to lengthen your tail downward and draw your chin in, rounding your back toward the ceiling
Visualization: Light In/Light Throughout
Inhale to visualize or sense light pouring down the central channel like a gift from the space above your crown
Exhale to visualize or sense that light overflowing from the sacrum to fill your entire form, like you had an energetic circulatory system delivering nourishment to your entire being
Mantra: Sa/Ham
Inhale, as the light pours down the midline from crown to root in Cow, think “Sa”
Exhale, as the light flows throughout you in Cat, think “Ham”
This technique is easiest to feel in repetitive movement, but try to bring it throughout the entire asana practice best you can. Start to uncover the reality that you are moving much more than muscle and bone with your asana practice. As this reality begins to sink in, you may discover the seated meditation practice becoming a less and less daunting a concept.
