Category: Vibhuti padah

Posted on

Sankhya – The Elements – Fire

स्थूलस्वरूपसूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद् भूतजयः ॥४४॥

sthūla‑svarūpa‑sūkṣmānvayārthavattva‑saṁyamād bhūta‑jayaḥ

III.46 By samyama on the five forms of the elements (bhutas), which are gross form, essence, subtleness, interconnectedness, and its purpose, then mastery over those bhutas is attained. Swami Jnaneshhvara Bharati (American initiated by Swami Rama  (and others) in the Himalayan tradition).

ततो णिमादिप्रादुर्भावः कायसंपत्तद्धर्मानभिघातश्च ॥४५॥

tato ’ṇimādi‑prādurbhāvaḥ kāya‑saṁpat tad‑dharmān‑abhighātaś ca

III.45 Through that mastery over the elements, comes the abilities of making the body atomically small, perfect, and indestructible in its characteristics or components, as well as brining other such powers. Swami Jnaneshhvara Bharati an American initiated by Swami Rama  (and others) in the Himalayan tradition.

/*As you may have discovered in studying these sutras on the elements that that they are numbered differently in different editions, due to the omission or inclusion of an earlier sutra III.22 “By meditation on the present moment’s reality, knowledge of past and future arises.” This sutra is removed from certain editions by those who believe it is a restatement of III.16 “knowledge of past, present, future through samyama on the threefold change.”  I think they are different. What do you think, and why? This teaches us something about the subtle and detailed nature of the kind of contemplations that Patanjali calls us to.*/

Let us step back a minute and consider anavaya, a word sometimes translated as interconnectedness, also a natural order of things, interrelation, continuity, and pervasiveness. It is one of the dimensions of the elements, together with gross form, essence, subtleness, and purpose, that Patanjali invites us to contemplate. Interconnectedness is not only a feature of the pervasive nature of the elements, but interconnectedness also defines the Sankha chart – there is this and then this and then this. While we are breaking down the Sankhya chart for the purposes of investigation – igniting an inner awareness of the facets of the chart that will guide our practice – the Sankhya chart functions as a whole – a universal engine of moving parts that make up the cosmos. In the “real world” as opposed to our digital conversation – the facets cannot be separated – just as you cannot pull apart the facets of a diamond. Each facet is a lens, but a diamond is one whole jewel. And like the facets of the diamond – we can look into the facets of the sankhya chart (i.e. the elements)  to glimpse the inner radiance that is the core of the practice, the inner radiance being the radiant spiritual illumination of awareness, which is known by many names. As practitioners this is key – if we decide to extract one piece of the practice and ignore it, the big picture unravels.

We discussed that in the descent from pure consciousness to matter that Sankhya maps,  water comes from fire (via condensation). From this perspective, water is denser, more material and more opaque than fire. But that does not mean it is more potent – this is  an important spiritual principle, that spiritual power overcomes pure material power. As we shall see, exploring the chart from the bottom to the top, as we go higher the potency of the facets increases.

Fire is the pivot point between the spiritual dimensions of consciousness and the material. Here we begin to see how a spiritual dimension of practice, say meditation or ahimsa (non-violence) can transform the physical world. In our passion for the illumined forms of practice – the clutter in our pranic channels is combusted quickly – impacting health, appearance, and relationships.

What arises as we contemplate fire?

Fire does not have a form like a physical object does, but it expresses as flames which are visible aspects of fire’s essential essence and purpose, combustion. The shape of the flame – its tangible outwardly visible form–  is  created by a combination of subtle and gross factors: the very physical nature of the fuel, the air flow around it, and gravity – the pull of the mass of the earth. The flame we see is a gaseous field with solid particles within it. Its form speaks to us of its nature, upward movement, luminosity, and transformation…a bridge from the spirit to the material and vice versa.

Fire, like water and earth, is all pervasive (anavaya) in its potential — from the illumination in the light bulb beaming down on my desk to the molten lava in the center of the earth, to the ignition in my digestive juices or in my car. The subtle element of fire is everywhere – even though its flame or form is not always visible. This is the contemplation of anavaya or interconnectedness.

Fire is incandescent, luminous, warming, and weightless. As water’s essence expresses in movement and flow, the essence of fire expresses itself in the process of combustion. Fire, which expresses as combustion, is associated with the Manipura chakra, situated in the solar plexus where our digestion occurs. Digestion, whether of food, residues of emotional processes, or the churned-up stuff of the ego identity, sits at the  heart of a successful the hatha yoga practice. The process of combustion is the process of digestion;  The process of combustion is the process of transformation. This is the contemplation of essence, the intrinsic, unchangeable essence or svarupa.

This essence of combustion reveals the purpose or arthavattva of fire. To combust or transform. For ancient peoples fire transformed logs into light and heat creating evolutionary visibility and the ability to stay warm and cook food. For the contemporary yogi, the fire element as it expresses through tapasya (austerity), physical heat and energetic combustions invoked by practice transforms the yogi into a potent, conscious, intentional action taker on the mat and in the world.

But to achieve this aim, the fire must be managed – both on the mat and off. Too much fire and the body wastes away, the mind becomes disturbed, and the practice gets disrupted. The practice is prescribed in a passionate “take no prisoners” form, but I believe the truth is that the perfect practice for each individual is the one where the fire is sufficient to clean them up, but not so strong that it depletes the subtle “juices” described in the texts (ojas, soma and others ) which  are fundamental building blocks of life. Traditionally, dairy products were consumed to offset the fire stoked by practice, but contemporary dairy products are tainted by the modern farming practices used in producing dairy. Almonds and coconut are two plant substances used to replace the traditional ojas replenishers.

Fire management is a key feature in the asanas themselves. Inversions interrupt the flow of soma into the digestive fire thus slowing down the aging process. Dhanurasana (bow posture) stokes the digestive fire, especially when you rock on the belly. All properly executed twists, but especially Ardha Matsyendrasana (seated spinal twist) stoke the fire in the manipura (The solar plexus) chakra, stimulating digestion. This is why we do not eat a meal for two hours before intense practice. It is like putting a big log on an open fire…if it is too big it puts the fire out. This is also why we do not drink water before and after practice. It dampens the transformative nature of practice.

What about hot yoga? Yes, herein lies the controversy around hot yoga. It jumpstarts the process of transformation with an external variable. I always liked hot yoga, but it does something different. The Tapasya or austerity is to endure the hot room. There are yoga precedents for this in certain kinds of fire ceremonies and rituals but just be mindful that this external fire does not work the same  way as the internal combustion facet of classical hatha yoga. In hot yoga the water element functions as a primary cleanser through ingestion during class and sweating. It is a little more accessible, but it does not have the same kind of bridging of spirit and material that classical hatha offers …to yoke the sun and the moon, the body with the divine.

Fire is a central element in the practice of yoga asana. It functions as a living bridge between spirit and matter, facilitating the classical aspiration of yogi to uncover their true nature.


By contemplating the gross form of fire, its subtle essence, its inherent continuity, and its purpose, we begin to see how the same luminous power that shapes the cosmos also shapes our inner world. And we begin to see  that the practices in the texts can contribute to our understanding of asana in powerful ways.

I always send out a newsletter concurrent with the blog post which covers the theme from a slightly different perspective and includes playlist ideas, mantras and anything else that comes up. I often include an “About the body” section that works with the ideas we are contemplating. I never use the emails for marketing purposes, just for information and fun. You’ll receive one newsletter a month, at most.

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Posted on

Sankhya – Elements-Water

स्थूलस्वरूपसूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद् भूतजयः ॥४४॥

sthūla‑svarūpa‑sūkṣmānvayārthavattva‑saṁyamād bhūta‑jayaḥ

By Samyama on their gross state, svarupa (essential nature), subtle state, interconnect3edness and nature of serving a purpose – mastery over the bhuta – elements(PYS, 3:44, tr. J. Houston)

ततो णिमादिप्रादुर्भावः कायसंपत्तद्धर्मानभिघातश्च ॥४५॥

tato ’ṇimādi‑prādurbhāvaḥ kāya‑saṁpat tad‑dharmān‑abhighātaś ca

From that, the emergence of such powers as becoming minute, etc. perfection of the body, and non-affliction by its constituents. (PYS, 3:45 tr. J. Houston)

One morning at 4 AM by the sea in Costa Rica, some students, all females, and I hopped in a van and traveled to a beach where it was reputed that the sea turtles would come to lay their eggs. We stood for while waiting.  First one then two, then a few then many of the magnificent beings, bodies reflecting forms of a time before time, mothers,  began to pull themselves out of the deep blue ocean with their front flippers.  Dragging their enormous water-built bodies from the sea and up far on the beach to dig their nests.  Young new mothers and ancient ones, dragging themselves up to the shore to lay their precious eggs.  One in particular drew our attention, for she was clearly the oldest and slowest of them all and was missing a front flipper.  Her arduous journey up the beach to participate in the creation of new life was breathtaking.  No Goddess I’d ever seen painted matched the feminine dignity of this, not so little, sea turtle.  After her eggs were laid, she dragged herself back towards the ocean, pausing frequently to rest from the extraordinary effort. 

Awe and deep love swirled around the group as we quietly murmured our support, “Go, you can do it!’ peppered with warm quiet laughter and tears.  In that moment we were no longer tortoises and humans – we were all just women – joined in that specific essence we could not name and maybe had never known before right now, seeded within the nature of the divine feminine.  That we would drag ourselves up the beach to dance with that cycle of life.  Mothers by role or not, we all shared something magical. It was like meeting ourselves and finding out exactly how beautiful we were. 

When she made it to the shoreline, we let out a cheer and watched her swim off into the deep blue sending her well wishes for a safe journey to an unknown destination.  As we gazed at the waves after she was gone with wistful sighs —all of a sudden —a flipper emerged from beneath the waves to give us a little wave.  I know I wasn’t alone in picturing our friend, diving deep into the vast primordial waters where she lived fully potent, fully alive, fully divine.

In our studies of the Sankhya chart, we now move through the water element, or Apas (waters -which include physical, cosmic, primordial as well as the qualities of water as expressed in the universe).  From the perspective of the Sankhya Chart – the elements serve as a ground level of interaction of consciousness with the physical plane; that is one thing.  But we can look to the sage wisdom of Master Patanjali in his yoga sutras to guide our yogic exploration of the elements.  In PYS, Patanjali advises contemplation of the elements from gross to subtle, so we bring to this exploration an open-mindedness and curiosity which exceeds the limits of our physical senses.  With curiosity and imagination, we ask…what are the qualities of water? 

One of the first things we might notice is that the water element overflows with the quality of infinite abundance. Surprising, as we do experience scarcity – there’s always water somewhere, in some form, just not maybe where we are.  And often it’s right here and we overlook it.  Scientists tell us that there is a fixed amount of water in the universe – infinitely recycling through the rain cycle – it doesn’t disappear.  And this is related to one of its other somewhat magical properties – it retains its molecular identity as water even when it turns into ice and steam. 

Its primordial nature is felt as a healing source deep in the psyche of perhaps in all beings.  While domestic cats are reputed to have an aversion to water, my Lakshmi, a pure bred feral (on the basis of some of her talents and behaviors, I don’t think her ancestors were domesticated) would sit in the California rain with a look of wonder and joy on her face – even when the warm dry apartment was mere feet away from where she sat.

The theory of evolution proposes that we emerged from the water – and transformed into beings who could breathe air and walk on the land.  The waters containing life existed long before we did.

Water exhibits cohesion – the particles of water have this amazing ability to cling together.  The molecule H20 is held together by covalent bonds.  That means hydrogen and oxygen aren’t bound together because they are each missing something.  That kind of bond can be easily split apart.  Water molecules are bonded through mutual sharing and attraction to each other’s atomic nuclei.  Do I hear divine essence?   I guess this is why the great mystical seers of the universe have associated the energy of water with relationships. Like the recycling quality of water, no relationship ever ends; it just becomes invisible for a while and life goes on eternally, whether through multiple lives or one eternal life.  That’s how we know that love is always behind relationship – even if its current form is not healthy.

Water embodies continuity – you can’t break it -even the solid quality of ice is a miracle.  It’s not like flour- granular as many solids are.  Water retains that continuity as it changes shape.

Water is nourishing, it has the ability to permeate and bind tissues.  Nutrients can dissolve in water.  This is how it becomes a container for life.

The water element is commonly associated with forward bends.  The meridians which run along the spine are associated with the bladder, and a most excellent forward bend will stretch and tonify those oh so important kidneys resting on your lower back.

Let’s consider Uttanasana – it’s stretches the entire back of the body along that bladder meridian.  If you crease at the hips (rather than rounding your back) your kidneys will get that gentle toning quality. 

Do you envy that person next to you who flops down in the forward bend.  Don’t. Sometimes they would really like to feel that same stretch you do!   That floppy quality points to an imbalance in the water element either at the physical or chakra level.  Likewise, if you can’t touch your knees and all the bend is happening at the rib cage, well, that would also indicate some imbalance there. 

I invite you to explore how you take your water and the quality of your forward bends rather than find a gimmick that tricks the body into what appears to be a better external picture of a forward bend.  The lines of the body should appear fluid, coherent and in some schools the linking of the hands and feet are used allowing circulation of “energy”.

It’s a beautiful thing about asana that we can learn to detect imbalances in the body and address them before they become fixed and stagnant.  These observations bring the ability to cultivate health.  Patanjali notes this as well!!

Consider how the structure of the connection to the earth impacts your Uttanasana.   If your weight is not evenly distributed through the feet (and maybe the hands) it throws off the continuity of the stretch through that back of the body.  This is just an example of the organic wholeness cultivated and expressed in asana.

And on a final note…water is VAST.  As I swam through the months of preparation and study of this element I realized that all I could do was a take a little cup of the ocean and suggest that you explore the realms of water in your own life, because there is so very much more to discover….🌍

**“As a yoga practitioner and teacher, I honor that yoga arises from a rich and ancient Indian tradition. I’ve learned that these teachings carry a depth and integrity that can support profound healing when approached with respect for their origins.

At times I use poetic or contemporary imagery to make concepts more accessible, but my intention is always to point students back toward the roots of the practice — the classical texts, the Vedic worldview, and the wisdom traditions that shaped yoga. These sources offer a depth that modern interpretations, including online content, can’t always provide.

My hope is to inspire curiosity about the lineage itself, and to encourage students to explore yoga’s original teachings as a living source of insight and transformation.”**

Sankhya Chart adapted from Vasant Lad's Chart, Illuminating the Elements
Sankhya Chart adapted from Vasant Lad’s Chart, Illuminating the Elements


Each post has a matching newsletter which looks at the material from a slightly different perspective. We try to have a structured study, moving through specific themes across month. Currently we are exploring the points on the Sankhya Chart.

If you’d like to receive the newsletter, please sign up, I promise you won’t receive marketing emails from me, this is all about sharing information, provoking thought, keeping my own practice and creative projects interesting to me, by creating them for you.

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Posted on

Why practice ? 

Classical yoga is designed as an intentional practice where the body is used as a vehicle to know ourselves,  to realize ourselves in our whole true nature. This true nature is also referred to as the state of yoga, and it arises as we cease identifying with the fluctuations of the mind. When that happens….

तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् ॥ १.३ ॥

tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe’vasthānam || 1.3 ||

(3) Then the seer abides in His Own Nature   /*tr. Swami Satchitanada*/

Our true nature is understood to extend beyond the limits of our physical form, and  so we could think of the practices as tapping into, unlocking or accessing understanding, wisdom and creative capabilities which are beyond the firings of the neurons in our brain.  This experience of the state of yoga releases the time bound functions of ourselves, of the cells of the body, revealing the brightness of the mind. This occurs without force. Alignment of the body mind spirit in practice opens the portals.  When that occurs we discover potential – Our true nature or pure organic potential.  It’s mystical and it’s not religious.  These capacities extend  beyond the individual self so there is a recovery of knowledge.  There is also recovery of our connection with what we might call the universal mind and that in turn illuminates our connection to all other minds. (Sutra 4.4 personal translation) It’s also described as yoking to God  – an old fashioned word for something which is still contemporary and relevant. There are many ways to parse out this experience.

As yogi’s we are invited to travel the path to these results in a very personal way. 

The nature of discipline called for to achieve these ends is self-discipline.  Yoga is a study in self-discipline which, as it evolves, opens into a realm of refined and elegant personal sovereignty. Like any other craft, such a discipline invites us to do a little planning, a little strategy.  Yoga is not a “do your own thing kind of freedom” as much as it is a “refined structure revealing the deeper nature of personal freedom and potential” thing, and so it requires a little thought,  a little work, a little investigation. And so every year as I prepare for the practice of the coming year I ask myself – why practice?  Why practice in this way?  Why not throw it all away and take up pickleball like everyone else?

First I tend to approach this intention setting with an understanding of what’s happening.  What am I called to respond to? 

The world around us is currently in overdrive.  There is nothing peaceful and still about it.  In the world of business in particular – globalization, technology and competitive drive has created an environment which is sharp, deceptive, requiring of constant attention and agility , adaptation and perpetual learning, and study.  That what we are dealing with – if not for ourselves, for our children.  How can we craft practice goals for the year within that chaotic landscape?

This is how I see it, your place in the landscape is unique, You will have your own unique constellation of chaos. But the question the practice raises remains the same. And the faith piece is discovered through practicing in unlikely landscapes. The landscape dictates the curriculum. I encourage you not to make it all about fixing the chaos, but instead, about aligning you more deeply with your heart. It requires a relinquishment of the shoulds. “I gained weight this year. I should do a hard sweaty practice. My heart responds no, actually you need to relax, rest your nervous system and go out for walks, and maybe paint some yantras…because they are fun!” The new year is an invitation to tune into your heart and listen to what it longs to do. The faith piece or shraddha is the faith that that all the different shapes of yoga are designed to support us. So we might ask – what does yoga do and how can I work it to apply it in my present circumstance?  What is my central intention?  And what tools in my toolkit will help me fulfill that intention?

Establishing a clear intention to pursue the bountiful rewards of yoga – that accessing of an infinite well of understanding, creativity, healing, joy, love and accomplishment- supports a swifter approach the goal. Patanjali tells us:

Yoga Sutra 1.21: Tīvra-saṃvegānām āsannaḥ

तीव्रसंवेगानामासन्नः ॥ १.२१ ॥

tīvrasaṃvegānāmāsannaḥ || 1.21 ||

/*To the keen and intent practitioner this Samadhi comes quickly.*/tr. Swami Satchitananda

/*Success is nearest to those whose efforts are intense and sincere.*/tr. Osho

Samadhi, this full consciousness of the yoga – nothing lacking, is realized most quickly when we embrace that fullness as a goal.  When we know where we are going (having intent) will get us there faster.  Yes, Samadhi is a meditative state to be attained, but if sustained we can be in it all the time.  After all Swami Satchitananda, a renunciate, built Yogaville, Om’d at Woodstock and changed the landscape of American thought – no small feat. Osho – having attained Samadhi at an early age rocked the world with his radical upending of spiritual norms.  And so did Gautama Buddha. A well-structured yoga practice supports a well constructed life. We may not become celebrities, but our impact is vast nonetheless.

So, our intentions are critical for they will contribute to the world in a bigger way than we might imagine.

Because of the subtle and vast nature of yoga, I’ve found it works best to set a subtle intention for the year, i.e. to understand peace or creation or backbending rather than to stop being angry, manifest a stack of gold and do urdhva dhanurasana. Being specific in that way can also yield quick results but the subtler intentions bring effective long term healing and transformation. For starters you may want to peruse Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, third padah, The Vibhuti Padah. This entire section of the book speaks of attainments in yoga. Used incorrectly they can be obstacles to the larger goal of samadhi, but the study of their nature will give you an idea of how yoga works. It’s a list of what you might concentrate on, and the result that comes from concentrating in that way. By focusing on an elephant, you gain the strength of an elephant and so on. An intention is no more than what you will concentrate on, invite in, seek out and look for. Maitri or friendliness, how about that for an intention!

Because yoga is affilitated with the realms beyond desire, I invite you to craft your intentions beyond desire. Consider it as the study that it is, and trust that what the practice will evoke and bring forth from you and for you will grace you with sublime understanding of that which you seek to be creating.

Scroll down for some thoughts about posts the coming year. For in depth commentary on some of the aspects of the blogposts, please sign up for the newsletter. This isn’t for marketing, ever. It’s designed to be thought provoking and inspire you to practice yoga!

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

******************************************************************

We will continue our journey through the map of the Sankhya Philosophy in the coming year, with a resurrection of the “About the body” teachings and some structured discussion on asana. 

It took us a year to get through the senses.  Of course it did, the sense organs are anchored into dense physical reality totally bound by the slowest vibration of earth.  Slow is not bad…but we are talking the material world, very dense – which is also not bad.  But as we move our way up the chart to the highest states of consciousness the subtleties of energy, mind and beyond – we become lighter, less time bound.  It’s a science fiction idea, but something the human race is embracing.  Time is fluid and can be our tool rather than our master.  As we explored the senses we discovered means to manage them, and to purify them.  These sense directed practices continue as long as we are practicing, although we may engage with them differently along the way.  In January we will begin with our exploration of the elements, also materially but molecular and energetic as opposed to solid.  If you have ever had acupuncture you’ve worked with your elements.  And now, acupuncture is a common feature of medical practice.  We are all lightening up!