Once in the early 2,000’s a friend and I were strolling and shopping and dining in Greenwich Village when we came upon a small store – just a nook really, filled with shiny clear rectangular glass bottles stacked on wooden shelves. A slender handsome hipster with an untucked navy blue shirt and somehow stylishly elegant slightly faded jeans manned the counter.
The bottles and their rectangular labels were identical except for the unique word on each label: Rain, Dirt, Beach, Grass, Dog among the hundreds.
In response to our outburst of giggles he offered sample smells.
A gentle whiff of “dirt”;and I was transported out of the concrete canyon and back to a time before vanity when I was a simple child doing what kids like to do. Play in the dirt.
Tobacco – was my 1960s father and warm leaves drying in the sununveiling a thought of slaves picking leaves in the hot, hot sun and wondering if the fragrance for them was unpleasant. Grass in a bottle was a little too much for both of us, but we both loved tobacco which was mysterious and somehow informative.
Smell emerges in the first trimester of a babies development, the smell of placenta and mother creating a subtle earthy unbreakable bond.
Smell evokes memories – our minds travel far into our histories and possible futures in the presence of them.
The Sankhya philosophy as commonly mapped on a chart lines up, as a bottom line foundation, the senses. Our connection to the physical realm moves directly through the five sense faculaties and the elements. This will become more meaningful as we move beyond the dense material realm.
Smell is associated with the subtle element earth – the root chakra, the mooladhara chakra – the focal point of the yogi’s shift of attention from the material realm upward from the realms of hunger and fear into more exalted states of consciousness…into awareness, understanding and wisdom. Smell evokes an understanding of ourselves in time, life and death, and anchors us in the physical.
In that essential awakening into that experience of life and death we meet the kaladanada…the yogi’s alchemical transformation from death to immortality. Yes, they actually mean that. Hatha Yoga was a practice of alchemy – a system based on primordial wisdom encoded in the sound of Om. Smell and it’s essential nature is a portal into the ancients through the root chakra, like an uplifting song moves us upward, so does an uplifting fragrance.
Of course for asana yogis, in the days that we still did this…wafting incense – burning of the earth, the smell of smoke offered up to the heavens – an invitation for ascended beings physical and non-physical to bless us with our wisdom.
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7.8: I am the essence of pure water, O Arjuna, the radiance of the sun and the moon. I am the sacred syllable Om among the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether, and the ability in humans. (Bhagavan Shri Krishna)
In this sloka from the Bhagavad Gita Krishna points out that divinity expresses as the essential quality of all things.
I’d like to add the “leap of the cat” to this list. My cat Lakshmi has had number of serious physical challenges – she is 13 and continues to blossom thrive. Over the years I’ve seen that the sign that she is truly on the mend is the return of the “leap”. She’s been recovering from surgery and I was delighted the other day to see her leap up on a forbidden table and knock over a lamp – signs of life.
In our exploration of the senses – taste has a big part of play as a portal to the tangible essence of purity in the physical realm.
The journey of yoga is a journey of reclaiming the aspects of ourselves that are NOT physically based. It’s a journey to understand and experience our essential nature which is unlimited and wholesome(which is more fun than it sounds). As the reclaiming occurs we discover our essential nature is divine. We come to know what that means, and through that we come to know the divinity all around us and beyond us.
Sankhya, a classical philosophy of India, commonly taught alongside the practices of yoga, is represented by a chart of the journey from the densest physical experience to the essential sublime. We have been exploring how the construction of the chart can be used to hone and develop our practices in such a way that they have depth, sustainability and transformative potency.
With the sense of taste we delve into a further mining of the yogi’s jewel of discernment. Though cultivating full awareness of the tastes we ingest we begin our journey to discern the pure, the nourishing, the essential. Developing a taste for this in our food extends out into the development of the taste for that which is truly clear, supportive and essential in our lives.
The yogi’s journey is very much about minimalism as ideal self-care. To hone simplicity, balance, nourishment and well-being in such a way that we can maintain it easily and leave time for practice. The good life is an uncluttered life. From this perspective an ideal is to learn to identify what is essential and detach from everything else.
To begin to taste pure food and pure water is to begin the journey of deep knowing about what we need – to care for our physical bodies, our relationships, our roles; uncovering that which is essential for our well-being. This isn’t good or bad – it’s practical. Every facet of our lives take time. By identifying that which is essential we can streamline.
This is not to say that we don’t have fun from time to time.
So how do we engage our sense of taste in a productive way?
Taste is a reflect of something – a reflection of qualities of a substance or an object. Lettuce is light and juicy, potatoes are sweet and earthy, brown rice is also sweet and tomatoes are zingy and pungent. Fresh food tastes vital and bright and stale food tastes dull and flat. Our food is transformed into body tissue, and the more vital the body tissue, the more rapidly we will progress in our yoga practice. Imagine pouring red beets into your bloodstream, or cleansing the body with juiced fresh kale – dark robust and full of chlorophyll.
Some general rules which can help with the development of yogic taste:
Think live instead of dead. (fresh broccoli vs. a hamburger) Simple instead of processed. (baked potato vs a potato chip) Mother nature instead of the chemist (fresh herbs and spices vs. “natural flavoring”) Nutritious instead of empty. (Butternut Squash vs. refined sugar) Varietal instead of dull (Beets, cabbage, lettuce, lemon, seaweed vs. lettuce every single day). Satisfying instead of depriving (taco Tuesdays with fresh corn tortillas and tomatoes vs. brown rice and broccoli every day)
The yogi develops deep awareness of the sense of the taste of freshness. At first, it may not seem like the most fulfilling choice. The experienced yogi may enjoy both steamed broccoli and store bought highly processed French fries – but recognizes clearly the fulfillment of the taste of freshness in in the steamed broccoli. Divinely made -with discernment, the taste of fresh vegetables surpasses anything man made -without effort. The more awareness we have around those choices – the more our sense of taste develops.
Remember, as hatha yogis we are transforming the lead of our bodies as they are into the alchemical body – withstanding of all disease processes, a body which can regenerate and heal itself. We change on a molecular level through practice. Nourishing the body with that which is pure and wholesome, comes from nature supports a practice through which the nature potency of the body mind spirit complex is brought forth.
For every blog post (about once a month or less – there is an accompanying newsletter with a different perspective on the subject at hand. Yoga after all is experienced as trying things on from one perspective to another and another until the light goes on about the whole that encompasses the parts. You will not be subjected to marketing.
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For those of you first joining us, we have been looking at our yoga practices from the perspective of the classical teachings found in the yoga philosophy and related texts. We’ve been using the classical teachings as maps to explore in our asana practice. The segment we are working on now is a segment on the Indian philosophy of Sankhya. The map of the philosophy is shown below. It is a map of the cosmos from a particular perspective. We are journeying from the densest most physical aspects of our being to the most ethereal aspects of the cosmos. Technically, Sankhya and Yoga are completely separated disciplines. Philosophy, science, art are evolving permutations of interwoven understanding. All philosophies, sciences and arts touch one another, influence one another evolve one another. There is likely more than one map of Sankhya floating around the universe or the internet and ideas – like philosophy – end to cross-pollinate. Most yoga teachers learn about Sankhya philosophy in teacher training and I believe it’s worth exploring the subtle influence that it may have exerted in the understandings of yoga that have emerged. This post is not intended as a definitive answer to the question of what the Sankhya philosophy is, but rather how we can use an understanding of the philosophy to deepen our lived understanding of ourselves and our yoga practices.
/*Patanjali advises in Yoga Sutra 2.46:
*स्थिरसुखमासनम्॥४६॥
sthira-sukham-āsanam ||46||
The posture should be stable and easeful. */
We began our exploration of Sankhya and the senses with the sense of touch. We’ll be moving into an exploration of the sense of hearing, but first there are a few additional notes on working with the sense of touch as it relates to our asana practice.
As we develop our practices and deepen our awareness of touch – subtle deep unconscious patterns of tension will surface in our practice. There are two facets of working with that tension: first, to release those deep stress patterns and second, to move our bodies (on and off the mat) in ways that minimize the creation and holding of those stress patterns. When practicing asana it is important not to pile new tension patterns on top of the more deeply held ones in our eagerness to make a posture happen.
The primary way that a new tension pattern is created is to skip a level of your practice. To push through to a new level of posture before you have released the tension patterns which were revealed in a lighter expression of the posture. This results in a strain in the body’s tissue as opposing forces are exerted on a joint, muscle, or a specific pattern in the fascial tissue.
/*Forcing a yoga posture to happen is not the same as transcending pain and pleasure.*/
To stay in ease is to stay in union (yoga). To force, grip or struggle is to create separation – dis-ease. Anti-yoga. To stay in ease doesn’t mean you don’t work hard, stay focused and open to the idea that you might be able to accomplish something beyond your own expectations. Consider this: a certain amount of ease is necessary for any kind of success.
And then there is prana…
As we begin to develop discernment through the sense of physical touch in our practice, we will develop a sensitivity that allows us to detect sensory experiences which originate in prana. Prana is a subtle substance – an energy. Like sound it travels and has a felt presence. Like sound it manifests in a spectrum where different beings can perceive different levels of it. We know that different species perceive sensory information very differently. That would be true of perceiving prana as well. Some of us can feel it acutely, some of us can’t feel it at all.
And finally, sound is prana. Sound in various subtle degrees travels through the body in pranic circuits. This is why it reveals and heals. When we touch the ground with our hands and feet the channels are charged with the heartbeat of the earth.
As we begin to develop this feeling/touch/sensory discernment we discover that some of what we perceive as physical pain are actually blockages or fragilities which on the level of prana.
The clarity of the pranic channels (which we can feel through our sense of touch) is directly related to our capacity to hear and to hear on a subtle level (and to see and to smell and to taste, etc). This is the connection between touch and hearing in the yoga practice
/*Notice in the modified Sankhya Chart below the position of the sense on the map*/
CAN YOU HEAR ME? TURNING TOWARDS THE SOUND OF OUR OWN HEARTS
The Sankhya philosophy provides one possible map of the terrain of the mind body spirit connection. The journey can unfold as a trip where we elevate from tuning in only to our dense physical senses to opening to consciousness awareness in different degrees. This would commonly be called a journey towards enlightenment. The journey can also unfold as a kind of embodiment – where – like shamen we experience an inspired state of consciousness and then bring the inspiration down, to embody and manifest that experience in the physical world. One of the most “known” experiences of this process of bringing spirit into physical reality is the manifestation of deep healing by various saints and mystics. Probably the most well-known is Jesus – whose miraculous healings of lepers and raising of the dead are probably heard of by most people, even if they don’t believe in it. If you dig enough there are tales of other such healings by saints in all traditions. A more secular example of bringing spirit into the physical occurs with inspired innovations i.e. the light bulb or the personal computer. Sometimes innovation is planned and sought after but often it’s inspired.
The senses are the interface of consciousness with the manifested world on the Sankhya map. We touch the world, we hear the world, we see the world and so on. The yogi seeks to manage and clear the senses so that they do not interfere with our exploration of elevated states of consciousness. Yoga seeks to do what some people turn to substances to do. Drugs can numb the chatter of the mind, drugs can ignite an expanded state of consciousness. But with yoga, these states are attained through personal mastery, awareness and skill (i.e. mastering and clearing the senses). It removes the dependency that substances require. Yogis are independent.
Mastery of sound is an essential practice in hatha yoga. The yogin becomes unified with the ancient wisdom that permeates the deep silence connected with through practice. Then, the yogin aspires to staying harmoniously anchored in that “vibration” as they move through the world. This vibration is depicted by the ubiquitous symbol Om. Asana practice is both the ground of that harmonic synchrony and the training for sustained experience of that harmonic synchrony. There are a variety of practices used to cultivate this experience. In a very straightforward everyday way on the mat we can begin to condition ourselves to excel in these practices. The training goes something like this:
External sounds capture our attention on the mat. Some are quite annoying – talking, sirens, construction, airplanes, and other machinery. The yogin trains themselves to turn their attention from the external noise and into the inner landscape. There they meet another layer of sound –
Internal Chatter. Much of the chatter of our minds originates in experiences and beliefs rooted in the past with no place in the present. With mindful attention the yogi becomes aware of their absorption in this inner chatter and they train themselves to turn inward to a still deeper level of sound –
Subtle Sounds – The yogin hear many subtle sounds within as their pranic channels are cleared through consistent practice – Bells, whistles, drums and humming. In time, willingness to turn away from these distracting subtle sounds reveals yet a deeper subtler sound –
Nadam – Most likely this is the subtlest sound that a human can hear. It is steady, constant, ever present – like white noise but more ethereal. Tuning our attention away from more overt inner and outer noises to this perpetual background hum within and without, and allowing ourselves to relax into it begins a process of deep healing and awakening. But even then…the yogin turns their attention away from it, and towards something deeper –
The Anahata Nadam. The anahata nadam is the sound that is complete silence without vibration – the “unstruck” sound. Here the yogin relaxes into the deep silence and in stepwise fashion becomes absorbed in expanding stages of continuity.
We practice this way on the mat, and asana facilitates this process. In later stages conscious meditative seats (asanas) like virasana and padmasana support the process of allowing ourselves to be absorbed in silence without falling asleep or going unconscious.
In practicing asana how can we support this process in personal practice or when leading a class? The playlist. The playlist is most beneficial at early stages of this process. When the chatter of the mind is overwhelming and distracting on the mat that is when you want the playlist. It is also really helpful in situations of deep unconsciousness where you or those you are leading just can’t stay present – which is a result of trauma. It either wakes you up or calms you down. The goal is the experience of yoga – this inner absorptive yoking. It’s important to be aware that familiar music or verbal music will have associated mental imagery and memories and feelings that will be ignited and it’s likely to draw the attention outward rather than inward. Sometimes this is needed. But just be aware that a rousing playlist of familiar or exciting song might operate in a way that is inconsistent with your goal.
When you create your playlists consider creating a musical experience which propels the journey towards yoga and not to somewhere else. Like a soundtrack to a movie you are building up to something: an experience of yogic absorption for yourself or the student.
Indian classical music is designed to take you to this point, so it’s very useful. But if you use it too early in the process it can be too potent and cause a different kind of distraction.
Consider as well that when we take in music it can nourish us; pure sounds are deeply nourishing. Note that doesn’t always mean soft or new agey. A pure note is a perfect note. Some music that we love has those pure notes, and you will develope an ear for the perfect note as your practice unfolds. Allowing yourself to be nourished by deep clear sound is deeply healing as well as enlightening, and this can lead to all kinds of magnificence if approached with an open mind and heart.
The anahata nadam – that deepest level of sound resides in your spiritual heart. That’s where the note of silence lives. So when you touch it for the first time as a yogi you will feel and hear the spiritual heart.
Working with sound in asanas is accessible to all and an abundant and beautiful experience.
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There are a few ways that repetition is useful in a yoga practice. First, it wears a groove and opens us to experiences of greater depth. Constant change in our yoga practices is amazing- it builds resilience and the ability to adapt. But this experience of yoga – to become yoked to our deeper wisdom self – requires that we dig down deep enough to hit a level of awakening beyond our normal waking state. One benefit of getting in a groove, if we do it consciously, is that when our practice gets disrupted it’s easier to shift back into the positive mental and physical states we are cultivating. Perpetual change can break apart obstructions which obscure those deeper levels of ourselves, but once again, repetition is a key component to really getting deep in there. Like digging a hole, if we just take out a scoop here and there as we wish…our well will never be dug deep enough to access the clear pure water. Yoga works the same way.
Repetition is also a great tool for assessing our bodies from day to day. To get an accurate assessment, we need to do the same posture as we did the day before. Yesterday, my Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half seated spinal twist) was at a level I’d never experienced in 30 years of practice. Today, it wasn’t even at my average. This is interesting. It’s information about my body, my habits and my stress responses to the world around me. Repetition can lead to realization and understanding.
The other thing to consider though, is that repetition invites unconsciousness if it’s not the right time and place to do it. I remember when I started practicing I frequented the local Bikram studio. I thrived in the heat and the repetition. Then one day my knees started to hurt. I took a break from the practice and focused on Vinyasa for a while. As I embraced returning to vinyasa, I realized that in Bikram class I was going to sleep. Instead of using repetition to fine tune my execution of the postures – I practiced by rote, but was thinking about cupcakes. At first I thought the form of yoga I was doing was the problem. I realized as I practiced more and became more knowledgeable that, no, I had just gotten bored and stopped paying attention to the details. As a teacher I saw many students who gave up a posture or a style of yoga because they felt it wasn’t good for them. My experience is that when we experience a painful result it’s a call to greater attention to our moments on the mat, and to develop greater self awareness of the body in whatever way we can. Sometimes a change in practice wakes us up. Sometimes we just need to tune in deeply to what we are doing.
So how to practice with repetition in a way that is wise? You can place the posture repeatedly at certain junctures in the sequence you are practicing. Say Arhdhamatsyendrasana…at the beginning before sun salutes, after standing, between back bends and forward bends, between each back bend. Working this way requires that you begin with a very gentle execution of the posture and go progressively deeper.
Another approach is to design a short sequence to prepare for the posture you are working on and then repeat that entire short sequence at key junctures in your daily practice. This creates depth, and you can tweak the sequence to explore the impact of various lead ins to the posture you are exploring.
The last approach I’ll mention today is that you can just repeat a single posture several times a day, every day for a certain amount of time – a week, a month, a year. This will help you truly own the posture in a healthy way – it creates an intimacy with it that can change your whole understanding of yoga. Practicing repetition in asana practice is a profound way to deepen your practice and to experientially deepen your understanding of particular postures, how they work, the dynamics created by placing them in certain points of sequence. It’s a great way to transition your practice and teaching from a place where you are practicing and teaching what you have been told by others into a place where you are practicing and teaching from your own inner knowing.
Natalie Ullmann 