Conference Guide 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 1
Table of Contents Contents Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga...4 Chanting, Movement, and Breath: Turning Inward... 10 Elena Brower The Practice of Parenting... 11 A Meditation for Parents... 14 David Frawley Yoga & Veda... 15 Yoga and Ayurveda... 17 Meditation on Agni and the Spiritual Heart... 18 Sianna Sherman The Power of Myth and Storytelling... 19 Cultivating a Fearless Heart: Abhaya Hridaya Mudra Practice... 20 Rod Stryker Discovering the Treasures of Yoga... 21 Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom... 27 Shiva Rea Movement Meditation: The Art of Namaskar... 34 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 2
Table of Contents Robert Svoboda Pratyahara: The Yoga of Seeing and Believing... 40 A Meditation for Clarity... 43 Rolf Sovik Meditation Step-by-Step... 44 Asana for Meditation... 46 Pandit Tigunait Enrich Your Yoga Practice with the Power of Tantra... 47 A Tantric Meditation... 49 Lilias Folan Breathe, Stretch, and Smile:... 50 Practices for Every Body... 50 Inner Smile Practice... 51 Vasant Lad An Ayurvedic Journey: From Cosmic Consciousness to Daily Life... 52 Seane Corn Addressing Privilege and Inequity in Yoga Service... 55 The Empowered Teacher... 58 Body Prayer... 59 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 3
Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga Join Gary Kraftsow for an accessible introductory discussion about yoga philosophy and the inner practices of yoga. Learn about the human condition, how we can free ourselves from patterns that no longer serve us, and how to align with our true nature. Introduction This is an introduction to the inner practices of yoga. In this discussion, we will investigate the cause of human suffering as well as the ingrained patterns that cause us to act and react, and block us from seeing ourselves as we truly are. We will discover practices to help us understand the human condition, release false perceptions, and, ultimately, transform our lives. The Human Condition We live in a state of identification with and attachment to changing internal conditions and external circumstances. When faced with inevitable fluctuations in our internal landscape or in the external world, we struggle. The source of our suffering is our attachment to the way things are and our identification with our self-image. Fluctuating external circumstances and internal states incite our internal conditioning. In response, we act and react. Our resultant actions and reactions arise from our thoughts (which are in turn provoked by our feelings and desires), so we want to look carefully at our thoughts. All of our thoughts, feelings, and desires emerge from our deep conditioning, called samskara in yoga. Svabhava The tradition uses the term svabhava, which means our own character or our own form, to refer to our personality. Svabhava refers to four states: 1. Prakriti, which in ayurveda is defined as our original physical constitution, or the birth constitution 2. Vikriti, our current physical state 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 4
Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga 3. Manas prakriti,our mental constitution Manas prakriti further breaks down into three mental gunas (attributes), sattva, rajas, and tamas. -Sattva, rajas, and tamas stem from Kapila s Sankhya teaching. -The sage Kapila was influential in the philosophy that evolved into ayurveda and yoga. 4. Varna dharma, or our appearance -Varna dharma is usually referred to as the cast system, but it is more complex than that. -Varna dharma refers to how we appear to, and how we manifest in, the world. The svabhava emerges from what are called samskara and vasana. Samskara and Vasana The term samskara refers to mental impressions and habit patterns shaped by our previous experiences. Samskaras influence our self-concept in three ways: 1. As knower (who we think we are, or the stories we tell ourselves 2. As feeler (the emotional states that we routinely go through, including our reactive emotional patterning) 3. As doer (what we re doing in the world, our identity, and how we manifest ourselves in the world) Our self-concept as knower, feeler, and doer emerges from our deep unconscious patterns, samskaras, and at a deeper level, our vasanas. Both of these pattern types, or impressions, influence how we respond to daily life, how we think, feel, and act. The term vasana refers to abiding tendencies that, the tradition states, come from our past lives. In that sense, vasanas exist only at an unmanifest or latent level. It is our vasanas that become samskaras in our current life, and these samskaras lead to kriya (action). Kriya then creates memory, which continues the cycle by affirming the samskaras that are then carried into the next life as vasanas. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 5
Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga Svarupa In addition to our manifest character, the tradition addresses our true nature, what is called our svarupa. Svarupa means our own form or our true nature. Svarupa is equivalent to purusha, the Sankhya yoga word for the Vedic term, atman. We can understand our svarupa, or atman, as the unchanging source of pure awareness that dwells in all of us. Knowledge of our true self takes us beyond our identification and attachment. We call this knowledge atmavidya, which is one of the terms that points to selfrealization, the highest goal of yoga. Svadharma In Vedic teachings, sanatana dharma refers to the idea of finding happiness in the present moment and actualizing our highest potential, as well as finding the meaning and purpose of life in the face of reality, including the inevitability and reality of death. According to Vedic teachings, our deep purpose is to realize our true nature and to become free. Svadharma is personal dharma, which relates to our unique character and is connected to the vasanas and samskaras that manifested in our current manas prakriti, as well as our current life circumstances. Between our current state of being and self-realization, or atmavidya, the tradition teaches us to surface our samskaras, to realize our own individual dharma, and to find the way of working through patterns of identification and attachment that are at the root of our suffering. The deep goal of yoga is to work through karmic accumulations, break identification and attachment, actualize our potential, and realize our true nature. Asana and pranayama are tools to build the prana shakti, the energy needed to begin to conquer the mind, which is the real work. By conquering the mind, we can transform 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 6
Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga patterns and surface deeper patterns, so that we can become free of them and then realize our true nature. The path to do this is the inner tantric yoga, what we call antaranga sadhana, which includes meditation and mantra, and even ritual, prayer, and devata yoga, or deity yoga. Upaya Upaya, which can be defined as the means or method, is largely connected to the idea of meditation. The last three angas (limbs) of the ashtanga yoga of Patanjali are dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. Dharana (concentration) is the ability to move from the pattern of distraction to a pattern of attention. Dhyana (meditation) is a means of progressively purifying the svabhava, the instrument of perception purifying preconceptions, desires, attitudes, and opinions about life that interfere with our ability to see things as they really are. The goal is not only to master attention but also to increasingly empty ourselves of our opinions, so that we can be present to the moment and see whatever is in our sphere of experience as it truly is, without past conditioning distorting our perception. As we cultivate this ability to focus and sustain attention, we begin to gain an understanding called jnanam, which is knowledge about the subject of our focus. This knowledge is the fruit of meditation, and it can aid us in understanding how our samskaras, or conditioning, influence our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Samadhi is the stage at which we merge with who we truly are when we cease to identify with our identifications or attachments and instead identify with our true nature as purusha, svarupa, or atman. If we are theologically oriented, that merging is with a form of the divine, which is Ishvara, in yogic language. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 7
Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga Svadhyaya Svadhyaya is an important technique that Patanjali references for the work of servicing samskaras, purifying svabhava, and actualizing svarupa. It is located in the Kriya Yoga Sutras, the second chapter of the Yoga Sutra. Svadhyayanum etymologically means to go toward yourself or to return toward yourself. In Hinduism, svadhyaya means to read or chant the mantras received from the family line. So, for orthodox Hindus, it is a recitation of the appropriate texts that tell them about their true nature. In a modern context, we can think about svadhyaya as self-observation, self-reflection, and self-analysis. This self-analysis is a form of meditation that helps us to examine our values, priorities, motivations, and desires, and to expose them to the light of consciousness so that we can become free of our patterns. Sankalpa The word sankalpa has many different meanings. In this context, it points to our determination in our practice and the mastery of our will. Sankalpa, or setting intention, is an important part of practice. It is the first action taken in practice and serves as a way of making every practice authentic and relevant to what is actually happening in daily life. Sankalpa can help us to expose our unhealthy patterns and create new, healthy patterns to take their place. A sankalpa is a conception or idea that is formed in the heart-mind, meaning it s a conception about which we have conviction in our heart and clarity in our mind. It s a decision we have made. It is our deepest wish, so deep that it becomes a resolution or a vow. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 8
Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga Mantra Mantra, which relates to both svadhyaya and sankalpa, is classically perceived as an instrument of thought, or perhaps a sacred or mystical kind of incantation, but it really is a tool to transform the mind. Mantra shifts our way of perceiving and helps open inner doors of perception. Mantra helps us to cultivate and actualize potentials that haven t yet been actualized. Mantra links us to the mysterious forces that the mantras themselves represent. Sushumna The sushumna is one of the three most important nadis, or subtle energy channels. It is the central channel, and the ida and pingala wrap around it. It is a core archetypal image that is at the center of esoteric transformation traditions. Sushumna is part of the Vedic and Tibetan lineages. It is seen in the Greek caduceus, with its serpents wrapping the central staff. It is seen in the Jewish Kabbalah as the tree of life, with the sephirot ordered in three columns center, left, and right. The etymology of sushumna points to the good or most excellent path to happiness or joy, in that su means good or excellent and sumna means peace, joy, happiness. The tradition teaches that the sushumna doesn t exist in the gross physical body. It exists in the subtle body, but we can tap into or awaken it if our mind is calm, clear, and tranquil. Pranayama often focuses on central channel breathing. Linking the flow of breath to the mental recitation of a mantra brings the meaning of that mantra into the core of our being. This is one of the most powerful tools for awakening sushumna, which in turn brings the deep meaning of a mantra into the core of our being and allows it to permeate our whole system and influence our lives. The tradition also states that when sushumna is awakened, the deepest states of meditation are possible. This is considered one of the most important goals of yoga and a path to freedom, called the moksha marga, or the path to liberation. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 9
Gary Kraftsow Inner Practices of Yoga Opening sushumna is one of the main tools used to bring us to a state of atmavidya (selfknowledge), or even brahmavidya (knowledge of the totality). The experience of the awakened sushumna is also said to be the experience of ananda, or unconditional joy. The Vedas describe our svarupa as sat chit ananda. Sat chit ananda is our own true name. The experience of the central channel gives us the means of awakening to that and to the true experience of ananda. Conclusion In the yogic tradition, it is considered essential to engage continually in self-reflection until we recognize that our thoughts, our choices, and our actions are influenced by deeply conditioned patterns, known as samskaras and vasanas. The deep work is to consciously surface these unconscious patterns and bring them into the light of our conscious awareness, the chit jyoti, in order to free ourselves from their influence. Otherwise, they keep coming up and coming up, and we keep acting and reacting. This thwarts the goal of inner yoga practice, which is to refine and transform our character, actualize our potential, and realize our true nature as the unchanging source of pure awareness. Chanting, Movement, and Breath: Turning Inward Join Gary in this dynamic practice that integrates asana, pranayama, chanting, and sankalpa. Open your eyes, and see the world from the core of your being. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 10
Elena Brower The Practice of Parenting Our sacred duty as parents is to feel whole so that our children have the example of our own self-worth. Benefits of this course Concrete practices for wholeness Entering a rich dialogue with ourselves and our children Becoming a total example Sharing dialogue with other parents Resources for the course Triple Focus, by Daniel Goleman and Peter Senge Parent s Tao Te Ching, by William Martin Tao of Motherhood, by Vimala McClure Tao of Leadership, by John Heider Three different ways of teaching, according to Goleman and Senge Inner: ability to observe ourselves Outer: ability to empathize Other: grasping the larger system Sections of this course Listening for the Inner Articulating for the Other Relating for the Outer 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 11
Elena Brower The Practice of Parenting Aphorism 49 (Tao te Ching) Parent s Tao Te Ching: Respect Tao of Motherhood: The particular Tao of Leadership: Be open to whatever emerges Aphorism 19 (Tao te Ching) Parent s Tao Te Ching: Recognize the inner realities Tao of Motherhood: Return Tao of Leadership: Self-improvement Section One: Listening for the Inner Connecting with self Taking care of ourselves and modeling this for our children A two-fold practice for honest acknowledgement of self Connecting with child Seeing your children as they are and remaining in the present Communication techniques to empower your child Building awareness and reducing reactivity Meditate every day Conduct self-study 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 12
Elena Brower The Practice of Parenting Aphorism 11 Parent s Tao Te Ching: The still point Tao of Motherhood: Empty spaces Tao of Leadership: The group field Section Two: Articulating for the Other The power of empathy Betterment of society and personal relationships Cultivates social and emotional learning Nurture empathy at home Ask children to empathize Reduce fight or flight mode Articulate how to care The three kinds of empathy Cognitive Emotional Empathic concern Aphorism 57 Parent s Tao Te Ching: Reward and punishment Tao of Motherhood: Be firm Tao of Leadership: Doing less and being more 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 13
Elena Brower The Practice of Parenting Aphorism 28 Parent s Tao Te Ching: Transforming the world Tao of Motherhood: Healing Tao of Leadership: A warrior, a healer, and Tao Section Three: Relating for the Outer Cultivating innate systems intelligence Being a good systems thinker Understanding the big picture 11 practical tools Aphorism 66 Parent s Tao Te Ching: Lead by example Tao of Motherhood: Equanimity Tao of Leadership: Low and open A Meditation for Parents Elena leads us through a meditation which invites simplicity and surrender into our lives. Although this practice is geared toward parents, it s truly relevant for anyone. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 14
David Frawley Yoga & Veda Re-imagine your practice and yourself by grounding your understanding of yoga in Vedic wisdom. Introduction Connections and integration between yogic and Vedic systems Linking yoga to daily life Connecting to flow of consciousness Harmonizing body, prana, senses, and mind A new view of yoga and ourselves Yoga as a practice of direct experience Returning to the essence of being Overcoming the limited mind Adopting humility Moving into the unknown Transcending the ego Elevating consciousness Drop the methods and stay inspired Connect to the cosmic mind behind the surface Cultivating stillness Tapas as a development of inaction Going beyond asana Relaxing into natural healing 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 15
David Frawley Yoga & Veda Disengaging the mind from the senses Letting go of bodily identification Using the senses in a contemplative manner Yoga is about unitary prana and unitary mind. The one-pointed mind Engaging in practices of concentration Becoming independent of external influence Developing the witness Inner centering extending into outer activity Becoming wholly present What teachers and students should know There are many depths and dimensions of yoga beyond the body alone. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 16
David Frawley Yoga and Ayurveda Exploring yoga and ayurveda as an integrative approach to healing. The relationship between yoga and ayurveda Both yoga and ayurveda are rooted in the Vedic tradition. Defining ayurveda from within the Vedic system A system of healing for body and mind Treatment of disease, and right living Defining yoga from within the Vedic system A way of seeing and applying Vedic knowledge A practical approach to the liberation of consciousness Ayurveda and yoga work together Yoga as sadhana and ayurveda as medicine Yoga alleviates spiritual suffering. Ayurveda uses prime principles of yoga therapeutically. Yoga psychology and ayurvedic psychology are the same. Ayurveda emphasizes healing and yoga emphasizes sadhana. Both develop the sattva guna and balance dualistic energy. Ayurveda helps us understand the energetic effects of yoga. Both ayurveda and yoga manage our karmas. How these traditions compliment each other Ayurveda is the foundation of yoga. Yoga spiritualizes ayurveda. Ayurveda grounds the spiritual aspects of yoga. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 17
David Frawley Meditation on Agni and the Spiritual Heart A simple meditation which brings together the teachings of yoga, Veda, and ayurveda. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 18
Sianna Sherman The Power of Myth and Storytelling Learn about the significance of storytelling in our personal lives, our culture, and our yoga classes, and listen as Sianna artfully shares a story about the great goddess Durga and her battle with the the buffalo demon Mahisha. Outline Sianna s love of storytelling Stories bring the listener to a non-linear kind of awareness. According to shamanic traditions, stories help the world to flower. How storytelling can benefit you All the yoga teachings are contained in stories. You are every character in a well-told story. Good and bad characters work out their struggles inside you. Resistance arises when you begin the journey of transformation. Completion of the journey gives you, the seeker, a healing elixir. At this time, you must share your healing power with others. Stories live through many generations How a story is told depends on who s telling it. As a teacher, you MUST make the story your own. You do this by activating a kind of deep listening. This allows you as a teacher to transmit the power of the story. The story of the buffalo demon Mahisha and his struggle with the goddess Durga s alldestroying Love. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 19
Sianna Sherman What it means to be a Warrior Everything must become food for the warrior. The Power of Myth and Storytelling All action must lead to showing up authentically and opening the heart space. Cultivating a Fearless Heart: Abhaya Hridaya Mudra Practice Sianna shows us how to use the abhaya hridaya mudra (fearless heart mudra) to harmonize and collaborate with our fears and ultimately allow those fears to call us back to a place of greater courage. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 20
Rod Stryker Discovering the Treasures of Yoga What are the promises of yoga, and how can we achieve them? In this lecture, Rod explores yoga s promises and treasures; explains how they are revealed and supported through an enlightened, holistic combination of yoga, tantra, and ayurveda; and makes a more-than-convincing case for the transformative power of meditation and the gifts that unfold from it. Yoga today, and the intersection of yoga, tantra, and ayurveda Putting together these three systems is not new; it s how practice was done originally. Hatha yoga: Asana unfolds into meditation and a diverse array of practices, physical as well as internal and meditative, including pranayama, which bridges the more external and internal practices. We see this in the early hatha yoga texts. The role of meditation and the stages of practice: What are the critical stages that allow us to move further and further along the path to ultimately achieving the treasures and promise of yoga? Defining the terrain: What is the promise of yoga? Three or four common steps or goals: STEP 1: Unsurpassed calm, and the ability to sustain it STEP 2: From that unsurpassed calm comes the recognition of the Self, of who we really are. As a result of this realization, the obstacles we confront on a daily basis are removed. STEP 3: Experiencing the embodiment of divinity. This idea comes more from tantra than from classical yoga. In tantra, we don t want to dissolve and lose our body, but rather ultimately embody that which is our Source. From this notion of embodying divinity comes a threefold idea 1. That we can access and live with boundless will 2. That we can access the boundless knowledge we need to fulfill our desire 3. That we have the capacity for limitless action--the ability to act spontaneously in the right way at the right time, so as to allow us to reap the greatest rewards 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 21
Rod Stryker Discovering the Treasures of Yoga This may sound quite exalted, but it s actually very practical. Imagine if you had more capacity to fulfill your will; more complete access to the things that you need to know in order to fulfill your desire; and ultimately, the capacity to act in such ways and at such times as would make you the most successful. STEP 4: (Final Achievement) This speaks to complete absorption, complete oneness, or samadhi--complete absorption into the most exalted source of the universe of which we a part. We would, especially in the tantric tradition, make the case that this is who we are, and that therefore we truly embody the highest satyam (truth), shivam (auspiciousness), and sundaram (beauty). How can the three methodologies (yoga, ayurveda, and tantra) help us to achieve these four common steps/goals of yoga? Yoga brings the dawning of self-knowledge and awareness. Ayurveda helps us understand and maintain balance while adjusting our bodies and minds to our changing needs. Staying balanced enables us to get the most out of the practices of yoga and tantra. Tantra cultivates power. It is sometimes called shakti sadhana (the practices that give us access to power). No matter what we want to accomplish, the more power we have, the more successful we will be, provided that our success is grounded in intelligence, knowledge, and self-understanding. The process of becoming our best self The first meaningful step in the yogic process is the transition from distraction to focus. Auspiciousness, success, and happiness/thriving--whether in the material world or the spiritual-- cannot occur without refinement in our perception. Can this be achieved through asana practice? Yes! Through asana, we learn perception. We learn to let go of resistance, to recognize straining and patterning, and to transition from a distracted mind to a focused mind. But if we really want to make meaningful progress, we have to start meditating. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 22
Rod Stryker Discovering the Treasures of Yoga The power of meditation, its various stages, and the unique attributes and capacities we develop from it as we go along STEP ONE: Moving from distraction to focus It s all about perception--finding your solutions when you don t have them; cultivating a clear, calm, and tranquil mind. Ayurveda s teachings on environment, mind, and diet: ways that we create the greatest likelihood of getting more from our yoga practice by leaning into the teachings that help us get more balance. The intention, the real foundation of change, is to build steadiness, both physiologically and psychologically; to become less affected by circumstances. Shifting our yoga from a lot of movement to integrating more stabilization. Asana means seat. What if we took 3-5 poses in our sequence and just stayed in them longer? As the body becomes more stable, the introduction to meditation becomes easier. When we try to focus our mind, we discover how unfocused we are-- how hard it is to focus. If we re going to change for the better, it has to be our own mind that makes those changes. If we don t quit, what begins to unfold? We re amazed that we re doing it! The world is moving, but we re trying to get still. And as that starts to happen, extraordinary gifts start to unfold. Self understanding; the dawning of the seer/seen phenomenon 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 23
Rod Stryker Discovering the Treasures of Yoga The discovery that we spend so little time in the present. No wonder life is not as easy as I d like it to be. I m so rarely present. The humility that this realization brings More kindness to oneself as a result Not only do we begin to have more self-acceptance, we also begin to have more acceptance of others. Steadiness, clarity, and tranquility are the foundation, and later comes luminous wisdom and the capacity for self acceptance. Keep it simple! Meditate on the breath or a simple mantra. Any object that will help you focus your attention will suffice in the beginning. Final step in this big first step: By remaining consistent in your meditation, the unconscious begins to percolate and come to the surface. This has two basic aspects: 1. Are you conscious of your timeless Self? Of God? Of how much people love you? That s all in your unconscious most of the time, and it becomes less unconscious as the unconscious is revealed to conscious awareness. 2. Samskaras (unsettled, unprocessed impressions stored in the mind that create thought waves) sit in our unconscious and influence our self-perception, relationships, and decisions. As these samskaras come to the surface, we need to focus on the second step/ stage in our meditation practice. STEP TWO: Once we ve cultivated a certain amount of capacity for mental focus, as opposed to distraction, we now move into meditation on the heart. The heart has unique qualities in it. Meditation at the heart can be done in many different ways. Now we have to integrate the heart presence, or the light of the heart, referred to in 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 24
Rod Stryker Discovering the Treasures of Yoga Yoga Sutra 1.36, perhaps the pivotal sutra on this subject. The light (jyotir) of the heart is vishok, free of sorrow. This means that there s a light presence, an intelligence, in our heart center that allows no pain to enter. In this Step 2, we are developing a reference point for seeing the true nature of who we are. Trying to meditate on the heart will not be productive initially--not until we ve cultivated a sustained, one-pointed mind. But once stuff starts to come up, we need to work at the heart center. Here in the heart is where obstacles dissolve and unconditional contentment arises. This is the key piece that allows us to resolve inner conflicts. A high level of self-acceptance and self-awareness in this contentment-filled light is the prerequisite for moving into meaningful practice as it relates to tantric hatha yoga - cultivation of power. Now we have set the stage to practice kundalini yoga in earnest. STEP THREE: We ve resolved a good amount of our unconscious stuff, and now we re ready to move on to the next piece--the complete embodiment of the power, the light, the luminosity of our Source. This is where we re going to deliberately approach the spark of spirit, of divinity. We re going to approach it and ultimately embody it. When we embark on kundalini yoga, we have to have some resolution of our stuff. Now we re working at the navel center, to purify the lower three chakras. Often we talk about awakening kundalini, but rather than thinking of kundalini as being asleep, perhaps it s WE who are asleep. Kundalini yoga is making us--our body, mind, breath, energy system, emotional body, mental body--prepared for this energy which is already awake. We are waking up. We want to become fit to embody the totality of this most exalted form of divinity. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 25
Rod Stryker Discovering the Treasures of Yoga STEP FOUR: When we start to awaken to this energy, we now go back to the heart, and we abide in the heart. The reason for this has to do with our pranic anatomy. The heart has the capacity to hold pranic energy more than any other center. It s at the heart that we begin to embody this energy, and we have the ability to dissolve the apparent sense of duality. This is setting us up for the final step/stage. FINAL STEP: When yogis reach a point at which they are always awake to their place in divinity--a constant, 24-hour, waking experience--the yogis then meditate at the crown of the head The crown is the final stage--the fourth goal mentioned earlier--pure absorption and oneness. Now there is no difference between the seeker and the sought. Conclusion The above is a systematic, methodical approach to moving from asana to meditation, from a distracted mind to a one-pointed mind, and ultimately, to settling and resolving the unconscious. This approach finally leads us into the deeper practices related to the final goals, the final stages, of kundalini yoga. If you take this methodical approach and receive the guidance of a genuine teacher who has also been moving through this process, there is no doubt that you will advance on the path and that the path will reward you in all respects. Continue to receive guidance, and practice what you understand, and the teacher and the teachings will be there to support you in finding what you re looking for. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 26
Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom Introduction In this workshop, we ll be discussing and practicing a series of Sanskrit dharanas (meditation practices) and tantric exercises aimed at helping us connect inwardly to the fundamental, underlying pulsation of the life force, which is the empty, pulsing, pure awareness that is the source of everything. Vijnana Bhairava These practices are derived from a tantric text called the Vijnana Bhairava, which many experts consider to be one of the foundational texts of the entire tradition. The Vijnana Bhairava comes from the northern Indian tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, a form of tantra that considers reality non-dual, in that every particle of what we experience in the physical world, and every particle of the subtle world, is absolutely congruent with the divine reality the ultimate reality that lies behind the phenomenal world. Vijnana is defined as the knowledge that arises from experience. Bhairava is one of the names of the absolute reality or consciousness, normally known in the Indian tradition as Shiva. The Vijnana Bhairava is a dialogue between two aspects of reality: pure awareness, or the divine masculine, and the pulsing, dynamic energy at the heart of reality, the divine feminine which is depicted in this text as Shiva s consort, beloved, and tantric partner. Tantra Essentially, tantra is a practical approach to the yoga of non-duality, which uses the body, mind, and energy field for expanding consciousness. The word tantra is understood in many ways, but it is often translated as a weaving, or as an expansion. The tantras, the texts which are the basis of the tantric tradition, include both enormously complex philosophical treatises and very practical collections of mantras, formulas, and practical exercises. The great sage Abhinavagupta said, Everything is everything, which has become a core teaching of tantra. By this he means that everything is of the same fundamental energy 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 27
Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom and awareness. The dynamism out of which the Big Bang occurred is also present at the very center of the atom, which the microscope has revealed is largely empty space but which we ve come to realize is not empty space, but rather is actually pregnant and pulsing with potential. Everything is everything also indicates that there is absolutely nothing in the universe which will not yield an entrance point into your deeper self. In tantra, reality is not simply pure being, or one monistic entity. Reality at its core has a fundamental binary quality. It is both awareness and energy, stillness and dynamism, masculine and feminine. One of the most important and radical distinctions in the Indian tantric tradition is that the masculine is still, unmoving, and passive. The feminine is the source of power, the source of energy, the source of dynamism. The masculine, in mythological terms, is known as Shiva. Shiva means both that which is auspicious, and that which underlies everything. The power aspect behind everything, the feminine, is called Shakti, which literally means power or force. Shakti is also given the name spanda, from the same root as the word expand. Spanda means vibration, and it refers to the central vibratory quality of reality, which we experience in ocean tides, the rhythm of seasons, and in all the movements of life. Meditation In this practice, we re going to tune into these two aspects of reality, which also exist inside our own minds, where unity and duality are constantly at play. So, with your eyes closed, become aware of the sensations that you re experiencing in your body. Become aware of the sounds around you, including the sound of Sally s voice. Become aware of the movement of your breath. Become aware of the movement of thoughts. And now, see if you can become aware of that awareness, that capacity for attention, that 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 28
Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom is present to all these different aspects of your experience. As you do, consider that your awareness has been present, holding your experience ever since you became aware of yourself as a sentient being. Keep tuning yourself to this awareness that is present to your experience, the underlying knowingness, the underlying awareness of your experience, the Shiva aspect of your consciousness, the still knower. With some sense of the presence of the knower, allow yourself to feel the rising of thoughts, the flow of the breath, the experience of sensation, the entire panoply of your experience of yourself. Open your eyes. ShivaShakti It is said in tantra that Shiva, or pure being, is the ground of everything and the knowingness of everything. And all else is Shakti, the power of being. Everything is moving and filled with a kind of pulsation, an excitement, that is the hallmark of the feminine aspect of consciousness, Shakti. The Shiva facet of reality is the experience of the pure I. The Shakti aspect of reality, in its most fundamental form, is the capacity of consciousness to experience itself. More poetically, it could be stated that Shiva is I and Shakti is am, and the two dance together as the I am. Shakti is the blissfulness that Shiva experiences when he allows himself to recognize his own existence. The Shakti aspect of existence leaps up in bliss and overflows into the universe, into, in fact, countless universes. In contemporary scientific terms, we could say that this moment of ShivaShakti overflowing is that same pregnant moment of the Big Bang, when something utterly mysterious at the heart of consciousness overflows into manifestation. In the process of manifesting, Shakti literally disguises herself from herself. In consequence, as we come into physical manifestation, we lose the capacity to understand 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 29
Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom the complete interconnectedness of all that is. Because of this, it s said in the tantric tradition that Shakti has two faces. One of her faces is maya (illusion), with which she conceals the ultimate oneness of everything behind millions and millions of forms. The other face is the face of liberation, because it is said in the tantras that at a certain point, Shakti, who has concealed herself in the world, reveals herself inside the consciousness of a human being. Awakening In the Vijnana Bhairava, detail about what it takes for a human being to wake up and recognize his or her own essential nature begins in a mythic context. Shiva and Shakti are conversing in one of the higher celestial realms when Shakti asks, How can I become united with the Shiva state? Shiva answers that practices in and of themselves cannot reveal his nature. Rather, his nature is the natural bliss that rises when the ego, the sense of individuality, has dissolved, and the self is totally merged in itself. He continues to state that the Shiva state is unknowable because it is the state of the knower, and the only way to reach the pure essence of reality (Shiva) is through Shakti. He says that because reality is permeated with his invisible presence and with the invisible presence of Shakti, by connecting to Shakti, a person can walk through one of these enumerable doorways into the heart of reality. This story teaches that by connecting oneself to the dynamic power of the universe as it manifests, and tracing it back to its source, it becomes possible to enter into the absolute state. Shiva then gives her a series of practices for recognizing spaces of potential awake awareness in all kinds of unusual ways and places places which serve as the doorways into the state of pure consciousness. The first practice that he gives her, and by extension us, is the practice of tuning to the space between one breath and another, which is one of the foundational practices of both 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 30
Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom the Indian and Buddhist traditions. He then discusses awakening kundalini, which again is one of the great esoteric practices. Practicing the Void What Shiva is telling us in these verses is that our physical body and the natural openings within our physical body are literally doorways into expanded consciousness. So, make a circle with your arms. Or it might be more comfortable if you just raise your forearms a little bit, so that you can actually experience your armpits as open spaces. Close your eyes and bring your awareness simultaneously into the space within each armpit. Inhaling and exhaling, focus completely on the space within the armpits. Crazy as it sounds, the space within your armpits is a door into pure awareness. One of the secrets of this practice is having a simultaneous awareness of the space within both armpits. Focus not on the armpit itself, but on the space just below, on the openness. Open your eyes when you re ready. This practice can also be done with eyes open. Empty Body Practice Another method for using your body to tune into the essential spaciousness at the heart of reality is to imagine that your entire physical body is empty. This is an Indian tantric practice. It s also a very famous Buddhist practice, especially in the Tibetan tradition. Close your eyes and imagine that your physical body is empty and your skin is a thin membrane surrounding totally empty space. Allow the breath to flow in and flow out. Focus on experiencing your body as totally empty, totally spacious. Open your eyes. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 31
Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom This practice can also be done with eyes open. This practice is very helpful for alleviating stress, as it has the ability to return the meditator to an open, spacious state. It is also a wonderful way to begin a meditation. The Doorway of Emotion Practice This practice comes from a verse in the Vijnana Bhairava, which teaches that the state of fully embodied, liberating shakti is easily accessed in extreme emotional states. Remember an experience of either anger or grief (other emotions can serve as doorways, but for the purposes of this meditation, we ll stick with anger or grief ). Once you ve chosen your emotion, stay with it, or you won t be able to build as much energy. Think of a recent situation in which you felt one of these emotions strongly. Remember where you were, who you were with, and especially the feeling, the felt sense of it. Notice where you find this energy in your body. If you re really working with the memory, you should have a sense of an intense, irritated presence, or perhaps a strong sense of loss, in your heart, your gut, or your throat. Allow yourself to focus very intensely on that very felt sense inside your body. Now, remove yourself from the events, remove the story, remove the thoughts about it. Just focus on the energy. Imagine that with your attention and awareness, you enter into the energetic current in your body. Take a dive into the heart of that energy. Move through the energy at the center of your body toward the back of the body. Do this without allowing thoughts to arise. Or, if thoughts are arising, just let them go. Focus more and more intensely on entering into the experience of this energy inside your body. Now imagine that there s a large circle of spaciousness surrounding your body and surrounding the feeling of that energy. Allow yourself to hold that spaciousness and the emotional intensity together. Allow the spaciousness to permeate the emotional intensity. And allow the emotional intensity to morph in whatever way it will. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 32
Sally Kempton Tantra for Inner Freedom Conclusion Tantra teaches us that our experiences serve as doorways that can carry us to the very pulsing heart of the energy of life, and from that energetic heart into the core of being, where we begin to effortlessly realize that we are, indeed, the source of all that is. We realize that everything that arises and subsides in this world arises and subsides from within us, and that our consciousness, our energy, is the doorway into the liberated awareness of absolute reality. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 33
Shiva Rea Movement Meditation: The Art of Namaskar The essence of namaskar Somewhere in the translation process of surya namaskar to sun salutation, we miss something. because namaskar doesn t really translate in essence to salutation, which is a formal and now fairly uncommon expression. Namaskar evokes a sense of heart transformation, something that we really feel. This is also the case with roots like pranam, which is to bow, to go into a state of really realizing through the heart. Invitation to feel the sunrise as the entry point into our namaskar practice Connecting with the heart The universal aspects/offerings/transformations that all beings can experience Anjali mudra is a universal mudra. Svabhava mudra: Touch thumbs together, and palms of hands can really ground upon your heart. As we connect to the sensations in the heart region, we begin to move into the experience of heart consciousness, and it s a special, yet natural, way of perceiving. The sensation of heat that we experience in our heart: There s some heat that s connected in yoga to the inner light of the heart, and this becomes that micro- and macrocosmic connection that is part of the essence of namaskar. Connecting arm movements with the breath and with AUM Moving arms like the sun, and rhythms of samana and vyana vayus Open eyes to half gaze, so that inner gaze still connects to heart center. Feel the inhale draw into the heart. Exhale, arms extend from our heart. As hands draw back to heart, take refuge in the relaxation. Exhale and expand; offer AUM. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 34
Shiva Rea Inhale; exhale and chant AUM; inhale to center. Repeat two more times, then relax hands down. Movement Meditation: The Art of Namaskar Namaskar is universal. Consider that all human beings who are alive and all of our ancestors have experienced surya namaskar, whether it was through the beauty of sunrise or sunset, or in a place that was cold and snowy, with the sun coming out through the clouds. There s a spontaneous inner awe, inner stillness, and that really is the starting place of namaskar. Often we think of sun salutes as a means of warming up the body, but before that, there s an inner activation. That s why it s wonderful to actually face the sun as you practice, and to feel in that spontaneous quietude the shift of consciousness that comes with namaskar. Namaskar is not only found in yoga, but also in other forms of movement such as Indian classical dance. Bhumi pranam Kalaripayattu Namaskar is practical. It s an inner anchor. It can create a shift almost instantaneously. The power of simple movement meditation Experience how the effect of hasta mudras (hand gestures) can also be experienced as sharira mudras (whole-body mudras). This is why pranams (prostrations) are so effective. The actual shape of the body: What happens when you go into this connection with the earth, with your frontal brain and heart on the earth? There s an instantaneous shift; you don t have to be instructed into it. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 35
Shiva Rea The space of bhava Bhava comes from the root to be. Movement Meditation: The Art of Namaskar Mood is a common translation, but it doesn t speak to the interior experience. Feeling-awareness is a good translation; it speaks to the activation of heart consciousness. In surya namaskar, when facing the sun, this is the initial quality of instinctual love and gratitude we experience when we receive the light of the sun. We can hear about the benefits of sunshine, and understand them intellectually, but bhava is different; it s a shift that happens in the heart and that we can feel in microcosm. Experience pranam. Just bowing forward is the essence of the inner state of pranam. Wherever you are, just do that, and feel, for three cycles of breath, the shift that happen inside. Notice the breath slowing down. Notice the effect of frontal brain on the earth. You can experience that quietude between frontal brain and heart center anywhere, and experience consciousness permeating your entire body. We can also see pranams as the origin of chaturanga. The benefits of prostration practice The beauty of a pranam or prostration practice is that anybody can experience it. Pranam is particularly effective when we re having life challenges. We can experience the essence of pranam as an inner bow. If you feel any excess vata dosha, or distractions, you can create an inner anchor through the power of the hand mudra and then the arm movements. 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 36
Shiva Rea Movement Meditation: The Art of Namaskar Tending the heart fire Why is it that we sometimes experience heat/warmth in our heart region? How is it that this fluctuates? Why do we sometimes feel shut down and disconnected? How is it that in the many diverse yoga practices--mantra, pranayama, movement--or when you hug someone or feel the bhavas of love or grattitude, this sensation increases? Hridaya is our heart consciousness. Bhava is a way of tending this inner light of the heart, described as jyotir/jyoti, and the aham aham jyotir; jyotir aham. Aham is sacred grounding, it s not the outer I, but this sense of self that s connected to the atma jyotir, the light of the soul. Sri Anandamayi Ma on pranams To do pranam (obeisance) means to put one s head where it should be at the feet of God. His feet are everywhere and therefore one may do namaskar (salutation) everywhere, remembering the feet of God. To do pranam means to open oneself to the divine power, which is always streaming down on everyone. The practice of pranam First round of pranam The progression of pranam Begin pranam practice standing at the back of the mat. Facing east for the sun, or facing your own home altar, or you could light a candle, or simply find a space that becomes sacred through your own inner recognition. Simple half-pranam practice Full pranam practice Experiencing the pranams in different rhythms. If you have the tendency to aggravate vata, enjoy the pranams slowly, and focus on the 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 37
Shiva Rea devotional aspect. This is also very grounding for pitta. Quicker, more active pranams Movement Meditation: The Art of Namaskar You can also use mantra with the pranam. The bijas of surya namaskar are particularly wonderful because they embody natural radiance. Surya namaskar bija mantras Hram Hrim Hroom Hraim Hraum Hraha Practice of surya namaskar with bija mantras Through a teacher, you can learn the alignment of individual asanas, but this is more about the inner alignment. Start surya namaskar at the front of the mat. Practicing different rhythms: slow, steady pace, vigorous movement. What is it like to keep the inner connection as you move through the different rhythms? To really circulate that vitality through the entire body? 2015 Yoga International YogaInternational.com 38