Tag Archives: Relaxation

Death is a transition…

Posted
Filed under Insights

Death has not been as proximal to me as it has been to others.  I have never lived in a war zone, I did not have friends succumb to violence in youth, my grandparents, parents, sibling, and spouse are either alive or have transitioned at a ripe old age.  However, this year two friends, both in their middle thirties and who I had been very close to several years ago, passed away.  Whenever death makes a showy appearance it causes me to reflect on impermanace and transition.

My husband, one of my greatest teachers, refers to death as the great equalizer–it is the one experience we are all guaranteed to partake in. However, it is also the one we have no concrete information on… we will only know when we arrive.

Here arises the question, how do we best prepare for this unavoidable journey? One place is with an understanding of the concept of avidya— the primal ignorance of identification with what is not who we are.

Bindu

The Himalayan Tradition holds to the belief that, to the uniformed individual, what we appear to be and what we truly are is often misunderstood. What we are, according to this nondual tradition, is eternal, perfect, pure consciousness. What we appear to be is temporary, greatly flawed, and governed by the laws of the physical world–avidya is this misidentification.

How do we begin to dissolve the grip of avidya, the first step is knowing of it’s existence. The second is through our meditation and adjunct practices.

In meditation, we, initially, set down the false identities that are closer to the surface: teacher, student, asana instructor. Gradually progressing to the deeper ones: wife, mother, woman. Eventually to the deepest ones: human, fearful, temporary.

Many traditions discuss practicing for death– I particularly resonate with the sibling tradtion of Tibetan Buddhism and their “Death Meditations“.  The Himalayan Tradition explains we must be a scientist “an interior researcher“– we musn’t subscribe to a belief because of blind faith– we must develop experiential knowledge.  We can lightly knock on the entrance to deaths door by moving into the causal plane of consciousness with Yoga Nidra in savasana (the one asana that no one seems to translate into English “corpse pose”); or, we can move into superconsciousness with meditation and experience the Silence of the Center.  Although these are temproary states, little by little one develops a knowing that these states are closer to our intrinsic one.

I have no intention of belittling the grief that we experince with the “passing” of a loved one through the veil.  However, as this transition is inevitable for all of us it would behoove us to be as comfortable and unafraid of this journey as possible.

 

Presence of Mind

Posted
Filed under Poetry

image

It tried to leave me,
but can the liver leave its heart behind?
it looked in the mirror,
used its two eyes to see me,
what looked back was a good man,
with a smile so kind
Made peace with it all
and am so happy to be me
embracing the lovely
That is my being combined.
Writing the story thoughtfully
of man and god, intertwined

The Snowflake

Posted
Filed under Poetry
Snowflake
Time after time
The ether is my home
It is vast and formless
My dwelling is the wide open spaces that exist between nucleus and electrons.
My actions are those that give shape to the boundless.
Color and run down these walls
Building the castle of our experience
Playing house to the psyche
Cheffing up the healthy meal that is our sustenance
Eat with me.
Share the nutritious handshake that grows your hair and sculpts your muscles
Use this energy to play the game of life and produce the epic known as love to polish off this great work.
Hold my hand and put this effort to rest as we sharpen our instruments and prepare to cut infinity into a billion,
billion snowflakes that blanket the perceivable world in a beauty so unique,
that this moment will never exist this precisely perfect again.
The chaos has no choice but to give way, it will hold its current incarnation
just a moment before spinning into a brand new snow storm cold, powerful, and matchless in its infinite splendor

Breathe slowly and steadily…

Posted
Filed under Simple Tips

The last “Simple Tip” (look under the categories menu tab) I shared was utilizing the complete relaxation technique.  In the systematic style of meditation expounded in the Himalayan Tradition, complete relaxation is only the second stage–it follows a postural practice.  Let’s pause for a moment– if you’re new to this blog, or yoga meditation, no worries–you don’t have to have a perfected postural (asana) practice to continue.  Furthermore, if time is a constraint, simple stretches– even a nice walk– will get you “into” the body.

Now, assuming you have worked with relaxation, which is a necessity– you cannot meditate if you are anxious and distracted— you begin to move further towards your Self via the breath.

We have all heard, anecdotally, about the importance of breathing deeply.  But, it’s more than just the decompression of a sigh– shallow breathing negatively impacts our physiology.  It is further exacerbated by, to name a few co-factors: poor posture, obesity, and incorrect breathing techniques.

In this tradition, the breath is the more “gross” manifestation of the “subtle energy” (prana) that animates the physical body– like electricity conducted along a wire. Therefore, we must refine the breath: make it deep, smooth, even (or seemless), and silent.  The key to this is diaphragmatic breathing. The following video by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati elegantly explains the physiology of the technique.

It is important not to get frustrated if the technique feels alien at first–no one would expect us to run a marathon without training.  The upper abdominal muscles have to become stronger; furthermore, the chest and the belly have to be reeducated.

After your complete relaxation–or while you are lying on the back in savasana– you can sit tall and well and begin to work with the breath.  Take your time with it.  Keep the facial muscles and shoulders relaxed.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, less is more in the beginning.  Focus, completely, on diaphragmatic breathing for a predetermined amount of time–five to seven minutes.  You may find this metronome helpful to keeping a steady cadence; I set it to 60 bpm and then inhale for about 5 to 6 seconds and exhale for the same length.  After a while, try to lengthen the breath cycle– but, as a beginner, keep the breath even.  Then just notice the difference in your body.  What sensations do you feel?  You are laboratory and Yoga practitioners are scientist who explore themselves from the gross to the subtle– and beyond.

Can you really relax?

Posted
Filed under Guided Meditation, Simple Tips

Currently, relaxation is not our intrinsic state. Perhaps it was at birth; however, it is obscured by all of our obligations and expectations–my twelve year-old is already being told his math scores, now, may affect his collegiate endeavors… Talk about a catalyst for tension!

However, I subscribe to the idea that our stress response depends on our perspective. I believe, as do many other renowned professionals that we can shift our relationship with stress through regular practice. The reality is that “relaxation is a skill unto itself” (Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati). What does that mean? Relaxation is a skill. Let me elaborate.

It starts with the body; the problem is we aren’t really in our bodies. We can’t relax while we are disconnected. Do you feel your fingers pressing on your tablet, do you feel your foot on the gas pedal? We are outside in the world of the senses, stimulation, and flux. Our stress reaction partially comes from being “outside” of our true center which is not subject to change, corruption, and decay.

In this tradition, the physical body is not viewed as something other than the self– it is viewed as a layer that has its origins in the eternal.  Therefore, the physical body needn’t be deprived by extreme measures–nor inundated with sensuality.  The physical body must become a participant on the inward journey.

Pratyahara, sense withdrawal, is the process of disengaging ourselves from our sensory experience.  We move from being outside in our experience to being in our own body.  Hence the need to dim he lights and seek a quiet place to relax or meditate.  Using music or “white noise” is still stimulation– this is using an extrinsic source to “feel” relaxed.  Ultimately, relaxation must come from within.

Postural practice (yoga poses), asana, can assist with getting “in” the body.  However, many practitioners feel that this is the apical experience of yoga– it’s only a preliminary one. After asana practice, the body is prepared for profound relaxation– this relaxation is essential to deep, sustained meditation.

Complete Relaxation is a beautiful way to work on entering into this state.  It is an approach of moving through the body and not ignoring it.  It is a beautiful finale to a postural practice. It can be practiced alone or in preparation to a seated practice.  For a beginner, it is a way to increase your time in stillness– while satisfying the need to have a little stimulation.

This seems like a paradox; relaxing to meditate. It isn’t so antithetical– imagine trying to sit and meditate if you’re agitated and distracted. Once you are able to establish a relaxed state, a regular meditation practice reduces this inclination toward a negative stress response.