Monsters?

"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them."  

~Andre Gide

One of my favorite teachers, Erich Schiffmann, often uses an analogy during his training workshops that has really stuck with me over the years.  He talks about how we, as spiritual beings, live in "houses" with dirty windows.  He says that our windows to the world have become so dirty and caked with filth that we are unable to clearly see anything that is going on outside ourselves.  

With his typical dry humor, Erich paints a mental picture for us: We're inside our house, very little light is coming through the dirty window, but suddenly we see someone trying to peer in.  But because the window is so dirty, our vision becomes distorted, and from our perspective it appears that a monster is looking in with a grimace.  We recoil in fear… a monster!  EEEEEEK!  

Having dirty windows makes the world seem like little more than a background to our ceaseless thinking; a blurry landscape that passes before our eyes as we focus on - most likely - our wrong perception of things. When we get up the courage to wipe the window clean, we see that in reality there is not a monster outside the window, but some saintly person (Erich used Jesus as an example, but you can insert whoever your idea of a peaceful, friendly, loving person or spiritual teacher may be).  Because our view was so warped, we actually saw this vision of peace as a something ugly and harmful: a monster!  

Erich says our practice gives us the tools of a handy dandy "mental squeegee" and spiritual Windex, and with practice, patience and compassion, we learn to first clean off the lense of the mind, then to keep it clean.

The Buddhists call this "Right View".  Right View supports wisdom, and they believe that the capacity to wake up and understand things as they are (washing our inner windows as it were), is present in each of us.  Thich Nhat Hanh writes: “Our happiness and the happiness of those around us depend on our degree of Right View. Touching reality deeply — knowing what is going on inside and outside of ourselves is the way to liberate ourselves from the suffering that is caused by wrong perceptions. Right View is not an ideology, a system, or even a path. It is the insight we have into the reality of life, a living insight that fills us with understanding, peace, and love.” (The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, page 51).

Imagine how living in the moment, without constantly evaluating, analyzing and being fearful, would change your perception of yourself and your life. To practice Right View takes courage.  We start by looking deeply at what is causing our windows to get so dirty. This takes patient exploration, asking ourselves the big questions and answering them honestly, such as: "Why does this person bring up anger in me?", "Why does this situation spark fear in me?", or "What makes me resist taking responsibility for ____?".   As perception arises we have to ask ourselves again and again, "Am I  sure?".  Until we see clearly, our wrong perceptions will prevent us from having Right View.  Right View is the big squeegee that clears the window of the mind, heart and spirit and allows us to live more peacefully.

We practice so that we can take back this moment.  Not just to experience it, but also to discover the reality of who we are.  What we begin to see as the windows get cleaned is that we are more than the thoughts and perceptions that bind us.  Until we clean the windows and observe the truest nature of things without opinion, we will not find ourselves as we were meant to be… compassionate, loving and kind. 

Grab your squeegee and a big ol' spray bottle of Windex and I'll see you on the other side of the window :)

Until next time...

"I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations."

(From The Five Mindfulness Trainings in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh)

perception |pərˈsep sh ən|nounthe ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through thesenses : the normal limits to human perception.• the state of being or process of becoming aware of something in such a way : the perception of pain.• a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression : Hollywood's perception of the tastes of the American public | we need to challenge many popular perceptions of old age.• intuitive understanding and insight : “He wouldn't have accepted,” said my mother with unusual perception.
Halloween Playlist:The Shankill Butchers-The DecemberistEnter Sandman-The Buddha Lounge Ensemble Rama Lama-Sons and DaughtersHell-Squirrel Nut ZippersDevil's Haircut-BeckLittle Ghost-The White StripesLake of Fire-NirvanaPeople Are Strange-The DoorsI Put A Spell On You-Creedence Clearwater RevivalZombie-The Cranberries25 Minutes To Go-Johnny CashDevil Town-Bright EyesEvil-Howlin' WolfKarma Police-FlunkHouse of The Rising Sun-Cat PowerSkeletons (Acoustic)-Yeah Yeah Yeah'sWitch-BellyInto Dust-Mazzy StarShaman's Fire, Navel-Jonathan Goldman

Jump!

"I got a jump rope today, but man, that thing’s just a rope.  Turns out you gotta make the jumping thing happen yourself!" 

-Mitch Hedberg

The practice of yoga provides us with an abundance of theory, texts and intellectual instruction. However, without practical application they are nothing more than words on a page - a jump rope without the power and will of the jumper.

If you’re looking for a quick fix, a magic bullet, a fast forward button to harmony, inner peace and freedom, it doesn’t exist. The only force with the power to help you find peace or to deeply absorb and live the benefits of yoga is YOU.

The truth is that no amount of reading ancient texts, intellectual discussions about yogic theory, or “mastering” postures will help you to actually achieve yoga (being in a state of complete awareness and tranquillity).  You have to want it badly enough for yourself, to take what you've learned, and have the presence of mind to figure out if you’re on the right path…or you won’t.  Dedicated, daily, honest exploration over a long period of time (your whole life!) is what helps us to achieve a lasting state of yoga.

In his “Zen Fables for Today”, Richards McLean retells the following story:

“Why must I meditate in order to achieve enlightenment?” demanded the student of the teacher. “I can study, I can pray. I can think on issues clearly. Why this silly emptying of mind?”

“I will show you,” said the teacher, taking a bucket of water into the garden under the full moon. “Now I stir the surface and what do you see?” “Ribbons of light,” answered the prince. “Now wait,” said the teacher setting the bucket down.

Both teacher and boy watched the calming surface of the water in the bamboo bucket for many minutes. “Now what do you see?” asked the teacher. “The moon,” replied the prince.

“So, too, young master, the only way to grasp enlightenment is through a calm and settled mind.”

The simplicity of this story illustrates the purpose of practice very clearly. To practice yoga and/or meditation is to see into one’s “own nature”, which is pure and calm and has been from the very beginning. Every being in the world has this.  We can turn to teachers for guidance and instruction but ultimately WE are the ones that have to do the work.

One of the most beautiful things about yoga is that it is very much an internal practice.  Although we have ancient texts, mantras, meditation, group classes, and teachers to help guide the way, we get a chance daily to turn inward and journey through the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring landscape we can ever imagine.  It's all there waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.  It's just up to us to work that jump rope.

Until next time... get jumping! :)

"In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand.  Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself." 

-J Krishnamurti

Home practice: Finding and accessing the power of Mula Bandha in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing Dog)

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

I like to refer to the pelvis as a “bowl”. In Latin, "pelvis" means basin or bowl, so in Tadasana we want this bowl to be in a neutral position so that if it were filled with liquid (think: liquid sunshine!) it wouldn’t spill out of ether the front or the back of the bowl.  To find your body's version of neutral, stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides (called samasthiti in sanskrit).  Take a deep breath in and as you do, draw your hips and buttocks slightly backward, increasing the curve in your lower back (lumbar spine).  One of my teachers, Erich Schiffmann calls this “dog tilt”, so that's what we'll call it.


Then, exhale and bring your hips and buttocks forward, flattening the lumbar spine and pulling the pelvis into a posterior tilt.  Erich calls this “cat tilt”. 


Do this several times, and begin to notice that when the pelvis is in the dog tilt, the muscles in the lower back tighten and the inner groins shorten. When it is in cat tilt, the buttocks clench and, again, the groins shorten.


To find neutral, stand with your pelvis in dog tilt, then lightly lift the pubic bone and then the pelvic floor as you lengthen the groins—this is Mula Bandha. To find it from cat tilt, draw your hips slightly back until the buttocks relax and the lumbar spine regains its natural curve. As you do this, lift the pelvic floor and lengthen the waist and groins—again, this is Mula Bandha.


When your pelvis is neutral and you find Mula Bandha in Tadasana, you'll feel a sense of stability without gripping...yay!

Adho Mukha Svanasana variations (Prana Dog and Apana Dog)
(A practice by one of my wise teachers: Tim Miller)


Downward-Facing Dog is an excellent pose in which to practice Mula Bandha, especially if you explore two different expressions of the pose: Prana Dog, which is linked to the inhalation, and Apana Dog, which is linked to the exhalation.

From Downward Dog, inhale and extend your spine by taking your head and shoulders toward the floor, drawing your hips away from your hands, and lifting and spreading your sitting bones. This is the Prana Dog.

Then exhale and flex your spine by tucking your pelvis, slightly rounding your shoulders, drawing your ribs up, and looking toward your navel. Now you're in Apana Dog. Notice that at the end of the exhalation, the pelvic floor naturally draws upward—this is Mula Bandha.

With the next inhalation, create Prana Dog by extending your spine from your tailbone, but don't allow your ribs to sink too far toward your thighs. Keep lengthening and lightly lifting the area between the coccyx and the pubic bone, between the pubic bone and the navel, and between the navel and the lower ribs. As you exhale, return to the Apana Dog flexion position of the spine, and again focus on how the pelvic floor lifts.

Here's why: In Prana Dog it is more difficult to access the lift of the pelvic floor, because that lift happens naturally at the end of the exhalation in Apana Dog. With the subsequent inhalation, there is a natural tendency to release the pelvic floor and allow the rib cage to drop toward the thighs.

The Bigger Picture

As living, breathing humans overflowing with emotions, conditioning and ego, it's easy to get wrapped up in the grind and commotion of our day-to-day life. So much so that we forget that we are but a small part of something much, much bigger and more profound. With such exhaustive focus on the small stuff (the stresses and agitations of work, finances, family and the minutia of our lives) we get drawn further and further away from the 'big picture' and may see only the tiniest speck on the page.  Our daily work is to pull back from our drama and to crawl out of our limited thinking to take a look at the picture as a whole.

A favorite illustration of this is a children's book called Zoom by Istvan Banyai that I've used in class from time to time. 

From School Library Journal: "Zoom" is a wordless picture book that re-creates the effect of a camera lens zooming out. For example, one illustration shows a boy on a cruise ship, the next shows him from a distance, and the next reveals the whole ship. Finally, the viewpoint moves back farther and it turns out that the ship is actually a poster on a bus. The perspective continues to recede, revealing the bus as an image on a television screen. Three pages later, viewers see that the person watching TV is drawn on a postage stamp. The final picture shows a view of Earth from space."

Over time and with practice what we begin to find is that taking the time to sit silently in meditation or getting on our yoga mat allows us to connect to what one of my favorite teachers, Erich Schiffmann, calls "Big Mind".  We crawl out of our narrow worldview and expand into the experience of our deeper connection to all things which in turn makes our narrow view seem not quite so important.  Erich says: "Far too many people get distracted by the complexities of their various techniques and lose sight of what the overall 'big picture' is.  Don't lose sight of the big picture. Don't lose sight of what the practices are all about. The big picture, the reason for doing yoga is... to have the experience of yoga (yoga = to yolk or harness the powers of the mind). The reason to do yoga is to have the experience. And what we're talking about is the small mind, the personal mind, personal self... merging with infinity. In easy words, small mind joining with Big Mind.  Once you even have a taste of that for even a split nanosecond, it wipes out your previous convictions about the way you thought things were. What you discover is that there's no such thing as small mind. There's only Big Mind infinitely expressed.

To me, a big part of the practice is about cultivating mindful awareness of all the ways in which we tend to contract, grasp, cling and close ourselves off.  Pulling back the lens from which we view the landscape of our world, we slowly start to shift from our small, constricted realm to a much larger and inclusive worldview. With attention, patience and practice our circle of awareness widens outward and we become more liberated.

     So how do we start to expand our sphere of understanding?  We begin by finding the "witness"- the part of us that is detached from the small stuff, the "I", "me" and "mine, and enables us to observe impartially.

To invite "Big Mind", try this:

Begin by sitting comfortably or lying on the floor in savasana.  Settle yourself into stillness. Let your eyes close and take a few moments to simply tune in to the flowing quality of your breath as it moves into and out of your nostrils.  Begin to slide into stillness.

From here mentally step back from your body, as if you are standing outside yourself looking at your body sitting/lying on the floor.  Slowly scan your awareness over its surface.  Feel where your body comes into contact with the earth, where your skin comes into contact with the air-is it warm or cold?  Feel the border between what's inside and what's outside, or where your skin is soft or stretched over the bones.  Take your awareness to all of the dark, tight or closed off places.  Your attention will help you to bring light and energy to these shadowy spaces.  

Then, continue to pull your awareness back even more to include the fluctuation of thoughts.  Try to see them as an observer might, looking at them from different angles without staying with any one thought in particular (kind of like watching a dramatic movie with the volume turned down).  Stay with the understanding that although you may have lots of thoughts and activity in the mind, you are not those thoughts or activity.

Keep your awareness with the body and the thoughts but now begin to include the movement and energy of the breath.  Feel it inflate and deflate, rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. Stay with the breath for several minutes.

Now let your awareness of boundaries dissolve; the boundaries of your skin, your chair/mat, the walls of the room you are in, and allowing yourself to expand into the spaciousness surrounding you.

Continue to sit or lay in stillness cultivating the quality of expansion  Try doing this for 5-30 minutes.

Until next time...

Keeping Things Whole by Mark Strand

In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.

When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body's been.

We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.