Spring is in full force here in the Pacific NW. The days are longer, the warm air is flush with potential, and our plant allies are deepening their roots as they grow tall reaching for sun. Mother Earth is growing her lush and colorful coat, and the smell of summer is beckoning.
When we open our senses to truly experience nature, we become familiar with the qualities of the seasons (hot, bright and active, or cool, dark and quiet), the actions of the plants and animals (growing, reproducing, harvesting, storing or hibernating), the influence of the moon and the qualities associated with various parts of the day.
As you hear me say quite a lot, in class,
“What’s happening outside in nature/prakriti, is happening on the inside too.”
This is why it’s so powerful to align our practice with prakriti. This simplifies the task of deciding what to practice, and when and how you practice it. We simply look at what’s happening in nature for guidance on how to tend to our inner garden.
In my last newsletter, I wrote about the kapha dosha, how it shows up during this time of year, and how to work with it. If you didn’t catch that article, you can here. In addition to balancing kapha, we can support and celebrate the energy of spring with brhmana techniques.
BRHMANA AND LANGHANA
The tools of yoga can be divided into two energetic principles. First, there is expansion (brhmana). Second, there’s reduction (langhana). There’s also a balancing principle called samana, but for now we’ll just talk about the first two. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve worked with brhmana and langhana within your yoga practice. Here are some basic qualities each:
We create brhmana or langhana effects by:
- Choice of asana
- Repetition / stay, pace
- Breath adaptation in asana
- Directional flow of breath
- Pranayama, chanting and mantra
When we’re feeling dull, sleepy, stuck or exhausted, we can work with energizing brhmana techniques, and when there’s mental distraction, acute anxiety, or stress, we can encourage a calm and relaxed nervous system by applying langhana tools.
My intention for this article is to highlight the application of brhmana techniques in yoga, to help us continue the progression of moving from the inwardly focused, reflective, and contemplative energy of the cold winter months, into the building, growing, and creating energy of the warm, more active part of the year.
So how do we cultivate brhmana? Here are some suggestions:
- Elongation of the inhalation (puraka) and internal retention – holding the breath in for a moment (antar kumbhaka)
- Warming and Energizing practices
- More movement, such as in vinyasas, or pulsing into and out of postures, and less static long holds of postures
- Chest and Shoulder Openers
- Backbend postures
- Upward gaze (dristhi)
- Higher pitch and faster pace of chanting
THE MEDICINE OF SONG
This has been a beloved practice of mine, well before yoga came into my life. Using my voice to sing, chant, and even hum, simultaneously grounds and uplifts, soothes and activates, and centers and expands. Sound creates a rooted sense of vitality in the body, mind and heart. The medicine of song and vibration is potent.
For those of you who join me in class, you know of this love. We chant a lot together. Recently I introduced a new mantra to you. I learned this one from a senior yoga therapist I’ve had the pleasure of studying with over the last 6 years, named Gary Kraftsow.
“Om satyam chaitanyam anandam atma”
Om – This is thought to be the sound of universe. It represents all states of consciousness – waking, dreaming and deep sleep, all words and syllables, and contains the creator-preserver-destroyer qualities of existence (the experience of birth, life, death/awakening). When we chant Om (AUM) we are aligning with all of this, and remembering we are intimately connected to everything in the universe.
Satya – Truthfulness. Satya is one of the yamas, the social guidelines of yoga. The yamas help us to learn how to best connect and relate with community. They are the dharmic principles of social behavior and help us establish right interaction with others. Satya in this mantra, also speaks to the truth of our true self.
Chaitanya – One who is endowed with consciousness. One who has the ability to “wake up” and experience supreme reality. Supreme reality refers to what’s actually happening in the moment. Because of our previous experiences in life and our conditioning, our perception of reality is colored… it’s as if we were looking through our own uniquely colored glasses. Yoga helps us to see clearly (vidya), to see our conditioning and beliefs, and how they influence our perception of reality.
Andanda – This is translated as bliss, however, it’s not the emotional state of bliss we typically think of. It’s a radical sense of okayness, acceptance and peace. It’s the joy of peace. This is the layer or kosa that lies closest to our true self. When we tap into ananda, we remember our innate wholeness, which is unwavering and undisturbed in the presence of confusion, fear, anger and craving. “Joy is that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens” – David Steindl-Rast. This is ananda.
Atma / Atman – Breath, one who breathes, our inner/true self. Our true self is regarded as our soul or spirit. It is eternal and unchanging, and is the part of ourselves, which, exists underneath our ego identities, and our conditioned beliefs. We practice to wake up to this truth, to connect with this part of ourselves, and yoga is the mirror that reflects this luminosity back to us.
Chanting this mantra reminds us that we are already fully awake… and underneath confusion, fear, anger and pain, underneath suffering… underneath it all, our true self abides in the joy of peace. When we chant these words, we remember we are already whole and complete, just as we are in this very moment. In the light of clear seeing (vidya) we sense our thread, intimately woven into the fabric of the universe.
Explore chanting this mantra while sitting, or incorporate it into movement. You may also mentally repeat this mantra throughout your day.
HARNESS AND CREATE
As spring continues on, I encourage you to look to nature for guidance on how to nourish yourself. Now is the time to gather your prana reserves, and direct it into art, relationships, adventures, projects, and everything else your heart dreams of creating. Work with brhmana in your practice for inspiration, to stoke your passions, and to build your resiliency.