While this is a Canadian production it touches a global truth too… enjoy 🙂
Hellmann’s – It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.
While this is a Canadian production it touches a global truth too… enjoy 🙂
Hellmann’s – It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.
Nyaya suggests that we are in an uninterrupted flow of misapprehension, faults, activity, birth and pain. Not very comforting- but we can break out of this flow by “understanding the true nature of things”. How do we achieve this? By realizing that (1) pain should be avoided; (2) it has a cause; (3) it can be avoided; (4) there are ways to do this. Sounds very much like the 4 Noble Truths by Buddhism! An interesting quality of Nyaya teachings is that they are not just about discerning true from false but also protect us when our knowledge is still growing and not yet matured.
Nyaya approaches philosophy by studying it’s method of inquiry. There is an innate capacity for truth seeking in human nature, logic enabled it to accomplish its aims. Nyaya offers insights into the psychological aspects of obtaining knowledge, how the mind partakes in this process and what pitfalls it may encounter.
Nyaya mentions 16 categories of knowledge. The first 9 deal with logic and the remaining 7 are about preventing and destroying error. For now we will be focusing on the first 9.
The Means of Right Knowledge
Perception is that knowledge that arises from contact of a sense with its object. It mus be real, discreet, specific and not vague. It it also unnameable – the name of a thing has no connection with the knowledge of a thing derived through perception. Perception is in the sphere of the present.
Inference is knowledge that arises after perception. It may lead from cause to effect (clouds = it is going to rain) or from effect to cause (flooded streets = it has rained). It may also be “commonly seen” – if its raining – there must be clouds. Inference is in the sphere of the past, present or future.
Comparison is knowing a thing from it’s similarity to another, previously well known, thing.
Verbal Testimony is instruction from a reliable person – one who is possessed of true knowledge and is truthful.
The Objects of Right Knowledge
There are countless objects of right knowledge. The 12 listed here are unique because truly knowing them is said to dispel delusion while false knowledge of them holds man in bondage of sorrow and suffering.
Soul is an intangible reality. It cannot be apprehended through the contact of the senses; therefore is must be known from either verbal testimony or the appearance of it’s qualities: desire, aversion, effort, pleasure, pain & knowledge.
Body is the site of motion, senses and objects of pleasure and pain. It is the field of the soul’s experiences as it strives to reach what is desirable and avoid what is undesirable.
Senses (and their objects) are the instruments through which the soul comes in contact with the outer world. This refers to the powers of smell, taste, sight, touch and hearing.
Intelligence is the power of forming and retaining conceptions. The mind’s faculty to discern, judge, comprehend, apprehend and understand the meaning of right knowledge. It is the power to contemplate the eternal.
Intellect is the capacity for reflection, inference, testimony, doubt, ready wit, dream, cognition, conjecture, memory, desire and feeling of pleasure and pain. It is unable to perceive two things at the same time, even though the sense may be in contact with their objects. It is the power to seek worldly factual knowledge.
Activity is that which sets the mind, body and voice in motion. False knowledge leads to desire which leads to actions that hold man in bondage.
Faults are the cause of all action. They are attraction, aversion and delusion. Delusion is the one to watch out for because it breeds attraction and aversion (which make you forget that there is nothing agreeable or disagreeable to the soul; therefore liking or disliking is pointless). Faults appear when we confuse parts and the whole (unreal and real). To deal with faults you should study and reflect on these teachings.
Rebirth – birth consists of the connection of the soul with the body, sense organs and mind. Birth is not the production of anything new, but only re-association. Death is not the destruction of anything, but only separation.
Fruit is the product of all activity. It may be in the form of pleasure or pain, depending on the nature of its cause. Fruits sometimes appear immediately, at other times there may be a lapse of time.
Pain is an obstacle to the progress of the soul. The body is said to be the abode of pain; the senses are the instruments of pain; the intellect is the agent of pain, birth then is association with pain; therefore, life is a passing experience of sorrow and suffering. Pleasure is an interval.
Release is defined as absolute deliverance from pain. Only the soul which is no longer associated with the body, sense organs and intellect is freed from pain. When the mind is awakened to the true nature of things by right knowledge, pain will fade away. Then, faults will have disappeared, there will be no incentive to action and the soul will be freed from future rebirths.
The teachings say:
True knowledge is attained by constantly turning over these teaching in one’s mind.
True Knowledge is developed by first learning to withdraw the senses, then they must be held steady by continuous effort, then the mind will unite with the soul (see definition of Yoga from the Yoga Sutra). There are objects that force themselves on consciousness so intensely that the mind cannot achieve this abstraction (hunger, thirst, heat, cold, disease, the elements, etc.). Yoga practices enable you to overcome these obstacles. This capacity for practicing Yoga comes from accumulation of previous efforts in past lives. Preparation for Yoga is the study of philosophy.
In Matrix Revolutions (the 3rd and last movie in the series) – there is a chant that is played once when Neo steps onto the tarmac for the final battle and then numerous times as the ending credits begin. You can hear it in this clip. Ever wander what it means?
This is based on a Sanskrit chant that belongs to a category of mantra known as mahavakya – great sayings.
asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya
I wish to go from what is unreal to what is real
I wish to go from darkness to light
I wish to go from what dies to what is eternal
My Shakuhachi has recently relocated into my yoga practice space. I brought it because I felt it could support me in my practice. It has worked wonders for me. Sometimes I play it before a practice, it helps me to collect myself, detach from everything on my mind and slowly make my way into a practice. Sometimes I play it at the end of a practice and it helps me bring the practice to a close. Sometimes I only play the Shakuhachi.
It’s really amazing for me to re-experience myself through the Shakuhachu. As I previously wrote, playing the Shakuhachi gives me a glimpse into into my inner space, it’s usually very different before and after a practice.
As I was preparing to write about Prana in the “Yoga – Energy” series (which I haven’t yet done – at the time these words were written) I went back to Samkhya philosophy which I was introduced to briefly and where I found a root axiom which inspired me. But I wanted to go further back so I went searching again and found at DharmaDownloads what I was looking for – a book by Theos Bernard titled “Philosophical Foundations of India”.
I am not a fan of academic philosophy, it tires and bores me. This book seems to carry both that and inspiration, so I find myself sifting through it. I am trying to get a bigger picture of Vedic philosophy and make it more accessible & relevant for myself. Much of the text reads to me like “yadda yadda yadda” and so I am trying to whittle it down. This morning it dawned on me to do it in writing and on this blog, so maybe others can benefit from it as well.
The preface of the book hold what is to me the single most useful guide on how to bring any of this wisdom into your life. I quote it as is:
“According to the classic school of Hindu Philosophy, the method by which the individual can evolve himself during his life is through the practice of Yoga. This is the universal technique recommended to enable man to acquire actual insight into the true nature of things. All schools agree that until the faith is fortified with understanding, little progress can be made, for knowledge without application is like medicine that is not taken.”
Indian tradition is a collection of six “insights” – perspectives on one agreed “Ultimate Reality”. These are the six philosophical systems of India. They are attributed to philosophers who eventually put them into writing but they are not a creation of an individual mind – their real founders are unknown. The six system are interrelated and dependent on one another. They are often referred to as “Vedic” because they all grew out of texts called “The Upanishads” which are a part of the Veda – which is the most ancient known Indian texts – pretty much the root of it all.
All six systems share a few core concepts:
The six system can be viewed as pairs.
Scientific – the physics and chemistry of how manifestations come into being:
Cosmic evolution – based on logical principles (this is my practice in this lifetime):
Refinement – a critical analysis of the basic principles:
The book offers some background information on the known principals behind each system. I found that information mostly redundant at this point, but there is one thing that called out to me and I believe is useful to remember. These were all flesh and blood people (all men!), single individuals, each immersed in his own journey and each carrying his own system of faith that was relevant to and supported his reality. It is inevitable that, despite all attempts at philosophical objectivity, their personal beliefs and orientations tainted whatever knowledge they embodied and aspired to spread. They were as committed to suffering as you and me.
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It indeed would be great to see Dave Matthews Band live in concert again!!!
This is the original album version and video clip.
This is what one man can do live with a guitar:
This is what a band can do live:
enjoy 🙂
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A purely financial transaction is one in which nothing is created – money (or a potential for money) changes hands. It is like a game of chess in which moves are selected, sacrifices made all for the sake of one goal – victory (and defeat – depends on which side of the table you are sitting). With financial transactions the goal is to move money around. Like chess masters, people who live playing with financial transactions are masters of their art.
You can choose to sit down and play a game of chess. You cannot choose to play a game of money – if you have a bank account, credit card or any monetary device – you are in the money game. You have no choice. You are now on the same playground with some crafty & masterful professionals. This playground is not friendly and neither are they. Their objective is to make all the best moves to manipulate your money into their pockets. They are winning because they are better at it then you.
There is nothing inherently wrong with money or financial games. In my mind they have the potential to be a wonderful exchange of creative potential. Misdirection comes from a distorted sense of purpose. The purpose of the money game is to use the money you have to make more money. There are individuals who have played this game to it’s fullest potential – they have more money then they (or entire countries) could use and they have nothing to do with it (so they are inventing a new game – this time it’s about giving money away).
What if purely financial transaction were outlawed and banned? What would happen if an exchange of money was outside both the accepted and enforced norms of society? What if a financial exchange had to have a stated purpose and to result in something that is created within the context of that purpose?
I get a great feeling from playing with this idea. If nothing else, it would challenge many existing systems into reorientation, restructuring and hopefully to finding a new purpose.
But this is not practical? Or is it? Initially I thought this was just a fantasy, there is no way that any legislative and economic system would allow such radical reform. But then I realized that ironically making this an immediate reality is in my hands and yours. Your (and many millions like you) are what fuels and supports this system. Any money you have “invested” – from a safe low-interest savings account, pension funds, mortgages, stocks … any financial instrument you are using to “insure your financial future” is directly supporting existing financial markets and enslaving you.
You have so much power in your hands, use it, don’t hand it over to others!
Directional breathing is a more subtle refinement of locational breathing. This is actually a recurring theme in Yoga – a gradual transition from gross to subtle. If you feel well rooted in locational breathing (inhale=chest, exhale=abdomen)then you may want to explore directional breathing, if not is may lead to unnecessary aggravation. So please proceed with care. This transition will require an increased level of attention, awareness and practice.
Range of Movement in Breathing
If you haven’t already done so then please have a look at this brief explanation of the anatomy of the torso – where breathing takes place.
What is of interesting to note in the context of breathing is that the skeletal structure limits the range of motion of breathing. There is relatively less potential motion range in the chest (and it takes considerable conscious effort to do so) and there is relatively more potential motion range in the abdominal area. This is why the movement of natural breathing is more likely to appear in the abdominal area then in the chest.
Directional breathing is about applying a conscious effort to movement that takes place when breathing.
Directional Exhaling
As with locational breathing it is usually more accessible to start exploring with the exhale. The idea here is to gradually and in sequence activate muscles that partake in exhaling. The following diagram reads from left-to-right. The exhale begins with the lower abdominal muscles, moves up to the mid-abdominal area, through the breathing diaphragm and then, only at the end of the exhale there is movement in the chest.
You can practice this by revisiting the practices we used for locational breathing. Resume your familiar locational breathing and this time as you exhale try to exact more elaborate separation and control and to experience this gradual activation of muscles. Again, it can be useful to place your hands on your body – one on the abdomen, the other on your chest. Use them to really make sure that when you being to exhale, your chest doesn’t immediately collapse – it should remain active and expanded until after the lower muscles have been engaged.
For future reference we will refer to directional exhaling as an upward movement – it begins in the lower abdomen and travels upwards towards the chest.
Directional Inhaling
Inhaling is a reversed gradual process. Inhale begins in the chest area (watch out for the abdomen – it tends to pop out, you need to develop refined muscular control to really keep the abdominal area steady while the chest begins to expand).
Once you have a good sense of directional exhaling you can introduce directional inhaling. Over the time your breathing will develop into a subtle and precise wave movement up and down your torso.
For future reference we will refer to directional inhaling as an downward movement – it begins in the chest and gradually travels down towards the abdominal region.
Attentive Practice
Take time to gradually build directional breathing. Let your mind assimilate the idea. Let your body experience and assimilate new sensations. Let your mind connect to the new physical sensations. It takes time to develop this muscular control, it takes time to build a sustainable effort. If you rush through it, you may find yourself forming misapprehension instead of clarity. Please remember this is a subtle form of practice.
As you develop this and bind it into your asana practice you will discover more and more subtle aspects of practice.
This article was born out of necessity – so it may evolve over time as it touches on more contexts. It got started when I wanted to explain directional breathing. When I sat down to write it, I realized that I needed to establish a simple and basic description of the upper torso where active breathing takes place. So here we are.
The image above is intended to give you some orientation and perspective on the workings of the upper body. Things to notice – scanning the image top-down:
Give your mind a great ride – your body!
5 day retreat for technology leaders & entrepreneurs
What is a retreat? It is an opportunity to take some time for yourself, to step back (retreat!) from your familiar day-to-day patterns and … well … see what happens.
Is it a vacation? Yes the idea is to “vacate” and create space for new things. No because you don’t just sit around.
What actually happens? Days are arranged to accommodate a combination of physical activity, conversation, free time & rest, food & sleeping.
What do you mean by physical activities? Don’t break into a sweat, it’s stuff anyone can do, some of it is playful, some of it is meditative, some of it will be on your own, some of it will be with others.
Who will be there? People like you. The idea is to create a setting that is relevant for you. Something you can relate to. So though you will be going towards something unknown, you will be doing it with people with whom you have shared interest and passions.
Can I bring my iPhone? Yes you can but you’re going to have to keep it turned off (and away from your body) most of the time. You will be able to use it once a day at a given time in a given place (so as not to disturb others who may want to sustain their retreat experience).
Who am I? iamronen & this is my blog. I am a yoga teacher, I’ve worked with some awe-inspiring improvisation artists, I had a 15 year technology career, I am involved in numerous projects in which I try to create a bridge between technology and my sense of purpose.
Interested? Great 🙂 You can (1) drop me a line (iamronen [at] iamronen.com ); (2) let me know if you can help in getting it together – I will be happy to travel to a location good for you all; (3) see if any your friends may want to join.
It reads “Chakra” – but that is the correct Sanskrit Spelling. I tread carefully around this topic, because it has already received soooo much attention. I really don’t think it’s an important subject, but it deserves some space and some demystifying in the overall picture.
In the previous post we talked about intertwined moon & sun channels & sushumna. As the three channels dance around, they create points of convergence – hubs/centers of energy. These centers are often called Cakra’s – but, like many western, interpretations – that is not the entire picture and a but misleading. Cakra is a name attributed to a healthy center of energy. Granthi is a name attributed to an unhealthy center of energy. A Granthi is a knot – it is an obstacle to the flow of energy.
It is not my intention to mince words, but there is a recurring subtle theme here that I feel is useful to recognize. I find that when people talk about Cakra’s it almost automatically leads to a healing approach in which “something needs to be done” in order to open/tune/align (there are many popular words to choose from) the Cakra’s. When I think of Knots I am reminded of a core idea – a knot/obstacle is often a result of overdoing, so more doing may not be the best thing to do. Maybe it takes some undoing/not doing/doing less/different doing to transform a Granthi into a Cakra?
Energy centers rotate: when healthy they rotate in one direction, when unhealthy they don’t rotate, when seriously unhealthy they rotate in an opposite direction. Contrary to popular references – energy centers cannot be opened or closed. They can be affected by regulating the flow of energies through Nadi – one good way to do this is Pranayama – breathing practices (which I’ll get to in an upcoming series). I have witnessed Andreea use a pendulum as a diagnosis tool – she will hold it over a physical area associated with a center of energy – and it will move & rotate in conjunction with it.
Energy centers are associated with colors, sounds, visual images, smells, elements, etc (search the internet and you will no doubt find loads of information on these dimensions). They are a powerful metaphor. For me their power lies in their metaphor rather then any fashionable truth that is attributed to them. Metaphors are tightly related to a mindset. Viewing the body as a biological system is one mindset, viewing it as a system of energy is another. I find the latter to be more inspiring and dynamic.
It is interesting to note that there is a natural physical process which affects the structural integrity and behavior of the energy centers: age. The 3rd energy center (marked in yellow and said to be located approximately behind the belly button) is also considered the center of of the entire energetic system. It also correlates with the fire model mentioned earlier in this series.
Two changes occur around this point as we get older. Have you noticed the physical change in elderly people – how they are bent forward? This tendency causes a compression of the top part of the energy system towards the center. Then from the center down there tends to be downward sagging (this is especially true for women – who’s pelvic floor is more prone to sagging).
Asana (physical postures) practice can, to some extent, counter this natural tendency. Actually most asana will affect the structure of the energy system. Therefor a key ingredient in a balanced asana practice are counter-postures – which are intended to counteract affects of previous postures and bring the system into re-alignment.
Next up – Kundalini!
Yoga suggests that we are wired with a vast network of subtle channels – Nadi – through which energy can potentially flow. All Nadi originate in one point – somewhere around the base of the spine. Teachings (for example: Prasna Upanishad 3.6) say that there are over 72,000 channels, 3 of which are endeared by popular knowledge resources & modern teaching.
Before touching on the famous spiritual 3 I think it can be useful to notice a few more that are directly related to everyday life. These are Nadi that relate to sensing the world:
I particularly like that last one – the umbilical cord. Two things come to my mind: (1) the significance of the umbilical cord as both a source nourishment in the womb and the first thing to die when babies are physically separated from mothers at birth; (2) a recurrent theme in Carlos Castaneda’s books about the umbilical region in relation to both seeing as an evolved means of perception and as the source of will – a power that is used to act on the world.
Now for the famous Nadi. There are three major Nadi which are at the heart of the Yogic energy system. They can be a source of knowledge and inspiration, and like all things in the hands of man, can be a source of much misapprehension ( and deception). This is what I was taught:
There are two Nadi that are associated with female (moon) and male (sun) qualities. The feminine Nadi is called Ida and the male Nadi is called Pingala. Some resources describe them as placed alongside the two sides of the spinal cord. Some resources suggest that they cross over at one point. there is agreement that Ida is related with the left nostril and Pingala with the right. I was taught that they cross over numerous times in a spiraling pattern (the signficance of this will be covered later in this series).
The 3rd and most popular of the three Nadi is Sushumna. It runs up the spinal cord. It is blocked (more on that later in the series). A popular goal of Yoga practice is to unblock the Sushumna so that the energies of Ida & Pingala can mix and merge and … it hasn’t happened for me so I don’t know what happens (for an account of what may happen you may want to read this: Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man) . However this does represent for me a core inspiration and idea in Yoga – integration. Mind tends to separate things in it’s attempt to make sense of them. Yoga has taught me that when integration replaces separation there is clear perception. The idea of mixing two raw forces of nature of opposite qualities – this I like very much.
Of course you are required to find your own context and inspiration in these teachings.
If you want more details on the Nadi mentioned in this post – you may want to look here.
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