Pointing Towards the Joy by Kira Ryder

Thank you to all our teachers and their teachers and their teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; teachers and their teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; teachers and all the teachers yet to come. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Table of Contents Prayer for Higher Learning The Point Opening Reflections

Inner Workings

About Maps and Models Some Subtle Anatomy Language From 350,000 to 3 Sushumna, Ida and Pingala Chakra Nadis Third Eye Nadis Limb Nadis Approximate Chakra Locations A Few Rumors about the Chakras The Bandhas Marma Points The Koshas The Vayus Dermatone Chart Taoist Cycle of Creativity Nervous System Overview Stress, Breath and the Vagus Nerve Nerve Roots of War and Peace Flight, Flight, Freeze or Fold Vagus Nerve Muscles of the Breath How the Practices of Yoga Help Mental Health From Patanjali Sutra 1.33 Sutra 1.33 Field Notes The Kleshas From the Visible to the Invisible The Mystical Blood Flow The Magical Nerve Tour

6 7 8

14 16 18 19 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 48 50 51 52 54 56 58 59 60 61 62 64 66 68 70 74 76 78

Table of Contents Bony and Squishy Landmarks The Spine Pelvic Viewing Hip Joint Rotators of the Hip Sciattic Nerve Nerves of the LumbarSacral La Psoas Little Muscles of the Spine Shoulder Joint Your Beautiful Neck

84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 94

Into the Practice

See More Clearly 98 Abhyasa and Vairagya 99 Samyama 100 Some Promises of Samyama 101 Becoming a Learner 102 The Effort Effect 104 What do we tell our Kids? 113

Into Teaching

A Few Teaching Guidelines 140 Your Guidelines 144 Spontaneity Takes Planning 146 Some Hints for Asana Instruction 148 Guidelines for Teaching Subtle Anatomy 150 Engaging Yogis in Subtle Experiments 152 Some Guidelines for Sharing Pranayama 154 Possible Reading List 157

Prayer for Higher Learning om saha nāvavatu saha nau bhunaktu saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai tejasvināvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

May we be protected together. May we be nourished together. May we create strength among one another. May our study be filled with brilliance and light. May there be no hostility between us. Om peace, peace, peace. L

The Point of this Course Our time together is meant to be practical. We have three main objectives:

Time Within

We must become intimate with our own Internal Landscapes if we hope to guide others. Much of our time together will be spent exploring within to establish a trusting and true relationship.

Sharing the Results

We will practice sharing our findings with each other to become comfortable with speaking from the inner realm.

Tools and Techniques

Together we will discover a collection of techniques and tools that you can continue to play with in your practice with and teaching of the subtle realm.

May Saraswati open the channels for higher learning to occur and remove our lethargy and laziness. 7

Opening Reflections

If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite. ~ William Blake

Inner Workings

About Maps and Models

At times we will be leaning in on maps and models to help us create containers of understanding. We will do this often especially when looking at gross anatomy, subtle anatomy, methods of teaching, sequences, and alignment ideas. Understanding some of the benefits and constraints will help us create a feeling of spaciousness. 1. They Need You Maps are designed to guide us and they can just as easily mislead if not approached cooperatively. Maps need your intuition to come alive and be of use. 2. They Shrink the Information Models simplify and shrink information so we can approach it. When different models contradict, it can be tempting to judge one as correct and another as false, or try to make them match. Play with allowing the different models to reveal and tease out new insights waiting to be discovered within you. 3. They Are Often Unspecified Rarely can a map give you details of your specific unique journey. Nor will it assure you of a good time once you reach a destination. 4. They Can Blind If we become too enamored with a map or model it will be more difficult to see clearly what is actually in front of us. Have you ever found yourself looking at a map instead of where you are going? When the nice woman in the GPS is telling us where to go we pay less attention. Let them help guide, and be diligent with your awareness. 5. They Can Warn Sometimes a map will indicate that a road can only be traveled during a certain time of year or requires special vehicle features. And sometimes, by looking at a model, we get a new perspective that otherwise would have remained hidden.

6. They Can Help Determine Vehicle Sometimes a map will confirm that you need to travel by air, sea or land. 7. They Can Reveal New Terrain Maps can guide towards places we might not have otherwise found, and models can provide new contexts of thinking. If we bring ourselves to the map and models, the directions and symbolism will resonate more clearly. 8. They have a Fresh Stamp Models and maps that were once useful, will sometimes have an end. 9. We are like a Model and a Map According to a study published in the Nov. 18, 2010 issue of the journal Neuron, ‘The human mind is very much like a traveler — when it needs to reach a desired destination, it uses a map.’ The brain uses different types of “maps” in order to perform different motor functions. The previous scientific view was that all actions involved the use of a visual map, but the study found that the brain uses a visual map when dealing with external objects and a body map when dealing with self-referential motions. (Source: Daily.Nexus.com)

Our materials for this course, Pantajali’s Yoga Sutras, Physical Anatomy Diagrams, Subtle Anatomy Systems, and our Toolkits are all models and maps. All are to be approached with keen open awareness of their usefulness and shortcomings.

When water flows everywhere there is little role for the water in the well. In this same way, after realizing Divine there is little use for the knowledge of the Vedas. 2.46, Bhagavad Gita L

Some Subtle Anatomy Language Prana is our vital life force. Nadis are the interior rivers through which the prana flows. The three primary nadis are Sushumna, Ida, and Pingala. The seven Chakras are vortices of the nadis. They are Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddi, Ajna and Sahasrara. The Bandhas are the locks or seals. The three primary bandhas are Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha. The Granthis are the psychic knots of spiritual energy. The three granthis are Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. They are located at the Muladhara, Anahata and the Ajna Chakra respectively. The bandhas assist in the directing of the prana through the nadis towards the chakras to assist in loosening the granthis so that prana may flow more freely in the Shushumna and the yogini may connect to the physical, astral and causal planes of Herself. The Marma Points are specific locations on the 14 recognized nadis in the Ayurvedic System of Healing. There are 107 Classic Marma Points. The 5 Koshas are sheaths, or vibrations of our Self, varying in degrees of subtley. The 5 Koshas are annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and anandamaya. The 5 Vayus are the winds of prana in the body handling different functions. They are apana vayu, prana vayu, samana vayu, udana vayu, and vyana vayu.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the bird and the book disagree, always believe the bird.â&#x20AC;? James Audubon (1785-1851)

From 350,000 to 3 The Siva Samitha* speaks of over 350,000 nadis, the Prapanchasara-Tanta refers to 300,000 and the Bhuta-suddhi Tantra and many other texts speak of 72,000 nadis. All these texts say that only 14 are important of which 3 are of the greatest significance. This leaves us with the Shushumna, Ida and Pingala nadis. We are curious about the other 11. Different texts offer slightly different maps, yet it seems that there is a corresponding nadi for each chakra, each sense has a nadi and each side of the body has a primary nadi.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Oliver Wendell Holmes

* Siva Samhita, 1500BCE, is a Sanskrit text on yoga. It is a teaching of yoga from Shiva to his consort Parvati. * Prapanchasara Tantra (Part I), edited by Taranatha Vidyaratna & Arthur Avalon, 1914.

Sushumna, Ida, and Pingala

Source: Bihar School of India

Chakra Nadis Nadi

Extent

Aperture/ Marma Chakra/ Vayu

Alambusha

Runs from center of root chakra to the tip of the rectum. Supplies Prana to the organs of elimination.

* Anus * Muladhara * Apana Vayu

Kuhu

Runs from base of * Penis or spine to Sacral Chakra Vagina and toward the end of * Svadhistana the urethra. Supplies * Apana Vayu Prana to the urinary and reproductive organs.

Vishvodhara Runs from base of spine * Navel to the navel chakra and from it throughout the abdomen. Supplies Prana to the digestive system and digestive fire.

* Manipura * Samana * Vayu Agni

Guda (Anus)

Basti (bladder)

Nabhi (navel)

Source: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ayurveda and Marma Therapy: Energy Points in Yoga Healingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subhash Ranade, Dr. Avinash Lele, 2003.

Nadi

Extent

Aperture/ Chakra/ Vayu

Marma

Varuna

Runs from the base of the spine to the heart chakra and from it throughout the entire body. Supplies Prana to the entire body, through the respiratory and circulatory systems and the skin.

* Skin * Anahata * Vyana Vayu * “Allows for the deeper feeling and knowing of the heart to manifest.”

Hridaya (heart) and other marmas in the chest

Sarasvati

Runs from the base of the spine to the throat chakra, branching out to the tip of the tongue. Supplies Prana to the throat, mouth, tongue and vocal organs.

* Mouth and Throat * Vishudda * Udana Vayu * “Gives the powers of speech, song, taste, wisdom and mantra.”

Tip of Tongue, which is not one of the classical 107 marmas. Relflex point in the middle of the jaw, below the lips. Nila and Manya marmas are related.

Third Eye Nadis Nadi

Extent

Effects

Pingala

Branches out from the third eye, goes to the right nostril, which is its orifice, and supplies Prana to it. Also governs the right nasal passage.

* Muladhara Phana on * Smell right side * “Driving pranic of nose channel for fiery and Pitta activities of all types from digestion to critical thinking.” * “Supplies energies to the right side of the body, stimulating the right side nadis.”

Ida

Branches out from the third eye, goes to the left nostril, which is its orifice, and supplies Prana to it. Also governs the left nasal passage.

* Muladhara * Smell * “Main Prana channel for watery and Kapha functions from tissue development to sleep.“ * “Governs inspired or visionary speech.” * “Causes the whole body to be nourished through Prana.” * “Supplies energy to left side of the body, stimulating all the left side nadis.”

Phana on the left side of nose.

Pusha

Branches out from the third eye, goes to the right eye, which is its orifice, and supplies Prana to it. Ruled mainly by Prana as the main power of the senses.

* Manipura * Sense of Sight * “A very important nadi because the soul (Atman) dwells in the right eye during waking state.”

Apanga marma on right temple.

Marma

Nadi

Extent

Ghandhari Branches out from

the third eye, goes to the left eye, which is its orifice, and supplies Prana to it.

Effects

Marma

* Manipura * Sense of Sight * “Promotes dream, imagination, and creative vision.”

Apanga marma on left temple.

Payasvini

Branches out from * Vishudda the third eye, goes * Hearing to right ear, which * “At the right ear, is its orifice, and we hear the inner supplies Prana to it. sounds of Yoga or Also governs right nada, the music Eustachian tube. of the soul.”

Right Vidhura marma, just behind ear.

Shankhini

Branches out from * Vishudda the third eye, goes * Hearing to left ear, which * “Increases faith is its orifice, and and makes us supplies Prana to it. receptive to Also governs left higher devotional Eustachian tube. influences.”

Left Vidhura marma, just behind ear.

Source: ‘Ayurveda and Marma Therapy: Energy Points in Yoga Healing’. Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subhash Ranade, Dr. Avinash Lele, 2003. LL

Limb Nadis Nadi

Extent

Effects

Yashasvati

Runs from root * Vyana Vayu chakra to the navel * “Strong healing chakra where it energy potential branches out. through the Supplies Prana to palm of the the right foot and right hand, right hand. Its which like energy comes to a the right eye center in the middle relates to the of the right hand soul and to and foot and from fire.” there radiates out to the five fingers or toes, ending primarily in the right thumb and big toe.

* Right Big Toe * Right Thumb * Main marmas are Kshipra and Talahridaya on right foot and hand. * Related to all right side marmas

Hastijihva

Runs from root * Vyana Vayu chakra to the navel * “The energy of chakra where it the left hand is branches out. more colling, Supplies Prana to soothing and the left foot and left nourishing than hand. Its energy that of the comes to a center right and is in the middle of the watery in left hand and foot nature.” and from there radiates out to the five fingers or toes, ending primarily in the left thumb and big toe.

* Left Big Toe * Tip of Left Thumb

Aperture and Marma

The Chakra Model Chakra means “wheel” or “circle”. The chakras are understood to be dynamic vortices of prana where the nadis converge. Attention to these centers is believed to assist in awakening our consciousness to deeper and more subtle dimensions within ourselves and the cosmos. Specifically, the chakras are believed to assist in moving the prana between the physical, astral and causal realms. Just as our collective hip joints differ slightly in their shape, flexibility and strength, so do our chakras. And just as our hip joints perform basically the same function, so do our chakras. And just as we have a choice to allow our hips to tighten and close or open and move, so we also have the choice to ignore or connect and develop a relationship with our chakras. Allow the rumours about the chakras to be there when you need them. Filling our minds with facts does not draw us any closer. In fact, knowing the data can often create an illusion of intimacy. Like reading books about swimming, nothing compares to diving in.

Approximate Chakra Locations

Source: Bihar School of India

A Few Chakra Rumors Muladhara Chakra

Root Chakra Element: Earth Motor Organ: Anus Sense Organ: Nose Meaning: Root place or base Root Location: Tailbone Flower Location: Perineum Seed Sound: LAM Yama: Ahimsa

Sacral Chakra Element: Water Motor Organ: Uro-genital organs Sense Organ: Tongue Meaning: That which cannot be controlled Root Location: Lower Sacrum Flower Location: Lower Belly Seed Sound: VAM Yama: Bramacharya

Navel Chakra Element: Fire Motor Organ: Feet Sense Organ: Eyes Meaning: City of jewels Root Location: Upper Lumbar Spine (L2) Flower Location: Navel Center Seed Sound: RAM Yama: Asteya

Svadhisthana Chakra

Manipura Chakra

Anahata Chakra

Heart Chakra Element: Air Motor Organ: Hands Sense Organ: Skin Meaning: Unstruck sound or unbeaten, unbroken Root Location: Between Shoulderblades (T7/T8) Flower Location: Breastbone Seed Sound : YAM Yama: Aparigraha

Vishudda Chakra

Throat Chakra Element: Ether Motor Organ: Vocal Cords Sense Organ: Ears Meaning: To purify, center of nectar Root Location: C7 Flower Location: Teardrop of the throat Seed Sound: HAM Yama: Satya

Third Eye Chakra Meaning: command center, seat of wisdom and Cntuition Root Location: Occiput Flower Location: Between Eyebrows Seed Sound: OM

Ajna Chakra

Sahasrara Chakra

Crown Chakra Meaning: Thousand petal lotus Location: Crown of Head Seed Sound: OM

The Bandhas

Artist Rendering of Mula Bandha Local

Uddiyana Bandha L

Jalandhara Bandha

Bandha means “lock”. “Lock” is a farming term and refers to the creation of “dams” to assist in the flow and retention of prana through the nadis for the purposes of irrigation.

Marma Points ‘Marma’ is a Sanskrit term for sensitive or vulnerable points on the body. Marma Points serve as ‘pranic control points’ on the body, where the energy of prana can be treated, controlled, directed or manipulated in various ways. Marmas are integral to all Ayurvedic therapies. Injury to marmas quickly affects the health and vitality of a person and in the case of some marmas can even prove fatal. Another term used for marma points is ‘varma’ points. Varma refers to protective material or armor. Marmas are regions of the body that were protected in battle in order to safeguard the life of the warrior. There are 107 prime classical marmas according to the Sushruta Samhita, one of the oldest Ayurvedic texts, which also mentions marmas relative to the practice of surgery. Arms and Hands, 11 Regions, 22 Points Legs and Feet, 11 Regions, 22 Points Abdomen and Chest, 8 Regions, 12 Points Back and Hips, 7 Regions, 14 Points Head and Neck, 14 Regions, 37 Points However, besides these primary marmas are many other marmas, up to 360 according to some healers. To some extent, any sensitive point on the body of a person is a kind of marma or vulnerable location. The skin itself can be regarded as a greater marma zone in which all the other marmas are contained. Marmas are also locations in which the doshas of vata, pitta and kapha can be held, along with their subtle essences of prana, tejas and ojas. As sensitive zones, marmas can hold various emotions like fear (vata), anger (pitta) or attachment (kapha), as well as the gunas or primary qualities of sattva (calm), rajas (aggression) and tamas (inertia). In this regard the concept of marmas goes beyond modern medicine and its purely physical definitions to the main principles of mind-body medicine. Text Source: David Frawley

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.â&#x20AC;? C.S. Lewis

Chakra Marma Points

Leg Marma Points

Bottom of Foot Marma Points

Hand Marma Points

Arm Marma Points

Chest Marma Points

Hip and Back Marma Points

Head Marma Points

Note: Sira Matrika represents 4 marmas on each side of neck for a total of 8.

Krikitika

Source: Ayurveda and Marma Therapy, Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subhas Ranade, Dr. Avinash Lele, 2003. 46

Source: Ayurveda and Marma Therapy, Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subhas Ranade, Dr. Avinash Lele, 2003. 47

The Koshas

Annamaya Kosha food-apparent-sheath, physical body Pranamaya Kosha air-apparent-sheath, vital energy Manomaya Kosha mind-stuff-apparent-sheath Vijnanamaya Kosha wisdom-apparent-sheath Anandamaya Kosha bliss-apparent-sheath

Please note: The Sanskrit is not properly marked on this page.

Circumstances are nothing but ourselves. John Daido Loori

The Vayus

Source: Image from Theory of the Chakras, Dr. Motoyama.

Dermatone Chart

Image Source: Netterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Atlas of Human Anatomy LL

The Toaist Cycle of Creativity

Source: universal-tao.com L

Source: universal-tao.com LL

The Nervous System An Overview

The nervous system is composed of all nerve tissues in the body. The functions of nerve tissue are to receive stimuli, transmit stimuli to nervous centers, and to initiate response. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord and serves as the collection point of nerve impulses. The peripheral nervous system includes all nerves not in the brain or spinal cord and connects all parts of the body to the central nervous system. The peripheral (sensory) nervous system receives stimuli, the central nervous system interprets them, and then the peripheral (motor) nervous system initiates responses. The somatic nervous system controls functions that are under conscious voluntary control such as skeletal muscles and sensory neurons of the skin. The autonomic nervous system, mostly motor nerves, controls functions of involuntary smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and glands. The autonomic nervous system provides almost every organ with a double set of nerves - the sympathetic and parasympathetic. These systems generally but not always work in opposition to each other. The sympathetic system activates and prepares the body for vigorous muscular activity, stress, and emergencies. While the parasympathetic system lowers activity, operates during normal situations, permits digestion, and conservation of energy. The two systems generally act in opposition to each other. For example, a stimulation by the sympathetic system on the heart would increase contractions, while a stimulation by the parasympathetic system would decrease heart contractions. Where dual control of an organ exists, both systems operate simultaneously although one may be operating at a higher level of activity than the other. The operation is similar to the operation of a car with both the accelerator and brake pedals depressed. 54

In the peripheral nervous system, a chemical neurotransmitter carries the nerve impulses from neuron to neuron across a synapse (space between neurons). The neurotransmitters are acetylcholine, norephinephrine, dopamine, histamine, glycine, GABA and serotonin. Nerves that release acetylcholine are called cholinergic nerves. Cholinergic nerves are part of the parasympathetic system, somatic motor nerves, preganglionic sympathetic nerves* and central nervous system. (* The nerve that carries the message from the central nervous system to a ganglion - junction for a group of nerve cells - is a preganglionic nerve.) Nerves that release norepinephrine are called adrenergic nerves. Adrenergic nerves are part of the postganglionic sympathetic nerve system** and parts of the central nervous system. (**A nerve that carries the impulse from the ganglion to the effecter cell is a postganglionic nerve.)

Stress, Breath and the Vagus Nerve Am I Safe?

The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is continually sending out the question “Am I safe?” As long as it gets back the answer “Yes,” then the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) runs the show, optimistically keeping everything working. When the SNS gets the response, “No,” the “Flight or Fight Syndrome” kicks in, launching a campaign of action. Adrenaline is released into the blood stream, increasing the heart rate and blood pressure. Simultaneously, the bronchi of the lungs relax to deepen the breath and increase screaming ability. Insulin is released, increasing the blood sugar levels for a quick burst of energy. Concentrations in the plasma of the protein fibrinogen are increased, to encourage blood coagulation (blood clotting) in anticipation of getting wounded. And the immune system gets a 30 minutes boost. Simultaneously, long term optimistic projects within the body are suspended. The digestion system cleans itself out and then shuts down. The reproductive organs also shut down. The Flight or Fight Syndrome is incredibly effective for getting us though or out of physical dangerous situations quickly. Once safe, the SNS is supposed to relax and the PNS (known as the “Rest and Digest” system) is allowed to take over again. In the modern western world we respond to psychological stresses in the same way as physical danger. Infact, there is very little discrimination between the two. Simultaneouly, many of us in the modern western world have forgotten how to relax. “I’ll relax once I get all that stuff done,” is a common phrase. This “go go go” mentality combined with the continual barrage of information and demands that we perceive as stress, has resulted in a large number of people stuck in the “No-I-am-not-safe-mode”. When the body gets caught in a stress cycle, the “rest levels” of the heart rate and blood sugar adapt and rise. The higher blood pressure combined with increase of the clotting hormone combined with the chest breathing increase the chances of a heart attack significantly. L

The rise in blood sugar combined with a debilitated digestive system can result in diseases like Type II diabetes. The weakened immune system results in chronic illness. The lack of attention paid to the reproduction system will eventually cause it to break down. Many women who are trying to have children while balancing stressful careers are surprised to find themselves unable to conceive.

Cortisol

Cortisol, is the hormone of chronic stress. Below are the well documented effects of chronic cortisol elevations on your mind and body: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Increased appetite and food cravings Cortisol stimulates fat storage esp. around the abdomen Increased body fat - obesity Decreased muscle mass Insulin resistance and eventually diabetes Heart disease Increased blood pressure – high blood pressure Decreased bone density – osteoporosis Reduced synthesis of neurotransmitters Increased anxiety Increased depression Reduced concentration Mood swings (anger and irritability) Reduced levels of estrogen and testosterone – decreased sex drive Impaired immune response – frequent colds, flus, infections and cancer Memory and learning impairment Physical atrophy of brain cells – Alzheimer’s disease Increased symptoms of PMS Increased menopausal side effects

The Nerve Roots of War and Peace

The Nerves of the SNS emanate from the T1 to L2. The Nerves of the PNS emanate from the medulla oblongata (just above the C1) and the sacrum (S2 - S4). Stimulation of the Parasympathetic Nerves will result in a reduction of stress. The quickest most direct way to stimulate the PNS is through the breath.

Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fold

The Vagus Nerve

Image Source: Netterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Human Anatomy

The Vagus Nerve, also known as the tenth Cranial Nerve, originates from the medulla oblongata and touches most of the internal organ: the lungs, the heart, the stomach, the liver, the pancreas, the kidneys, the small and large intestines. The Vagus Nerve runs through the diaphragm. Deep diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the Vagus Nerve and communicates that everything is going to be alright. This in turn has the effect of slowing down the heart, relaxing the bronchi of the lungs, lowering the blood sugar and increasing digestion. 60

The Muscles of the Breath Many people are stuck in the habit of breathing from their secondary muscles of respiration of the chest and neck, increasing the risk of heart disease and tension headaches. The practice of learning how to breath with the diaphragm, intercostals and abdominals -- the primary muscles of respiration -- is and effective and powerful tool in the reduction of stress.

Image Source: Donna Fahariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, The Breathing Book

The Mind

The main purpose of the Inhalation is to stimulate the Exhalation. Beacuse while the inhalation brings fresh oxygen in, the exhale is the breath that releases the toxicity of the body and is more vital to our ultimate survival. Whena yogini drowns, she does not die of lack of oxygen, but rather the build up of toxins. The number one cause of toxicity in the body is our mental and emotional state. Negative thinking creates toxins. And so while we use deep breathing to help clear the toxicity and calm the body, eventually a quiet mind results in a quiet even almost breathless state. 61

How The Practices of Yoga Help

In the practices of yoga, we deliberately try to stretch and open the chest, back and belly to increase breathing room. We deliberately practice deepening and lengthening the breath. Many of the poses are intentionally stressful, offering the opportunity to “counter-pose” through deep breathing and reset the nervous system’s bar. Many of the movements are designed to stimulate the PNS nerves around the sacrum area. Simultaneously, we practice relaxing and releasing the negative thought patterns. We chant to tune the mind to a more harmonous state. Different people respond to different practices. Some need a more active practice to feel met. Some find a more restorative passive practice to be the most effective. There is no one route for anyone. One of the most beautiful characteristics of the yoga practice is that it morphs to meet each of us where we are and gently draw us in deeper.

Image Source: Donna Fahari’s, The Breathing Book 62

Our favorite yogi scientist doctor, Patanjali.

Mental Health from Patanjali 1.2

Yoga is the mastery over the fluctuations of the mind.

yogaś chitta vṛtti nirodhaḥ

1.33 A clear and tranquil mind results from cultivating friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion towards those who suffer, joy towards the virtuous, and impartiality towards wrong-doers.

maitrī karuṇā muditā upekṣānāṃ sukha duḥka puṇya apuṇya viṣāyaṇāṃ bhāvanātaś chitta prāsadanam

1.34 Or from attention to the outward and inward flow of breath (prana).

prachchhardana vidhāraṇābhyāṃ vā prāṇasya

1.35 Or from steady attention to the subtler levels of sensation

viṣaya vatī vā pravṛttir utpannā manasaḥ sthiti nibandhanī

1.36 Or by experiencing inner radiance free from sorrow.

viśokā vā jyotiṣmatī

1.37 Or by turning to those things which do not incite attachment.

vīta rāga viṣayaṃ vā chittam 64

1.38 Or by depending upon insights obtained in the states of greater awakening called svapna and nidra. svapna nidrā jñāna ālambanaṃ vā 1.38 Or by meditation on the longing of the heart.

yathā abhimata dhyānād vā

MeYou, Robyn Dalby, 2012 LL

Sutra 1.33

A clear and tranquil mind results from cultivating friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion towards those who suffer, joy towards the virtuous and impartiality towards wrong-doers. maitrī karuṇā muditā upekṣānāṃ sukha duḥka puṇya apuṇya viṣāyaṇāṃ bhāvanātaś chitta prāsadanam maitrī - friendliness, pleasantness karuṇā - compassion, mercy muditā - goodwill, gladness, sympathetic joy upekṣānāṃ - equanitmity, impartiality, neutrality sukha - happy, joyous duḥka - suffering, pain puṇya - virtuous, meritorious apuṇya - non-virtuous, wicked viṣāyaṇāṃ - regarding those subjects, in relation to those objects bhāvanātaś - by cultivating habits, by constant reflection, impressing on oneself chitta - mind field, consciousness prāsadanam - purified, clear, serene, calm, pacified

Perhaps practice writing the sanskrit and english words of sutra 1.33 here to help you memorize them. Practice sharing with others in teaching and conversation.

Sutra 1.33 Field Notes 1. What did you notice when you made an effort to be in the feeling tone of friendliness? Describe the physiological effects if available.

2. What did you notice when you made an effort to be in the feeling tone of compassion? Describe the physiological effects if available.

3. Do friendliness and compassion feel different to you? If so, can you please describe how they differ or feel the same.

4. Who is someone that allows you to practice mudita (sympathetic joy)? Can you describe the feeling? What seems to happen in your body?

5. What do you notice in your body when you slip into equanimity? If equanimity is not available, what do you experience instead?

6. Allow yourself to sit with a disharmonious relationship. What happens when you play with one of the emotions suggested by Sutra 1.33? Is one more effective for you than another?

The Kleshas

In attempting to understand how the mind works, it is popular to use the analogy of a computer. While perhaps helpful for a moment, this inclination shrinks our minds down to something humans have created. This limiting self referencing feeds the concept of the body as a machine with parts and serves the rational gods. Within this analogy, the vrttis (the fluctuations or movements) are described as the “software” that runs off the “firmware” or the “operating system” of the kleshas. The kleśāḥs, described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, are the “colorings of” or “hindrances to” seeing clearly. The writings from over 2000 years ago and from a much older oral tradition correspond to what neuroscientists are just starting to “prove.” As biological beings, with seemingly temporary physical encasings, we are designed to avoid danger and survive. These tendencies create pattens that without observation can concretize and feel like truth. The yogi aims to see these limiting beliefs and allow them to dissolve into greater perceived Truths.

2.1 The practice of yoga consists of self discipline (tapas), self-study (svadhyaya), and dedication to Ishvara. 2.2 Yoga is for cultivating samadhi and for weakening the hindrances (kleshas). 2.3 The kleshas are ignorance (avidya), the sense of a separate self (asmita), attraction (raga), aversion (dvesha), and clinging to the status quo (abhinivesha).

avidyā asmitā rāga dveṣa abhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ

2.4 Avidya is the cause of all the others, whether dormant, attenuated, intermittent, or fully active.

2.5 Avidya is seeing the transient as eternal, the impure as pure, dissatisfaction as pleasure, the non-Self as Self. 2.6 Asmita is the misidentification of the power of seeing with what is seen. 2.7 Raga arises from dwelling on pleasant experiences. 2.8 Dvesha arises from clinging to unpleasant experiences. 2.9 Abhinivesha is the automatic tendency for continuity; it overwhelms even the wise. 2.10 These subtle kleshas can be overcome by reversing the natural flow (pratiparasava) and returning towards the source. 2.11 Their effects can be reduced by mediation (dhyana). 2.12 Past actions, rooted in kleshas, give rise to experiences in present or future births. 2.13 As long as the root exists, the effects will be experienced as birth and in the quality and duration of life. 2.14 Joy is the result of right action, sorrow of wrong action.

The Vrittis There is a funny temptation to blame our difficulties of attention on the latest technological distractions. These three sutras remind us that the distractions and results have been similar for a long long time. Pointing towards a cause outside of ourselves is rarely helpful. The solution is to vigilantly engage in self study and knows these temptations and intimate aspects of ourselves.

1.30 Sickness, apathy, doubt, carelessness, laziness, indulgence, confusion, unsteadiness, and feeling stuck are the interruptions which cause dispersion of attention.

vyādhi styāna samśaya pramāda ālasya avirati bhrānti darśana alabdha bhūmikatva anavasthitatvāni chitta vikṣepāste’ntarāyāḥ vyādhi - sickness, illness, disease styāna - apathy, dullness, mental laziness, rigidity samśaya - doubt, indecision pramāda - carelessness, negligence ālasya - laziness, sloth avirati - indulgence, want of non-attachment, sensuality, craving, desire bhrānti darśana - confusion, false views of perception, blindness alabdha bhūmikatva - failing to attain stages of practice (alabdha - not obtaining, bhūmikatva firm ground, state) anavasthitatvāni - inability to maintain, inconsistency chitta vikṣepā - distractions of the mind antarāya - obstacle L

1.31 Dissatisfaction, despair, nervousness and irregular breathing accompany this dispersion.

duḥkha daurmanasya aṅgam ejayatva śvāsa praśvāsā vikṣepasahabhvaḥ

duḥkha - pain (mental or physical) daurmanasya - despair, sadness aṅgam ejayatva - nervousness, shakiness śvāsa - irregular inhalation praśvāsā - irregular exhalation vikṣepa - distractions sahabhvaḥ - correlates, accompaniments, companions

1.32 Dispersion is prevented by the practice of focusing on one truth.

tat-pratiṣedha artham eka tattva abhyāsaḥ

From the Visible to the Invisble As the breath is referred to the grossest form of prana, perhaps we can look at the wonderful and magnificent web of the nervous and circulatory system as the grossest representation of the nadis. This does not mean that these elements are the nadis, rather, they are the densest physical expressions of the currents of prana.

The earliest westerners to reference the existence of the rumored 350,000 nadis assumed that the yogis were referring to nerves and veins in addition to subtler currents. In 1918, Arthur Avalon (aka Sir John Woodroffe) in, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga,â&#x20AC;? offers a detailed account of the correspondence between the known nerve pathways of the times and the locations of the nadis and chakras according to the yogis. This is of course useful and problematic as the effort to make systems match can result in blindness. We are proposing that the channels of these more obvious rivers of miracles like the visible nerves and circulatory system pathways can be played with as beginning points or treasure maps to dive into deeper and subtler depths. Wherever there is a nerve, a branch of the brain, there is usually an artery, vein or capillary, a branch of the heart dancing together through what we label as the body. The heart and mind and body are not separate. The yogis have known this for a long time. Please in no way assume that this approach means the more surface or gross forms are lesser than the subtle. Hardly. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to exist in this magical temporary expression of the Awesome. Most of the sages agree that a human birth is an immense blessing. And we have discovered that the pain that comes from the total identification with this realm, where suffering and illness and death are invetible, beckons us to look more closely and deeply.

Prayer for Light and Truth asato mā sadgamaya tamaso mā jyotirgamaya mṛytor mā amṛitaṁ gamaya Lead us from unreal to real. Lead us from darkness to light. Lead us from death to life. (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad I.3.2)

From the Vijñānabhairava Verse 54 Svadehe jagato vā pi sūkṣmasūkṣmatarāṇi ca Tattvani yā ni nilayaṃ dhyātvānte vyajyate parā If the yogi thinks deeply that the subtle and subtler constitutive principles of one’s own body or the world are being absorbed in their own respective causes, than at the end parā devī or the supreme goddess is revealed. Verse 55 Pinām ca durbalāṃ śaktiṃ dhyāyvā dvādaśgocare Praviśya hṛdaye dhyāyanmuktaḥ svātantryam āpnuyāt If prāṇaśakti which is gross and thick, is made frail and subtle (by yogic discipline, particularly prāṇāyāma) and if a yogi meditates on such śakti either in dvādaśānta or in the heart (i.e. the centre of the body) by entering mentally into it, he is liberated and he gains his (natural) sovereign power. 75

The Mystical Blood Flow

Please use Google Image or other materials to find at least two satisfactory images of the visible major arteries and veins of the circulatory system. Please print, cut out and paste on these next two pages.

The Magical Nerve Tour

Please use Google Image or other materials to find several satisfactory images of the visible nervous system. Please print, cut out and paste on these next three pages.

Design Some Meditations

Please now develop a guided meditation for a detail from each map. As you sit with the attention to the practical, pay attention if a connection to a more subtle anatomical feature is revealed. Weave this insight in if appropriate and helpful.

Our bodily food is changed into us, but our spiritual food changes us into itself. ~ Meister Eckhart

Boney and Squishy Landmarks

The Spine

Image Source: Netterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Atlas of Human Anatomy

Pelvic Viewing

Image Source: Netterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Atlas of Human Anatomy

Hip Joint

Image Source: Netterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Atlas of Human Anatomy

External Rotators of Hip

Gemellus superior, Gemellus inferior, Obturator internus, Obturator externus, Quadratus femoris, Piriformis, Gluteus maximus, Sartorius, Gluteus medius, posterior fibers

Internal Rotators of Hip

Gluteus Minimus

Gluteus Medius Tensor Fasciae Latae L

The Sciattic Nerve

Images from Google.com

Nerves of Lumbarsacral

Image Source: Netterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Atlas of Human Anatomy L

La Psoas

Image copied from Netterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Atlas of Human Anatomy with no permission.

Little Muscles of the Spine

Rotatores Thoracis Muscles

Interspinalis Muscles

Images from neosavina.ivyro.net

The Shoulder Joint

Images from Google.com 92

Images from Google.com

Your Beautiful Neck

Image Source: Prohealthsys.com

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clear blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, not matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

Mary Oliver

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. ~Aristotle

Into Practice

See More Clearly In response to the question of why we suffer, the sages are continually telling us that we are just simply not seeing clearly enough (avidya). As Westerners, we suspect that this means we need to see more exactly, with greater magnification and sharper imaging tools. The tendency in the West is to look to fix. Our eastern brothers and sisters suggest that all we need to do is look with a particular quality of attention. This quality is known as perfect concentration (samyama). In addition to the components of steady attention (dharana), wide open awareness (dhyana) and vulnerability (samadhi), key to seeing clearly is affection for the subject one is looking at. And in yoga, the subject is most often the Self. The lucky part for us is that we do not need to already have affection for the Self to begin. The simple act of the practice of looking will eventually result in this as “time with” is key for any intimate relationship to occur. The story from Ramana Maharshi’s ashram in Tirubannamalai, India goes something like this: At Ramana’s ashram, there was a cow shed. And there was a problem with one of the cows eating the grass in all the other cow’s stalls. When Ramana was asked what to do with the problem of the rogue cow, Ramana is rumored to have replied, “She simply has not yet tasted her own grass.” The simple practice of looking within will change everything. We promise. Begin now with gentle kindness and affection. The key to a yogi’s success is a balance of diligent practice (abhyasa) and surrender (vairagya).

Abhyasa and Vairagya 1.12 abhyasa vairagyabhyam tan nirodhah

Stillness develops through practice (abhyasa) and non-identification (vairagya).

1.13 tatra sthitau yatnah abhyasa

Abhyasa is the effort of remaining present.

1.14 sah tu dirgha kala nairantaira satkara asevitah dridha bhumih

Continuous care and attention for a long time establishes this practice.

1.15 drista anushravika vishaya vitrishnasya vashikara sanjna vairagyam

Vairagya is the mastery over the craving for what has been seen or heard.

1.16 tat param purusha khyateh guna vaitrshnyam

The higher vairagya arises from a vision of the Transcendent being (Purusha) and leads to the cessation of craving for the things of the world.

Samyama 3 Definitions of Samyama: Perfect Concentration Total Attention Perfect Discipline

3.4

Samyama is when dharana, dhyana, and samadhi are together.

trayam ekatra saṃyamaḥ

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Some of the Promises of Samyama 3.23 From samyama on friendliness and similar qualities, these qualities can be gained. maitry ādiṣu balāni 3.24 From samyama on the strength of an animal, such as an elephant, one gains that strength.

baleṣu hasti bala ādīni

3.26 Knowledge of the universe can be gained by samyama on the sun. bhuvana jñānaṃ surye saṃyamāt 3.27 Knowledge on the arrangement of the stars can be gained by samyama on the moon. chandre tārā vyūha jñānaṃ 3.29 Knowledge of the bodily system, can be gained by samyama on the navel center. nābhi chakre kāya vyūha jñānaṃ 3.34 Samyama on the heart leads to an understanding of chitta. hṛdyae chitta saṃvit

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Becoming a Learner

If we are only rewarded by our achievements, we slowly become non-learners. We begin to avoid the activities that we are not good at and slowly start to shrink our lives. If we can feel rewarded by our efforts, then challenges and new things become exciting as they offer an opportunity to grow and stretch and live a richer life. Key ingredients of a yogi are wonderment and willingness. If we approach ourselves with curiosity and amazement, we increase our capacity to hold the opposites.

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The Law of Karma

As I am, so I act. As I act, so I become. 103

The Effort Effect According to a Stanford psychologist, you’ll reach new heights if you learn to embrace the occasional tumble. By Marina Krakovsky ONE DAY LAST NOVEMBER, psychology professor Carol Dweck welcomed a pair of visitors from the Blackburn Rovers, a soccer team in the United Kingdom’s Premier League. The Rovers’ training academy is ranked in England’s top three, yet performance director Tony Faulkner had long suspected that many promising players weren’t reaching their potential. Ignoring the team’s century-old motto— arte et labore, or “skill and hard work”—the most talented individuals disdained serious training. On some level, Faulkner knew the source of the trouble: British soccer culture held that star players are born, not made. If you buy into that view, and are told you’ve got immense talent, what’s the point of practice? If anything, training hard would tell you and others that you’re merely good, not great. Faulkner had identified the problem; but to fix it, he needed Dweck’s help. A 60-year-old academic psychologist might seem an unlikely sports motivation guru. But Dweck’s expertise—and her recent book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success—bear directly on the sort of problem facing the Rovers. Through more than three decades of systematic research, she has been figuring out answers to why some people achieve their potential while equally talented others don’t— why some become Muhammad Ali and others Mike Tyson. The key, she found, isn’t ability; it’s whether you look at ability as something inherent that needs to be demonstrated or as something that can be developed. What’s more, Dweck has shown that people can learn to adopt the latter belief and make dramatic strides in performance. These days, she’s sought out wherever motivation and achievement matter, from education and parenting to business management and personal development. AS A GRADUATE STUDENT AT YALE, Dweck started off studying animal motivation. In the late 1960s, a hot topic in animal research was “learned helplessness”: lab animals sometimes didn’t do what they were capable of because they’d given up from repeat failures. Dweck wondered how humans coped with that. “I asked, ‘What makes a 104

really capable child give up in the face of failure, where other children may be motivated by the failure?’” she recalls. At the time, the suggested cure for learned helplessness was a long string of successes. Dweck posited that the difference between the helpless response and its opposite—the determination to master new things and surmount challenges—lay in people’s beliefs about why they had failed. People who attributed their failures to lack of ability, Dweck thought, would become discouraged even in areas where they were capable. Those who thought they simply hadn’t tried hard enough, on the other hand, would be fueled by setbacks. This became the topic of her PhD dissertation. Dweck and her assistants ran an experiment on elementary school children whom school personnel had identified as helpless. These kids fit the definition perfectly: if they came across a few math problems they couldn’t solve, for example, they no longer could do problems they had solved before—and some didn’t recover that ability for days. Through a series of exercises, the experimenters trained half the students to chalk up their errors to insufficient effort, and encouraged them to keep going. Those children learned to persist in the face of failure—and to succeed. The control group showed no improvement at all, continuing to fall apart quickly and to recover slowly. These findings, says Dweck, “really supported the idea that the attributions were a key ingredient driving the helpless and mastery-oriented patterns.” Her 1975 article on the topic has become one of the most widely cited in contemporary psychology. Attribution theory, concerned with people’s judgments about the causes of events and behavior, already was an active area of psychological research. But the focus at the time was on how we make attributions, explains Stanford psychology professor Lee Ross, who coined the term “fundamental attribution error” for our tendency to explain other people’s actions by their character traits, overlooking the power of circumstances. Dweck, he says, helped “shift the emphasis from attributional errors and biases to the consequences of attributions—why it matters what attributions people make.” Dweck had put attribution theory to practical use. LL

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She continued to do so as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois, collaborating with then-graduate student Carol Diener to have children “think out loud” as they faced problem-solving tasks, some too difficult for them. The big surprise: some of the children who put forth lots of effort didn’t make attributions at all. These children didn’t think they were failing. Diener puts it this way: “Failure is information—we label it failure, but it’s more like, ‘This didn’t work, I’m a problem solver, and I’ll try something else.’” During one unforgettable moment, one boy—something of a poster child for the mastery-oriented type—faced his first stumper by pulling up his chair, rubbing his hands together, smacking his lips and announcing, “I love a challenge.” Such zest for challenge helped explain why other capable students thought they lacked ability just because they’d hit a setback. Common sense suggests that ability inspires self-confidence. And it does for a while—so long as the going is easy. But setbacks change everything. Dweck realized—and, with colleague Elaine Elliott soon demonstrated—that the difference lay in the kids’ goals. “The masteryoriented children are really hell-bent on learning something,” Dweck says, and “learning goals” inspire a different chain of thoughts and behaviors than “performance goals.” Students for whom performance is paramount want to look smart even if it means not learning a thing in the process. For them, each task is a challenge to their self-image, and each setback becomes a personal threat. So they pursue only activities at which they’re sure to shine— and avoid the sorts of experiences necessary to grow and flourish in any endeavor. Students with learning goals, on the other hand, take necessary risks and don’t worry about failure because each mistake becomes a chance to learn. Dweck’s insight launched a new field of educational psychology—achievement goal theory. Dweck’s next question: what makes students focus on different goals in the first place? During a sabbatical at Harvard, she was discussing this with doctoral student Mary Bandura (daughter of legendary Stanford psychologist Albert Bandura), and the answer hit them: if some students want to show off their ability, while others want to increase their ability, “ability” means different things to the two groups. “If you want to demonstrate something over and over, it feels like something static that lives inside of you—whereas if you want to increase your ability, it feels dynamic and malleable,” Dweck explains. 107

Students for whom performance is paramount want to look smart even if it means not learning a thing in the process. People with performance goals, she reasoned, think intelligence is fixed from birth. People with learning goals have a growth mind-set about intelligence, believing it can be developed. (Among themselves, psychologists call the growth mind-set an “incremental theory,” and use the term “entity theory” for the fixed mind-set.) The model was nearly complete (see previous diagram).

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GROWING UP IN BROOKLYN in the ’50s, Dweck did well in elementary school, earning a spot in a sixth-grade class of other high achievers. Not just any spot, it turned out. Their teacher, Mrs. Wilson, seated the students in IQ order and even used IQ scores to dole out classroom responsibilities. Whether Mrs. Wilson meant to or not, she was conveying her belief in fixed intelligence. Dweck, who was in row 1, seat 1, believes Mrs. Wilson’s intentions were good. The experience didn’t scar her—Dweck says she already had some of the growth mind-set—but she has shown that many students pegged as bright, especially girls, don’t fare as well. Tests, Dweck notes, are notoriously poor at measuring potential. Take a group of adults and ask them to draw a self-portrait. Most Americans think of drawing as a gift they don’t have, and their portraits look no better than a child’s scribbles. But put them in a well-designed class—as Betty Edwards, the author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, has—and the resulting portraits look so skilled it’s hard to believe they’re the work of the same “talentless” individuals. The belief that you can’t improve stunts achievement. Culture can play a large role in shaping our beliefs, Dweck says. A college physics teacher recently wrote to Dweck that in India, where she was educated, there was no notion that you had to be a genius or even particularly smart to learn physics. “The assumption was that everyone could do it, and, for the most part, they did.” But what if you’re raised with a fixed mind-set about physics—or foreign languages or music? Not to worry: Dweck has shown that you can change the mind-set itself. The most dramatic proof comes from a recent study by Dweck and Lisa Sorich Blackwell of low-achieving seventh graders. All students participated in sessions on study skills, the brain and the like; in addition, one group attended a neutral session on memory while the other learned that intelligence, like a muscle, grows stronger through exercise. Training students to adopt a growth mind-set about intelligence had a catalytic effect on motivation and math grades; students in the control group showed no improvement despite all the other interventions. “Study skills and learning skills are inert until they’re powered by an active ingredient,” Dweck explains. Students may know how to study, but won’t want to if they believe their efforts are futile. “If you target that belief, you can see more benefit than you have any reason to hope for.” 109

‘What makes a really capable child give up in the face of failure, where other children may be motivated by the failure?’ The classroom workshop isn’t feasible on a large scale; for one thing, it’s too costly. So Dweck and Blackwell have designed a computerbased training module to simulate the live intervention. Their hip multimedia software, called Brainology, is still in development, but thanks to early buzz from a Time magazine article and Dweck’s recent book, teachers have begun clamoring for it, one even asking to become a distributor. Unlike much that passes for wisdom about education and performance, Dweck’s conclusions are grounded in solid research. She’s no rah-rah motivational coach proclaiming the sky’s the limit and attitude is everything; that’s too facile. But the evidence shows that if we hold a fixed mind-set, we’re bound not to reach as high as we might. ALTHOUGH MUCH OF DWECK’S RESEARCH on mind-sets has taken place in school settings, it’s applicable to sports, business, interpersonal relationships and so on. “Lots and lots of people are interested in her work; it touches on so many different areas of psychology and areas outside of psychology,” says Stanford psychology professor Mark Lepper, ’66, who as department chair in 2004 lured Dweck away from Columbia, where she’d been for 15 years. “The social psychologists like to say she’s a social psychologist; the personality psychologists say she’s a personality psychologist; and the developmental psychologists say she’s a developmental psychologist,” Lepper adds. By all rights, her appeal should transcend academia, says New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell, who is well known for making psychological research accessible to the general public. “One of the most popular pieces I ever did relied very heavily on work done by Carol Dweck,” he said in a December interview in theJournal of Management Inquiry. “Carol Dweck deserves a big audience. It is criminal if she does not get that audience.” Perhaps Mindset will help; it was written for lay readers. 110

It certainly cemented Tony Faulkner’s belief that Dweck could help the Blackburn Rovers soccer team. Unlike the disadvantaged kids in Dweck’s middle-school study, the Rovers didn’t think they lacked what it took to succeed. Quite the opposite: they thought their talent should take them all the way. Yet both groups’ fixed mind-set about ability explains their aversion to effort. But aren’t there plenty of people who believe in innate ability and in the notion that nothing comes without effort? Logically, the two ideas are compatible. But psychologically, explains Dweck, many people who believe in fixed intelligence also think you shouldn’t need hard work to do well. This belief isn’t entirely irrational, she says. A student who finishes a problem set in 10 minutes is indeed better at math than someone who takes four hours to solve the problems. And a soccer player who scores effortlessly probably is more talented than someone who’s always practicing. “The fallacy comes when people generalize it to the belief that effort on any task, even very hard ones, implies low ability,” Dweck says. Her advice for the Rovers rings true for anyone stuck in a fixed mindset. “Changing mind-sets is not like surgery,” she says. “You can’t simply remove the fixed mind-set and replace it with the growth mind-set.” The Rovers are starting their workshops with recent recruits—their youngest, most malleable players. (Faulkner realizes that players who’ve already earned millions from being “naturals” have little incentive to reshape their brains.) The team’s talent scouts will be asking about new players’ views on talent and training—not to screen out those with a fixed mind-set, but to target them for special training. In his 2002 essay that relied on Dweck’s work, Gladwell cited one of her best-known experiments to argue that Enron may have collapsed precisely because of the company’s talent-obsessed culture, not despite it. Dweck’s study showed that praising children for intelligence, rather than for effort, sapped their motivation (see sidebar). But more disturbingly, 40 percent of those whose intelligence was praised overstated their scores to peers. “We took ordinary children and made them into liars,” Dweck says. Similarly, Enron executives who’d been celebrated for their innate talent would sooner lie than fess up to problems and work to fix them.

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Business School professor Jeffrey Pfeffer says Dweck’s research has implications for the more workaday problem of performance management. He faults businesses for spending too much time in rank-and-yank mode, grading and evaluating people instead of developing their skills. “It’s like the Santa Claus theory of management: who’s naughty and who’s nice.” Leaders, too, can benefit from Dweck’s work, says Robert Sternberg, PhD ’75, Tufts University’s dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. Sternberg, a past president of the American Psychological Association, says that excessive concern with looking smart keeps you from making bold, visionary moves. “If you’re afraid of making mistakes, you’ll never learn on the job, and your whole approach becomes defensive: ‘I have to make sure I don’t screw up.’”

Source: New Yorker

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What Do We Tell Our Kids?

YOU HAVE A BRIGHT CHILD, and you want her to succeed. You should tell her how smart she is, right? That’s what 85 percent of the parents Dweck surveyed said. Her research on fifth graders shows otherwise. Labels, even though positive, can be harmful. They may instill a fixed mind-set and all the baggage that goes with it, from performance anxiety to a tendency to give up quickly. Well-meaning words can sap children’s motivation and enjoyment of learning and undermine their performance. While Dweck’s study focused on intelligence praise, she says her conclusions hold true for all talents and abilities. Here are Dweck’s tips from Mindset: Listen to what you say to your kids, with an ear toward the messages you’re sending about mind-set. Instead of praising children’s intelligence or talent, focus on the processes they used. Example: “That homework was so long and involved. I really admire the way you concentrated and finished it.” Example: “That picture has so many beautiful colors. Tell me about them.” Example: “You put so much thought into that essay. It really makes me think about Shakespeare in a new way.” When your child messes up, give constructive criticism—feedback that helps the child understand how to fix the problem, rather than labeling or excusing the child. Pay attention to the goals you set for your children; having innate talent is not a goal, but expanding skills and knowledge is. Don’t worry about praising your children for their inherent goodness, though. It’s important for children to learn they’re basically good and that their parents love them unconditionally, Dweck says. “The problem arises when parents praise children in a way that makes them feel that they’re good and love-worthy only when they behave in particular ways that please the parents.”

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Body Blanks

You are tapped into the same subtle forces that our yogi brothers and sisters were as they started to sense map these magical flows of prana within. As a Yogini, Yogi, Rishi, Poet, Songwriter and Being living the Life Divine, you are requested to sense AND express these realms. Let these body maps assist your recording of your experiences with the less visible to help you share with others. There are blank pages for you to draw your own maps if you prefer. If you title and timestamp your drawing as well as write notes with your drawings, you will set yourself up for more success of remembering what you meant in the moment.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The millions are awake enough for physical labor; but only one in a million is awake enough for effective intellectual exertion, only one in a hundred millions to a poetic or divine life. To be awake is to be alive.â&#x20AC;? - Henry David Thoreau, Walden 114

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The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass; it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. ~ Henry Miller

Into Teaching

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A Few Teacher Guidelines These suggestions stand on the shoulders of giants like Joel Kramer, Ganga White and Erich Schiffmann. 1. You • The most important quality in a yoga teacher seems to be compassion. • Showing up for class with a curious wonder, and a willingness to be present and authentic and open is the teaching. • The more you can be you and express you, the better teacher you will be. 2. Create the Environment • A safe, clean, well lit, relatively quiet yoga space is conducive to practice. • Do your best to be at class with time to connect with space and yogis. • Do your best to start and end class on time. 3. Pay Attention to Who Shows up for Class • Who shows up determines what you teach. • Do your best to know the yogis’ names and practices. • Do your best to make contact with everyone in the room. 4. New Yogis • Introduce yourself, learn their names and then use their names in class. • Find out about practices and injuries. • Encourage them to allow practice to be their own. • If beginners, and the class is ‘advanced’, perhaps encourage them to take it easy, maybe show them child’s pose before class begins. 5. Injured Yogis • Understand the nature and severity of the injury (chronic vs. acute; pain level, cause). • If possible, provide the injured yogi with alternatives before class so that she feels empowered and responsible. • If appropriate, allow the injury to guide what is taught. 6. Tune In • The opening-centering poses are as useful for you as yogis in class. • Use the time to get quiet and feel into what might be right for the practice that day. • Move on it, but be open to receiving a fresh update later on in the class. 140

7. Sequencing • Safety first. • Understand the practice as a whole. • Allow the class to have a natural arc. • You may not know exactly where it’s going to go in the beginning, but be aware of the time and by 30 minutes in, it’s good to have an idea of what the peak will be. • Allow time for rest in between postures. • End with Savasana and Seated Meditation (even if for only 1 minute). 8. Giving Directions • Be as clear as possible. • Play with inflection of voice, variety of touch and demonstration. • Speak from the positive “Do” more than the negative “Don’t.” • Allow directions to be smooth and progressive. • Avoid “afterthoughts”. If you missed it, let it go. • Try not to talk the entire time. Allow for pauses. • Resist the temptation to say everything you know about everything. 9. Receiving Direction • Similar to tuning in, but more obvious. • Watch what the yogis do on their own. Some will guide you further into an asana sequence as they anticipate your next move or are inspired to go further. Some will guide you towards the need for a counter pose and show you a good one. • Rest periods give you the opportunity to take a pulse of the class. • Deep moaning and groaning are indicative that the practice is too hard. 9. Assistance • Start with the obvious, gross, and potentially dangerous misalignments of the pose. Move from the ground up. • Assists can be used to go deeper or refine lines of energy. • A simple light touch can wake up an entire area. • Even an intention can have an effect. • Communicate your intentions with your hands. • When offering a stronger assist, sync with student’s breath first, moving in on the exhale and continue to guide the movement with breath. • Be aware of her level of trust, willingness. • If you are not sure if touch is okay, ask. • Be sensitive to her edge. If she says stop, stop. • Be fully present in the assist. • Never force a pose. 141

10. Demonstration • When demonstrating, go into the pose as you actually would, taking your time. “Demonstrate the mood, as well as the technique.” (ES). Avoid the tendency to rush it. • Avoid hurting yourself by going into the peak pose without having prepped. • Be aware of not always demoing on the same side. • Yogis in class can be asked to demo. • Do not do your practice when you teach. 11. • • • •

Empathy Feel what the yogis in class are going through. Stay in beginner’s mind. Help them work through physical and mental blocks. Share practices yogis can accomplish so they won’t get discouraged.

12. • • • •

Teach at Your Own Level Teach what is current and exciting for you. Be willing not to know. Be honest with not knowing. Keep finding out the answers by asking the questions.

13. Share Responsibility • Use instruction to help yogis find their own way. • Offering alternatives, making poses optional, and talking things through in stages allows yogis to make their own decisions. • If you are really tuned into the mood of the class, you can allow it to guide you, which will keep the practice an equal relationship. 14. • • • • • •

Emergency Situations Remain calm. Access the situation and understand what is required. Do not be afraid to deputize another yogi to get help or call 911. Be with the injured yogi, provide comfort, help her to breathe slowly and deeply and talk to you. Guide the class to a place where they don’t need you or turn teaching over to someone else. Knowing CPR and other emergency skills is highly recommended.

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15. Doubt, Fear and Ruts • Your teaching will have ups and downs and plateaus. • At times you will feel flat, scared, doubtful, disconnected and unsure. • At times you will stop practicing and only be teaching and feel like a fraud. • More times you will feel stimulated, grateful, elated, connected and strong. • Instead of trying to mask this range of sensations, bring them into your teaching. Find a voice and some sequences that help you and others work through these mental tight spots. 16. • • • •

Source Let your love of yoga be the source and joy of your teaching. Practice. Practice. Practice. Keep studying, reading, practicing, investigating, questioning Watch advanced yogis practice.

17. Yogis in Your Class (aka “Students”) • The relationship between you and who shows up is deep, intimate and sacred. • Respect its nature and do not abuse it. • Play with removing the words “teacher” and “student” to help you find a more equal ground. 18. Honor the Teachings • Acknowledge that yoga has been handed down through the ages. • Take what others have discovered and incorporate it with what is already inside of you. • Respecting and acknowledging the gifts of teachers creates a link to the source of the teachings. • Cultivate the attitude of gratitude.

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Your Guidelines

Please write some teaching guidelines you find helpful.

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Your Guidelines

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Spontaneity Takes Planning Learning how to tune in, be natural and go with the flow successfully takes practice. When first starting to teach, the following practices might be helpful. 1. • • • •

Prepare for Class Feel into and think about what you want to teach ahead of time. Prepare a sequence and write it out. When just beginning, you might even keep the piece of paper handy, and practice not looking. Start to pay attention to when the plan doesn’t feel right and dare to go with what does.

2. Summarize Class • After class write down what you actually taught and how you taught it. • Record who was there and what their experiences seemed to be. • If you got any feedback record that. • If you played music, record that too. 3. Teaching from the Pose • In the beginning, it can be difficult to remember what the asanas’ instructions are. • Entering into the pose with the yogis and talking though it can help. • When you teach the other side, play with remembering what you just said and maybe offering something new without going into the pose. 4. Allow Yogis to be Guides • Pick a yogi to assist and talk the rest of the class through the assistance. • This is a great way to be able to give personal attention and not break the flow. • Also, if a more experienced yogi is in the class, you can watch how she fills out the pose and describe it accordingly. 5. Teach Tried and True Sequences • It is difficult enough learning how to teach without having to worry that you are teaching an effective class. So just like learning how to cook, allow yourself to follow recipes before experimenting. • Work from sequences that have been road tested and make them your own. • Borrow and adapt from favorite teachers. Write down the sequences from classes you are taking and like. • Borrowed sequences will never come out the same because it’s through you. 146

6. Tried and True Assists • You know what assists feel good on you, usually those will feel good to others. • Get together with other teachers and share and practice. • Do not be afraid to ask your teachers to show you an asssit. • Observe teachers you like. Watch what they do and copy. 7. • • • •

Learning Sanskrit Learn the little words of Sanskrit so that the bigger ones make sense. Choose one pose or concept that you are going to learn. Teach that pose or concept a lot, using the Sanskrit and English name alternatively so that your class learns the name as well. If proper pronunciation is your goal, purchase a CD to listen to, find online resources or even a live teacher.

8. Use your practice and daily life as a laboratory • Play with coming to your practice with the specific intention of figuring out a new way of sharing a pose or practice and developing a fresh approach. • Practice teaching yourself poses that you still struggle with. This will give you insight into how to break complicated asanas down into bite size pieces. • Practice classic pranayama and meditation techniques and find out what you actually do instead. • With attention, your daily life will give you continual insight into the teachings. 9. Record your practice sessions • We learned this from Erich Schiffmann. When practicing, keep a notebook next to you. Write down what you practice as it is the main source of inspiration for your teaching. Write down the insights that will naturally come through as you practice. 10. Record your teaching • Write down what you taught. • If you can stand it, record your class and try to practice to it. This is painful and very helpful. • Or during practice, tape yourself talking through one side of a pose and play it back as you do the other side. 11. Invite people to give feedback • You will rarely get constructive feedback from yogis in class. • Invite close friends and others you respect to come to class and tell you like it is. 147

Some Hints for Asana Instruction Set Up for Success If you share the primary actions or feeling tones or philosophical approach in the beginning of the practice in the Opening Sequence, you can reference the memory of it through the more complex postures, reducing excessive instruction. Moving into the Posture • First bring awareness to the breath so that all movements can be initiated and coordinated from it. • Specify the distance and alignment for the foundation of the asana. For example, “feet hip distance apart with feet parallel” or “hands shoulder distance apart and fingers spread wide”. • Focus on making the foundation solid before moving into asana. • Guide yogis into the pose from the breath and internal action. • Encourage attention to the subtle details within themselves. While in the Pose • Begin from the base, reinforcing the foundation. • Use feeling and lines of energy instruction to fill out the shape of the pose, guiding awareness from the inside out. • Continually use breath as the main instruction technique. • Generally emphasize extension through the spine. • Communmicate about the stable and moving parts. • Draw attention to the obvious and less obvious aspects. • Continually remind yogis to breathe, relax, and soften. • Remind yogis to relax their face, tongue and jaw. • Instructions should be smooth and flowing and orderly. Avoid jumping around. • Do not feel compelled to say everything you know about a pose. Repeating the same instruction and emphasizing a theme or particular area is usually more effective. Coming out of a pose • Guide exiting pose as carefully as you guided entering it. • Come to a symmetrical pose so they can center, or • Move into a related asana, or • Move through a ‘vinyasa’ 148

Loving Language Start Easy, Then Maybe Offer More Difficult Generally, start everyone off doing the same thing. Then, if appropriate, offer the room for some of the peeps to increase the flavor as useful. At Lulu’s we resist the temptation to say, “If you can....” as the intro to the harder posture. We generally try to say something like, “If it is useful,” or “If it is necessary” or “If appropriate, carefully draw your leg behind your head as you prepare the chocolate almond milkshake with attention to the quality of your eyes and fluffiness in lips.” Starting everyone with a prop, allows people to ditch them if they are not helpful. Offering the use of the prop as an afterthought, as in, “If you need a block, grab one,” usually results in no body getting a block. Its easier to individually connect with the few people that actually need to deepen the pose than rescue a whole bunch of drowning yogis. Adjectives How you are asking someone to do something perhaps matters more than what you are asking them to do. We play with adjectives and phrases like: • At your leisure • Carefully • If correct • Gently • Softly • Tenderly • With attention to ease • With enthusiasm • If the internal light is green • Optimistically Energy Action Words As you take a yogi through a series of steps, you can communicate feeling tone though the play of your verbs. Make a long list in your Practice Notes. Some examples are: • Reach • Press • Ease • Pivot • Draw • Pull • Brighten • Rotate • Lift • Soften • Thank • Extend • Vibrate • Relax • Tune • Curl • Receive • Sink • Shimmer • Roll • Offer • Grow • Dip • Twist • Nourish • Lighten • Widen • Spiral L

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Guidelines for Teaching Subtle Anatomy 1. Be Slow and Spacious Thorughout the practice, no matter the level or pace, allow for the “aha” and “connection” moments. • Pause after one side and guide attention to the results. • Spend time in neutral spine shapes like supine, Sukhasana, Vajrasana and Tadasana with attention to the central channel and small postural cueing details. • Within postures, reference experience in neutral postures and guide awareness towards the more subtle feelings. 2. Mentally and Visually Connect We have found it useful to ground and record the subtle experiences with the help of the mind. We have witnessed that this practice helps “make the experiences real” and helps build confidence and trust in the subtle realm. • Let the yogis’ minds help them connect. • Compare sides in between. • Sometimes encourage them to assign and share words to describe the feelings. • Sometimes invite images to come forth as pictures are often more powerful than words. • If appropriate, let yogis share in more detail with each other. 3. Sequence for Memorization Sequence so memories of particular feelings can be referenced and built upon. This will allow you to slowly reduce your cuing to gentle reminders and pointers. • For example, if you want to reference the tone of compassion in the hands in standing poses, find it first in an easier context, like sitting or Tadasana. • Or, if ease in the occiput is going to be your focus in handstand, focus on it while asana is still easy. • Or if you plan to do alternate nostril breathing at end of class, start bringing attention at the beginning so it is not a new concept as practice is slowing. • Tadasana is amazing preparation for seated meditation.

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4. Write Love Poems Poetic, organic languaguing is usually more effective than anatomical cues. For example, “Allow the heart to feel open and generous” vs “Widen the intercostals.” The images speak to our deeper less conscious layers and require less thought. Read poetry and sacred texts for inspiration. 5. Name and Define and Locate When using the formal subtle anatomy terms like “Manipura” or “Mulabandha” or “Shushumna”, share English translations and physical landmarks. Allow the subtle anatomy to feel real and practical and accessible. 6. Maintain an Open Questioning Attitude Just like anatomical and alignment information is subjective, so too is subtle anatomy. We often try to allow the presentation to be a question. For example, “The bija mantra of the heart chakra is believed to be ‘Yam.’ Or, “Water is rumored to be the element of the Sacral Chakra.” 7. Encourage Student Questions and Sharing Ask if people are feeling what you are talking about. Learn from the feedback. Allow enough space for them to have their own experience. 8. Baby Steps Force in the subtle realm can create more long lasting mischief than agression in the grosser, more physical realms. You will be amazed at the range of experiences that can come from a seemingly simple breath retention exercise. In general, baby steps will allow for a safe and successful engagement. 9. Repetition These practices often deepen with and become more amazing with repetition. 10. Give Room to Opt Out Not everyone is going to want to go along with idea of prana and chakras and nadis. Allow this to be okay. 151

Engaging Yoginis in Subtle Experiments To experiment and share and dialogue about the subtle realm in a group setting is a big leap for many. We have found these techniques helpful for creating a safe place: 1. Know the names of who is in the class. This helps yogis feel safe and cared for. 2. Your genuine curiosity and willingness to be surprised will allow for open sharing. 3. Continually offer room and permission to have experienced nothing. 4. You need someone to go first. Simply asking for feedback in a general way will usually not generate response. Its too scary. So, notice the person that seems to be in awe of what just occurred. You can tell by the brightness in her eyes and posture. Hone in on her and ask her to share her experience. “Winifred, what did you notice?” or “Robyn, how would you describe the feeling in your left leg?” Then if you ask if anyone had similar or different results, others can simply chime in. 5. Repeat back what people experienced to make sure you heard correctly and help validate the experience. 6. If helpful, share the usual results in comparison or in harmony with what the group you are working with has discovered. 7. Emphasize that this is a living breathing tradition in which we are participating. 8. Be equally interested in those who share that they experienced nothing or are brave enough to share different results from the group.

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Without attention, our relationship with Prana is like a fish who does not know she swims in a great ocean.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There must be water around here somewhere...â&#x20AC;?

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Some Guidelines for Sharing Pranayama 1. Be gentle and slow. Aggression in the subtle realm can be more disturbing than in the physical realm. 2. Start with attention to natural breath and allow more time than you feel is necessary. This alone will be miraculous and profound. 3. Simply explore the anatomical mechanics of the breath. 4. Help develop an understanding of the four parts of the breath. The inhale, the top of the inhale, the exhale and the bottom of the exhale. Simply guiding yogis attention to these parts will often be enough without adding any extra steps. We often say something like, “Become fascinated with the bottom of the exhale.” 5. Allow instructions to be exploratory as opposed to accomplishment driven. Simply encouraging the breath to gently lengthen can be much more effective than leaping to a count of 20. 6. Ask for feedback, especially when playing with new techniques. Openly asking questions and learning encourages the same learning behavior in the students. 7. Set yogis up for success with preparatory stretches to create breathing room like side waist openers, heart openers, back stretching and such. 8. Show the “anti-snoring” position as many yogis will fall asleep in the beginning stages of practice. 9. Allow play with breath to transition into more subtle pranayama techniques like Alternate Nostril san Hands, Prana Expansion, Awareness of Prana in Hands and such. 10. Once relationship with breath is established, connect with thought patterns to help yogis track the consequences of thoughts.

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10. Help connect yogis with the mystery of the breath. 11. Share mantras like So Ham and Hamsa to encourage deeper investigation. 12. Let the mind help play with changing direction and location of breath. 13. The continual exploration will lead to spontaneous experiments which will generally always have more curious results than imposed techniques.

Original Painting by Roy Lichtenstein. Modified with no permission. L

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Possible Reading List The Wisdom of Pantajali’s Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide, Ravi Ravindra, 2009. Kundalini Tantra, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, 1984. Moola Bandha: The Matster Key, Swami Buddhananda, 1978 Ayurveda and Marma Therapy, Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subhas Ranade, Dr. Avinash Lele, 2003. The Serpant Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga, Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffee), 1919. The I Ching or Book of Changes, Richard Wilhelm, 1950. Mountain Record of Zen Talks, John Daido Loori, 2008 Cultivating Stillness: A Taoist Manual for Transforming Body and Mind. Translated by Eva Wong, 1992. Cave in the Snow: Tenzin Palmo’s Quest for Enlightenment, Vickie Mackenzie, 1999. Reflections on a Mountain Lake, Teachings on Practical Buddhism, Ani Tenzin Palmo, 2002. Treasures from Juniper Ridge: The Profound Treasure Instructions of Padmasambhava to the Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, Padmasambhava, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Marcia Binder Schmidt, and Erik Pema Kunsang 2008. A Gradual Awakening, Stephen Levine, 1989. The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm, 1956. Kabir: Ectastic Poems. Translated by Robert Bly, 2004. New and Selected Poems, Volume 1, Mary Oliver, 1992. Pilgrim, Poems, David Whyte, 2012. The Book of Nightmares, Galway Kinnell, 1971 Duino Elegies, Ranier Maria Rilke, translated by A.S. Kline, 2001.

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