Yoga with Melissa

Resting in Nourishment

This week’s free one hour yoga class is a restorative yoga class focused on the tenth and eleventh lines of the Ayur Dehi Mantra. The lines are pratishtham dehi and mam dehi. The words mean May I rest in that nourishment and May I be nourished. Our entire focus in this class will be on letting go of doing and focusing on being. By coming into still and restorative yoga postures we support our parasympathetic nervous system and bring our mind into an alpha state. These practices are incredibly healing and necessary in a culture which normally pressures us to strive and achieve.

Today’s class is about the tenth and eleventh lines of the Ayur Dehi mantra,

pratistham dhehi pratish +tham they+hee

May I rest in that nourishment

and

mam dhehi mum they+hee

May I be nourished

This week we focus on the importance of this entire mantra and nourishing ourselves. In this class we will let go of doing and come into being to find nourishment. Coming into stillness and supporting our being allows our parasympathetic nervous system to engage conserving energy, slowing your heart rate, decreasing blood pressure, increasing intestinal and gland activity and allowing your gastrointestinal tract to relax.

Letting go of doing through nourishing practices like the restorative yoga we are doing today allows your mind to drop into an alpha state which is relaxed, yet focused and receptive. Throughout our normal daily activity we are normally in a beta brain wave cycle which is associated with stress, anxiety, over thinking and our mind becomes pre-conditioned to react negatively. Beta frequency is also related to hypertension, increased heart rate, increased blood flow, cortisone production and glucose consumption.

In our success-driven goal-oriented culture, there tends to be little emphasis placed on the value of nourishing ourselves. The mantra instead is do more, be more, produce more, accomplish more, achieve more, attain more, possess more, strive more, compete more, and work more.

Taking time to nourish ourselves, through non-doing is a radical act of subversiveness in our culture. Sandra Maitri, author of the Spiritual Dimension of Enneagram says, “If (your) soul is supported in developing and unfolding...it will naturally be drawn towards its Essence, which is its inner truth. Spiritual development then is really a matter of non-doing and removing the obstacles and logjams that impeded the flow of our souls.”

We feel like if we don’t make something happen, nothing will happen. Yet, Being acts through us and nourishes us on a very deep level when we practice yoga, especially restorative practices like today. Rather than doing it yourself, what would it be like to allow these practices to do you? What would it be like to receive these nourishing practices?

What nourishment would you like to receive from this practice? What is it you are trying to create, sustain, release or let go of in your life right now? Form an intention for how this practice can best serve you.

If you would like to take this practice further than I would recommend the following restorative yoga practices from our membership site:

Waning to the Dark Moon

72 minutes of glorious restoration with every prop you own. Ahhhhhhh.

Link

Yoga for Adrenal Fatigue

A short restorative class (20 minutes) that uses a bolster and a chair.

Link

Short Restorative Class

This short restorative class (18 minutes) has been nick-named the Winter Hibernation class. ;)

Link

Who is Arjuna?

Link

In this 28 minute class you will get to meet one of the main characters of the Bhagavad Gita (super important Yoga Philosophy Text). Arjuna is a warrior prince in the Bhagavad Gita and you will learn who is character represents. You will need an eye pillow, bolster, and a blanket.

How to become a member: click here for more info

Props Needed: Bolster, Meditation Cushion, Blanket, wall,

Nourish your Soul

In today’s class we will gently open your heart and chest using props and yoga postures to prepare you for Natarajasana/Dancer Pose. We are also continuing the Ayur Dehi mantra with the ninth line of the mantra, atmanam dehi, may my soul be nourished. In today’s class we will reflect on what it means to nourish our souls through the grace of Natarajasana on our yoga mats and by treating ourselves and those around us like the divine beings that we truly are off our yoga mats.

This week we focus on the ninth line of the mantra, atmanam dhehi

May my soul be nourished. Our souls are defined as the spiritual part of our being, believed to survive death and all of life’s traumas and dramas. As yogis we have the opportunity to turn inward and focus on the sacred in all aspects of our life. There is a beautiful poem by Kabir that illustrates this point perfectly translated by Robert Bly:

Don’t go outside your house to see flowers.

My friend, don’t bother with that excursion.

Inside your body there are flowers.

One flower has a thousand petals.

That will do for a place to sit.

Sitting there you will have a glimpse of beauty

inside the body and out of it,

before gardens and after gardens.

If we are going to nourish our soul, then we can bring our awareness to treat ourselves as sacred beings, gods and goddesses, worthy of our own loving kindness. From there, we can go into our relationships and treat those we love with the same tenderness and grace.

We can reflect on our actions and imbue them with a sense of the sacred as well. When we wake up in the morning, we can make our bed as an act of service to the divine. We can wash the dishes as though we are bathing the baby Buddha. In other words, every thought, word and action in our day can be infused with a sense of the sacred.

Throughout the day, we can use reminders such as our cell phone ringing, or sirens going off in our town to stop what we are doing and look around. Take the time to notice your breath. Notice your surroundings and take in the abundance of the sights, sounds, and textures all around you. Appreciate the divinity that is right at hand.

Namaste Yoga 247 Photos of Yoga Poses

Yoga for your Neck & Jaw

This class combines yoga postures, breath practices, mudra, and the Ayur Dehi mantra, to nourish your speech. In today’s yoga class we will focus specifically on releasing the muscles of your neck in order to create resonant speech that nurtures and nourishes those you share communication with. Yoga postures and sounding to release your neck and jaw help to create space in your throat for full and enriching speech. Gentle postures gradually release your neck and shoulders to prepare you for shoulderstand. Chanting of the Ayur Dehi mantra helps to create nourishing speech.

This week we focus on the eighth line of the mantra, vacam dhehi, May my speech be nourished.

What does it mean to have nourishing speech? Do your words nurture and nourish others? Are they loving and kind? Do they follow the first yama, of ahimsa, nonviolence? For example we could say we shot an episode of Namaste Yoga today. But, I always prefer to say, we filmed an episode of Namaste Yoga today. Is your speech positive and uplifting? Do you listen as much as you speak or do you talk excessively, perhaps mostly about yourself or maybe even indulge in gossip?

Sometimes being unable to hold silence can be very unnourishing because it doesn’t give quieter people the space to speak. Additionally, holding confidences and being trustworthy in your communication both in speaking and listening is a huge part of nourishing speech.

Part of nourishing speech is having a full resonant voice, communicating clearly with yourself and others and being a good listener.

This week I challenge you to notice both the way in which you speak, the sound of your voice and the sound of the silence and spaciousness when you are not speaking. You may even want to challenge yourself to take a vow of silence for an hour, two hours, half a day or even a day. On our membership site we have an at-home Self-Retreat with instructions on how to take a day of silence.

Creating the space for your voice and giving it a rest can do wonders for its resonance.

Yoga for your Neck, Intermediate Class Yoga Stories 2, Ayurdehi Mantra Vacum Dhehi Namaste Yoga 246, Nourishing Your Speech

Props Needed: Meditation Cushion. Blanket or Chair, Wall,

Yoga Postures/Yoga Asana: Neck Rolls, Cat/Cow/Marjaryasna, Ayurdehi Mantra with the Vishuddha Chakra Mudra, 4 Movements of Your Neck, Jaw Relaxation, Goddess Victory Squat/Utkata Konasana with Lion’s Breath/Simhasana, Shoulderstand/Salamba Sarvangasana, Sphynx/Salamba Bhujangasana, Child’s Pose/Balasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana/Half Lord of the Fishes Pose, Ardha Gomukhasana Forward Fold/Half Cow’s Face Forward Fold, Savasana

Namaste Yoga 246 Photos of Yoga Poses

Brain  Yoga Class

: This class is combines yoga postures, breath practices and the Ayurdehi mantra to nourish your brain. IT is an antidote to the parasympathetic, fight or flight response to stress that causes your heart beats faster, your blood pressure goes up, your body releases sugar and fats from temporary storage sites in your body to supply the extra energy needed for the perceived threat.

Over time, this repeated exposure to perceived threat has a detrimental long-term effects on our physical and psychological health. Research shows that prolonged stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, causes brain changes that contribute to anxiety, depression and addiction. In addition new research is showing that chronic stress is leading to obesity both directly by causing people to eat more and indirectly through decreased sleep and exercise.

By nourishing our minds through healthy practices such as yoga and meditation (we have a beginner’s meditation series and meditation group on our membership site: click here for info ) we can help to train our bodies and minds to respond differently and create more space around stress.

This week we focus on the seventh line of the mantra: mano dhehi

May my mind be nourished.

You may be interested in checking out these previous blog posts and yoga classes on brain yoga.

Brain Yoga Blog Post and Video

Namaste Yoga Episode 205

In today’s class I want to explore why it is so important to nourish our minds through embodied practices like yoga. In her book Mind over Medicine, M.D. Lissa Rankin points out that although there are many different types of stress that we experience in our day to day lives, our lizard brain perceived them all in the exact same say - as a threat.

When our minds and bodies are under stress, our parasympathetic, stress, fight or flight system turns on. It is kind of like a the gas pedal in your car going pedal to the metal. Your brain signals for adrenalin to be pumped through your system, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure goes up, your body releases sugar and fats from temporary storage sites in your body to supply the extra energy needed for the perceived threat.

Over time, this repeated exposure to perceived threat has a detrimental long-term effects on our physical and psychological health. Research shows that prolonged stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, causes brain changes that contribute to anxiety, depression and addiction. In addition new research is showing that chronic stress is leading to obesity both directly by causing people to eat more and indirectly through decreased sleep and exercise.

Resource:

By nourishing our minds through healthy practices such as yoga and meditation (we have a beginner’s meditation series and meditation group on our membership site: ) we can help to train our bodies and minds to respond differently and create more space around stress.

Props Needed: yoga blocks, yoga bolster, yoga blanket, meditation cushion or chair

Yoga Postures/Yoga Asana: 3 part Breathing, Brahmari (Humming Bee) Breathing, Cat/Marjaryasana, Thread the Needle, Downward Facing Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana, Ayurdehi Mantra with Sahasara Mudra, Sun Salutations/Surya Namaskar, Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold/Prasarita Padottanasana, Setu Bandha Sarvanghasana/Supported Bridge Pose, Reclined Twist with Bolster/Supta Matsyendrasana, Savasana, Janu Sirsasana/Head Beyond Knee Pose, Alternate Nostril Breathing/Nadi Sodhana, Ayurdehi Mantra with Sahasara Mudra

Namaste Yoga 245 Photos of Yoga Poses

Yoga for Hearing

In today’s class we will nourish our hearing by listening closely to our bodies, thoughts, emotions, energy and spirit. We will also open up the traditional chinese kidney meridian to nourish our hearing.

This week, we also continue with the Ayurdehi mantra and we will focus on the sixth line of the Ayurdehi mantra, srotram dhehi May my hearing be nourished. We will couple our mantra with the Shunya mudra to help improve your hearing.

Namaste Yoga 244 Nourish Your Hearing

As yogis we have the opportunity to listen each time we come to our yoga mats. We can hone the skills of awareness and mindfulness and listen to our bodies, minds, emotions, energy and spirit. As we use the practice of pratyahar (Namaste Yoga 228), we can turn our senses inward and attend to and observe what is happening now in our internal landscape.

Traditional Chinese Medicine points out that our ears, which faintly resemble the kidneys in shape, are thought to reflect the condition of kidney jing - our essential energy. Large ears and sharp hearing indicate an excellent condition of kidney energy. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, as we age, hearing loss is related to kidney jing depletion - our essential energy diminishing. If our kidneys are functioning efficiently, then we can hear well also.

Your kidney meridian begins at the soles of your feet, travels up your inner leg to your genitals. From the top of your pubic bone it goes to your tailbone, to your sacrum, lower back and into your kidney. An inner branch of your kidney meridian travels through your kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, and up the center of your throat and into your ears. The main meridian flows up your pubic bone, to your abdomen, near your midline ending just below your collar bones.

In today’s class we will nourish our hearing by listening closely to our bodies, thoughts, emotions, energy and spirit. We will also open up the traditional Chinese kidney meridian to nourish our hearing.

Join our Membership Site: http://www.melissawest.com/membership/membership-info/

Namaste Yoga 244 Photos of Yoga Poses

Eye Yoga

: In this yoga class we will focus on the traditional chinese meridians as they relate to your eyes to nourish your vision. Poses for your liver meridian will nourish your iris, poses for your heart meridian will nourish the corners of your eyes. By practicing poses for your spleen you will help your upper and lower eyelids, the inside of your eyelids will be aided by poses for your lungs and your pupils will be supported with poses for your kidneys. Traditional eye yoga exercises will also be used.

We will also be continuing the Ayur Dehi mantra with a focus on the fifth line of the mantra caksur dehi – May my sight be nourished. The prana mudra will be used to support this mantra as this mudra also benefits your eyes.

 Namaste Yoga 243 Nourishing Your Vision

This week, we will focus on the fifth line of the Ayurdehi mantra,

caksurdhehi

May my sight be nourished

We can nourish our eyes by nourishing all of our internal organs. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, each part of our eye is associated with one of our organs. The iris of our eye is related to our liver. Our heart relates to the corners of our eyes, known as the canthi. Our upper and lower eyelids correspond to our spleen. The conjunctiva or the inside of your eyelids is related to your lungs. Your pupils relates to your kidneys. (Resource)

Your eyes allow you to see the world. Every day our vision is assaulted by watching murder, war, and severe accidents – in real life or in the media. I find my eyes can even be overwhelmed by the beauty of my surroundings. As we take in all the beauty that is British Columbia, I sometimes find myself drifting off into naps in the car, no matter how hard I try to stay awake to take it all in!

Through our eyes, we not only see our own surroundings, but also our eyes are the windows to our own soul. Our eyes can be empty and lifeless, bright and lively, they may be half-closed and hidden from sight, or wide open with nothing to hide. Our eyes can be filled with anger or fear, hard and calculating or soft and tender.

When our eyes have difficulty seeing close up, our bodies are telling us that we may have difficulty seeing something that is going on in front of us. It may be that we are having difficulty with details that are close up. Having a challenge seeing at a distance may be fears regarding your own future or the future of those close to you. Your left eye is said to represent your internal view and what you have learned from your mother. Your right eye is said to represent your external or worldview and your perception of the life as you learned from your father.

Nourishing our vision can help us to see clearly our soul’s purpose.

Resources: Deb Shapiro: Your Body Speaks Your Mind

Lis Bourbeau Your Body’s Telling You Love Yourself

 Join our Membership Site: Click here for more info

Props Needed: meditation cushion, chair or folded blanket, bolster, blocks

Yoga Postures/Yoga Asana: Palming: Rub Your Hands and Cover Your Eyes, Reclined Twist/Jathara Parivartanasana , Keyhole/Figure Four, Anahatasana/Puppy/Uttana Shishosana, Lunge Pose/Anjaneyasana, Ayurdehi Mantra with Prana Mudra, Eye Yoga – Sideways Viewing, Eye Yoga – Front and Sideways Viewing, Eye Yoga – Rotational Viewing, Eye Yoga – Up and Down Viewing, Eye Yoga – Nasikagra Drishti, Standing Forward Fold/Uttanasana, Reclined Bound Angle/Supta Baddha Konasana,

Circulation Yoga

Today’s class is about nourishing the circulating energy. We will practice asanas that are expansive and move our energy from the center of our body from our hearts to the periphery of our limbs. Asanas such as triangle pose, flip dog/wild thing pose, and breath of joy will create an expansive energy throughout your entire body. Vyana Vayou is about circulating your energy from the center of your body to the perhiphery. It has to do with circulation and also the free flow of thoughts and emotions through your being. This class will leave you feeling open, clean and clear.  Namaste Yoga 242 Nourishing the Circulating Energy Ayurdehi May my life be nourished. pranam dhehi May the upward moving energy be nourished apanam dhehi May the downward moving energy be nourished vyanam dhehi May the circulating energy be nourished caksurdhehi May my sight be nourished srotram dhehi May my hearing be nourished mano dhehi May my mind be nourished vacam dhehi May my speech be nourished atmanam dhehi May my soul be nourished pratistham dhehi May I rest in that nourishment mam dhehi May I be nourished mayi dhehi May that nourishment bring pleasure to others

This week, we will focus on the third line of the Ayurdehi mantra,

vyanam dhehi

May the circulating energy be nourished Vyana means the outward moving air and this week we are focusing on moving our energy from the center to the periphery. This vayu governs your circulation on all levels from moving food, water and oxygen throughout your body. Vyana Vayu also keeps your emotions and thoughts circulating in your mind rather than getting stuck. Vyana vayu promotes mental circulation – the free flow of ideas and emotions. It gives you comprehensiveness, agility and independence in your mind. Vyana vayu is out ability of self-expansion. Vyana Vayu assists all the other pranas (Playlist of the Five Vayus) in their movement. Vyana vayu is the vital energy in your heart and lungs where your energy expands. On the level of your physical body, vyana vayu governs the movement of energy from your navel center, throughout your entire body. Vyana vayu creates the channels going to the peripheral parts of your body – your arms and your legs, veins and arteries, muscles, sinews, joints and bones. Vyana vayu is your limbs. Vyana vayu governs the front side of your body which connects your limbs to the mainly forward moving energy. Vyana vayu is related to your connective tissue, sinews and ligaments. When you think of vyana vayu think of circulation. Vyana vayu governs the movement of prana through the nadis (energy channels) keeping them open and clear, clean and functioning. Think of growth and expansion. Think of of the sun shining down on your at midday. Think of the swell of heat in summer. In fact, vyana vayu through its outward motion promotes sweating and relieves toxins through your skin.   Today we will circulate and expand our energy outwards in our yoga practice. Resources: Yoga and Ayurveda : Self Healing and Self-Realization by Dr. David Frawley Props Needed: yoga strap, meditation cushion, folded blanket or chair, blocks, Yoga Postures/Yoga Asana: 3 Part Breath, Supta Padangustasana/Hand to Big Toe Pose Anjaneyasana/Lunge Pose, Gate Pose/Parighasana, Ayurdehi Mantra with Mritsamjivani Mudra, Adho Muka Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog, Parsvottanasana/Pryamid Pose, Triangle Pose/Trikonasana , Breath of Joy, Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold/Prasarita Padottanasana, Flip Dog/Wild Thing Pose, Cow’s Face Arm’s Twist with Easy Pose Legs/Gomukhasana Arms with Sukhasana Legs, Parivrtta Paschimottanasana/Revolved Seated Forward Fold, Savasana,

Detox Yoga

This class focuses on asana/yoga postures to aid in elimination and detoxification of your body through your large intestine/colon, twists and forward folds. By encouraging the downward flow of energy (apana vayu) you will nourish your eliminatory system thus purifying your whole being. Focus on your exhalation will also aid in this detoxification process.

We will also continue our study of the Ayurdehi mantra and this week we will focus on the line: apanam dhehi, May the downward flowing energy be nourished. This mantra will be chanted in a call and response manner with the apana mudra to encourage the energetic force governing elimination and purification.

 Namaste Yoga 241 Nourishing the Downward Moving Energy

Ayurdehi

May my life be nourished.

pranam dhehi

May the upward moving energy be nourished

apanam dhehi

May the downward moving energy be nourished

vyanam dhehi

May the circulating energy be nourished

caksurdhehi

May my sight be nourished

srotram dhehi

May my hearing be nourished

mano dhehi

May my mind be nourished

vacam dhehi

May my speech be nourished

atmanam dhehi

May my soul be nourished

pratistham dhehi

May I rest in that nourishment

mam dhehi

May I be nourished

mayi dhehi

May that nourishment bring pleasure to others

This week we will focus on the second line of the mantra, apanam dhehi apanam dhehi May the downward moving energy be nourished.

Apana vayu

Apana vayu is located below the navel region to the tops of your legs and provides energy for your large intestine (for elimination of solid waste from your body), kidneys (for elimination of liquid waste from your body), your anus and genitals. It is solely concerned with the elimination of waste from your body.

When you consider elimination you can include your exhalation, bowel movements, urination, ejaculation, holding of a child within a mother’s womb during pregnancy and also the baby’s delivery. It is the apana vayu that is said that allows the passage of the baby out of the womb.

The main seat of apana vayu is your anus, but it is also located at the base of your neck, your spine, your whole back and your heels. A yoga practice that focuses on apana vayu will nourish your entire eliminatory system, subsequently purifying your whole body. Focusing our yoga, mantra and mudra practice towards apana vayu also nourishes your reproductive system which will support healthy menstruation and childbirth.

As this vayu is associated with muladhara, your root chakra which is about grounding, and svadhisthana, your sacral chakra which is about emotions, you will feel rooted and safe enough to release what no longer serves you. Prana vayu can flow freely so that focusing your yoga practice towards the downward flowing energy will leave you feeling purified, lighter and more at ease.

Namaste Yoga 241 Photos of Yoga Poses

 

Chest Opening for Pana Vayu

This class opens up your chest with breath, twists, an upper body mudra, and supported backbends. The entire class focuses on prana vayu, the upward flow of energy. We will be focusing on this as it relates particularly to the way you take in prana in the form of breath in your thoracic, lung area. This class is excellent for those with excessive kapha, suffering from depression or heart disease.

This week we begin a brand new mantra, Ayur dehi. This mantra is focused on self-nourishment through many different avenues. This week we will focus on nourishing ourselves through prana vayu, the upward flowing energy.

This week we will focus on the second line of the Ayurdehi mantra:

Ayurdehi

pranam dhehi

apanam dhehi

vyanam dhehi

caksurdhehi

srotram dhehi

mano dhehi

vacam dhehi

atmanam dhehi

pratistham dhehi

mam dhehi

mayi dhehi

pranam dhehi

May the upward moving energy be nourished

There are five main vayu functions in your body. Click here for the video

Five Vayus Video Series click here to watch on my YouTube Channel

Today we are focusing on prana vayu, which takes place mostly in your thoracic/rib cage area. Anything that has to do with absorption or inward movement of prana are prana vayu. The vayu as a whole have to do with your pranic body or pranamaya kosha.

Prana vayu literaly means foward moving air and it moves inward toward the center of your body. It is your in breath. Prana vayu is related to the ida channel of your sushumna.The main seat of prana vayu is in your heart (hrdayam) which ensures that your heart goes on beating, but it is also said to be located at the tip of your nose (where you take prana in via your in breath), in your naval (where you received prana from your mother via your umbilical cord.)

Prana vayu is not only responsible for your inhalation, but also for the separation of solid, liquid and gaseous food substances within your duodenum – how you get prana/life force from your food. As well as food, prana vayu is also responsible for the energy coming into your body in the form of all sensory perceptions and mental experiences.

 Props Needed: Blocks

Yoga Asana/Yoga Postures: 3 part breath, Setu Bandhasana/Bridge Pose, Reclined Twist, Cat Pose/Marjaryasana, Ayurdehi Mantra with the Abhaya Hrdaya Mudra, Child’s Pose Thread the Needle, Downward Facing Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana, Warrior Two/Virabhadrasana Two with Phupphusamocana Mudra, Five Pointed Star with Phupphusamocana Mudra, Goddess Victory Squat/Utkata Konasana with Phupphusamocana Mudra, Prasarita Padottanasana /Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold with Phupphusamocana Mudra, Supported Fish Pose/Matsyasana with Abhaya Hrdaya Mudra, Upavistha Konasana/Wide-legged seated forward fold legs twist with Phupphusamocana Mudra arms, Upavistha Konasana/Wide-legged seated forward fold, Savasana

Namaste Yoga 240 Photos of Yoga Poses

Clearing the Channels to Gather Prana

This class begins with an awareness on the two sides of your body and then focusing on the downward flow of prana with apanasana and reclined half moon pose. From there some warm up postures prepare you for many of the seated postures to follow in this class, from a seated mantra practice, pranayama and facial yoga. This class also includes yoga for your hands. There are several version of alternate nostril breathing/nadi shodhana offered in this class. Long periods of sitting are juxtaposed with seated forward folds to stretch out your legs.

We continue with our asato ma mantra and exploring the themes of moving from darkness to light and death to immortality in this class. There is a wonderful story of how prana overcomes all of the senses through the perfect expression of mantra that is shared.

This week we will continue to focus on our mantra, Asato Ma from the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (1500 BCE).

Om, Asato ma sad gamaya

tamaso ma jyotir gamaya

mrtyor ma amrtam gamayam

Lead me from untruth to Truth

Lead me from darkness to Light

Lead me from death to Immortality

In the origin story from the Bradaranyaka Upanisad Upanisad, which we started talking about last week http://www.melissawest.com/238/, as prakrti (our material world) and purusa (our pure consciousness) continue to separate and divide, the demons and gods go to war with one another.

As is the case with these mythological stories, the gods are outnumbered by the demons. The gods devise a plan to defeat the demons through the power of mantra. By chanting mantra, pakrti (manifest reality) will dissolve back into timeless purusa.

What does this mean for us as yogis? Today as it relates to our theme, it means that through mantra we can be lead from darkness to light, death to immortality. Alanna Kaivalya says it means that mantra has the ability to reunify the feelings of separation we have from our source.

The gods summon the mouth with its great power of speech to chant the mantra to overcome the demons. The demons cleverly attack the mouth and wound its speech so that it delivers not just beautiful mantra, but also harmful words.

When the mouth fails, the gods must find another way. The gods ask the eyes to chant the sacred mantra, however the demons attack the eyes to that they don’t just see what is beautiful, but also what is ugly and fearful.

Next the gods call on the ears to hear only the perfect vibration of the mantra. Consequently the demons attack the words with harsh ears to that they are susceptible to terrible untruths and the mantra is spoiled again. This continues down the line with the sense of touch and smell as well.

Finally the gods decide to use the mind to chant the mantra to win the war. If the mind were to focus intently, sure it could win. The mind however became filled with negative thoughts, wandered aimlessly and was useless in overcoming the demons.

Finally the gods realized that the organs of action have failed because they are part of parkrti, they must move beyond speech, sight, sound, touch, smell, and thought to defeat the demons. The only answer was the driving force behind purusa. The solution was prana. Prana was able to invoke the essence of the mantra and whose ultimate connection to the numinous source is indivisible. Through prana’s embodiment of the mantra, peace was restored and the gods were able to rest into the perfect, whole and complete nature.

Namaste Yoga 238 Photos of Yoga Poses