Part Two: Yoga Styles and Teachings: Ways of Practice (Sadhana)

Balance (sattva) Between Slow, Rejuvenating, Restorative, and Relaxing Practices Vs Aerobic, Vigorous, Strong and Active Practices:Finding Your Own Pace, Getting Out of Time, Marrying the Left and the Right

Everyday presents itself with its unique possibilities and potential. Every moment we have options that lead us deeper into the energy and beauty or away from it. We can get more up "in the head" burdening ourselves with specific details or become more integrated in the deep coursings of our innate rivers of inspiration. If we are to maximize these opportunities for healing and creativity we must learn to trust our intuition and instinct. For instance, I may have been enjoying a few days of very vigorous and spontaneously powerful, and strong practice, but something is different today. Still being a creature of habit, I tried to "push" the practice the way it was yesterday as I was looking forward to enjoying the same joy and benefits of yesterday. But today my body kept on saying, no "that's pushy" -- that doesn't feel right-- there's some resistance today to that. The more I learned how to listen and watch, the more I saw that the body needed "something else" that day -- the more I was able to optimize the asana session from a self imposed fixed and predictable regimen into more of an exploration into a new frontier. It was transformed from a goal oriented willful practice into a process oriented learning session where I became more present and conscious.

We have a choice in our asana practice to listen to the real needs of the body/mind on one hand or to force it to conform to some conceptual external standard or expectation on the other. And that’s the point of this section. Because modern man is generally out of balance because of left brain dominance, to come into balance most often we need to honor, cultivate, and heighten our right brain abilities of receptivity and feeling listening, and feeling. Here we get to the core of what the yoga practice is all about, Its about coming into synchronicity -- coming into Self, which is facilitated by learning about ourselves, our present situation, the inter-relationships between our body parts, the mind, emotions, beliefs, breath, energy, nature, and the Source. Its about finding where this energy is stuck and moving it through reconnecting the dormant circuitry of the Long Body.

This ongoing inquiry and investigation in our true nature goes beyond the limitations of intellectual knowledge. Here the left brain can only be a helping partner in the process if it is to be beneficial. This process of self realization requires an open mind, a beginners mind, a mood of exploration -- in short a right brain approach; while a biased left brain approach will only create limitation, rigidity, angularity, and immobility. One may ask in the latter situation what is the real motive for mastering the asana. Is such an approach dissuading us into separateness and ego identity or are we increasingly coming into love, synchronicity, healing, and unity consciousness?

In authentic yoga we are not concerned about the goal, the result, the performance aspect -- to do the asana as an end in itself but rather utilizing the process of exploring the asana as a means to open up to Self, to move into synchronicity and alignment, to mobilize the dormant circuitry and energy flows where the left and right come into perfect balance married in the central channel which forever awaits us beyond linearity, time, separation, and striving.

Here instead of "doing" the asana in performance mode, we utilize the asana as a listening tool, as an inquiry into self – we go into receptive and meditative mode attuning to the positive bio-feedback loop of the body/mind alignment energetic dynamics. In this way the practice is about awareness more than doing something to the body. In this way force and adversity is defeated, but rather an intrinsic partnership is enjoined. In this process oriented way the yoga practice becomes self instructing as the efferent nerves fire only after consulting with the feedback from the afferent nerves and as such the motor nerves that control conscious muscular movements become synchronized and attuned to the innate wisdom of the body -- of the cells and dna. Here we go beyond the intuition and instinct, but into non-dual left brain/right brain synchronization and partnership -- into true response-ability. In such a process oriented practice the inner teacher is always entertained as it becomes essentially a teaching practice/listening practice versus a doing practice and thus we become more deeply connected with the energy body, the inner rhythms, their connections with the rest of life, creation, nature, and source. Here it is the inner teacher moves and guides us as we approach the asana practice as samyama on body, mind, breath, nature, and Source -- as a pilgrimage and a devotional practice toward param shakti.

For example, if my body/mind is not willing to make the changes that the (left brain) conceptual mind has in store for it, it can of course be forced to obey by my will. But that approach is usually counterproductive as well as a potential source of injury. Although it is true that for some people, just doing the asanas even mechanically at first "warms them up" and gets "the energy" going which then takes over (once awakened) to lead the practitioner in the session. But more often mechanical approaches are dry and miss the adventure and the juice. Where there exists mechanical rigidity and body/mind separation injury and stress can occur -- that is where the ego rules. That is too often about control and power -- domination and force. That doesn't feel good to me. I "could" force it, but all I would be doing is to reinforce imbalance and tension -- I would be caught up and reinforced in my own drama rather than dharma.

Now this does not mean that if I find myself rather unbalanced, disconnected, immobile, rigid, non-intuitive, uninspired, and left brain dominant that I do not "do" my asana practice today. Rather once I recognize my afflictive condition the game plan has become altered. It's easy to change my approach in these situations if I view it as not giving up or losing something that I achieved or possessed previously (my predilection), but rather as opening up to something new, different, and more vitally relevant, i.e., as a re-newal and an opportunity to listen more deeply. This is the beginning of the transition state from a willful, rigid, sterile, objectified, and "external" practice toward a free flowing dynamic, inside-out, self actualizing phase of living and being.

Asana practice approached as a process oriented body/mind daily exploration allows us to see what is right in front of our face, something that is transpersonal, deep, profound, and sacred beyond the sterility of left brain dominated space. Asana practice thus becomes more of a self awareness, self realization, and spiritual transformation healing process than merely physical or "healthy" exercise. In fact asana practice can be a powerful trans-conceptual lever into the super-conscious nervous system in which all of creation is interconnected to a magnificent living neural network or giant mainframe (the Great Integrity) in which the living body is both a vital link and its holographic part simultaneously. Here there exist not only the nadis, marmas, chakras, winds and seas, and five elements within the body/mind but also the meridians, vortexes, power spots, celestial spheres, stars, elements, and spheres moving in the universe outside of the body in which we are connected genetically from the beginning of time. Here this dance is meets, unites, and is completed in the divine instant -- in the now of sacred presence -- in the Great yantra of which synchronizes the inner and the outer with Source and as such is not separate external or internal, but rather both/and. This profound but simple all inclusive non-dual "reality" is often called "All Our Relations" in indigenous cultures because it is intrinsic and can not be separated except in man's artificial mind constructs (frameworks of illusion).

Most of us simply do not see our real Self, nor are we attuned to the present phase of our emotional or psychological patterning, imprints, or programming; nor do we listen to (nor are we centered within) our authentic body/mind energy bodies. Too often we find ourselves distracted, forgetting to honor the life force, lost in conceptual thinking, past predilections, dysfunctional old dramas, and so forth. Too often we are either immobilized in fear or dissuaded in neurotic compensatory desire to simply acknowledge the abundant untapped treasure and wealth that is available in the present. Too often we are preoccupied with our disease to allow for our healing. Too often we are not aware enough and thus unaligned with the intrinsic laws of nature and her loving principles of ahimsa. This is how we become out of "touch" and synch with the living law of the heart and become estranged from our true nature and higher potential. Too often "preoccupied" with dissipative, neurotic, non-vital, and even pathological modalities and activities, our "therapeutic" self imposed regimens become self fulfilling death processes based on our limitations rather than our potential.

Transformation and "change" must be welcomed as grace and flow opening us up to life, embracing Spirit and creativity -- mobilizing us rather than immobilizing, freezing, and contracting us. Thus instinct, intuition, exploration, and our feminine aspect (right brain aspect) must be allowed for and even augmented, rather than viewed by the dominating intellect (which upholds the ego) as an uncontrolled "disobedience" of the body, emotional threat, lack of "self" control and will power, failure of the domination of mind, or ego failure. Spiritual transformation and healing comes from surrender of the fixations of false identifications, through the empty gate wherein all illusion is dispelled.

These two extremes between a feminine, peaceful, meditative, rejuvenating, renewing, spontaneous, and relaxing practice allowing the energies to gently harmonize, find balance and equilibrium in the body/mind, and become synergistically aligned on one hand, and the other extreme of a male, strong willed, self controlled, rigidly pre-planned, and detailed mechanical "asana" practice are the very voltages of the right and left brain (the left and right side of the body) respectively that tugs at most modern practitioners. Although yoga's fruit it is realized by harmony, balance, and synchronicity, because of our present social condition which represses the right brain function and feminine sensitivities this balance can generally best be achieved by augmenting right brain approaches. Indeed when the body/mind split is reinforced, we go into sleep, into dormancy, estrangement, alienation, rigidity, immobility, and sterility.

Another example a left brain/male approach to asana practice is the rigid adherence and conformation to a repetitive and very specific sequential set of fast moving asanas even with its duration of hold and the number of breaths to be taken in each asana preordained before the session. This sequential set is then repeated each session day by day with no alterations. When it is mastered then another more advanced and also very specific sequential set is conformed to again, etc. Granted if the practitioner is not subject to injury and the asanas are well designed for the practitioner's unique body/mind type transconceptual energy may be activated and one can then be lead by the energy to some extent. However since innovation is not allowed, one is still confined to obeying the preordained sequence and exact configuration of body parts rather than to follow one's intuition, imagination, instinct, or to otherwise innovate.

When done in rapid sequence most people find this an exhilarating fiery aerobic workout which may bring more fire into one suffering from disorders of kapha or unbalanced excess tamas, and thus be transformative and healing, but its overall effects in helping achieve the goal of authentic yoga may be questioned unless the practitioner also learns self awareness, sensitivity to the energy, and how to honor the life energy and principle more continuously in daily affairs.

It is not that such a practice requires to be judged as "good or bad", but it is wise to inquire whether our practice is balancing, healing, nourishing, supportive, and empowering as well as invigorating, if it is to be an "evolutionary" practice for the individual practitioner. Indeed such a practice that first activates and/or generates the energy can be directed so that its intrinsic intelligence can be integrated so that it directs and leads the practitioner into areas of even greater variegated customization and relevant spheres of exploration usually reserved to the realm of innovation and intuition. It's wise to discern the difference between the energy and heat generated by an aerobic exercise and that of kundalini, but yet there is no reason why these energies can not work in mutual synergy for certain constitutions if allowed to do so.

Since we are mostly already seduced by the mechanical paradigm of incessant "doingness' in order to achieve satisfaction, is it not better to entertain a more meditative approach that emphasizes listening and self awareness more? The first question we may ask is does such a practice reward conformity and inhibit receptivity and true creativity? In other words does the practice bring the practitioner to their core energy? For many the answer is yes, but the generation of heat, sweating, and physical exhaustion is not the same as coming into the heart or activating the creative evolutionary intelligence. Granted many people whose monkey mind (left brain) are over active who are made to jump through aerobic yoga hoops for two hours usually are grateful to be focusing on the body, vacant in the head, and exhausted. For many it is a way of surrender and "let go", but can such an approach lead anywhere other than to reinforce the unfortunate conceptual error that states through hard work, individual will power, determination, sweat, and conformity to the practice -- perfecting the practice, the fruit of yoga will be won. Here we must assert that fatigue (mental or physical) should not be confused with shanti, santosha, or yogic peace, and contentment, just as an aerobic burn is not the same as the heat of tapas or kundalini (although here a relationship can be drawn).

So let us evaluate how our practice can bring us into greater balance, alignment, and synchronicity. Since modern man is already unbalanced with left brain (pingala) over dominance, the general yoga prescription for the current age should be to reinforce the right brain (ida) voltage in order to reach balance. This male/female polarity theme is elaborated throughout this book and especially later in this same chapter. An important point here is that inhibition and repression of the natural instincts and intuition is a left brain (pingala) function, not a right brain (ida) function. Thus balance is not found through denial, restriction, suppression, numbing out, or going asleep. However aggressive behavior is also most often associated with left brain activity (pingala) and specifically hyper-sympathicotonia (sympathetic hypertonia). In this regard it is of value to point out that the cause of aggression however is always due to an imbalance (lack on one hand and/or an excess on the other). When balance is achieved, a strength is also accomplished and the aggressive/often defensive need vanishes as well. So we will not encourage either pushiness nor reticence -- neither slothfulness and torpor on one hand nor hyper activity, tenseness, or hyper-vigilance on the other. Thus yoga encourages neither tamas nor rajas, but rather sattva (purity and balance).

Thus if your practice is very fast, volatile, energetic, fiery, active, and light it may or may not be balancing and thus "right" for you that day (especially if you need more fire and rajas to find balance as long as it is not pushy, increases forcefulness, edginess, tension, or aggression in your life). Some days for some people a practice that creates momentum and is self propelled -- an embodiment of flying animation and invigoration creating strength, endurance and stamina that flies the practitioner through one pose after another can be mutually synergistic as long as it is tailored by the inner wisdom. As long as we listen to our energy and approach the practice with awareness so that we are moving closer into balance, synergistic symmetry, and ultimate love then a vigorous practice may be harmonizing and beneficial.

Some of us are overly torpid, slothful, and apathetic. but in the West most of us are overly hyper, pushy, willful, and overbearing due to cultural or conditioning imbalances. So here we must look deeply into our practice and avoid any potential pitfalls or perversions. Is my practice simply feeding my imbalances toward sleepiness or hyper-ness? For me, most of the time my practice is somewhere in between these two extremes. In a balanced practice peacefulness and receptivity are not exclusive of strength and ability, nor are they the same as sleepiness and sluggishness. The development of vital self awareness and insight allows us to know our individual needs and adjust our program proficiently moving us into synergistic harmony not only on a yearly, monthly, or daily basis, but moment by moment as well.

On some days, weeks, or months I have to learn to honor and accept one extreme or the other, because not to do so would be a violation of the inner calling for balance. It would be ignoring what the conditions are calling for that day. How does one know? By listening, feeling, being aware, and allowing the practice to unfold by itself, exploring the possibilities, and testing out the energy through approaching the session as a process oriented exploration and learning opportunity. Sometimes within the same practice session our energy and thus our needs will change. In fact every moment is a new opportunity for love.

There may be many reasons why transformation occurs; but the main point is that grace is best entertained when we are gratefully open to what is needed -- open to all possibilities and willing to "go with" the possibility which is most beneficent -- the one that connects us to our highest potential beyond the limitations of our past conceptions, beliefs, imprints, and even the imagination itself. So here affirming our highest intent is a valuable process in itself.

The question whether to move more aerobically or more slowly or to do more sun salutations or more supine poses never comes up when the asana session is not run by the thermometer of the left brain; but by the gauge of the Heart. Here we can find balance and resolution from duality -- between the left and right sides. Here all our systems can become attuned and throb to the deeper harmonics of life.

For the same reason that human and animal life is not a straight-line existence, that we are not machines, that there are seasons and cycles within nature, there also exists seasons, cycles, and sub-cycles within all living beings that can not be reduced by linear thinking successfully. There exist movements and dimensions that are beyond the gauge of the intellect which when recognized and honored by our deeper sensitivities allows us to embrace and merge into the great non-conceptual self existent Integrity -- into the All and Everything. Thus allowing for the Grace of the practice to unfold naturally without preconception is in itself a further and welcome gift and opportunity.

An essential ingredient in any authentic yoga practice is awareness -- it is the process of becoming more sensitive and as such it is a qualified sensitivity training. It must be qualified in the sense that it is balanced, i.e., we do not become overly "sensitive" of the individual sense objects (such as known by the ears, eyes, nose, etc), but rather at the same time become sensitive to the heart -- to the throbs of the earth, the pulsations of the stars, the inner flows and tides so that we are able to come into resonance, alignment, harmony, and grace -- as one with that which truly nourishes, supports, and empowers. Qualified as such, asana practice becomes a joyful sensitivity training. As such we learn that we have become insulated, coarse, and ignorant of the subtleties of nature, of the energy, of the body, and the emotions and then we allow ourselves with this new more subtle sensitivity and awareness to act as one in creating peace, harmony, health, and love -- in All Our Relations.

Here there exists a valuable lesson in learning how to listen to, honor, respect, and respond to the diversity of creation and pay attention to our vital participation with it in love -- in honoring the balance between left and right -- between intuition and receptivity on one hand and intellect and will on the other allowing them to unite as one embracing the greater whole. In this book there has been presented many different possible approaches of "intelligently working" in our asana practice; but nothing will beat the customized, integrated, responsive, interactive, balanced, and kinesthetic natural approach. Indeed this is the purpose of an authentic yoga practice -- to get ourselves attuned, in resonance, and "in touch". Indeed it is this very "skill" that is supposed to bleed over after the asana practice into the yoga of daily life which this Reality is expressed and acted upon.

If we introduce force, violence, abuse, stress, domination, imbalance, or tension into our practice, we introduce a level of force, violence, imbalance, hurtfulness, and stress into our everyday life and this way introduce it into the lives of others. Authentic process oriented asana practice allows us a chance to reverse this dysfunctional tendency. As we become closer attuned to the higher purpose of yoga as a spiritual practice, we lower the level of tension, stress, and violence in our lives and the lives that we touch.

Asana practice is also a time of self healing, health maintenance, preventative medicine, and a proactive affirmation of the life energies within and around us. It is a joyful opportunity to increase this communion everyday. How far can we go? In one sense we are all working out a possible infection, a heart disease, a possible stroke, potential cancer, diabetes, disequilibrium, degenerative disease, tension disease, a restriction, limitation, conflict, contraction, corruptive process, etc. How do we become more sensitive to the body, mind, breath early warning symptoms and subtleties before the gross manifestations of "serious disease" call our attention more grossly to a dysfunctional dynamic that we have been ignoring up to now? How do we stop hurting ourselves -- causing suffering and grief? How do we learn to honor life, evolution, and healing and purify our the conditioned modalities of stress, tension, self hate, self destruction, and pathology? How do we learn to stop dissipating our body/mind energies and concentrate them in harmony with and open up to the spark of life? How do we come into love and synergistic harmony at all times is the question that yoga poses?

How do we learn to take on this self responsibility? How do we ramp up our healing power and regenerate depletion? How do we clear the pathways and increase the body/mind's innate wisdom to function, create, love, play, and heal? How do we come into self actualization? How do we bring this increased awareness, communion, and consciousness into our everyday life so often filled with suffering with the vagaries of diseased, uncentered, spaced out, angry, grief stricken, dysfunctional, neurotic, greedy, anxious, driven, and insecure people? How do we utilize our asana practice to help us continuously be mobilized, empowered, inspired (in spirit), and provide inspiration as embodied vehicles of love (rather than fear and disappear) twenty four hours a day?

Authentic asana practice is a learning experience, not something that we "do" to ourselves. It is 99% awareness and receptivity and 1% "doing". Thus it requires an innocent inquiry into what is -- what is illusion and what is reality; and as such it is a meditation leading eventually into to Self awareness as it is discloses what was previously unconscious and thus the unveiling of ignorance occurs by revealing the underlying matrix of the infinite. Through increased awareness and sensitivity of an authentic yoga practice, we become freed from old unconscious and dysfunctional modalities that have imprisoned and limited us. As mentioned earlier we can set aside different phases within any one asana to ask the body what wants to relax and what wants to move. What wants to stretch and what wants to engage? What needs to open and what needs to energize? Do we need to bring peace, calm, nurturing, and soothing medicine to this part of the body or to the overall system today or do we need to bring it to a new edge, out of sloth, and stagnation into a more rajasic balance? Here we invoke the inner wisdom and allow it to decide. We cultivate, through self study, Gnosis.

Mostly when we are healthy, in harmony, and in balance the two systems of relaxation and tonification are symmetrical and synchronous. As the agonist muscle engages, flexes, shortens, or contracts, there is a corresponding relaxation, extension, and lengthening of the antagonist muscle. When the antagonist has gone to its limit for the time, the agonist stops engaging or there may be strain or spasm to the agonist, strain to the antagonist, or stress to an adjacent system of tendons, ligaments, joints, or bone. Here the agonist muscle is the activator or male/left brain effector muscle while the muscle which is passive and opened (the antagonist) is the female/right brain counterpart. In left brain dominant approaches "progress" is perceived to be won through increasing the force of the agonist (activator/effector) muscles; while in a right brain (female) approach more effort is given to simply relax the antagonist releasing the stress and resistance. Hence both activation (left brain) and relaxation (right brain) energetics need to come into alignment and synergistic coordination in order to achieve frictionless synchronicity.

Thus without activation the system may lack tone, stability, and/or synergistic and coordinated balance, but simultaneous relaxation, release, and openness there will be constant stress, tension, friction, and immobility. In the end all movement occurs because there is some space created -- something has to relax, stretch, release, relax, or extend (usually the antagonist muscle but in other cases fascia surrounding organs, glands, old wounds, and even mental/emotional and energy pattern constructs). In authentic yoga we thus concentrate on awareness -- on energetic symmetry and alignment in harmonizing the autonomic nervous system with the central nervous system, the efferent with the afferent nerves, the sympathetic with the para-sympathetic, the mind with the body, and nature and spirit, while utilizing the two way street of the breath -- the breath serving as both as a strong autogenic proactive projection and as a biofeedback monitor.

Awareness of the breath is also awareness of the energy (prana) and how it is interfacing with the mind/emotions as well as the body. Rather than to fall victim to the common goal oriented trap of attempting to master the asana (there the tail is wagging the dog); I used to teach in previous years to use the asana to open up the body. Later I used to say to use the breath and energy awareness to open up the body; while using the asana practice as a modality for increased energy awareness; but now as my practice has become more efficient over many decades, I encourage people to use the asanas to open the breath and the prana flows -- to effect the spontaneous arising of the bandhas, mudras, asanas, breath, pranayama, pratyhara, dharana, energetic alignments, meditation, and communion, all as one movement -- one impulse -- one passionate embrace and prayer dance.

In this awareness we have focused on the built-in intelligence that allows activation and relaxation activity to become balanced and symmetrical. Here push (activation of the agonist or prime mover) and relaxation (of the antagonist) can happen simultaneously in perfect equilibrium, coordination, and tone or it can happen sequentially at appropriate times. Here, the release of the energy blockage and the inrush of new energy occurs simultaneously with the breath.

For most people, it is more beneficial to open, depressurize, and relax more in the case of over dominant, tight, tense, or contracted activators; then new energy can rush in and be utilized for regeneration and restoration. This releases stress and pressure and opens the heart. For many all we have to do is let go and relax the entire system -- the antagonist extends and softens allowing the motion to occur and the energy to flow. At other times we may find benefit in leading or directing the movement with more focus and more intently (with increased intensity) on the breath and energy body, being careful not to over activate the agonist nor forget to release or relax the antagonist. In this way we can move into a "resistive" area with the breath and loving intention "response-ably".

Perhaps here there is resistance in the form of fear or anger in the antagonists or a weakness and imbalance in the agonist. Then we simply acknowledge the resistance, noting where in the body and mind that it is manifesting, but also continuing to breathe into and through it. In a balanced practice the efferent and afferent nerves and muscles are acting in synchrony as mutual simultaneous synergists. Here the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system are acting in unity and synchrony. Here there is no contradiction between the so called strong and active approach versus the so called soft or passive approach.

Unfortunately for most of us the above is more of an ideal balanced state than a functional reality, but yet we can change our practice just as yoga is designed to transform our lives. Synchronicity and symmetry occur simultaneously when the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are also perfectly balanced and working synergistically. The antagonist muscles are the ones that lengthen, relax, stabilize, and are stretched while the agonist muscles are those that are asked to work (usually through a contraction or a pulsing), engage, and pull (in order for the antagonist muscle to stretch).

As is our malaise in the West, most of us are already suffering from stress related disorders -- a hyper-tonified sympathetic nervous systems (hyper-sympathicotonia), so a balanced asana program for many may best emphasize the lengthening, softening, and relaxation aspect (the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system and Ida nerve) over that of active and vigorous aspect (usually associated with the pingala or sun psychic nerve). This chronic "disease" of hyper-sympathicotonia (sympathetic hypertonia) is the cause of a typical unconscious comedy in Western yoga classes wherein if there is an imbalance or a lack of "stretch" or openness on the part of the yoga student, the teacher will subconsciously chose to focus on strengthening the agonist muscle rather than relaxing the antagonist muscle group.

As indicated above, in some cases both a strengthening of the agonist and a relaxation of the antagonist is beneficial, but it would be more efficient if yoga teachers were able to forego their sympathetic nervous system, efferent nerve, rajasic, or pingala bias in lieu of a more right brained, energy awareness, meditative, and kinesthetic approach emphasizing receptivity, release, and awareness itself -- listening as one moves and then "respond" to the intelligent feedback that the breath and energy provides. Because nothing can move until empty space is created for it and that space is best described as a fluid continuous softness or openness which is inherently belongs to the idea of the right brain or feminine, and hence here one can easily "get in touch" with the inherent teacher within, as shakti.

In other words, it would be highly beneficial for most Westerners to use asana practice as a meditation means, a tool for self discovery, an exploration into Self -- a communion in which we allow ourselves to relax and release tension and pressure allowing the body/mind vessel (adhar) to become energized, healed, and in synch with the prana and the source of prana -- allow for the alignments of body, mind, spirit, breath, and nature to occur allowing for the inner wisdom to become activated or "kicked-in", while defeating the tendency to treat asanas as an end in itself.

Here we take the opportunity that authentic yoga offers, where the asana practice is merely a means for us to merge with the very organic process of evolutionary becoming -- with Love -- as such asana practice is never a fragmented end in itself but a touching -- a merging -- an extension -- the co-creative dance of siva/shakti -- of Nataraj. As mentioned in part I, all movement contains an element of extension, softening, and relaxation as it is a necessity for the agonist or activating muscle to move the bone, the antagonist must relax or something will break or snap. Overbearingness, pushiness, constant struggle, chronic tension, the desire to overpower, forcefulness, stress, and hypertension are all symptoms of an unbalanced (but unfortunately) common modern malaise of sympathetic hypertonia that can lead to injury and increase dis-ease; of which authentic process oriented yoga should not reinforce, but rather dismantle the stasis by creating synergistic balance and awareness of what the balanced phase feels like and how to come into synch with our core energy. Here we do not have to know all the mechanical details, but rather only be able to "feel" the energy -- move into the healing energy vortex of the great yantra.

The antagonist or activator muscles should not coerce or dominate, but rather coax acting as a facilitator for the release of tension and stress allowing the corresponding muscles to soften and the joint to open -- to act as the initiator of the breath and energy (the Jnana Prana). In this way in a functional yoga practice we will find the perfect synchronicity of balanced agonist/antagonist synergy in which each one acts as a unified unit to place us into the alignment of energies (body, mind, spirit, and nature) both internal and external where maximum beneficence is realized. Here the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are put into a high state of attunement and resonance -- here the right and left brain move toward synchrony.

The key to this is listening and being receptive MORE than "doing". The nerves responsible for sensing are called afferent nerves, while those that activate and fire the agonist muscles belong are called efferent nerves. Thus when we move in this way (listening and being receptive), the afferent nerves are paid attention to --we become more present in the body, to the breath, to life energy. So then when we move, we can monitor the biofeedback response in relation to the inner wisdom of these intelligent regulating systems within. We ask how does this feel, what is the quality of the feeling, what happens to breath, is it warming up the region, is it relaxing it, is there more energy there, is there resistance, is there tightness, pain, etc.? here the afferent and efferent nervous system comes into a healthy intelligent partnership and synchrony -- into an instantaneous response-ability no longer needing the mediation of the will. This is where high performance athletics and martial arts become actualized -- split second timing -- heightened awareness and response times. Here the basket, basketball, hands, legs, wrists, feet, breath, opponent, team, and the entire court come into a magic zone -- one is "on" or "hot". Yoga of course is not a performance sport nor martial art, but this magic zone is just as valuable and even more accessible when we approach the practice as an exercise of increasing awareness, receptivity, and being more present.

In all cases we are best served by balance moving into the non-dual state of synergistic harmony and simultaneous synchronistic alignment. In advanced yogic practices that pertain to the awakening of kundalini there is considerable emphasis placed upon the balance between the prana and the apana -- the ida and the pingala nadis, the receptive and active modalities, the female and male energies, the left and right, right brain/left brain, the front and back, shakti/siva, etc., coming into equilibrium and synergistic harmonious balance and thus enabling the prana to move into the central column (sushumna) activating kundalini (the super-conscious evolutionary intelligence and energy). If we could only allow the natural evolutionary intelligence of kundalini to run our asana sessions for us, then there would be no difficulties.

So in this zone, there is no one right pace for all of us, but rather the question is how do we actualize our highest potential and creative evolutionary ability within the overall wholistic context of yoga most expediently? How do come into our own pace, neither rushed nor held back? How do we come into the depth of our highest potential of love and wisdom? Focused on the true goal, watching the breath and heart rate so that we are neither straining nor falling asleep; listening to the inner feedback of the organs, fascia, tissues, nervous system, mind, and energy; listening to the song of the heart and the pulsations of the planet, we move ourselves and allow our self to be moved simultaneously; afferent and efferent move in a delicate intelligent dance of mutuality without conflict or resistance as we move further into phase and profound richness which process oriented yoga offers as we move into a prayer dance -- into an energetic alignment where the breath moves us.

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Finding Your Edge and Moving through Stuck Boundaries Efficiently

In some popular schools of hatha yoga (Sivananda, Integral Yoga, etc.), there is often given a relaxation period in shavasana after each asana to allow the body and energy to adjust while in other popular schools such as Bikram, Kripalu, Power Yoga, and the Iyengar method there are no deep relaxation breaks between the asana practice, but rather there is a long relaxation period in shavasana (often combined with yoga nidra practice) given at the end. Some days in my personal practice, I will often give myself short rests in between each asana if the body/mind is thirsty for it, but at other times one asana naturally, effortlessly, and spontaneously flows into the other, building its own synergistic momentum. Most times I am sensitive to the breath, maintaining a moderately paced and deeply energizing and mildly aerobic ujjayi breath. I try to be sensitive to the variance of what the body/mind really is asking for, then I am able to pay them their due respect as they arise. Sometimes these "rest states" are very powerful, healing, and profound such as being conducive to lucid or yogic dream states. Maybe they would be better termed transformational or transitional stages where the body/mind energetics are allowed to reintegrate. For some these transitional pauses can be renewing, rejuvenating, and even revelatory.

On the other hand on certain days I feel good only when I am moving stagnant energy out and pushing myself with the breath to a new edge. Here by edge, I mean a new degree of mental clarity and sharpness; a further depth that contains a feeling of fresh exploration and new territory. Here something inside is starving for oxygen, for expression -- a buried part of Self wants to be born and evolve. Sometimes then, I may be moved by an inner urge to pulsate, undulate, oscillate, and vibrate faster.

There is much talk today about finding your edge, but what that may exactly mean will be different to all of us. Some teachers mean by this to challenge and push themselves in a self adversarial or competitive way. This often comes from a competitive society, upbringing, a sense of low self worth (found in workaholics and goal oriented perfectionists, etc.). That of course is not yoga, but simply neurotic compensation, while yoga is aimed at annihilating neuroses completely. Here we will try to discuss these various "ideas" and attempt to bring the reader beyond the idea of edge or any boundary altogether -- into that boundless all together place -- into the Great Integrity of All Our Relations.

Yes, the monkey mind craves structure and boundaries -- something to sink its teeth on. This is where most of our limiting and stubborn habits have become imprinted and rigidified Some approaches cater to this need in the hopes of exhausting it, but the monkey mind can be destroyed in many other more skillful means, other than by learning an ever increasing amount of techniques, by climbing a steep ladder of hierarchical systems, or by other such dare I say, counterproductive wild goose chases. Giving challenges or finding limits in this way is not useful on the spiritual path. It is simply another way of giving in to fear and disempowerment. What needs clarification in this respect is that this is not to say that new modalities, techniques, approaches, methods and the like are not beneficial -- yes, they are gifts from Shakti in the play of her eternal grace; yet, rather this is where spiritual transformation comes from -- from surrender, from being open, from being a disciple and devotee of the universal mother and teacher/teachings. It doesn't come from a hierarchy, from structural engineering, or physics -- neither anatomy, neurology, nor kinesthetics alone, but rather such are only a reflection of the Self -- a part of the over all grand equation which is not manmade and cannot be written down; yet it can be fully experienced consciously.

Thus in our practice many things are happening simultaneously, should we allow ourselves to consciously approach them in our daily practice. One is the old habit and structure (held together by karma and vasana) which locks up our energy, emotional, mental, and physical bodies. Here we joyfully move into these stuck areas as our own liberators, establishing a greater connection, opening up the nadis for the great mandala to be energized in present time and space. here we look at the tendency to identify with and fixate with external structure and LET IT GO.

Too many people live inside a fabricated but "seemingly" comfortable state of denial and self deception. This is their "safe" and paranoid prison. The more uncomfortable or threatened they feel, they attempt to build more walls and to hide more -- more padding or else more collapsing in helplessness. But this feeling of being comfortable within the fortress walls and prisons of our own making, is in reality an uneasy truce. It is not true happiness, but an escape -- it is due to a pre-existing fear, aversion, avoidance, and constant state of ignoring (ignorance). This is not beneficial to our authentic yoga goals as well.

Thus many people who have become accustomed to mental constructs as "safe" territory will not feel comfortable, relaxed as they tend to go to hyper vigilance for security. Such hyper people normally do not feel at ease with the idea of breaking through boundaries and discovering the pristine frontiers in sacred life; but in authentic yoga must eventually bring us to that phase, not delay it. If we are not accustomed or familiar with spontaneous life existing in the vital or sacred present, then we may be somewhat afraid to give up the familiar trappings of the old (even though they are our prisons). Here there may arise fear of the "new" or unfamiliar producing a contraction or aversion away from it. Authentic yoga teachings thus bring us closer to the end of suffering, to the eventual realization of our integration into true and lasting happiness -- a non-dual union with the un-changing eternal in the present flow of the ever-newness -- a joyful synchronization of the two and many into the all encompassing Integrity.

Anything which holds us back from that which limits and constricts the opening of the heart -- of our creative healing awareness and potential -- is what composes an "edge". Breaking down an edge can be accomplished in functional asana practice by repeatedly coming up against its borders and investigating it with breath and with loving attention. Eventually it will be "sensed" (by the inner wisdom) that the real danger resides in grasping -- by not letting go of this self inflicted boundary or prison comprised of fear and armoring, memories of past traumas, and associated non-integrated negative emotions. Giving this space attention and space, an inner passion for liberation -- to break through this limitation will spontaneously arise.

Breaking through to the other side can itself also be neurotic and self adversarial, especially in the personality type which knows only strife, no pain/no gain, hard work, pain, self adversity, and suffering. Yoga if it is to be healing and empowering should not reinforce pushing oneself too far, being self adversarial, nor forceful, but rather to encourage us play at the edge of the cit-shakti as we disengage old programs and dysfunctional habits allowing for the activation of the dormant higher circuitries to become energized and engaged.

Here neither stasis (tamas) nor incessant pushiness and self adversity (rajas) is desirable, but rather balance (sattva) and special synchronization is the goal. We already talked about Sattva and this special balance in the previous section, but it is emphasized that finding our own pace and our own balance is arriving into awareness and communion -- it is where our optimum therapeutic edge exists. Further we need to move further away from the edge into the therapy -- away from the shadows of boundaries -- into boundless light. To do that is to break down old karma, remove samskaras and kleshas, untie the knots that block the nadis -- this will remove the adhesions, energy cysts, spasms, contractions, black holes, lesions, and dead areas in the body/mind. Moving into these areas of pre-existing pain, should not only feel good, but more energy is made available as we surrender the tension which required much effort to maintain.

This discussion of edges and boundaries is in this sense is only linear, while Reality is actually curved, spiral, circular, rounded, or gyre like; anything but straight edged. But since this is the problem (most of us being lost in externalized mentations) let us then inquire what may work to lift us from this linear morass and imprisonment.

As will be shown later, we do not have to become stuck analyzing an edge nor is it necessary to even recognize one for us to let it go. However one simple way to work functionally is to ask, "What is tight here-- what is holding? Am I out of touch with something here that is contractive. Is there hidden fear here or there? Am I ignoring or unconscious of a pre-existing "tight" area or holding pattern? How do we move into expansive wholeness? Further we can joyously approach the practice as a daily exploration of self emancipation -- in working out old karma and freeing up old stuck energy.

In other words in our practice, we can scan the body/mind to investigate if there are any hidden stuckness or tension being the result of holding unto old dysfunctional patterns due to dualistic beliefs, self contradiction, unresolved past emotions (grief, tension, anger, fear, desire, or resentment) carried into the future while usurping or perturbing the present? Here we simply propose the possibility. The reason this is so powerful is that it is precisely the unconscious past conditioning and neuromuscular preprogramming which we are not aware of that is holding us "back" in the old pattern of "ignoring" (ignorance). Through authentic practice we explore and become aware, then let go, then integrate. Then we carry this integrative, healing, and creative energy into our daily activities as its extension.

When we finally learn how to release and let go of the past body/mind samskaras, tensions, and armoring in the sacred present, we eventually realize that we were fighting our self, that we lacked integration and resolution, we lacked integrity because of corruptive thought, that one "apparent" truth was fighting "another". The antagonist was fighting the agonist in an isometric standstill. One part of us said move this way while another said move in the opposite way, efferent and afferent were at war, front and back and left and right were oppositional, but finally by coming into the present we learned how to move into synchronicity uniting the left and right in the central column. In this sense functional asana practice and breath work becomes a body based psychotherapy as well as a spiritual lever integrating body. mind, breath, nature, and spirit synchronizing all five koshas.

One way to work toward or beyond an edge is to first find out what or where it is, what does it feel like, and what does the breath tell me about it. I am happy when I find it, because I love to work "through" the edge to the other side -- to its joyful release. Thus it is a joyous experiences for me where I am moving into a new frontier in the joy of discovery and opening celebrating the new and deeper energy coursings now moving throughout the body/mind. Thus I am too often surprised to hear other hatha yoga teachers claim that they enjoy moving into the edge of being uncomfortable -- that they are not "comfortable" until they have pushed themselves up against a rock and a hard place. The very concept of enjoying being uncomfortable seems to be an oxymoron on the surface, because by definition being uncomfortable is defined as not being comfortable or joyful.

The problem is precisely this - that too many people are already chronically uncomfortable with embodied existence (with nature and the body). They have already become too extracted and conditioned by an externalized, objectified, and alien linear mind set that no longer allows for their innate creative genius to sprout forth. This is already a widespread epidemic and plague of humankind. People generally already feel stuck and stagnant -- that constipation is "normal". They are already out of touch with their embodied vital feelings, natural internal and external communication pathways, and embodied innate sensate awareness. Authentic yoga is not supposed to feed this estrangement; but rather it is designed to reconnect us with the inherent and organic vital intelligence within nature and all of existence, thus having lost touch with nature. Only then do "feelings" become associated with pain -- because embodied existence i.e., the body, is already painful, contracted, abandoned, disowned, and denied. Thus it is easy to become caught in the logical trap, that in order to escape pain, we simply avoid being embodied or feeling -- we simply deny life or identify with it. This is not dissimilar to those who try to deny death, but denying life. Yet in both cases the pain and discomfort is due to this rift, discontinuity, contraction, duality, and separation in the first place. Thus like someone suffering from frostbite, to gain back our sensibilities and health we have to start slowly massaging, loosening up, moving, and warming up the frozen parts.

When we are comfortable in the body, we are at peace with nature and natural Self. We no longer chronically try to extract ourselves from it, deny it, or try to ignore or escape from it through artificial systems of a future heaven or absent God. At the root of this extractive process is the rend from the Great Flow or Integrity which creates (among others) the fear of death.

When we are reconnected with Spirit -- when it intimately flows through us, fear is removed, we are at a profound peaceful place, and we can thus emanate peace, strength, healing, and love. This kind of peace is neither artificially contrived nor somnambulant; but rather it is vitalistic, empowered, transconceptual and transpersonal. It stems from being non-alienated and indigenous -- at home with mother earth by becoming at home with the body. It is being comfortable with the present and accepting Reality as-it-is as the starting basis for any creative change.

Once the "present" situation settles into the integration of both awareness and subjective existence or "beingness" -- once the fear of truth and physical existence is dispelled and washed away, -- once we become accustomed to the creation of internal flow, healing, love, and deep peace, then are we capable of expressing that living intelligent sacred Reality outside of us in creative action.

Perhaps those who demand "uncomfortability" in their practice really mean that they need to experience new energy beyond their old comfortable and stagnant place of familiarity and stasis, and thus hang out or be with that new edge or feeling until a new energy shift occurs. Familiarity is thus not to be confused with deep comfort or authentic peace. Because of past injuries, traumas, and overwhelming experiences with their unsatisfactory integration we often carry a certain degree of residual fear and apprehension along with us into the present often creating stress and dysfunctional energy patterns, which functional yoga is designed to uproot and dissolve while bringing us into the "deep-present", core energy, or home.

It is in this sense not desirable to be comfortable in stagnation, in boundaries, in contrived patterns of order, in jumping through familiar hoops, etc., that are merely created in order to provide a semblance of "order", to substitute for the implicate order, or to satisfy the delusional need of the ego for the illusion of "accomplishment", the appearance of well being, and the security of boundaries and bondage. It is however at the same time desirable to be comfortable in the body; but not the neurotic body armoring. Indeed we shall show layer how once internal flow is established, the authentic body throws off the neurotic acquired body armor naturally and spontaneously.

It is thus desirable to be uncomfortable with fear and stagnation. Fear is associated with "change" or transition and the real problem is that this is too often confused with "newness", because newness contradicts the contrived, stagnant and old order or framework that the ego is desperately holding unto for security -- an order that is delusional and limiting and of which the practice is designed to eliminate not enhance. Newness however does not have to be looked upon as pained confusion or as a threat to "self"; it is only a threat to the ego -- to the illusion of separateness -- to the prison. So instead of seeking out predictability in our practice feeding the ego, an authentic practice goes beyond all boundaries seeking out with peaceful loving attention a hidden inner healing flow.

Those who realize that they have become too desensitized, "too comfortable" in stagnation, delusion, standardized illusions, shells, body-mind armor, insulated encapsulated cocoons, comfortable masks, and other prisons of ego then may use the asanas to wake them up from sleep, somnambulism, stagnation, sloth, apathy, or tamasic tendencies. For them they may have to fight "the demon" (ego) with fire and be willing to make "extra effort" in order to emerge out of their shell more. For certain personality types, this may be a valuable phase of their work as long as they do not reinforce a chronic way of tension and struggle. I pray that they are not just reflecting an ingrained belief in forcefulness, self punishment, and self hatred. Thus for people who are already too driven, goal oriented, overly externalized, rigid, hard on themselves, and/or hyper, such an approach may be "too pushy" and counter-productive.

Rather than to drink more coffee or take more stimulants they will benefit more by becoming nourished and revitalized from aligning with nature's Source. Instead they will thrive more to synergistically learn how to synchronize body/mind and breath with the great Integrity. In other words, those who are already pushy and hyper do not realize their type A behavior usually without learning the hard way; however it is possible for them to experience deep peace and bliss out of the press of time and the fear of losing control within the safe and sacred setting of an authentic yoga class, so that they may be able to desire to recognize and experience this state again.

As such, a process oriented yoga practice can create the preliminary structure, presenting a clear distinction between the present set of boundaries and limitations and instead of going up against them in an adversarial or goal oriented way, rather we can present the possibility of engagement with the limitless, timeless, and formless true goals of yoga lying in an altogether non-dual realm. In other words, we do not always have to go to war or attack one by one with each limitation or symptom created by separation and duality; but rather we can shift states realizing an implicate unitive state which these problems are not reinforced, enhanced, or validated, but rather simply embrace and/or surrender to the inclusive or positive phase of a more intelligent trans-rational integrated and intimate body/mind ecology. This is simultaneously vairaga (letting go) and surrender (isvara pranidhana) not to some vacuous emptiness, but rather into an all encompassing intrinsic order -- a realm of Great Integrity, true contentment, fullness, and complete deepest meaning of All Our Relations.

"Hyper" people need to soften, relax, decompress, and open up. Since hardness has to do with tension, stress, pressure, restriction, contraction, clenching, grasping tight, holding, fear, rigidity, and stress which in most cases manifests as a residue of chronic sympathetic hypertonia (hyper-sympathicotonia), which is most often is a symptom of unresolved past trauma. Such chronic situations can be remediated by creating a non-threatening structure where a system of decompression and release of stress is honored. Thus pushing harder is less effective than a softening and an opening -- yoga being the integration and mergence of the practitioner, the process, and the result simultaneously occurring without friction -- as one.

All of us have a different edge being as it were a therapeutic brink, precipice, or cliff where new horizons are viewed and experienced, but wherein to go further would topple us into the brink of pain, injury, or further abuse on a physical level, while on an emotional, energetic, nervous, or psychic level we would are not prepared to handle its energy, charge, or intensity. Functional yoga slowly develops our capacity to hold ever increasing charges and energy flows without overload or injury acting as a purer conduit between nature and spirit as embodied love. Best we can ask where do all the edges converge, into no edge -- into Infinite mind?

Although it may be easier to speak of physical boundaries; the nature of our rigidity and edginess result from a spiritual or karmic malaise rife with the affliction of negative emotions and held together by dualistic belief systems. Most of us are suffering from induced neuromuscular and biopsychic boundaries created by negative conditioning whose chief agent is non-integrated fear held together by the glue of memory, intellect, and will (ahamkara). In this fear driven, neurotic, and constricted malaise the monkey mind seeks structure and safe boundaries, refuge, and escape in the contracted form of external order; while newness, spontaneity, openness, and flow may appear as threats to its imagined "safety" or sense of ersatz integrity within the familiar confines and surroundings of the current delusional drama (ego state) of our own making. This defensive mechanism fed by fear can be broken, through functional yoga which purifies the nadis, the mind stream, our karma where in we gladly surrender and renounce the burdens of past imprints (samskara) as the dead weight that they really are.

If we are dependent upon an delusional ego state as a life raft, we will resist change and new information especially that information that contradicts that delusion/illusion (seen as a threat to "self"). Such resistance to change, resists "Flow" -- the stream of nectar which brings the very healing salve to all the tissues, organs, glands, and brain which in turn is the only effective lasting remedy that can be applied to the past traumas and fear in the first place. However when we are confused, we do not see clearly the obvious which is standing right in back of us peering out of our eyes waiting to be disclosed -- we have forgotten how the neuro-endocrine substances, breath, love, and healing winds move in self motivated joy and ease.

People immersed in the symbols of their confusion, traditionally did not seek instruction in authentic yoga or other spiritual paths in the first place. However in the modern era, because asana practice is now mis-associated as an ego accouterment, many such ego driven people "practice yoga" just as if they were performing physical exercise. For them boundaries and edges will be first appear to be purely physical, and as such they will crave structure and detail oriented approaches to occupy their mind and attention. Although it is possible that such people may slowly see the depths that authentic yoga may provide through breaking down the neuromuscular and psychophysical prisons that bind us to illusion, there exists an equal possibility that the mechanical approach will only reinforce the delusion of ego in forms of ego aggrandizement and arrogance, thus reinforcing the exact boundaries of which authentic yoga is designed to break down.

Most of us need to breakup and dissolve the old dysfunctional patterns, imprints (samskaras), habits (vasanas), and boundaries of the ego formed by fear, intellect, memory, and will, rather than reinforce them. To that end, functional yoga is more concerned with the processes of release, non-attachment, openness, surrender, vairaga, and flow. This is not an empty "let go" a negation, or a denial, but rather an affirmation, a celebration, and a greater identification, interactive encounter, interconnection, and dynamic union with the transpersonal whole and Source.

As a a practical matter, the psychologist and author of "Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, writes in his book, "Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self Deception",