Thursday, March 7, 2013

Prepare for Take Off


Like a seed and all its potential, we are ready burst open with the next beautiful warm sunny day. But the seed does not. It is patient. It unfolds gradually. We too must have patience, nurture and provide the right conditions for the unfurling of the seed within our heart.

March is like this: we pull and stretch outward playing, rejoicing the sun, going in a million different directions. Next thing we know its blowing hail and were back inside waiting it out. Its good to get clear on the direction we wish to go, so that when we have that boost of energy and we want to fly out of the cave, we know exactly where we are going. Our boundless energy needs to be directed to something that sustains us, something that fills us up again and again, something good for ourself and the world. For me, it is often challenging to focus on one particular area of life. So, it requires a little digging. I clean my living space. Make some lists. Get organized. And do some yoga. All with the intention of clearing and cleaning my internal and external spaces (they reflect one another).
These are questions I am asking myself now:

What do I want to offer the world?
How do I want the world to see me?
What am I going to grow this season?

This month, in our sadhana, we first clear, give ourself permission to sweat out stickiness, create a lot of flow in the body; to gain clarity on our seed of intention to put forth into the "light" half of the year. We will become more familiar with mula bandha, our root; engage with it, seal any energetic leaks, and contain our own vitality. Finally towards end of March, knowing fully where we stand, we unfold, reach out, and take off!


Mula Bandha
Physical location of mula bandha is the cervix for women and perineum for men. To find mula bandha (in seated or standing) think of lifting your pubis bone upward, feel those subtle muscles contract? Or think of when you need to go pee, and you hold it in.

Mula bandha is responsible for re-directing the downward flow of prana, apana vayu. It seals prana in the body, preventing any energy leaks. We gain and sustain more vitality by doing this. (from Yoga Darshan, by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati)


Excercising mula bandha will enable us to learn to contain our energy. Just when we feel like letting it all out, bursting open...we need to pause. Pull it in. Seal any leaks.
Contain, sustain and than expand!





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