When
two bodies interact by exerting force on each other, these action and reaction forces
are equal in magnitude, but opposite in direction.
If
we translate this to yoga, it is also so for forces within the body. We are all very aware of our “fight or
flight” system – adrenaline & cortisol released into the blood stream
divert energy from other functions (eg digestion) to the limbs for readiness to
run or protect ourselves, heart rate & blood pressure increase. We either fight, run or occasionally
freeze. In the modern world, the system
that mobilised our ancestors when sabre tooth cats came prowling is now often
triggered by stress.
Many
of us as much less aware of the calm & connect system of the body. It is closely connected with the hormone
oxytocin – the “love hormone”. It is
most commonly associated with sexual love, childbirth and breastfeeding. It is not peculiar to women, although it
plays a vital role in mothering, and researchers are now beginning to identify
its central role in the calm & connect system. The calm & connection system is at play
when we feel that warm, drowsy glow after a good meal in pleasant company, or
when we feel bathed & nourished by the sun as we lie on a soft sandy
beach.
Kerstin Uvnäs
Moberg tells us in her book ‘The Oxytocin Factor’:
"We need calm
and connection not only to avoid illness, but also to enjoy life, to feel
curious, optimistic, creative..." and that the system “…is associated with
trust and curiosity instead of fear, and with friendliness instead of
anger...When peace and calm prevail, we let our defenses down and
instead become sensitive, open, and interested in others around us. Instead of
tapping the internal ‘power drink,’ our bodies offer a ready-made healing
nectar. Under its influence, we see the
world and our fellow humans in a positive light; we grow, we heal.”
One way to nurture your calm and connection system is to take part in a family or group activity, making yoga an ideal way to nurture this system.
One way to nurture your calm and connection system is to take part in a family or group activity, making yoga an ideal way to nurture this system.
The term nectar is interesting as many
yoga scriptures and texts refer to amrita.
Amrita, also known as soma, is described in Georg Feuerstein’s ‘Shambhala
Encyclopedia of Yoga’ as the nectar that is “of brilliant reddish-white and is
exquisitely bliss-inducing”. It is said
to flow from the hidden lunar centre in the crown chakra. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika tells us that when
the body is flooded with this ambrosia, it will gift strength, vigour, and a
beautiful body. Perhaps the sages simply
recognised that making time to be calm and to connect are essential for both
physical and mental health.
The following
practices are designed to give you time to feel calm and to connect first with
your breath and your body, and if in a group setting, the chanting is a way to
widen that connection into a community.
Off the mat and outside the classroom, connection is achieved by the
impact on those around you as they respond to your calmness, your openness and
your heartfelt interest in them when you can see their positives clearly.
Relaxation for a Calm Heart
Adapted from ‘The
Meditator’s Handbook’ by David Fontana
Settle into Savasana, surrendering your
body to gravity & the Earth. Allow
your mind to rest in your breath, becoming aware of your natural breathing
rhythm…simply watch your inhalation and your exhalation. As we observe the breath, we usually find it
begins to naturally slow & deepen and settle into a more even flow. Gently begin to slow and deepen your
breathing, until you are breathing as slow, deep and rhythmically as feels
comfortable for you right now. With each
inward breath, softly bring awareness to your heart centre in the middle of
your chest, and with your outward breath begin to silently chant “Om ”. Feel Om ripple outwards from the heart centre, creating an
ever widening circle of stillness, peace, calm.
You may like to visualise a drop of nectar falling into a lake, the
ripples moving outward. Or you may
prefer to imagine the vibrations of a gong carrying Om
through your body. You can continue this
practice as long as you wish. When you
are ready, release Om , and allow your breath
to settle back into its own rhythm. Take
a few moments to stretch and make small movements, sigh or yawn, before rolling
to one side and taking a few more breaths, feeling fully aware once more of
occupying your body, before bring yourself up to sitting. You might like to complete by bring your
hands to prayer position at your heart centre and saying, silently or out loud,
“Om shanti…shanti…shanti”.
Moon Salutation - Soma Mandala Namaskar
Watch a video here: Moon Shine with Shiva Rea
Chandra Bhedana Pranayama
In
Yoga, our right nostril is energetically associated with our body's heating
energy and action, symbolized by the "Sun" and the syllable HA, our
left nostril with our body's cooling energy and calm, symbolized by the
"Moon" and the syllable THA.
In the
average person these energies are typically in conflict, which leads to disquiet
and disease. The goal of traditional Hatha Yoga is to integrate and harmonize
HA and THA for happiness and health. The purpose of this breath then is to
create balance by “cooling” a warm, overactive body-mind (similarly if you
reverse the practice & work with the right nostril, it becomes Surya
Bhedana – Sun Piercing – and acts to warm & energise – caution: you must
not practice both breaths on the same day).
Sit in
a comfortable asana and make Mrigi Mudra. For Surya Bhedana block your right
nostril and inhale through your left. Then close the left and exhale through
the right. Continue in this manner, inhale left, exhale right, for 1 to 3
minutes.
Close
your practice by chanting Om with each out
breath – you can hold your hands in prayer position at the heart or create a
bowl with your hands & imagine it gradually filling & overflowing with
abundant, shining soma.
