5 DYNAMICS OF VAYU & THE NATURE OF CHANGE WE ALL FLOW WITH
As we slowly emerge out of the frozen condition of dark, rigid cold winter and our own essential retreat of inward-drawn awareness and get ready to return back to the flow of bringing our deepest desires to fruition, change is - "by nature" - just around the corner. There are a lot of sayings swirling around in the morphogenetic field when it comes to the topic of change. "Be the change you want to see in the world" - "why change a good thing" - change or accept its your choice"- and finally the infamous "the only constant in life is change" - we all have picked our favorite one.
So no matter to which quote you have subscribed to passionately, the quality of change is usually still heavily interwoven with emotional topics ranging from innocent excitement coupled with dedicated willingness as a pure expression of joyful blossoming to the other extreme of self-doubt based, panic-stricken resistance usually relating to any kind of fear - fear of loss, fear of rejection, fear of failure or loss of control .. you name it.
Usually, the first bhava is not so much of a hassle for us as we can truly flow uninhibitedly in this emotional state, but boy do we struggle with everything related to our own vulnerability - imaginative or real! But instead of shying away from this precious border by applying the deeply ingrained patterns of fight or flight or beating us up for "struggling with the same things over and over again on a whole new level", why not follow the suggestion of dealing differently with CHANGE and our resistance to it by applying the principles of yoga and BECOMING OUR SADHANA (sacred practice)?
As usual, being present and non-judgmental awareness are the essential ingredients. In fact, NOW is the only place and time that change can happen anyway - is that why so many people try to escape the present moment by chasing after their minds into the past or future? When you stay connected and open to "THE CURRENT" you will notice those subtle shifts that happen within you and usually are instantly reflected on the outside.
Sometimes, simply by observing the well known trail of your feelings and thoughts creates the space of awareness from which change will emerge.
Once you have become conscious of something, life does not need to be a little bit in your face anymore so you finally get the message! Your own personal history has always been “yourstory” anyway, and you can change the plot anytime by understanding why the characters interact with each other the way they do .. which brings us back full circle to the motives of the ego and its believes and notions.
Recall that your ego has not created itself (it just comes with the package) and ultimately can thereby also not have created it's own fears, so there is nothing you have to "do" specifically in order to make them go away. In fact, the more you struggle with them, trying to make them vanish into nothingness by either compensation or denial the more they will remain deeply connected to your energy. Sticking around like YOUR SHADOW. Your ego's fears are your "To Do" list if you wanna break through and expand, and as always, acceptance is the key! Go for "it's perfect as it is".
Our fears are here for a reason - they are our own personal roadsigns on our individual path of Self-liberation, but they NEED TO BE PAIRED WITH YOUR TRUE VALUE AND NEEDS and what your CNS (central nervous system) is actually truly capable of integrating at this point of time. Living your life from your essence instead from your perceived identification with something defined and finite. This transformation is the job that needs to be done by you and good news everyone: only you are capable of executing it to perfection by surrendering to what is. And I mean to what is real. And not what you anticipate mentally before the actual outcome in order to stay safe and in the known, no matter how painful this "well-accustomed-to-reality" might actually be for you.
When consciously facing our fears by staying present we allow the flow of fluid pristine moments to truly be our essential teacher, and let us be the excited student, untouched by any preconceived notion or pre-programmed expectation. True change - change that lasts, change that turns you upside down and inside out - will exponentially propel you out of your comfort zone and in the end can only come from an "open system" - something undefined, unlimited, without restrictions. And it will make your ego wrong as it transforms Self-hatred into Self-love. And you bet that this is waayy scary!
Knowing the 5 SUBTLE MOVEMENTS OF PRANA (the life force) that make up the essential exchange of energies as they form an universal, fundamental constant of our experience of change can help coping during times of challenge extraordinaire: Starting out by drawing to the core of who we are, returning to our essence and foundational unity (samana vayu) followed by mindful expansion, powerfully radiating outward, while at the same time discovering something new (vyana vayu) and with the freshly found gifts safely stored in our heart (chest), returning back home again to our core in order to start a new cycle.
If that sounds too lofty and aloof for your taste, try the following: during times of stress, focus on your navel which is part of your core and represents choice - your choice to have come into this world, your choice to be present, of making a difference - your choice of change. Focus on something that is essential to you and that provides you with strength - your love for life, the planet, humanity, your partner, the universe .. whatever it is that you can always come back to in order to gather strength and endurance. Subconsciously, many of us do this anyway during times of distress, but sometimes it's good to be reminded that we can return to this essential well that lies within ourselves.
Expansion is not possible without this first step of drawing into the core, the same as an inhalation can only come after an exhalation. That's the basic energetics Yoga teacher talk about when telling you to focus on your breath during "challenging times", be it in a particular asana that you're struggling with or a demanding personal defiance that seems never ending and calls upon all of your resources, be it energy or time. Due to their holographic nature, the oscillation between the states and qualities of samana vayu and vyana vayu can last as long as a whole life time or as short as one breath cycle of inhalation and exhalation.
The second essential energetic dynamic is the balanced interplay between an uplifting force called prana vayu and a rooting action defined as apana vayu. CHANGE IS EXCITING - BUT IT SHOULD NOT UPROOT US. We can easily get lost in our heads or get swept away by the sensations we feel during times of great challenge or deep emotional states. Feeling the earth beneath our feet will subconsciously remind us that we are CONNECTED TO A GREATER SYSTEM that supports, carries and nourishes us as we move forward in life. This uplifting, freeing knowledge of true sustenance will in return allow us to let go on a deep level (that's what detox is all about) and allow for a lasting renewal and restructuring of our life by birthing a new reality -- change!
The time before the first days of spring are ideal for this final letting go process of detoxification before we open ourselves up to something new. The energy in February still resonates with the area of our feet - our foundation - before it shifts back up to the head around the 21st of March. Good time of the year to "touch base" and CHECK YOUR FOUNDATION (what your life is based on) for the year ahead before opening yourself mentally to new ideas, concepts and plans. There is ancient wisdom in the rituals of fasting and "becoming empty" that take place after Ash Wednesday. We all know that new things can only be placed into a room that's empty. When you are so full of stuff on so many levels that there is not even room for a ray of light how is change supposed to happen? EMPTINESS and "NOT-KNOWING" are prerequisites for fulfillment and learning something new. Be daring and open yourself up to "where no-one has gone before"!
JOYOUS CHANGE!
A WARM WELCOME!
Here is where I freely muse about all things yoga and my day to day experience with them. If you like what you feel as you read along, come and visit one of our yoga classes in Baden or book a private consultation with me. There are also tons of yoga videos on my YT channel! Glad you made your way to my contributions and happy to be of professional support!
TALK SOON!
IMPRESSIONS FROM MY YOGAPATH:
„I especially treasure Chiaradina’s clarity and focus when she teaches and also when “designing a sequence” - at the same time there is always room for creativity and spontaneity! A huge “Thank You!” to you Chiaradina for creating this sacred space away from daily routine!“
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