Inspiration by JJ Gormley
Grey Bear Lodge in the rolling hills of Tennessee is one venue that has a unique way of inspiring profound insights. I had the pleasure of experiencing one while teaching there in late April.
Friends and students alike have expressed interest in learning how to integrate a spiritual component into their yoga asana practice. My initial reaction is to suggest that practicing yoga with attention to the seven centers (or chakras) of energy in your body manages the integration for you, as the upper chakras are our spiritual energy centers. For example, aligning your seventh chakra (at the top of your head) in all your poses is a subtle reminder that we are connected to a Greater Power. I remind my students to look where the top of the head is in their pose to bring out this dimension the body/mind/spirit integration. But it took an epiphany at Gray Bear to reinforce just how profound this integration can be at times.
During my teaching at Gray Bear, I was reading The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living by Eknath Easwaren. The Bhagavad Gita, one the most revered spiritual texts, which tells the story of Arjuna, the great warrior, and Krishna (God), who becomes Arjuna's chariot driver in a great battle. The dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna provides the overarching story of the Bhagavad Gita, but the central point that inspired me at Gray Bear was Krishna's role as the chariot driver. The epiphany occurred when I connected the charioteer metaphor to my teaching the fifth chakra alignment.
As many of you know, the alignment that I teach at the fifth chakra (or throat center) involves the hyoid bone, which moves back and slightly up, bringing length to the back of the neck. Also central to alignment at the throat is releasing the jaw down and slightly forward, moving in the opposite direction of the hyoid. The hyoid bone is shaped like a horseshoe or U; it is positioned in front of the cervical vertebrae. (It is NOT the Adam's apple nor the larynx.) You can feel your hyoid by taking your fingers up underneath the jaw on both sides and then swallowing. You will feel the hyoid jump up into your fingers. The two ends of the horseshoe are toward the back of the body and the front edge is the curved part of the U. Visually imagine the two ends of the horseshoe having strings attached that extend out the back of your neck. A puppeteer has hold of the strings. When he pulls the strings back and up, your entire body comes into proper alignment. As this is occurring, be conscious not to pull back the jaw, recalling that the second element of the fifth chakra alignment is that the jaw releases forward and down.
At Gray Bear, however, as I practiced moving from the hyoid, instead of visualizing a puppeteer controlling the strings, I imagined Krishna holding the chariot's reins. He was in complete control, permitting me to let go to something bigger than myself. I moved profoundly into a new place in my practice, absent of mindful struggle, a most welcome surrender to serenity.
I was so inspired by what had occurred that I taught my next class employing the same visualization. The results were astonishing. My students seemed equally inspired. Someone noted that her neck had never felt so free. Another observed that the energy of the room was much calmer and quieter. Another mentioned feeling the same letting-go-of-ego sensation as she turned the reins over to Krishna. Sharing my epiphany and seeing results similar to what I had experienced is what makes teaching yoga so rewarding.
I encourage you to have fun playing with turning your reins over to a Higher Power. It doesn't have to be Krishna. It could be Jesus, God, the Great Spirit, Universal Divine Energy, or Muhammad, or just letting go of ego. You might also find it beneficial to apply this metaphor to your everyday lives. Surrendering to a Higher Power or simply letting go of ego can be a refreshing, and non-injurious, palliative for our hectic lives.