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The body is the physical expression of the mind. When we are feeling an emotion, we tend to hold our bodies in a way that expresses that for us, be it fear, or sadness, or joy, or love. Over time this may become habitual, developing a feedback loop, in which being in a certain emotion we hold our body in a particular way, and holding our body (out of habit) in that way induces the same emotion. This is the basis of many ways of working with the body to access and release not only physical, but also mental and emotional patterns and energy.
When we store tension or emotional pain, anger, etc. in our body, or slowly contract it defensively, we also alter our breathing to avoid those areas of our body. The breath is the link between the mind and the body, as we can readily see when thinking about the changes in breathing that accompany various emotions. It is also a vehicle for the conscious mind, carrying the mind's attention with it into the body. Thus in many of the techniques that work with the body to bring release or relaxation the breath is also a key ingredient. Studies have shown that a combination of conscious breathing and muscle relaxation techniques is more effective than either alone in controlling tension in the body [citation in YP.2].
With these various types of body work, although there can be emotional changes, unless there is a full release, with the mind being able and ready to give up the patterns which led to the tension, or to forgive and let go people and events, the body is likely to slip back into its old posture and habits. Therefore the most successful work will combine physcial clearing and realignment with other practices that aim at addressing the mental and emotional components as well.
The ability of physical techniques to relax the body (annamaya kosa), along with any direct emotional release provides a firm foundation for more subtle internal work, either psychic, or spiritual. The calming of the gross body tensions, pains and aches, allows the mind to become aware of the subtler signals and vibrations. To the extent that these technics also release emotional stress and begin to balance and bring the emotions under control, they are smoothing the next layer as well (kamamaya kosa).
Many physical exercises, when done properly, can be used to release things that are stored in the body. There are two types of exercise, one relying on quick, explosive, short term action, which tends to be stressful, burns sugars, and produces lactic acid. The other type is slower, longer duration and characterized by a lack of mental activity, by listening to the body and reaching a meditative or altered state of consciousness. This type of exercise results mainly in the burning of fats and tends to leave the body more energized and not tired. Many exercises can be done in either mode, e.g. running or swimming, with the key difference being a lack of mental activity in the latter. The exercise (even if done in competition) is done for its own sake, and not for some specific or numerical goal. It is said to be associated with the limbic brain rather than the cortical brain [GLE].
The dancing with kirtan
is good limbic exercise. [AHM]
By consciously tensing our muscles as strongly as possible
and then quickly releasing them we may produce relaxation. If
we have muscles that are chronically tense, then we may have
forgotten what relaxation feels like, making it difficult to
achieve. However by creating maximum tension, and releasing we
move beyond the original state to a more relaxed state. This
can be done progressively throughout the body with significant
affect. It is enhanced by coupling the tensing/release cycle
with the breathing, in/out. [AHM]
This technique for relaxing the body is based on inducing
sensations of heaviness (except for the head, which is light)
and warm (again excepting the head and the solar plexus, which
are cool and filled with radiant energy, respectively). This
is done by training the body over time with repeated commands
to one portion after another. [RF] It is probably a mild form
of self-hypnosis related to
the use of affirmations.
Asanas are postures that are designed to bring the physical body
into balance. They are apparently stretches which are often held
for a period of time and are coordinated with the breathing. Some
are held with the breath fixed (in or out), others are held with
the breath free. They operate not simply on the muscles, but are
focused on the endocrine glandular system.
Thus, they help to balance the hormonal secretions which express
the vrttis, mental tendencies, or emotions. At this level asanas are
recommended on an individual basis, fitting the practitioner's
physical and emotional situation. Asanas promote both an awareness
of the body and a neutrality towards it, teaching us about the
connection between mind and body.
As physical exercises asanas are able to help stretch tight
muscles and strengthen weak ones, thereby restoring flexibility,
strength and tone to the muscles. They are able to help correct
poor posture and release body armor. In this way they are also
able to help shift mental and emotional states.
As with many other physical disciplines the practice of the
asnanas creates a space in which the mind can hear the body, listen
to what it is saying about the storage of
emotions and other energy on the physical level. This feedback from
the body is important, both for informing us on how to care for the
body, e.g. not so much sweet today, and for what we can learn about
our state of mind, e.g. how tense are we today. Once the grosser
messages of pain or tension have been relaxed there are also more
subtle sensations that indicate more subtle emotional states and
changes.
In performing the asanas it is important to be `mindful', as the
Buddhists would say, to have the mind focused on that portion of the
body which is being stretched at any given time. This is practical,
in that it helps to avoid straining the muscles (which is not hard to
do) by pushing the posture too far. Even asanas that one does every
day will vary each time due to changes in the mental and emotional
states. Thus doing the postures "on automatic" is not recommended.
One will also miss any opportunity to receive communication from
the body, as noted above. Furthermore the process of focusing the
minds attention, and gently returning it when it wanders trains the
mind to be focused in a way that is good preparation for more subtle
practices. The focusing of the mind on regions of the body, in
conjunction with properly directed breathing also accustoms it to
guiding and controlling the body. This has important implications
for the conscious control of our internal organs and workings.
In the Vajrayana Tantra a
dynamic type of yoga is performed, in contrast to the more static
forms of Hatha Yoga. It is said
that the later aims at nullifying the relative world of the body,
mind, and senses, while the former works at transforming it and
realizing the inherent unity of the relative and the absolute. In this
practice the patterns of breathing accompanying the emotions are worked
with to free the mind from its conditioning. This forms a secondary
practice in Zogqen to quiet the body and emotions. It works to clear
the breath of conditioning and limitations. The main aim is to learn
to control the breath and the internal subtle energies that are
associated with it (the prana) and develop
them. With this the Tigle ( Kundalini)
can be awakened.[CWL]
The eight principle movements are associated with eight patterns
of breathing, each of which has five phases. There are five groups of
five asanas (25) each of which has seven phases of breathing.
There are also the 108 practices of the Union of the Solar and
Lunar Yantra, the nine purifications (performed before other practices
or meditation).[CWL]
The Evans-Wentz book "Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines" translates
a text on this type of Yoga, but is said to miss the meaning of
Yantra as used there.[CWL]
Full yogic breathing encompasses all
three phases of possible breathing, but focuses mainly on
diaphragmatic breathing. Long, smooth, rhythmic diaphragmatic breathing
is the best for the body. No external sound should be made, and the
pause between breaths should be small. In general the muscles are
used for the inhale, the exhale is relaxed.[SB]
Swami Rama mentions several pranayama practices.
Nadi Shodhanam: Alternate breathing, inhaling on one
side and exhaling on the other. One can either repeat the inhale or
switch to the other side each time. The main alternate is to inhale
and exhale on the same side, but switch nostrals.
Kapalabhati: USe the diaphragm and abdominals to
force the exhale. Inhale passively.
Bhastrika: Forced inhale and exhale, using the diaphragm
and abdominals.
Ujjayi: Slow deep inhale and exhales, with partial
closure of the glottis and breathing off the palate. Inhale on Sa and
exhale on Ha. Abdominals slightly contracted.
Bhramari: Similar to Ujjayi, but making the humming
sound of a bee on the exhale.
Sitali: Curl tongue into a tube. Inhale through tongue,
exhale through the nose.
Sitkari: Curl tongue back in the mouth. Inhale around
the tongue, exhale through the nose.
Note: These last three, and any breath retention
techniques, should only be practiced with an experienced teacher.
Suryabhedana: Inhale breath, retain, exhale through
other nostril.
Murccha: Inhale through both nostrals. Apply chin
lock and exhale slowly.
Plavini: Involves inhaling into the stomach then
the lungs.
[SB]
Bandhas
:
:
:
These include washes of the nasal passages, the throat and
esophagus, and the large intestine.
Those of us that have reason to feel defensively towards the
world, in particular having undergone traumatic experiences, may
develop body armor, defensive tensing of muscles in the body in
an effort to separate and protect ourselves from the world. Perhaps
all muscular tension has some aspect of this. Bioenergetics uses
fixed positions that stress the parts of the body in which the
tension is held, bringing our awareness to it and allowing it to
release, both physically and emotionally. Other practices may have
similar results, including yoga asanas and
tai chi.
Rolfing, developed by Ida Rolf, works on the physcial posture
by releasing tension carried in the connective tissue that hold
the muscles onto the bones. This is deep tissue work which may be
painful, but leads to release and an easing of physical problems.
As the body realigns itself people report changes in attitudes
which were connected with the tension, and may experience memories
and emotions from earlier events that had lodged in the body.
Traumas, emotions, pictures, that we have deemed "bad" in any
way, or otherwise dangerous or unacceptable are pushed down into
the body, where they become stuck energy. Our breathing and use
of our body is then constrained to avoid these regions, so as to
leave these things undisturbed. They may correspond to stuck
energy on emotional and mental levels (and perhaps others), and
the initial disturbance, or judgement can come on any of these,
but eventually propagates to the others. Thus emotional blockages
can lead to physical problems, and physical trauma can also
affect the emotional and mental layers (see also
storage of samskaras).
The basic idea behind rebirthing is to consciously breath into
those areas of the body which hold old energies, thus activating
them and bringing them to the surface. This results in a full
experience of the energy on a physcial/emotional level, and allows
the integration of the experience at a higher level on which it
is no longer judged. This allows release
and completion, resulting in an experience of connection and
love etc.
The continuous breathing can result in altered states, in which
the person beings to be free of the controlling mechanisms of the
conscious mind and can access various levels of mind that are not
normally experienced. This would include both accessing blocked
or stuffed portions of the lower levels of mind, but also makes
use of subtler, higher levels of mind during the integration phase.
While most rebirthing focuses on resolving `painful' or other
`bad' energies, should consideration not also be given to `good'
ones too? If this is thought of in the context of samskara, then
all judgments, all desires and actions have results that need to
be completed.
Frissell says the key to proper breathing is that the in-breath
becomes the focus, rather than the out-breath. E.g. instead of pushing
the out-breath, holding it out, and gasping a small in-breath, you draw
in the in-breath, and let the out-breath take place by natural relaxation.
This results in breathing in oxygen and prana, rather than holding in
carbon dioxide.
There are several physical mechanisms that the body uses when
releasing energy. These include, yawning, coughing, hiccoughing,
sneezing, laughing, and in some cases pains or illnesses. In yoga
these are controlled by the krkara vayu.
Some of these are associated with specific types of energy, e.g.
yawning is a release for unconscious energy.
Tension
Autogenic Training
Yogic Asanas
Yantra Yoga
Yogic Breathing and Pranayama
Yogic Cleansing Techniques
Bioenergetics
Rolfing
Rebirthing
Physical Releasing
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