When you are on the yogic path you are on the route to transdormation.Classical yoga texts have summarised stages which you undergo during the transformation process, some say 7 but here we will explore the 4 stages outlined in Hatha Pradipika.
1 Arumba
In the first stage it is when the prana begins to move freely. Most practioners will not reach this stage, perhaps only 5% even enter this stage as it does not come from short, casual practise. Arumba is a sensual concept and at this point our perception becomes extremely sensitive. In the Yoga Sutras III 36 it explains that when we experience prana the perception changes and we begin to experienece new sensations beyond our memory and imagination in a profound manner. You feel amazing, things smell, taste and feel different and you may no longer like the same things, the same people or job. People may fear this change, moving into the unknown and losing control of what you know. At this stage when the senses are heightened you should not make dramatic decisions.
2
In the second stage there is a trembling noise within, a mental instability as ideas are changing. Everything shakes, there is a crumbling of perceptions. Again we should not undertake big decisions or changes at this stage. We may be fearful of what is happening, we naturally want to runaway when our structure is collapsing and we are not in control. When we sustain this it makes you unhappy, it collapses you like a depressive breakdown. We can't cope with this situation but we need to go through it and must sustain the yogic practise to reach the third stage. Heaviness should dominate and everything needs to collapse until you are completely empty in a state of void Only then can the new patterns manifest and the seeds of growth be sown.
3 Parita
At this stage we should let whatever happens come, no grasping, no desire, just allow the new patterns to emerge. From this point we have past the old and in this new state of awareness we can begin to make decisions.
4 Nishpatti
Finally we reach absolute freedom whereby we are no longer bound by old patterns. This is very difficult to achieve, perhaps even near impossible. We want to be free but as a householder with familes, jobs, and living the western life we have attachments to people, pets and objects and we can not run away to the cave.
Timeframe for Transformation
In the sutras the transformation is said to be 3 moon cycles. Metaphorically the moon is the mind and so the mind must go 3 cycles whereby it is completely full, then moves to darkness and emptiness. Can we handle this process? Do we want to are we bold enough? What infrastructure do we need to support this journey? We will only transcend through the stages through consistant practise, the yoga tools themselves don't have the power to create change it is the manner in which they are practised which will unleash prana through the body.
Really we are all already going through the moon cycles in our life, we all experience the ups and downs, the light fullness and the dark emptiness. From the darkness comes light, as when we are down it motivates us to go forwards. The yogic journey is an amplification of this cycle.
Role of the Teacher
The role of the teacher is different at each stage but most important is that the student has absolute trust in the teacher. I am eternally grateful that I feel the guidance of Claire Missingham who shines light from the rightside / the surya / sun / fire / pingala / Shiva and I percieve Alessandra Pecorella as supporting from the left / the luna / moon / water / ida / Shakti and alongside other teachers/friends/ family. These people support and hold physically, psychologically, spiritually and metaphorically. I also feel guidance from Shiva, the greatest teacher of yoga.
The role of the teacher is very different today as people may approach the teacher with suspiscion and there may not be opportunity to build and sustain relationships. Time with teachers can be limited and in modern times anyone can be a 'teacher' even when they have not experienced the transformation process. So what is really important is that the teacher can shine the light on your own inner guru and cultivate Shradha / inner faith and conviction on the path. It is also important to focus on the teaching not the teacher, the teaching is timeless, the absolute truth. Everyone is only human you can not expect your teacher to be perfect and you can not expect to be the perfect student.
Freedom is not in being perfect but by making friends with your imperfections.
Embarking on and staying on the yogic path is difficult. In the teacher / student relationship there may be times when the teacher becomes scared when they a pupil is empty as they become a vessell which resonates and fills up with the ideas of the teacher. They then act as a mirror to the teacher, therefore both parties need to be brave through the process.
This discussion and philosophies threw up lots of questions for me? How on the one hand can we consider and use yoga as a therapeutic tool when it may in fact lead us into emotional turmoil without any guarantee of going beyond this stage, especially if the support network isn't necessarily there for many students and we need to carry on our daily lives? How do we know what constitutes feelings of depression as part of the yoga journey as apposed to a chemical imbalance in the brain which may need treatment? And if it is near impossible to reach Samadhi then why enter this path?
Its too late for me, I'm already on this path and the only way if forwards (well down and up and hopefully forwards) but I hope I can obtain some clarity around my doubts through the week and beyond...
1 Arumba
In the first stage it is when the prana begins to move freely. Most practioners will not reach this stage, perhaps only 5% even enter this stage as it does not come from short, casual practise. Arumba is a sensual concept and at this point our perception becomes extremely sensitive. In the Yoga Sutras III 36 it explains that when we experience prana the perception changes and we begin to experienece new sensations beyond our memory and imagination in a profound manner. You feel amazing, things smell, taste and feel different and you may no longer like the same things, the same people or job. People may fear this change, moving into the unknown and losing control of what you know. At this stage when the senses are heightened you should not make dramatic decisions.
2
In the second stage there is a trembling noise within, a mental instability as ideas are changing. Everything shakes, there is a crumbling of perceptions. Again we should not undertake big decisions or changes at this stage. We may be fearful of what is happening, we naturally want to runaway when our structure is collapsing and we are not in control. When we sustain this it makes you unhappy, it collapses you like a depressive breakdown. We can't cope with this situation but we need to go through it and must sustain the yogic practise to reach the third stage. Heaviness should dominate and everything needs to collapse until you are completely empty in a state of void Only then can the new patterns manifest and the seeds of growth be sown.
3 Parita
At this stage we should let whatever happens come, no grasping, no desire, just allow the new patterns to emerge. From this point we have past the old and in this new state of awareness we can begin to make decisions.
4 Nishpatti
Finally we reach absolute freedom whereby we are no longer bound by old patterns. This is very difficult to achieve, perhaps even near impossible. We want to be free but as a householder with familes, jobs, and living the western life we have attachments to people, pets and objects and we can not run away to the cave.
Timeframe for Transformation
In the sutras the transformation is said to be 3 moon cycles. Metaphorically the moon is the mind and so the mind must go 3 cycles whereby it is completely full, then moves to darkness and emptiness. Can we handle this process? Do we want to are we bold enough? What infrastructure do we need to support this journey? We will only transcend through the stages through consistant practise, the yoga tools themselves don't have the power to create change it is the manner in which they are practised which will unleash prana through the body.
Really we are all already going through the moon cycles in our life, we all experience the ups and downs, the light fullness and the dark emptiness. From the darkness comes light, as when we are down it motivates us to go forwards. The yogic journey is an amplification of this cycle.
Role of the Teacher
The role of the teacher is different at each stage but most important is that the student has absolute trust in the teacher. I am eternally grateful that I feel the guidance of Claire Missingham who shines light from the rightside / the surya / sun / fire / pingala / Shiva and I percieve Alessandra Pecorella as supporting from the left / the luna / moon / water / ida / Shakti and alongside other teachers/friends/ family. These people support and hold physically, psychologically, spiritually and metaphorically. I also feel guidance from Shiva, the greatest teacher of yoga.
The role of the teacher is very different today as people may approach the teacher with suspiscion and there may not be opportunity to build and sustain relationships. Time with teachers can be limited and in modern times anyone can be a 'teacher' even when they have not experienced the transformation process. So what is really important is that the teacher can shine the light on your own inner guru and cultivate Shradha / inner faith and conviction on the path. It is also important to focus on the teaching not the teacher, the teaching is timeless, the absolute truth. Everyone is only human you can not expect your teacher to be perfect and you can not expect to be the perfect student.
Freedom is not in being perfect but by making friends with your imperfections.
Embarking on and staying on the yogic path is difficult. In the teacher / student relationship there may be times when the teacher becomes scared when they a pupil is empty as they become a vessell which resonates and fills up with the ideas of the teacher. They then act as a mirror to the teacher, therefore both parties need to be brave through the process.
This discussion and philosophies threw up lots of questions for me? How on the one hand can we consider and use yoga as a therapeutic tool when it may in fact lead us into emotional turmoil without any guarantee of going beyond this stage, especially if the support network isn't necessarily there for many students and we need to carry on our daily lives? How do we know what constitutes feelings of depression as part of the yoga journey as apposed to a chemical imbalance in the brain which may need treatment? And if it is near impossible to reach Samadhi then why enter this path?
Its too late for me, I'm already on this path and the only way if forwards (well down and up and hopefully forwards) but I hope I can obtain some clarity around my doubts through the week and beyond...
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