I Wonder!

I sometimes ponder the question - Why is my consciousness in this body?  To me it is bewildering that among 7 billion people on earth there is a single consciousness within this body which I refer to as "me."  And it stays here and doesn't go anywhere, except when I am in dreamless sleep or meditating.

The possibility of any one particular sperm from my father fertilizing any one particular egg from my mother calculates out to be one in 800 million, and that's during just one sexual encounter. That one sperm and that one egg produced an embryo that metamorphosed into a baby and became me.  At some point along the way the being (me) became conscious - aware of self and the surroundings.  

I don't think that my consciousness is any different than anybody else's consciousness. Consciousness is simply being aware of the fact that you are alive, functioning, thinking, moving, responding, and so on while at the same time aware of what is going on around you.  Humans are not the only animal to possess consciousness. Many animals are aware of themselves and the environment.  If they weren't  they wouldn't be around very long. They would be fodder for something that is conscious. Which brings up another interesting question.

Why couldn't my consciousness have ended up in another body? Could my consciousness have gone into some other person or another life form rather than ending up in me?  If not, why not?  And why is it happening right now at this very moment rather than one thousand years ago or a thousand years from now?   

One thing for sure; nobody knows the answers to these questions.  Science offers answers to many things but one thing it can't answer is the perplexing enigma of consciousness. Is it important to know what consciousness is? Not any more than it is to know the distance from earth to the sun, the speed of light, or the human genome. 

That's what is fun about science. You see something intriguing, have a question about it, and try to find out what it is all about.  It is simply a game and by playing the game all kinds of things can be learned.  To be human is to be curious, inquisitive and keep asking questions.

The Man in the Moon

He landed on the Moon and never came back
the merry man who was shot from a cannon.
If you look up in the sky when the moon is full
you can see his face still shining.

His name is Man, and he's still there 
every night, all night long
as long as there's
a full moon glowing. 

He's happy up there
looking down
at the wonders
of what's here.

For he is
the Man
in the
Moon.

What is this thing called Yoga?

There are different kinds of yoga. Some of the more common forms of yoga in the United States are Hatha, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Krapalu, Bikram, and Iyengar. Although they are different in many respects they all use asanas (poses) in their disciplines. The original intent of yoga, as written in the Yoga Sutras, is to reach a higher state of consciousness known as Samadhi. The use of asanas is one of seven steps for reaching this higher state.

The word yoga literally means "union" - union of the body with the breath, the mind, and the spirit as well as with all things. By doing yoga, not just asanas, we may begin to realize that we are not separate but rather one within ourselves as well as with all that is. So, yoga poses are not all that make up yoga but are one part of the practice.

There is no one particular style or form of yoga for everybody. Each person must find what works for him/her. Once a person finds his/her style of yoga the benefits are virtually limitless. Some benefits are: becoming more peaceful with one's self as well as with others, internal and external purity, contentment, austerity, better concentration, improved strength, flexibility, balance, lung volume, spirituality and well-being. Also, improved posture, mental attitude and immune system not to mention the final goal - Samadhi.

If one follows the original intended path of yoga, through all eight sutras (paths), purity of mind and body will occur automatically. Asanas alone cannot completely unite the body, mind, breath, and spirit. Union comes by following all eight paths with impunity. If a person does only asanas he is not doing yoga - he is only doing asanas. The eight limbs of yoga are: 1. Yamas - non-violence, truthfulness, moderation in all things, and non-covetousness; 2. Niyamas - keeping the body and mind free of impurities, being austere and studying the sacred texts; 3. Asanas - postures for internal discipline; 4. Pranayama - regulation and control of breathing; 5. Pratyahara - withdrawl of the senses in order to still the mind; 6. Dharana - concentration; 7. Dhyana - meditation; 8. Samadhi - unity of self with all that is.

Having said all that, asanas are very important and are an integral part of yoga especially when they are combined with the power of the the breath (prana) and a focused mind. Moving through a series of asanas (vinyasa) while directing prana with the mind can be highly therapeutic. Where prana goes so does energy (shakti). The movement of shakti through the astral tube of the body (the sushuma) by using prana is what pranayama is all about. Once a yogi has perfected pranayama the healing power of shakti can be very powerful. 

Last but not least it is important to say that yoga is not something one does for 90 minutes twice a week. Yoga is a lifestyle.

My Favorite Way to Meditate

My favorite way to meditate is to sit cross legged in my butt swing, gloves on, blindfold on, and earplugs in. This way I am isolated from most outside stimuli. This is about as close as I can get, without being in an isolation chamber, to pratyahara.

I believe it is best to sit in an upright position and as comfortable as possible. If this requires cushions, pillows, bolsters, or what have you, that is fine. It is important to be as comfortable as possible. Do not sit in a position that is uncomfortable, bothersome, distracting or takes away from the meditative process. When you are comfortable the spine is less likely to be injured and when the spine is in a vertical position energy is allowed to flow through it more freely.

I begin with chakra breathing. My practice begins with the first chakra at the base of the spine. I visualize the chakra as a wheel with the axle of the wheel lying horizontally to my body, from left to right, and the chakra looking something like a water wheel. The breath flows in at the bottom of the chakra and out at the top. The breath turns the chakra. As breathing continues the chakra opens, becomes aligned and stable. The first chakra is very important because it lays the groundwork for the remaining chakras. It may take ten or twenty minutes of slow, rhythmic breathing at the first chakra before my breath moves up to the second chakra. For me, the process has become automatic once through the first chakra and very little effort is required to move up the chakra system. Once the seventh chakra is reached, energy expands out the top of the head into universal consciousness. 

I don't use a timer because I feel it would disturb the natural flow of energy. It may take 30 or 40 minutes to go through all seven chakras and the remaining time is spent in universal consciousness, for maybe an hour or more. So far I have automatically come back into my body and mind after that.

The Flying Boy

You may have heard about the boy
who tried flying by jumping off a barn.
He sailed into the air with tremendous joy
soaring off like a kite on a big ball of yarn.

It was so windy the windmill was churning
around so fast it was humming
like a tornado snaking and turning.
The tower exploded and so did the plumbing.

The cows in the pasture had to lay down
as the boy flew by like a bat out of hell.
The wood from the barn spread all over town
and the chickens and pigs were lost in the dell.

Someone saw the boy high in the sky
yelling out loud for someone to help.
He had to come down or surely die
up in the sky they all knew how he felt.

As time went on he got higher and higher
and soon he was so high he was out of sight,
known far and wide as the high flying flier.
Too bad for the boy, it was a terrible plight.

Days turned into weeks and weeks into years
and still there was no sign of the guy in the sky.
For the people in the town there were tears
for the boy who went up so very, very high.

Then early one morning the boy appeared
on top of the water tower just down the road
where a crowd was yelling "you disappeared."
They wondered what happened all those years.

"I flew 'round the world" he shouted.
"I saw strange and wonderful places" he said,
as he spread his handsome wings and departed,
to never return to the town of the dead.

Upanishads

I love reading the Upanishads. They are some of the oldest texts known to man and contain, in my opinion, many wise sayings from which we all could learn much. 

Here is one of my favorite sayings from Isha Upanishad:

                              He who realizes all 
                              beings are of himself will
                              have no fear or suffering
                              and will understand that
                              we are all one. We are
                              all one with the same 
                              Light.

This was written centuries before Jesus came upon the scene.

 

Walk with Grace

Walking with grace is the practice of being the observer of all things that happen to come into your field of vision, field of hearing and even field of smelling while strolling along. It is a practice of walking in silence and simply noticing and observing, without judging or giving names and labels to things.

Walking outside is preferable to walking indoors because of he vast array of different objects, scents and sounds you can come across. While you are walking, be alert and open to everything possible: smells, sounds, and sights. If you smell newly mown grass, for example, don't say to yourself, "Mmm, the smell of new mown grass." You want to be able to let labeling disappear and just be in the moment of enjoying the smell of what is. If you hear a bird chirping, just let the name "bird" pass through you and learn to enjoy the sound. The makes of automobiles , the structures of houses, people (male, female, thin, fat, muscular), the names of plants (oak, elm, sapling), the names of animals (dog, cat, squirrel), are non-existent while walking with grace.

As you walk, walk as though you are seeing the world for the firs time in your life. Everything is bright and new with no names. Just observe and enjoy your walk. When someone walks toward you, let the person be a signal to continue walking with grace. Make an effort to notice when your consciousness wanes away from walking with grace. Be like a child again, awake, alert and full of curiosity. See the world in a new light, full of wonderment and appreciation for everything that it is.

Practice Walking with Grace as often as possible. Your mind will thank you and your body will thank you.