Full Lecture
Topic 6: Being Still Without Will: The Invisible spiraling path to strength and tranquility through the practice of Nimesha.
Summary: According to the yogic tradition, stillness is a key that can unlock not only health, strength and focus, but our true nature. We access stillness throughout our yoga classes every time we hold a posture, as well as between the postures of our sequences. We arrive at stillness through a subtle inward spiral called the Nimesha, which is just as important as the Unmesha, the outward spiral that takes us out into creation. As we learn to utilize this sacred space of dissolution in our practice, we truly begin to ‘arrive’ in our moments both on and off the mat.
Unmesha and Nimesha
Recap: Last week we talked about unmeshas, the spark or spring of inspiration that rises up from the transitional space between our postures, but also between the everyday experiences of our lives. We discussed how this inspiration springs up, and generates all of the experiences of our lives, and as we learn how to spring, wave and ripple with it, we ride that wave into creation itself.
Nimesha Introduction: The transitions between shakti flows became a focal point for this work, as they literally exist in the liminal space between our creations on the mat, and involve changing levels which is always better accomplished with a spiraling spring. This week we look at the other side of this experience, the rippling down, or tapering down, into stillness which occurs during the dissolution period of a posture or sequence, or in our everyday lives. This unique experience is called a Nimesha, the other side of the same coin. Instead of spiraling up and out into creation, we are spiraling down and in towards stillness or dissolution. What we find is that it requires just as much focused effort, and offers an equally important reward.
Respect for Stillness: As yogis, we have a deep respect for stillness. We intuitively know that it is the salve we need for what ails us. The opening statement of Patanjali’s entire treatise of the Yoga Sutras states simply, “The main practice of yoga is to still the thought waves. When this technique is mastered, the practitioner is able to keep a steady focus inside on their own true nature, the Self” (1.2,1.3). Stillness is the most direct path to an experience of our true nature, our highest Self. We practice stillness on our mats in the form of holding a posture, a resting pose, restorative pose or shavasana. We sit still for pranayama and meditation. Stillness allows us to work at deeper layers of our being and awareness, as well as to be nourished by them.
The Liminal Space: In our resiliency training we talk about the depth of this liminal space between postures, and how essential it is to find it during our classes and during our day, citing the Vijnana Bhairava’s teaching that “This [liminal] state, which is absolutely pure and filled with universal consciousness, fills the whole universe with bliss. (Vijñānabhairava Tantra 15)” Stillness fills us. As Paul Reps once taught, stillness is like an overflowing well.
Still not Will: But being still is not a matter of will, it’s a matter of skill, and the skill we seek is not a destination we can grasp, but a path by which we infinitely arrive. Dharana 58, of the Vijnana Bhairava, describes the path towards stillness in the following manner, “In a moving vehicle, by rhythmically swaying, experience. Or in a still vehicle, by letting yourself swing in slowing invisible circles.” Here we see that the path towards centered stillness is a winding one, quite literally. We must learn to let ourself arrive there slowly, invisibly even; the path of Nimeshas is just like the path of unmeshasa, swinging, swaying, spiraling. Recall the story of the women working in the factory during World War II. When they learned to move with swinging momentum, they were able to lift their loads more efficiently. This Dharana teaches that this same technique works at the both ends of the Shiva’s 5 acts, we can also swing our way to stillness. The process of creation and dissolution— springing and swinging go hand in hand as we seek to make Shiva’s 5 acts one of revealing, instead of concealing.
Still without Will: Because nothing can conceal stillness more than our will. Willful Stillness is not only impossible to maintain, but downright unpleasant. Trying to sit still purely from effort, for example, can be a very painful experience if approached from the will. All you can feel is tightness between the shoulders, soreness in the hips and low back, numbness in the feet, etc. Remember, Patanjali’s teaching that “the physical postures of hatha yoga, should be firm, steady, and pleasant. The method for this is called effortless effort, perseverance without tension, and results in the experience of the infinite.” 2.46,47. If our effort isn’t matched with effortless, its not going to lead us to the experience we seek. This doesn’t mean that sitting still without the will is peaches and cream, but it should always feel sustainable— as patanajli put it, you should be able to persevere without tension. In Abhaya’s classes she often asks, “if I were to ask you to be in this posture for 15 minutes, would it be possible?” When we approach stillness progressively, as the Dharana instructs, this question answers itself.
Stillness and our Deep Core: We know that holding a posture builds strength, but specifically it builds endurance as the the work of holding postures can re-engage the buoyant muscles of our core, the deep front line. Stillness allows us to consciously release superficial muscles tension, and allows the quiet background players of our deep core to bubble up from within. The approach of slowing invisible circles keeps a dynamism present which allows you to keep working with less and less effort, while still remaining buoyant with your effort. The result, as Patanjali teaches, is an experience of the infinite.
Samana Vayu: The strength we feel building and warming in our core brings us consciously into a working relationship with Samana Vayu, the hub of pranic energy and vitality in our navel center. Asana practice in general brings the upward moving force of the prana vayu into balance with the downward moving force of the apana vayu— these forces fuse in Samana vayu, the transformative force of digestion, strength and balance.
Working from the Inside Out: When we work towards stillness from the inside out, it lasts longer and transforms us— Primarily because the source of our unsteadiness is coming from within, not from without. Even though it appears that the thought waves that push us from center are coming from our boss, our schedule, traffic, or a tight low back, they are all actually coming from within us. Why does one person’s reaction to a certain experience differ from another’s? Why do your eyes light up for an apple and mine for a pear? Because the external experience is not the source of the reaction, it is only a catalyst for igniting something within us. There is no doubt that certain external circumstances can be overwhelming, but slow down for a moment and look at the other 98% of your day; most of our discomfort, most of our un-centeredness is caused by relatively minor things, or in the case of endlessly distracting ourselves out of boredom between activities, is caused by literally nothing at all.
Moving towards natural stillness: This is why the path to stillness is not a direct one from the will and the mind, it is a spiraling path, a natural path, one that no amount of pushing or pulling can accomplish. We know this intuitively— i’m sure you have had moments of stillness in your life that seemed to arrive out of nowhere. A time when you just stopped what you were doing and felt the space that you were in, you took a breath and actually receive it, you looked around yourself and actually saw. Stillness and clarity are natural, as Patanjali teaches, "It is the natural function of the faculty of thinking to turn inside rather than to associate itself with outer objects” (2.54). And just like nature, there are no straight lines, only spiraling ones— so though the destination of unmeshas and nimeshas may appear different, the way we walk their path is very much the same.
Put it into Practice: Let’s take a moment to Spiral, sway and swing our way to stillness together from our seat.
Imagine yourself like a buoy on the ocean, the choppy surface waves of our thoughts and tensions keep us bouncing on the surface of our lives. Let yourself sway with these imaginary currents, not resisting them, just moving in these slow circles, in organic unpredictable directions. Notice that the simple act of moving with, not against, these currents begins to actually allow you to find a feeling of stillness while moving. Being in the flow is a form of stillness. From this space you can begin to invisibly work with these currents to guide yourself towards center. “In a moving vehicle, by rhythmically swaying, experience. Or in a still vehicle, by letting yourself swing in slowing invisible circles.” And what you find is that as you reach your physical center through this winding path, you also reach your energetic center— which is the real form of stillness. The key word given in the dharana is to experience it, not hold it or grasp it. Paul Reps once taught that stillness is like a vitamin the size of an elephant. This means that it can feel too big to swallow, but if we just just experience it, we get what we need.
On the meditation cushion:
Slowing invisible circles ( can be sway or figure 8 too!)
Circling Tadasana
Parsvo- pulse and then circle into stillness within the pose
perhaps- teach whole flowing sequence and add nimeshas
potential sequence:
hands on blocks
foot glides, circle away from extended leg
quarter moon
stagger down dog
effortless step forward to lunge
parsvo- slowing invisible circles
crouch-> bhaktasana
Let everyone explore 1 of their new shakti flows, starting to play with where to insert stillness
Homework Part One: Nimeshas within the Poses
We walk the same path to stillness in our postures as we do in our seats. Each posture has a primary movement, a spiraling or waving path of the asana. This path is important, and a vital part of our practice. In fact, we will spend more time on the path of creating movement, Unmesha, than we will in the path to dissolving movement, nimesha. Mostly because our day lacks movement and is full of distraction— we have to first learn how to move before we can learn how to stop moving.
Each Shakti Flow has numerous postures, numerous opportunities to guide ourselves and student’s towards stillness. The key to doing this skillfully revolves around the teaching that we ‘let ourselves [move there] in slowing invisible circles.” There has to be a sense of releasing into it, as the “let ourselves” portion of the text teaches. We have to move there slowly, almost invisibly, little by little, in smaller and smaller circles. So to do this we find the movement that we are doing, and guide our students to allow themselves to perform it slower, as they invisibly arrive at stillness. We don’t need to do this with every posture, as this is a posture in itself, and adds quite a bit of work for ourselves and our student’s. But reaching for this level of stillness once in every shakti flow is refreshing, and part of your homework for the week.
Homework Part Two: Nimeshas in Shakti Flows
If we zoom out and see this cycle of life from the macro lens, we see that the space between sides of your shakti flow is another great place to allow the sequence to dissolve and find stillness. Taking this time between sides is a natural way of collecting ourselves, checking in with our effort, and letting ourselves find zero naturally. Here we might not be cueing a literal slowing of invisible circles, but rather, seeing our postures themselves as tapering down, each individual movement as invisibly becoming a smaller version of the movement before it. So that is the other half of your homework, to consciously work the concept of nimesha into your shakti flows as not only the space between sides, but the postures and ways we work towards that space.
Homework Part Three: Nimeshas In Your Life
There is also homework this week for our time off the mat— because stillness is not a static form, but a state of clarity we can bring into all the actives of our day. Take time each morning to sit, and establish a couple of checkpoints to revisit your practice of stillness during the day. See if you can start to find this concept of stillness even amidst the swirling circumstances of our your life, on the go. As Babaji teaches: “During your workday, when you are engaged in mental activity, it’s good to breathe into your navel and feel centered. If you feel congest- ed in your head or in your emotions or in your lower chakras, you just breathe down through the congestion. The clearer your mind is, the better you’ll be able to do or see what you’re doing. Use the breath to calm the mind. Become very still and learn how to function from that stillness, and do your work from that place. We all have chores that we need to do, and we all have activities that we do on a regular basis. Just going through the motions of doing your daily business is not very effective. Instead, you should become more conscious and aware of what you are doing. You should also develop the ability to surrender and step back a little bit while still performing your duties. You will be developing a very useful skill. The source of creativity that artists, musicians, and other creative people are looking for comes from a place beyond the small mind” (SP, 14)