Ascent Through Body, Mind, and Spirit with Virabhadrasana One

Ascent Through Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Upward Spiral Phenomenon with Virabhadrasana One

The Physiology and Psychology of Buoyancy

The shift we seek in our buoyant hip postures has a strong physiological and psychological counterpart. When we stop trying to force our body into shapes, and instead start listening to and working with our body, we start to relax and our innate strength and flexibility begins to shine. The same goes for our heart and mind, as we learn how to quiet our mind’s chatter through surrender, our heart naturally begins to open and our spirits rise. Though this might seem like a metaphor or visualization, this lesson seeks to show you how this plays out spiritually/psychologically in our hearts and minds by way of the upward spiral effect of gratitude. In our next lesson we will see how this occurs biologically by way of our deep front line, or deep core.

The Upward Spiral Effect

In her 2013 study conducted at the University of North Carolina, detailed in the Psychological Science Journal, Barbara Fredrickson substantiated the existence of something she coined as the ‘upward spiral phenomenon’ among participants engaged in a six-week loving-kindness meditation program. The study revealed that participants practicing loving-kindness meditation reported heightened self-compassion, resulting in more positive social interactions. These positive social interactions, in turn, positively impacted their personal health, as indicated by improved heart rate variability—a recognized measure of individual resilience. The heightened physical resilience stemming from positive social connections nurtured even greater self-worth within participants, enabling them to emanate this positivity outwardly from an authentic space. To put it simply, the participants meditated to improve how they felt, this improvement led to better interactions with people throughout their day, those improved interactions with people throughout their day made them feel even better, which looped back to improve their meditation and their social interactions. This cycle of positivity fostered not only psychological and physical well-being as shown through measured metrics, but also contributed to an overall sense of self-mastery. As Fredrickson concluded, “This shows not only that our emotions are controllable, but also that we can take the reins of our daily emotions and steer ourselves towards better physical health.”

3. Cultivating Compassion: The Fundamental Yogic Principle

This echoes the fundamental teachings of Yoga, dating back 2,000 years to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Within these timeless teachings, Patanjali addresses potential hindrances on our journey, including "lack of moderation" and bodily "distress and despair," akin to the hip issues faced by contemporary yogis. The remedy he prescribes involves first and foremost, the practice of meditation, and within the sphere of interpersonal communication an emphasis on “the cultivation of friendliness, compassion, and gladness”— very similar qualities as Barbara Fredrickson’s study. Alongside this, Patanjali also emphasizes the avoidance of extremes and advocates an attitude of moderation during our practice, echoing his teachings of asana as a balance of effort and ease. So for Patanjali, the path to health and happiness is very much the same as our recent study— meditate, practice friendliness/compassion/gladness with others, and seek balance in your asana practice As we learn how to cultivate this upward spiral of positivity to deal with our challenges, we set the stage for the upward spiral effect to take place in our lives.

4. The Upward Spiral on our Mat: On our yoga mat this is a practice that we encounter almost constantly. For many of us, the work of a yoga posture can reveal limitations in our physical body. Perhaps we aren’t able to do the posture like our teacher portrays it, or the way we see it on the screen. Instead of working from the outside in, we can begin to work from the inside out— how can I move in this posture so that I am actually cultivating support and growth? This isn’t a self-help affirmation meant to live as a metaphor, but rather is a very real approach to functional and natural movement. Your body is innately brilliant, the most advanced technology on the planet, always capable of beauty and perfection when we begin to work with it, and not against it. If you feel tightness or discomfort, ask yourself, “how can I move in this posture so that it feels amazing!”. Essentially the take away in this discussion is that the seeds we sow into our experience of yoga are the fruit our practice eventually yields. If we sow seeds of doership, and we fight against our body, the fruit will be full of doership and anxiety. If we use each posture as an opportunity to sow seeds of support and growth, you can be sure that your practice will be a delicious one for years to come. Hopefully, by seeing the science of the Upward spiral effect, and the ancient teachings of Patanjali, you have the motivation to make this a real part of your everyday practice. Because this concept goes beyond metaphor—it embodies a physiological and psychological reality.

5. The Practice of Gratitude: A Gateway to Elevating Practice and Life

This principle echoes the essence of Gratitude—a practice that enhances our outlook on life, subsequently making it easier to cultivate more gratitude. For yogis following the ShambhavAnanda tradition, this practice is an integral part of their daily routine. Sri ShambhavAnanda advocates beginning each day by embracing gratitude or contentment before our feet touch the ground. He emphasizes the importance of seeking something in our hearts to be grateful for every single day, an endeavor that promises greater happiness. “Remember gratitude! If you want to see some gratitude, every single day you have to find something in your heart to be grateful for. You really must get to work on that, and you will be a much happier person. You also have to practice smiling. I see some of you racing around thinking, “I have to get this done. I’ve got to do this.” I look at them and think, “There is not a happy bone in their bodies.” Practice smiling, too” .

Again, we recommend integrating this philosophy into your hip-supporting asanas. In every hip-opening posture, uncover a reason in your heart to be grateful—evolve into a 'Grateful Warrior', and observe how your practice shifts organically from a state of doing, to an experience of receiving. The buoyant core we cultivate grants us the opportunity to harness the physical asanas to cultivate buoyancy not just within our bodies, but also within our hearts. In this synthesis, we spiral upwards. As lineage teacher Swami Rudrananda taught, “Open your hearts. Feel gratitude for the opportunity to work and to serve a cause that is unknown to you, but in which you nevertheless enlist through your own efforts to grow. And then ask to taste a drop of bliss. Feel it on your tongue or in your heart. You have the right to the experience. It is only a foretaste of the future.” By seeking joy in our practice today, within each asana, we pave the way to an even greater level of Bliss in our future.

Summary & Reflection:

Embracing a mindful approach to yoga, grounded in self-compassion and gratitude, can foster both physical and spiritual well-being, known as the 'upward spiral effect'. This phenomenon, supported by scientific studies and ancient yogic teachings, asserts that treating the body with care and intention in practice leads to broader positive outcomes in emotions, resilience, and overall health.

Do you feel like you work with or against your body in your yoga practice?  How can you integrate the concept of the "upward spiral effect" into your yoga practice and daily life, fostering a continuous cycle of positivity, self-compassion, and enhanced well-being?