Feb 11

Subtle Body Energy

And then the program ended…

We all wore white for the closing ceremony.
We had one last sharing session and received certificates and flowers.
We went out for a very nice dinner at “Nu” (and of course there was singing). But when I woke up the next morning, I still wasn’t sure what exactly had just happened.
This is my attempt to understand, process and share…
If it doesn’t come out neat and orderly, I will not be the least bit surprised.

From the beginning, I felt we were in more a sadhana (spiritual practice and/or exploration) than a “teacher training”. As I look back, we had to be. The program was based in “subtle body energy” and promoted as an exploration of the chakras, so let’s start there.

No one even knows for sure how many chakras there are. You can’t see them. You can’t have a chakra removed or transplanted. But they can be opened, closed, blocked, balanced and sometimes even spun. For sake of simplification, let’s call them energy centers within the body. Let’s say there are six (maybe seven) generally acknowledged chakras. I won’t get specific with locations, functions and associated emotions and health manifestations (there are plenty of books out there already doing just that). Suffice it to say, it would be impossible to effectively explore them without experiencing them. Thus our journey began.

We were in capable hands (which only later confessed the entire 4-week adventure was a bit of an experiment). Sequoia was the senior teacher. Part shaman, part musician, nature child and ceremonial mistress extraordinaire. If we accept that at least some of the vibrational/spiritual/energetic stuff is “real” but acknowledge that there is FAR too much of it to discern what is truth and what is tabloid then the world has a place (and a need) for teachers and masters like Sequoia.

Where books and lectures are poor teachers for emotions, sensations and vibrations, we had sessions dedicated to re-birthing, sun gazing, art therapy, kundalini awakening, earth bonding and sensual dance. I remember crying. I remember beating the crap out of an innocent bolster. Come to think of it, they occurred in brief succession with the crying coming latter.

Even though most sessions started and ended with chanting, the program wasn’t just energy flowing and emotions running wild. Susie (aka Sujie) was there to provide essential grounding with her unique ability to clearly and succinctly tie in what we were experiencing with the science of the central nervous system, endocrine glands and body parts. Susie as the tether to reality that we needed to keep our balloon from floundering aimlessly in the astral realms of koshas and kriyas. That worked pretty well until Susie found out she was pregnant (We all found out shortly after she did. Some even perceived it before she did).

As morning sickness and hormonal roller coasters eroded some of Susie’s ability to be our stabilizing rock, there were instances when organization/structure/function were challenged. Two examples that come to mind were when we hiked up the hill a tad bit late for sunrise and when never quite got around to the group photo we all wanted the one and only time we wore our “devotional whites”. There were other times when I have to admit thinking, “a guy would have done that differently.” But different is not always better and I am not complaining how it all turned out.

While all three teachers contributed in all aspects of the program, Roberta was our primary asana (physical yoga) guru. Her role held a unique challenge. While some of us didn’t know our mudras from our muladharas we all came with our own asana practices. It took some of us (i.e., me) longer than others to let go of our asana attachments and expectations. Resistance proved futile as we were all won over by Roberta’s understanding of the body and her amazingly deep adjustments. After experiencing her knowing sense of touch, most all of us sought her out for body work in our limited spare time.

As deep, effective and inspiring as Roberta’s adjustments were in our practice, I will sadly not be bringing many of them to my classes. Maybe her native Brazil is a little more tolerant of touch, but some of the adjustments were about as subtle and politically correct as a lap dance. While some students would surely enjoy them, others might slap me, sue me or add otherwise unnecessary difficulty to my blessed existence.

But wait, I haven’t even touched on the breathing yet. That will have to wait for a later post.