Bridges over the Seine by Marc Chagall*
“Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks” —Gloria AnzaldúaI first read quote on a calendar of inspirational daily quotes. It was from the mid-nineties—so long ago. The quote was printed on the page for December 28th. It spoke volumes to me so I ripped it out and stuck it to my refrigerator. It has been with me through four refrigerators and three moves. Does this quote have significance to yoga? I think it does. One of the most important bridges we can build, repair, maintain, or upgrade is the one between the Mind (manomayakosha) and The Witness/Wisdom Body (vijnanamayakosha). A bridge between these two aspects of our being results in insights for healthy aging.
Here’s a definition of Mind:
“Mind is above all, clever; clever as they say, as a barrel of monkeys, jumping restlessly from one branch to another, so too, the mind flickers from object to object and thought to thought. It is personal, active, outward-looking and perishable. While the mind is good at sifting and sorting, it is not good at making choices.” — B. K. S. Iyengar, Light on Life
Here’s a definition of Witness/Wisdom Body:
“At the level of the everyday mind, the actor is caught inside their own drama and often cannot see beyond it. At the wisdom level, we are able to step out of that personal conditioning and look beyond the roles we play to see the larger picture of who we truly are. This is the level of recognizing and de-conditioning our core beliefs, the most deeply rooted of which is, “I am essentially my personality.” — Joseph LePage, Integrative Yoga Therapy Training Manual
B.K.S. Iyengar tells us how these two aspects come together to help us live healthy lives:
“Yoga identifies these parts of our consciousness, along with their accompanying fluctuations (vrttis) in such a way that we can use them both to give our journey direction and to result in our transformation. In this way, we discover the ability to refuse ice cream or accept it but in quantities that will not be harmful.” —B. K. S. Iyengar, Light on Life
If we learn to build the bridge between Mind and The Witness at a young age, our lives will be easier to manage, even with the inevitable bumps and bruises. And, yes, even children get this. My favorite example comes from an experience I had while running a yoga program at a summer camp for 750 kids aged five to twelve. In addition to classes and yoga clubs, we were trying out yoga “interventions” as a way to reduce the number of suspensions. If children were fighting or misbehaving and in danger of being suspended, they first went to see one of the yoga teachers who taught them some basic practices focused on calming and centering. One young boy who regularly got into fights was taught about making wise choices along with a calming breath practice. After his session he told the teacher, “I didn’t know I had a choice about how I act.”
He had begun to build the bridge between his mind and his budding witness consciousness. I have never forgotten his experience and often use it as a teaching example.
With self-awareness we can see that our personal “jumping monkeys” are often the source or result of unconscious behaviors, excessive stimuli, memories, mental images, and repetitive unhelpful thoughts. We can think of these mind contents as “troubled waters.” To begin building a bridge over them, Joseph LePage recommends pratyahara, a practice that encourages awareness of and withdrawal of the senses as an aid to relaxation and connection with The Witness. Pratyahara is the 5th limb of Patanjali’s eight limbs. Discussion of pratyahara, begins with sutra 2.54:
“The restraint of senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction and the senses disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind.” —T. K. V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga
There are many techniques for practicing pratyahara. Here are three that I use regularly. You can do each one separately if time is short or string them together for a longer practice.
1. Working With the Body
Practice your favorite restorative pose and practice a body scan to become aware of and then relax your body part by part. One of my favorites poses for this practice is Legs On the Chair Pose (see My Magic Four for Back and Spine). If you are new to body scans, it is important to remember to move slowly through the different parts of your body and to sense and feel each part as best as you can. You can move through the exercise several times if desired.
Here is a sample of a short body scan:
Bring awareness to your feet, toes, ankles, lower legs, knees, and upper legs. Relax the feet and legs. Awareness now to your belly, low back, rib cage, mid back, chest, and upper back. Relax the front of your body. Relax the back of your body. Become aware of your neck, face, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, chin, and throat. Relax your neck and head. Allow awareness to move across your shoulders and down your upper arms, elbows, lower arms, wrists, hands, and fingers. Relax your arms and shoulders. Bring awareness to your whole body. Welcome the image of your whole body, relaxed, comfortable, and at ease.
2. Working With The Breath
The Relaxation Breath technique brings awareness to your breath, slows your rate of breathing, and lengthens your exhalation. In addition to helping build your bridge, it calms your nervous system.
1. Sit with your spine comfortably aligned.
2. Soften your chest and shoulders.
3. Close your eyes or keep them slightly open with a downward gaze.
4. Inhale normally. Exhale normally.
5. After exhaling, hold your breath and silently count “one thousand one, one thousand two.”
6. Repeat and continue for 2-3 minutes or longer if you are comfortable.
3. Working With The Mind
A safe way to begin working with visualization is to create a clear mental picture of your “happy place,” a space where you feel 110% safe, secure, and completely yourself. Richard Miller, the founder of iRest, describes this as an Inner Resource:
“…an internalized place that we can return to at a moment’s notice—a safe haven of restful stillness, peace and serenity.” —Richard C. Miller, PhD, iRest Training Manual
Your Inner Resource can be a place in nature, a favorite room in your home, or a special time in your life. Perhaps it’s being surrounded by your friends, pets, or family or being in the presence of a special symbol or image that evokes strength, comfort, and solace. Miller recommends having this Inner Resource handy to use at any time one feels overwhelmed by stimuli, thoughts, or emotions.
Once you have identified your Inner Resource, in any position you like, use your “senses” to see, smell, taste, touch, or hear everything that presents itself to you. What do you see or sense? What can you hear? What can you touch or what touches you? What can you smell? What can you taste? Take as much time as you need to experience what is being presented. Then rest for a moment or two before you gently move and stretch into full awareness.
I’ve had my Inner Resource for many years and it still works. I see myself sitting under a huge maple tree at the edge of a large grassy field. To my left is a small, landscaped semi-circle bordered by three picnic tables. There is a large building—a residence of some sort. I never see people around but I know that the building houses a welcoming community. To my right the grass and trees eventually fade into the distance. The ground in front of me slopes down to a wooden bridge that spans a river. On the other side of the river is a large expansive meadow filled with colorful wild flowers and beyond the meadow is a small mountain range. Overhead is a bright blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. I visualize myself sitting under “my” tree, feeling peaceful and contented.
How will you build your bridge?
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