Sensing the Subtle Currents

(waves crashing) So we'll continue our exploration and add a layer of subtlety. So, some of you might be old enough to remember those anatomy books when we were kids, where you had those transparencies that you could put on top of each other, where you could put a layer of the bones, and then you could put a layer of the muscles, and the connective tissue, etc. So the play of this next lesson is, can we take some of this understanding that we have in the gross, or obvious level of internal and external rotation, can we tune towards a subtler level of perception? Now we touched on this just a little bit in season one. This availability of what the yogis call the nadis.

Nadis being the word for; the translation ends up being something along the lines of rivers or channels. The nadis, can we tune to the feeling tone of the nadis, using the breath and the nostrils, to start to find how these subtle currents run through the body? So, the way this lesson will work is that we'll lie down. Now it would be really helpful for you to have access to a wall. If you don't have a wall to push your feet on, just some kind of surface where you can get some feedback, like it's relationship is a really important thing in this, to get a sense of what you're doing.

So, we'll lie down. I'm going to show with my feet up against the wall, just to measure off. Then we'll tune to a very subtle energy of awareness in the nostrils. Now at this moment in the lesson, we might lose some of you because it's quite quieting, it's quite calming. If we lose you and you fall asleep, that just means you needed a nap.

After that, then we'll see if we can start to map this layer of the subtle back with this layer of the gross to see if we can find a more expanded view of how we work. We'll see. Okay. So, I'm going to turn around. I'm going to put my feet up against the wall. Then the way you measure off is, once your feet are up against the wall, you want to bend the knees and kind of roll on back.

Then just make sure that when you extend your feet, your heels are between the, are meeting the crease of the floor and the wall, and your feet are up against the wall. Now depending on the kind of wall you're working with, some of you might have a bit of a baseboard in the way, don't worry about it, it will work. Once you have that measuring off, now we want to find a quite comfortable position. So, I'm going to offer two possibilities. One possibility is to place your feet a little wider than your hips, and let your knees bend.

Check in and make sure this is comfortable or see how comfortable this is. If it would be more comfortable for you to bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees go wide, you could also try that. So, you just want to choose a more comfortable position for this. I'm going to choose this one, because as you may have noticed, I have more of a propensity for internal rotation. So this is more comfortable for me.

Okay, let your eyes close, arms down along your side, big deliberate inhale, exhale everything, okay. Now I've talked about this before, I have a problem and can't really talk without my hands. So, this one ends up looking like a bit of a hand puppet according to my friend, Kristen. I'll do my best. Big deliberate inhale, exhale everything.

Relax the belly, relax the mouth. This takes a little bit, but what we'll do is we'll start in the lungs. So, just like bring your awareness into your left lung. As you bring your awareness into your left lung, can you feel the rise and fall of your breath here? Yeah.

As you're starting to be aware of your left lung now, can you also become aware of the movement of the breath in the left nostril? You're not trying to breath with the nose, you're just tuning in to the movement of the air in and out of the nose. Okay, as you're ready, relax the awareness on the left nostril, come over into the right lung. Just like, let the lung, see the lung with your mind's eye and let her tether you inward. Soft in the mouth, easy in the face.

As she tethers you inward, it will help if you tune in to the back or the bottom of the lung, that helps a lot. Once she has you, like, wait, wait for her to have really captured you and absolutely necessary for your attention to be captured is this quality of wonderment, curiosity, interest, love really. It's really hard to pay attention to anything you're not in love with. Okay. From here now start to become aware of your right nostril, so you just become aware of the movement in and out of the right nostril.

You're not forcing it. That would sound kind of like (heavy breathing) It's not like that. It's just more that you're suddenly aware here. For some of you it might feel like the breath. For some of you it might feel subtler than that.

It might feel like the deeper layers of the breath that we explored so much in season one. Okay, but now here the request is can you move your awareness from the right nostril over to the left nostril? As you simply move your awareness, let your eyes be closed. As you simply move your awareness, can you perhaps have a sensation of the breath moving over here? If the nostrils aren't available today, then tune in to the movement of the breath in the lungs.

Now just play with this, see if it's available. Move your mind back over to the right nostril and is there a sense that something like the breath, or something subtler than the breath moves? Okay, soft in the jaw, easy in the eyes. It's not easy. To be aware of subtler things, requires again, a quality of attention where the eyes are soft, the forehead is soft, that you're truly interested.

If you're not interested, she won't reveal herself. That's just how it goes. Okay, now next time you move your awareness over to your left nostril. We're going to spend a little bit more time here. Can you just start to become a little bit more aware of some subtle details?

So, with your awareness in your left nostril, is it available to drop your awareness down to what we call the back channel of the nostril? Is this available? Closer to the face. Then just try, see is it available, are you able to bring your awareness more to what we might call the inner channel of the nostril. Closer to the septum.

Again if the nostrils aren't available, use your lungs as you're point of attention. Okay, so, if you're in your lungs, you'd be closer to the spine. Then see if it's available to bring your awareness more to what we'll call the front channel of the nostril, towards the tip of the nostril. Then see what happens as you bring your awareness to what we might call the outer channel of the nostril. So, it will sometimes feel like you're flaring there.

Nice, nice. Now just for the last few moments, just see if it's available. Can you allow your awareness to make small circles in the nostril? I like to be kind of focused on the opening. Some of you might prefer to be deeper into the nostril.

For the last few moments, just hold your awareness right in the center of the nostril. Just see if you can tune to this. Again, some of you might be in the lungs. Super nice. Okay, now relax some of your attention here and just notice the feeling of the left nostril from all that attention, like notice how she feels.

Notice the quality of the mind. Now this is not so easy, because now you've been here for a while, you've formed an intimate relationship, you know, an attachment happens so quick. The request is, as you start to bring your awareness over to the right nostril, again, it's not so easy, because you've become used to this. As you bring your awareness over to the right nostril, just see, don't rush it. Just start to be aware of the breath over here.

As you start to tune in to your breath in the right nostril, we'll play here very similar to how we did on the left. So, step one, can you move your mind to what we might call the back channel of the nostril? So, closer to the face. It takes some attention. It's not so easy.

I mean the small details, small details require patience and quietude. Okay, tune your mind to what we might call the inner channel of the nostril, so closer to the septum. Some people find it helps if they move their eyes a little bit in the direction that they're focusing. Move your mind to what we might call the front channel, so more towards the tip of the nostril. Again, the mind wants to hurry it up.

The monus, the measuring device wants to assume she's already gotten it and move on. That's because the whole thing's at the surface, is to not risk depth. Okay, outer channel. More towards the outside. It will feel a little bit like you're flaring.

Soft in the eyes, kind in the jaw. Super nice, you're doing awesome. Now, come right into the middle of the nostril, feel the fullness and expansion. Okay, a few more moments. Okay, beautiful, now rest the specific awareness on this, and a place I like to rest is this sweet little, it's like this little hammock, between the nostrils and the lips.

Just rest your attention here. Okay and really tune in to the quietude that comes from bringing your awareness to such small details. Even though we have a second part of this lesson, you might just push pause or ignore it. You might have found a sweet spot, hey. Okay, super nice.

Only if you're ready, okay, only if you're ready. Let your knees come into the chest a little bit, and just wobble on, just let it feel good. Okay, because the next part of this lesson, what we're going to do is we are going to see if we can match some of that hip rotation we've been working on with this, with these subtle currents. So, you'll let your feet extend, back towards your wall. I grew taller, amazing.

I'm not sure how that happened. That's pretty awesome. So, you'll let your heels come up towards the wall. Now my heels are pressing into the wall, I'm spreading my toes wide. Place your hands on what I'm going to call the hip pockets, they're right here on the top.

Place your hands here. Now just see if you can get a sense of this. See if you can get a sense of pressing just the balls of your big toes into the wall, and as you press your balls of the big toes into the wall, see what happens in your hips. Okay, now, for comparison, please press the outer pinkie pads and heels into the wall, and as you press your outer pinkie pads and heels into the wall, see if you can sense what's happening in your hips. Okay, now what we'll do is we'll go back and forth on that.

So, keep your hands on your hips to help you understand. Press into the balls of the big toes, see if you can feel what's happening in your hip joints. I should be very specific here, hip joints. As you press into the outer pinkie pads and heels, see if you can feel what happens. Just see if you can go back and forth a couple of times.

Again, like, while each of us is really special and unique, there are also some common designs. Usually, not always, but usually as you press into the balls of the big toes, usually you'll feel your hips internally rotate. As you press into the outer pinkie pads and heels, usually you'll feel your hips externally rotate. See if that makes sense. See if that's available.

Go back and forth a couple of times. Just because I'm saying something might be available, it may or may not be. Okay, nice. Now the next part of this, is to see if we can connect that rotation with the movement of the currents in the nostrils. Let's find out.

Step one, press into the balls of the big toes, and as you're pressing into the balls of the big toes, tune your mind simultaneously to how it feels in your nostrils. Can you be aware of where your breath is in your nostrils? Okay, and now compare. Press into the outer pinkie pads and heels and see if you're aware of where your breath is in your nostrils. Okay, let's go back.

See if when you press into the balls of the big toes, see if when you press into the balls of the big toes, do you feel, is it available, is it happening, that the breath seems to maybe move into the inner channels of the nostrils. Is that available? When you press into the outer pinkie pads and heels, when you do that into the wall, okay, do you feel the breath move into the outer channels of the nostrils? Okay, so, maybe, maybe not. We're just experimenting here.

We'll just see. Sometimes some of the feedback is the question is, am I really feeling that or is it just in my mind, and really truly the answer is, it's the same thing. The mind itself does not notice, doesn't know the difference. Okay, maybe that was available, maybe not. The way we'll finish, is you're going to press into the heels of the feet, you're going to press into the balls of the big toes.

See how it feels in the nostrils. Just to get a little bit of extension, I'm going to encourage you to tune your arms down along your side. Fingertips are enthusiastic. I'm engaging into my feet. I'm aware of my nostrils.

Inhale, reach the arms up. You're going to soften the elbows so the shoulders roll back and down into the spine and you're even going to clasp hold of the elbows. Pressing into the feet, you're going to stretch your arms over the top of your head and you're going to lengthen. Just as you're here, stretch through one side, stretch through the other. Just feel your feet against the wall.

For most of you this is the best, because this is really safe in the shoulder joints, but for some of you it will feel good to extend your arms. Press into the feet and lengthen. Beautiful. Now let an inhale, bring your arms back up, and let an exhale, bring your arms down along your side. Nice.

Okay, you might stay here for a little longer. I'm going to roll myself up to sitting, drawing my knees into my chest and then. So, the play here, okay. The play here is that we're just trying to try to tune this. So that last lesson may or may not have been effective for you.

You may or may not have noticed a correspondence between what was happening in your feet, what was happening in the hips, and where the breath was in the nostrils. So the next two lessons, over the next two lessons, we'll explore other ways that you might find this, and maybe by the end of these three, there'll be a connection, maybe not. Just let us know, because if the lesson is not clear, nothing wrong with you, it means that we could be more clear. So, help us be more clear. Namaste.