Before we begin our discussion on the first principle connected to many of the practices we do at BTGY, allow us to propose something that we feel is very important for any successful yoga practice. This proposition is connected to the very core of Yoga, and we understand that a successful yoga experience is built on this foundational idea. We wish to remind everyone that Yoga refers to both a means AND an end. It is, in a sense, a "full circle" concept. The classical definition of Yoga applies here - "yogas citta vrtti nirodhah (YS 1.2)" - which is the definition passed to us by the Sage Patanjali who was the first to codify yoga, 2500 years ago. He is claiming that yogas (Union) is the nirodhah (cessation) of citta (mental) vrtti (fluctuations). Please consider this carefully. Our Union with life, which is the direct experience of the present moment, is too often obscured by our preference about life. We are rarely seeing things as they are. We are most often seeing things as we want them to be. This is fundamentally how our biological system is set up - we are picking out the data in the world to support our previously established emotional investments. Our emotions are our internal guidance system. When we have strong emotions about a thing, these can be conceptualized as energetic attachments, which from a grounded, scientific perspective are embedded in the very neural circuitry of our brain and nervous system. To clarify and summarize this concept - the way we feel about life is pre-determining our behavior in it. If we feel like life is a dangerous place, we will behave in a way that it is, in fact, a dangerous place. Our feelings are coloring reality.
It is useful to understand this from the standpoint of evolutionary biology, as we are incredible complex creatures that are wired to survive, and we've successfully survived for many, many iterations of life. Which means that there are some very deeply etched patterns of behavior to helped us survive and procreate as a species. We literally have no use to look for all the things in the world that are "normal". We do, however, have a lot of use to look for all the things that are "out of place". For this reason, we often only remember (or more strongly remember) the things that provoked powerful emotions in us. Why? Because powerful emotions are indicators towards preference. Highly pleasurable or highly painful things in life create a significant charge and will inspire behavior to pursue more of the pleasurable and avoid the painful.
Oftentimes, we can end up burying a lot of our painful past through our constant pursuits of the pleasurable. Consider how this manifests in spirituality, and consider how in our own spiritual paths we might be dissociating from the real issues of our life in these far-too-common searches for transcendent states of being. Where is our desire to "transcend" really coming from, and what is spirituality, really? Is there a more transcendent realm than the Here, Now, and if there is, wouldn't our belief in this distant realm cause us to separate ourselves from the very life we are living? What purpose does the spiritual path serve if is distancing us from life? We ask these questions in an attempt to provoke the curiosity of the reader, as each person has their own work to do in answering the questions of their reasons for spirituality. We wish to inspire clarity and motivation, and where a question brings up emotions, we encourage the person to look deeper. If anyone is going to engage in a practice, it is important to understand for what purpose. Having a clear destination on a map helps us get to where we are going.
Which is a perfect segue to our topic for today. We believe that the principles outlined in the BTGY methods are helpful in the creation of the 'map' we are referring to above. Ultimately, everyone will choose their own destination from their work on the spiritual path. The work we do is intended to free us from all conditions that have been placed upon our mindbody system which are preventing us from moving forward with authentic soul expressions in this lifetime. We are clearing and untangling the psychic knots that keep us in behavior patterns and personality loops, causing us to continue manifesting the same outcomes in life. We are clearing the fears that are embedded in us, the untruths that we believe keep us afraid of certain outcomes in life, or cause us to feel strong emotions about experiences we might have. If we are deeply afraid of something that has yet to come into Reality, are we not projecting a fear upon the present moment, which is coloring how we are seeing the Here, Now? We must consider this, and we must consider HOW we practice to alleviate these symptoms.
Because this is the goal of our spiritual work, to liberate us from our conditioned views on Reality and in order to see Reality as it is, not as we project it to be, we feel strongly that there are certain principles that can be followed in order to facilitate this de-conditioning. The first principle that we outline here, is the "Inhale Above, Exhale Below" principle. We wish to bring attention to the simple fact that everyone who is alive is being breathed. That when we were firstborn, our tiny little baby lungs were inflated by the incoming breath which came from outside our body. In a sense, we received the first inhalation. This is an important note to consider, as we did not, nor do we ever, take an inhale. The inhalation is received. To fully understand this, to surrender to this concept and embody it, we are moving in the direction of Yoga as Union. Life is breathing us. We just need to relax.
Still others offer as sacrifice the outgoing breath in the incoming breath, while some offer the incoming breath into the outgoing breath....... All these knowers of sacrifice are cleansed of their impurities as a result of such performances. (Bhagavad Gita 4.29-4.30)
However, because our conditioning of life makes it quite difficult to embody a concept like this, we have techniques to help. Hence, the practices of yoga and this principle in particular "Inhale Above, Exhale Below". We use a hand on the chest and a hand on the belly to feel this technique working, and we invited everyone to feel the inhale into the chest and feel the exhale from the belly. One might hear us say something like "receive the inhale into the upper half, give the exhale from the lower half" . We also say "firm up the belly on the exhale". This is because the inhale is soft, receptive, and the exhale is strong, directive. We allow the inhale, and we give the exhale. It is the union of polarities, happening all the time within our very own system, and all we need to do is participate in this process. To encourage this process, one must be consciously aware of how it is happening. We've spent our whole lives breathing unconsciously, and when we start to breathe with specific conscious techniques, things can feel weird or clunky. We are re-wiring our own mental patterns. It can be uncomfortable! Please remember that this is a technique that is meant to be worked in practice until it feels natural. Just like if you were to interlace your fingers together right now, you will find that there is your "usual" way of doing this. If you were to interlace them with the opposite finger on top, or the way that is unusual to you, it will feel odd. This is normal. Stick with it until it is not weird. We say this because many of the techniques that we work in the yoga practices can, initially, feel strange in our body. It is important not to resist the weirdness, or produce a lot of mental or emotional strain about it.
We do understand that some of the methodologies that we work with at BTGY are different than other yoga schools. We are not here to challenge other systems or techniques. We are only here to share what we feel has worked best for us in our own processes. We wish to be as objective as possible about this, and we are always seeking results. We always remain open to other ways and alternatives, however, there is a time and place for these discussions. In the meantime, we will continue practicing and replicating the experiments that we have been passed to us by those yoga teachers whom we have spent time with. As we say, there is no need to re-invent the wheel. We've got to take our emotions out of it. When we practice together, we will share our best practices openly and authentically and we hope that anyone attending can glean similar wisdom to that which we've discovered through these methods. This "wisdom" has been nothing more and nothing less than a natural and beautiful unfoldment of life.
We believe that these tools have been passed to us by many masters over many generations and we wish to honor the sacred lineage of life itself. So for that, we thank you for carrying this torch forward with us, and joining us in our efforts. We wish to participate in this process with each of you and will remain rooted in our own practices so we can continue sharing that which has worked for us. Life remains a great mystery and all we can do is participate in this process with wonder and awe at how it is unfolding. To receive in the inhalation instead of "taking it" helps us switch our role in life. Through these methods, and with an open mind, practice your participation in this process, and then decide for yourself.
May all sincere seekers awaken to the truth of their own being. OM.
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