Wk 90 – Vayus – Apana Vayu
This practice is focused on hip strengthening and release, preparing the body to utilise the power of the exhale to eliminate and release that which no longer serves you. Weaving Uddiyana Bandha Kriya throughout the practice, the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra and 1:2 Pranayama to have a stronger outcome of letting go.
Our focus of the last session was around Pran Vayu in how we receive Prana, this life force energy. This practice is to focus our Awareness of Apana Vayu in how we use Prana to eliminate, this downward and outward force linked with the exhale pattern. Apana Vayu is mostly active in the pelvis and lower abdomen – this is where most of our nutrients are released into the body and the waste is eliminated. Apana Vayu governs the eliminative function of the body like excretion, urination, menstruation and birth, it is the downward and outward flow of energy that supports the lymphatic and immune system to release byproducts that the body no longer needs. Connecting to Apana Vayu gives us the ability to release physically, energetically, mentally and emotionally for optimum health and well being.
This same release and expulsion can be applied to our thoughts, emotions and memories. Our pelvis and belly is the home of 3 of our Chakras. When imbalanced, we can experience the physical and subtle bodies reacting in fear, doubt, insecurity, erratic emotional imbalances, poor health and self-esteem, even a lack of purpose. Reflect on times when you were either suffering with constipation or diarrhoea, either one is a disfunction of our Apanic action of releasing in a healthy way, both weaken our systems. There can be a physical, psycho-emotional and energetic reason why we find it hard to let go. There may be fear. Abinivesha is the mental emotional affliction of the fear of loss, change and death. Holding on and controlling (constipation) or feeling completely out of control and ungrounded (diarrhoea) these are normal reaction in facing loss, change of circumstances and death.
It is said that death is our ultimate teacher, it is said to be our last teacher. Just as I stated in last session that your first breath into life was your inhale, your last breath will be your exhale. We face our little death every time we breath out, we trust, we let go and surrender. Kala – means death, that in this lifetime, destiny and fate leads you to death. Kali the feminine and Shiva is the masculine deities of death, teaching us that through the mastery of Self-Knowledge, of knowing what we truly are beyond the limited-self, we use the Powers we attain through practice to achieve pure consciousness and liberation.
Remembering that Yoga is the mastery of Self-Knowledge through disciplining the body, mind and breath. Tantra is the mastery of Prana by utilising Yogic tools to harness the powers of our vital energy to cultivate lasting fulfilment of our embodied purpose, contentment within and Moksha, spiritual awakening to liberation. Focusing on Apana Vayu we ground, earth and root, providing a healthy foundation to trust to release and let go moving us closer to peace, serenity and equanimity felt as a result of practice.
