Meeting Durga Through The Path Of Rumi: A Journey From To Goal

-Kirti Tarang Pande

Official website, Instagram, Twitter

Originally Published in Daily Bhaskar

“Why should I seek more?

I am the same as he.

His essence speaks through me.

I have been looking for myself.”

- Rumi

Rumi used these words to define his meeting point with Allah, students of Home Yogis’ Home, a Nanded City, Pune based yoga centre, used the same thought to reach Durga this Navratri.

Shunning all the orthodox snobbery, they met daily at Home Yogis’ Home to connect with the Cosmic Mother through an amalgamation of Bhakti Yoga & Shakti Yoga. Coming from different walks of life, some are IT professionals, some are home-makers, some are business leaders & some belong to the Indian Airforce fraternity; yet, every morning at 6:30 am, they all are unified as yoga sadhaks in pursuit of awakening the inner Shakti.

“Channelizing inner Shakti is a sadhna & like every form of devotion it takes its own time. However, such group practices are an integral part of Home Yogis’ Home, as they instantly transcend us to our Anandmayakosa- seat of bliss”, explains, Pankaj Pandey, director Home Yogis’ Home.

The culmination of this ‘blissed out’ path of reaching Durga happened on Ramnavani, April 04, 2017.

Dressed in black & green to represent the control on inner Tamas (inertia)through inner healing, the students invoked inner Shakti via a yogic dance on the tunes of ‘Aigiri Nandini’.

“When our teachers initiated us into the practice, it sounded like just another of those fun things we do as a group. It started with us putting our heads into it. In no time our souls were involved too. We had no worries in our heads just a dedication towards inner awakening,” shares Rupa Pillai, student Home Yogis’ Home.

However, that’s not it. Kirti Tarang Pande, founder Home Yogis’ Home, explains the utilitarian aspect of it, “When we come together as a group for invoking the inner power, the sadhana converts into an anandmela.”

She further adds that by feeding upon the group energy, this practice expresses the divinity within, removes introversion & brings out hidden talents. She explains that this not only transforms us into leaders but works upon the five sheath existence of the human body:

1. At muscular level it brings deep relaxation

2. At pranic level it slows down breathing, enhances balancing & leads to increased life-span

3. At mental level it increases creative & will powers

4. At emotional level it enhances happiness in life & equipoise.

5. At intellectual level it sharpens intellect & calms down the mind.

Pankaj Pandey takes the discussion further by mentioning the four fold effects of this practice on the development of consciousness:

1. It imparts civic sense

2. Inculcates zeal for service

3. Instill a patriotic urge

4. Invokes a spiritual yearning.

“For me the benefit is simple, it kept in the present, so now I know that I am on the right path”, concludes Ms. Pillai with a smile.  

THIS NAVRATRI CHANNELIZE THE INNER ‘SHAKTI’ IN THREE BREATHES

-Kirti Tarang Pande

Official website, Instagram, Twitter

Originally Published in Daily Bhaskar

Yesterday, we discussed Tantra, what it is and what it is not. Today, let’s kick-in Navratri by preparing our bodies for Tantra. Just to refresh, yesterday we talked about how Tantra is a technique of goal achievement by harnessing & focusing our inner power.

This is where Navratri comes in. Tenth Mandal of Riga Veda considers Navratris to be the auspicious time to invoke, channelize and harness the Shakti within.

Yogic concept of ‘Shakti’

This Shakti is ‘Mooladhar Nivasini’, that is, she resides in Mooladhar Chakra- the root chakra. Mooladhar Chakra is responsible for grounding us with this material plane- Khshiti, meaning the earth element.

Kshiti is considered to Tamasic in nature in the practice of Tantra. Tamas brings inertia. Therefore, Shakti by virtue of residing here becomes inert in nature.

In other words, we have an innate power but it is sleep mode. The only time we unconsciously turn it on, is during sex. That’s why it’s common mistake to equate Tantric practice with sex.

We are not aware that we doing it or how we are doing it, so we can’t harness it at our own will. However, the worst part here is that we dispel & just disintegrating the ‘Shakti’ outside our body. This implies that we are not even using it!

How to awaken this ‘Shakti’

Yogataravali Sutra in its 5,6 and 8 sholkas  mentions Bandha as the method to do this. It says:

By the practice of the bandha the dormant Shakti awakens and enters into sushumna nadi. The breath becomes kumbhaka (still), the rechaka (exhalation) and pooraka (inhalation) cease to function. Senses are purified and kevala (enlightenment) takes place.

In fact, Acaranga Sutra of Jainisim cites Mahavir Jain attaining enlightenment through Mula Bandha.

How to practice Mool Bandha?

Basic underlying principle of bandhas is that by locking certain physical muscles, we initiate an unlocking at mental & pranic levels.

Following this principle, we lock the physical muscles around Mooldhar Chakra, to unlock our Mooladhar Nivasini, our Shakti. There are two techniques to do this:

1. Antar & Bahir Kumbhak

2. Maha Mudra Khumbhak

At beginners’ level, one should practice Antar & Bahir Kumbhak.

Step 1 Finding the right muscles:

Now, to find these muscles, in my personal practice it follow a simple method. I imagine that I am stuck in crazy Mumbai traffic & my bladder is bursting. I really have to pee; instinctively my body contracts certain muscles. That’s it; those are the muscles (perineal muscles) we are working upon here.

There’s another way to understand this, where I put out pictures of our anatomy & mention different sets of muscles for men & women. As an instructor, I’ve learnt it the harder way that it just confuses the students.

Step 2 Preparing for the locking

Before locking, we must check if we are in sync with the first Niyam (Dos) of Yoga- Sauch (Inner & outer cleanliness). Our bladder must be empty for this practice.

You can start with sitting in Padmasana. Take a Pooraka (inhale), observe Kumbhak (hold the breathe in), let out Rechaka (exhale) observe Kumbhak. Do this three times to ease your body into Kumbhak.

Step 3 The lock

·         Sit comfortably in Padmasana and bring all your awareness to mooladhar chakra.

·         Breathe in deeply & hold your breathe.

·         Mentally contract the mooladhar chakra by contracting your perineal muscles. Visualize that mooladar chakra is being massaged with your thumb.

·         Chant the beej mantra- lam mentally & visualize the Shakti awakening at the Mooldhar Chakra

·         When it’s no longer comfortable to hold the breathe. Exhale.

·         Before you inhale again, hold the breathe.

·         Mentally contract the mooladhar chakra by contracting your perineal muscles. Visualize that mooladar chakra is being massaged with your thumb.

·         Chant the beej mantra- lam mentally & visualize the Shakti awakening at the Mooldhar Chakra

This is one round. You can start with three rounds & as your practice improves, you can take it up to 12 rounds.

Bonus: A cheat trick

To increase the time of breathe retention you can hold your fingers in Shakti Dharana Mundra- press the breathe base of the thumb with index finger. By doing so you will observe that your capacity of comfortably retaining breathe has doubled.

Caution:

1. It’s not advisable to practice this if one is suffering from irregular periods.

2. Shiv Samhita in Chapter 4 insists that this bandha should only be practiced in isolation.

3. In Vedic Yoga, bandhas are esoteric practices and should only be practiced under the guidance of a Guru. You can use this write up increase to discuss your initiation into Bandhas with your Yoga teacher; but don’t use this write up for practice (especially as a beginner).

In case, you’re a beginner and don’t have a good teacher, keep watching this space; soon I will be sharing how to prepare our bodies for Tantra without a Guru.