DAILY Lacuna, what a wonderful word! It’s a particularly wonderful word at this time of year when we can be it, as well as see it. It’s meaning is a hiatus, or blank space- possibly as in a vacation. It can also be an intercellular space, and-or a small pit or depression, like those in the back hip bones. What fun to say, “I’m in lacuna, or going on lacuna.” That could mean, “I’m outta here.” Or “I am the blank page….life will write the day, not me.”
There’s another wonderful word which resonates with lacuna, it’s the Sanskrit, ‘pratyahara,’ meaning “the conscious withdrawal of energy from the senses.” Certainly one must try and do this if one is to become a blank space. Pratyahara, as the fifth step, or limb, of Patanjali’s eight-limbed Ashtanga Yoga system, can be elusive because there is little consensus on how much withdrawal is appropriate. Is it similar to Savasana? Yes, but more. Savasana is a first stage of relinquishing and letting go the body, allowing breath to take over.
When working with pratyahara, is that an oxymoron? Can you ‘work’ something of this nature? Do we think we should, be able to disappear completely into the deepest subtle layers of the body, withdrawn from the outside world -just this side of death? Since it is summer, and I’ve opted for profound quiet space, or more to the point, my body has demanded it, I’m interested in how far down this can go. Lately, I’ve felt I’ve been at the bottom of a well. It’s not a bad thing. It’s not something I wished for, or worked for, it just is. It’s as though the last year of going at a greyhound’s racing pace needs inner balancing.
Some people might call my state a ‘walking meditation.’ But it is not one-focused, and my mind is not un-still, it has almost ceased to operate in any state I’m accustomed to. It’s not agitated, or dreamy, neither thoughtful, nor Samadhic, (being totally present, without a point of view.) Perhaps it’s more Zen than anything else. Zen in it being experiential. I cannot follow, there is no one to follow, plus I do something that makes me feel insecure every day, and I am totally present to my actions. There is a Diamond Sutra that says, “The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable’ the mind of the present is ungraspable.”
Perhaps in my next breath I will understand the great secrets?
Pose with Seasonal Energies
Asana: Karnapidasana. Karna means ear and in this pose which is a variation of Halasana/Plow, the knees drop down by the ears. You can also wrap the arms around the bent legs, covering your eyes. The physical senses are shut out and it is easier to go within. The pose often follows Salamba Sarvangasana/ Shoulder Stand. If coming from Shoulder Stand, exhale and lower legs down toward the head, keeping torso as upright as possible. Do not take chin toward sternum, if anything, allow the sternum to move toward chin. With toes on floor, keep lifting tailbone up, use hands to support lower back if needed, or clasp hands and extend down onto floor. Keep weight off the neck. But if it bothers the neck, fold a blanket under the shoulders and upper back, leaving neck free. Hold as long as you can, and when ready to exit, lift legs up into Shoulder Stand, or grab behind the legs, pulling them toward face and slowly roll down spine, getting a good hamstring stretch on the way. Because this is a softening pose, it’s nice to follow it with Savasana. *If you are unsure of how this looks, go to Halasana under poses, there is a drawing.
Health Notes: This is considered a folding pose, therefore it calms the body and brain, reduces anxiety and stress, helps with insomnia. It helps stretch the back, and is good for mild backaches, but if you have serious back or neck issues only do this under hands of a good instructor. It stimulates thyroid glands, helps relieve menopause symptoms, and sinusitis.
Astrology Notes: We entered Leo territory on the 23rd. This is the land of the queen, or king, whose symbol is the lion. These royal weeks of Leo territory link life force, prana, spirit and soul in large ways. In the body, Leo rules the heart and spine, which keep us connected to one another, and standing tall. The Leo energy loves center stage and if they were going into pratyahara they would have to be the best at taking a lacuna. They would let us know they were ‘the blank page,’ and we would need to applaud. All of us have Leo energy that needs applause somewhere within. Take a moment, honor your flair, your je ne sais quois wonderfulness.
Ayurvedic Notes: Summer heat creates Pitta dosha, or imbalances. Like Leo, it is a fire, with water energy. When it’s really hot, over-amped Pitta burns up the vata dosha. This makes heat rise rather than ground into the center of the body. The rising heat can cause headaches, dry skin, dry tear ducts, and create bursitis, along with skin rashes. Pitta not only increases in summer, but during specific hours, and times of the month. It increases before and after high noon, and before and after midnight. Pitta dosha is also magnified the week before menstruation, and a short time during ovulation. If there is no cooling break time the body cannot stay asleep, and the pitta organs of the body, small intestine and liver cannot de-tox or repair. Without time out, be it pratyahara or a good nap, pitta imbalances can create injuries, accidents, and inflammation.
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