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Yoga and the Living Matrix: Integrating Science, Spirituality and Practice in personal and societal transformation |
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a
center for Arlington, MA 02474 781-643-0117 Introduction
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12 Principles of Awakening and Yoga (with deep appreciation to Thomas Berry) 1. Awakening to Our Evolutionary Journey: We are living in a time when human societies and the living planet earth, nested in the emergent fields of the solar system, galaxy and universe, are undergoing an accelerating, macro phase or geological level evolutionary change. It is therefore crucial for us to study and embody the universal laws that govern the functioning and evolution of the cosmos, for we are integral to the cosmos at all levels of reality. These laws are revealed through both scientific enquiry and spiritual enquiry, involve hierarchies of developmental unfolding within the context of an all encompassing wholeness and completeness, and manifest in the human as what we will call awakening. Within the context of society, the laws are expressed through the structure and functioning of the agricultural, educational, judicial, economic, political, and medical institutions, the newly emerging integral institutions, and the individual creative output of artists, scientists and others. 2. On the Nature of Spiritual Enquiry: The spiritual enquiry unfolds the subjective or 'I Am" reality, exploring and articulating the profound truth of consciousness, of pure awareness. Also known as the Ground of All Being, Ultimate Reality, the Formless or Absolute and many other names, this independent, subjective reality is beyond words, which belong to the world of form, but is immediately instantaneously available to all at any time. Its unfolding uncovers the nature of happiness, of virtue, of truth. It describes the essence of being and provides the context of values for the human community to utilize the revelations of science. A maturing of spiritual enquiry leads to realization of non-duality, that the Absolute (formless) and the relative (world of forms) are not two separate realms or realities, but a unity. This non-dual realization of unity is the fundamental teaching of Vedanta, Zen and Dzog-chen. 3. On the Nature of Scientific Enquiry: The scientific enquiry engages in the objective reality. It measures, compares and contrasts, dissects and integrates components and relationships in what is called the “relative reality”or the world of form. Science explores and articulates the world of time, space and forms that give rise to the relative reality, but does not, on its own, necessarily provide a value system or context to explore why things are as they are. The wisdom and spiritual traditions and the scientific traditions are entering a phase of cross-pollinating and re-emerging in newly synthesized and dynamic modes of exploring and expressing the human condition and its relationship to the natural world and the cosmos as a whole. For the past several centuries, the religious/spiritual traditions and the scientific/rational traditions have been at odds with each other with each side often ignoring the insights of the other and attacking each other over points of disagreement. Science is now offering tremendous insights into the micro phase (atomic/molecular/genetic), and macro phase (planetary/stellar/galactic/cosmic functioning of the universe, as well as the evolutionary unfolding of the human nervous system, the mind, and the living matrix. Spiritual enquiry is awakening insights into the realm of reality (the absolute) untouched by scientific enquiry, (which by definition requires measurements obtained in the world of time and space), and also offers a vision that integrates these two points of view. A mature yoga tradition, in its communal functioning as well as in its individual practices, always honors the scientific as well as the spiritual points of view and seeks an integration of the finest revelations of each. The human nervous system is the most recent evolute of divine expression and is thus is the primary carrier of change, transformation, integration and awakening. The nervous system is based upon movement and prediction. However, for human evolution to continue to grow and flourish, all of the organic systems, in their historical and evolutionary emergence must be integrated into the healthy functioning of the organism as a whole. Spiritual practices with a strong somatic foundation such as tai chi or hatha yoga have evolved to facilitate the unfolding of the inherent possibilities of the organism and to help them operate at a very high level of coherence and integration. There is concurrently an emergent awakening in many other healing modalities including Chinese medicine, energy medicine, various somatic healing modalities, psychotherapy, neurobiology, western medicine and more. 6: Fascia, Fluids and the Living Matrix: The Common Denominator of Life Life is whole, holistic. Although it is useful and convenient to be able to differentiate and articulate the various organs, organ systems, cells and structures, these are all intertwined, integrated and express wholeness through the living matrix, a fluid/fascial continuity that serves not only to provide structure, but also to provide a continuous flow of energy and information exchange throughout the organism. The fascial tissue which composes the bulk of the matrix, has smooth muscle tissue features, i.e., it can contract over long periods of time, sustain tone, and relax. The tonic or fundamental energetic pattern upon which all others are based is rhythm of expanding and condensing. Health, Healing and the Physiological Level of Yoga The digestive system or gut tube (absorption-elimination) is the oldest living system, followed by the heart/circulatory system, the musculo-skeletal system, and finally the nervous system. (see vayus) The digestive/eliminative and circulatory systems will not further complexify through time in the human organism. In other words, they do not need to be taught or educated in their functioning. Hatha yoga practice and ayurveda define the root of health and healing as bringing balance and harmony to the digestive / eliminative and heart/circulatory system. Gravity, leverage and movement are the tools of hatha yoga practice. The balancing of tension and compression (tensegrity) throughout the matrix, from skin surface to cellular interior, throughout all organs and organ systems, is the goal. Different poses and sequences manipulate the tension/compression gradient to move fluids in and out of specific regions, organ systems, and organs of the body and to adjust the baseline elastic tone of the matrix. The musculo-skeletal and nervous systems do not arise fully formed, but must be cultivated and integrated through the time and practice of direct experience in relationship to other humans, other beings and the natural world. Healthy parenting, mentoring, and teaching allows the natural self-integrating systems to awaken and begin to develop. Unfortunately, but quite normally, our early childhood experiences are complex combinations of healthy and unhealthy experiences and thus we often get stuck in patterns of thought, realtionship and behavior that inhibit further growth and integration. These dysfunctional habits can be found in the fundamental organizing patterns for perception, movement and posture that emerge in infancy, are complexified through childhood, and carry into adulthood. Mindfulness based yoga practice can empower ourselves to unfold the dysfunctionality and carefully reintegrate the energies and information stuck there. We can become parents to ourselves and learn to self- nurture, self-integrate and mature throughout all the years of life. With the emergence of the human nervous system arises a self -sense or sense of personal identity that is formed from the on-going relationships the infant has with the many dimensions of life. By adulthood, the self-sense often exists in the form of a constellation of sub-personalities that arise in differing combinations, in response to differing life circumstances. Each of these voices has their own narrative story, likes, dislikes, fears and insecurities. Some of these sub-personalities or voices are fundamentally insecure and experience the world as “other” to the self. Parenting, nurturing, mentoring and psychotherapy are ways to help integrate these "selves" into a holistic self sense through an integrated narrative story. Other voices are rooted in the experience of the universe as self, self as whole and complete, and are thus inherently secure. These are the voices of an awakened self-sense and must be nurtured, developed and stabilized and integrated into our narrative through spiritual transmission, spiritual practice, spiritual mentoring and the support of an awakened community or sangha. The nervous system in the infant human needs resonance with other more mature nervous systems, (known as attachment relationships) in order for the infant/child to navigate the complex autonomic rhythms of arousal and settling and to develop a skill known as self - regulation. The most common strategies of the attachment figures are thus transmitted to the child. Defects, pathologies and various survival skills, as well as curiosity, confidence, compassion and wisdom are passed on from generation to generation in the process of socialization. A healthy self sense emerges when the attachment process is a skillful one. Meditation/Mindfulness develops the skill whereby one learns to become a parent to oneself and continues the process of deeper self-regulation and integration. This self-regulating, self-integrating capacity is the key to spiritual development. A competent teacher/guru/rohsii and ultimately one's own healthy self-sense serves as a surrogate parent in the refining of the nervous systems' capacity for self regulation and the healing of the dysfunctional voices. This process of self-integration and the obstacles to its realization are well described in both Buddhist/yogic literatures as well as in modern psychological theory. The highest levels of integration are found only in the spiritual teachings, but many of the developmental stages and relevant obstacles necessary to achieve the higher levels are well studied in modern field of neuro-psycho-biology. Social change cannot come about unless and until enough individuals awaken to the dynamics of the relational process and begin to apply them to the gulfs that currently divide the many societies of the palnet
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