Parivrtta Trikonasana Revolved Triangle Pose
By Arthur Kilmurray

In this standing posture, we are grounded on the Earth and open to spiraling energy of the cosmos.

In his book The Universe Is a Green Dragon, physicist and cosmologist Brian Swimme describes the maturing of the human species as an integration of the human into the larger powers and dynamic processes of the universe. "To become fully mature as human persons, we must bring to life within ourselves the dynamics that fashioned the cosmos. We must become these cosmic dynamics and primordial powers in new human form. That is our task: to create the human form of the central powers of the cosmos.... The powers that build the universe are ulti mately mysterious, issuing forth from and operating out of mystery. They are the most awesome and numi nous reality in the universe. Humans are these dynamics brought into self-aware ness. "

The maturing human's sense of self expands beyond the individual to include the planetary dimension of Gaia and the larger powers and dynamic processes of the evolving universe. Planetary consciousness transcends all cultural, political, and religious divisions, bringing the human a unifying vision at a time when cooperation amongst many diverse peoples is essential for the healing of the planet. Cosmic consciousness allows the universe to participate in this healing process by channeling its immense forces into and through human beings. According to Swimme, the reawakening of planetary and cosmic consciousness will allow us to guide the Earth's development in its difficult transition from the scientific-technological phase into the emerging ecological period.

As evocations of cosmic presence and power, the yoga asanas and other yogic practices can help accelerate this maturation process. In Parivrtta Trikonasana, we stand firmly on the Earth and open our bodies, minds, and spirits to the primary expression of cosmic energy, the spiral. From the helices of the DNA molecule to the whirling arms of our Milky Way galaxy, spirals are a fundamental expression of cosmic depth and presence.

Patanjali, in Sutra 47 of the Sadhanapada, describes the mastery of asana as relaxation of effort and meditation on Ananta, the coiled serpent that holds up the Earth. What is Ananta but a symbolic representation of the cosmic forces of gravity and angular momentum, which unite and gyroscopically stabilize all the stars, moons, and planets in their continuous spiraling dance? On a subtle level, Patanjali calls on us, in three sutras of the third chapter (III.27, 28, 29), to bring yogic medita tion (samyama) to bear on the sun, moon, and polestar to acquire knowledge of the cosmic regions. The ancient yogis had a strong sense of cosmic presence and its importance for the human community. Modern human, minds must rediscover this lost wisdom.

Over the past several hundred years in the West, both the scientific community and traditional organized religions have lost their sense of the sacredness of the universe and the power and wisdom contained therein. Many religions attempt to address the human spiritual dimension in terms of an afterlife that transcends the world of nature, considering nature to be unworthy of our attention. This leaves us with a detached, schizophrenic sense of existence. Science has studied and described the laws that govern the processes of the natural world, but it has refused to consider its sacred dimension, leaving the human imprisoned in a dead, mechanistic universe. This lack of integration has led society to the technological/ecological nightmare that now confronts us. In his book The Dream of the Earth, "geologian" and cultural historian Thomas Berry states, "During this period the human mind has been placed within the narrowest confines it has experienced since consciousness emerged from its Paleolithic phase. Even the most primitive tribes have a larger vision of the universe, of our place and functioning with in it, a vision that extends to celestial re gions of space and to interior depths of the human in a manner far exceeding the parameters of our own world of tech nological confinement."2

Fortunately, we seem to be entering an age in which science and spirituality are coming together. The excessively an alytical-reductionistic phase of science is on the wane, and the psychic-spiritual reality of creation, of the universe, is again being experienced and appreciated by the scientific community. At the same time, the spiritual community is beginning to reexamine the mystery of our incarnation and to address the very tangible problems of our earthly existence. By working together, the scientific and spiritual communities can rediscover cosmic presence and reintroduce this wisdom into social consciousness. Unfortunately, many of the pathologies of the scientific-mechanistic mentality still permeate our psyches and social structures and block our ability to inte grate science and spirituality. It is imperative that we root out these impediments to planetary and cosmic presence and get on with the enormous task of reinventing a human society that lives in harmony with the natural world.

Thomas Berry has been practicing samyama on the cosmos and the human conditions and has articulated some guidelines to help in recognition of our cultulal pathologics. Accordillg to Berry, there are three fundamental laws of the universe that functioll at all levels of reality, from the gross physical to the subtle psychic-spiritual planes. These three laws‹differentiation, subjectivity, and communion‹ identify the reality, the values, and the directions in which the universe is proceedillg. All human endeavors, including yoga practice, must adhere to these principles if they are to bring about the healing of the planet, while all endeavors that inhibit or cripple these principles must be carefully examined and reevaluated. These three principles offer an excellent entryway into the direct experience of cosmic presence.

Differentiation is the fundamental drive of the universe to continuously express itself in an infinite number of uniquely articulated entities. The universe appears in many forms, from stars and quasars to frogs and butterflies. Each individual entity is unique in time and space, never having existed before, never to appear again. Reality is tremendously fecund and creative, bursting forth into every niche of the cosmos with an inexhaustible diversity of forms. In the realm of spiritual practice, the are an infinite number of paths and a variety of spiritual teachers, each relfecting a unique aspect of the universe.

Subjectivity means that the universe exists as subjects--centers of sentience and spontaneous action. Each articulated entity, whether an atom, a mountain or a flower, is a center of activity and contains within its being the entire depth of the universe. William Blake's eloquent articulation of this principle, "Auguries of Innocence." begins:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour (3)

Communion is the expression of relatedness. Everything in the universe is bound together in an inseparable relationship in space and time. Gravity is communion on a cosmic level. The electromagnetic force binds atoms together to allow the multiform expressions of life. All beings of the planet breathe the same air and drink the same water. To become present to the Earth, to the cosmos, is to enter into an intimate relationship with all of creation, to experience this communion. All spiritual practices point to this same oneness, though they may use different images, metaphors, or stories.

Parivrtta Trikonasana offers us a vehi cle to explore many aspects of cosmic presence. We can: open ourselves to the spiraling nature of the gravitational force (ananta) (i.e., experience communion with the cosmos); explore its effect on physiology and consciousness (penetrate into the subjectivity of cells and organ systems of the body); and articulate the pose in a way that reflects our own uniqueness and the uniqueness of the present moment (experience differentiation). As our sensitivity to cosmic presence grows, the universe empowers us for the healing process.

Yoga asanas are designed to open the body, liberating the respiratory and circulatory systems and awakening and empowering the higher self through cosmic presence. But many modern students of hatha yoga approach the art with the pathologies of the mechanistic mentality, imposing the intellect and willpower onto the body with no sensitivity to the deeper needs of the cells and organs. We cannot "control" the body, just as we can not "control" Mother Nature. But neither can we space out and perpetuate our culturally induced postural pathologies. There must be intelligent reflection on the habits of the body to learn how they affect the breathing, circulation, and consciousness. Our cultural pathologies on all levels have to be recognized, studied, and transformed.

Next: ~ How to Practice Parivrtta Trikonasana (Images)