Honouring the feminine aspect

[Guest guest]

Dear Dharam

 

I picked the following line from your message:

 

Time to honor the full feminine aspect and that requires some time and

space.

 

I'm sure there are several women out there like me who would like to develop

their feminine aspects; who in the daily grind of earning a living have

neglected this side. Advise us all on what kriyas to perform to regain the

feminine essence of being a woman.

 

Sat Nam

Theresa

[Guest guest]

Theresa

 

What a wonderful timing. I got up this morning and during Sadhana I

decided to ask this list the same kind of question, but then for

building a stronger masculin aspect. Than I read your mail ;-)

 

Being a man, my feminine part was greatly developed the last ten

years. We got three kids and my (ex) wife was not strong on her

feminine aspect. I think, unconsciously at that time, I kind of

jumped into the vacuum and brought in more feminine energy into our

family, to help, to bring balance, but not helping myself.

 

Now I get a chance to work on my male aspect and get both sides

integrated, for which I am thankful.

Can we expand the topic shine a light on both aspects in men and

women?

 

Sat Nam

Rama Singh

 

Kundaliniyoga, "BPL" <bpl@d...> wrote:

> I'm sure there are several women out there like me who would like

to develop

> their feminine aspects; who in the daily grind of earning a living

have

> neglected this side. Advise us all on what kriyas to perform to

regain the

> feminine essence of being a woman.

>

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam Rama Singh,

 

I hope stalwarts like Dharam and others on the list will assist us in making

the shift.

 

Theresa

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam,

 

What I will offer is how the feminine and masculine aspects can be

experienced internally. Our KY practice is perfect for becoming conscious

of these two energies.

 

One aspect of masculine energy is action oriented. We get up and do

Sadhana, we do the exercises, we take action during the day. We are a very

do-do society. But if we only take action, we miss the feminine.

 

The feminine is experienced between exercises. We stop, rest, wait, feel

what is happening to our energy. Our breath gradually slows down and

stabilizes. Energy moves in our spine and throughout our body. Our whole

being is adjusting and integrating the effects of the exercise.

 

Between exercises is when we concentrate on cultivating awareness. This is

the time that we pay attention to the sensations in our body and feel our

breath breathing through our body. In doing so we get grounded and very

present in our body.

 

If we skip this phase, our energy goes up, but it does not come back down.

This is a very common problem with spiritual practices. We lose touch with

our body and we even leave our bodies.

 

Someone was telling me the other day how her teacher taught her to leave her

body. Aruuug. What is actually means is that the feminine is not honored.

The feminine is the body, the physical, the emotions, the sensations, the

earth.

 

Of course, it is often a challenge to feel the sensations in our body

because we get in touch with physical pain and negative emotions. Well,

that is part of the process. Welcome to your body. One day it will feel

great to be in your body. Stay with it. This is how we spiritualize

matter. This is how we manifest. This is how we enjoy being a human being.

We will leave this earth plane soon enough. The goal now is to be totally

present in the body.

 

So the instructions to connect with the feminine are quite simple:

 

Feel the sensations in your body.

Be very present to every awareness in your body.

Feel all your emotions (without verbal comentary!) in your body.

Feel the rhythm of your breath in your body.

Feel the pulse of your heart.

 

Be present in a very loving, caring way as you would to a child or to a pet.

 

Pick out one area where you often feel agitated energy -- stomach, solar

plexus, abdominal area and be with it during all the different events and

movements of the day.

 

There are so many variations on the above themes. Be creative, but be very,

very present to your body.

 

We each have til our last breath to do the above. The move you do the above

the more you will connect with the feminine. She will teach you. She will

guide you.

 

One important touchstone -- this is all NONVERBAL. As soon as you start to

think, talk, analyze you are in the masculine mental realm. Go back to go.

Start again. Feel. Feel. Feel.

 

Take at least one minute between exercises to be in touch with your feelings

and sensations. This is how we connect with the feminine.

 

I know many people practice KY like a bulldozer. To honor with the

feminine, she needs equal time.

 

Enjoy and share your results.

 

The New Millennium Being on Pisces/Virgo which will come out tomorrow will

add to this discussion on how to connect with energy that moves -- feminine

energy.

 

Sat Nam,

 

Gururattan Kaur

San Diego, CA

[Guest guest]

"Westerners wear their Gods on their wrists".

----a not so old Ayurvedic saying

 

Hi Theresa,

We live in a very Male world. I remember not too long ago that women

wore shoulder pads to the workplace. Pretty scary!

 

Well, from my limited Male perspective what I can say is it is not

so much what Kriyas you perform but how thoroughly you perform the

Kriyas and how deeply you can receive or experience the Kriya. As we

execute our postures we are working from the Male. How deeply we

experience the postures is, to me, the Feminine. This is not a hard and

fast definition as there are areas of overlap and many temptations to

oversimplify. One such area is in our experiences of Prana and Apana,

where the build up and release of energy that can be interpreted as

being Masculine or Feminine. The familiar picture of the father heading

out to work is often one of a person simply doing what must be done,

whether he (or she) likes it or not. That is "Grit". When he gets home

the Feminine is waiting (it use to be, anyway). Relaxed, receptive,

accepting, connecting, healing, supportive and compasssionate. The Male

has the need to let down (even if he refuses to come down). In that role

we could say he is generator (Prana) or the creative , but where would

he be without the Feminine? And if you think about it for a moment, what

can be more generative or creative than growing a new life within you?

So much of this has to do with perspective and there need not be

contradiction. There is Masculine within the Feminine and Feminine

within the Masculine. Yogi Bhajan has even defined Tantric yoga as a

"weaving" of the Male and Feminine, with the end result being greater

than the sum of its parts.

 

That said, one can experience in a direct and tangible way the

polarity between East (India) and West (USA) and once in India, of the

polarity between different parts of India. It would be so healing for

the planet if westerners could experience India/Asia or Africa, so that

we can transcend the polarities and find refuge in the blending. East is

very different from the West. To me it's a bit of the Left Brain/Right

Brain thing, which is Sun/Moon, Male/Female. Going to India recharges

and rejuvenates me on a Soul level, and when I say Soul I mean how my

faith in others and humanity is restored.....my sense of connected-ness

with the world around me. I think I want to retire to India or Mexico,

so long as I can find a cold water source for my Ishnaan.

 

My personal Sadhana allows me to go out the door resonably balanced

as I head to work. I have taken the time to deeply feel and experience

me within my body, and this is my personal "habit". Make the habit and

the habit will make you, as Yogiji has said. A lot of my perspective on

this came from my Bioenergetics (body centerd therapy) experience back

in the late seventies. I had a very "strong" Kundalini experience that I

chose to ask for some help with and it this decision that is real

central to who I am.

 

In my daily practice I will do Archer Pose as the first part of or

before a full Kundalini set to set a space of courage and focus. I guess

you could say Archer Pose has a Masculine energy. I almost always go

into Baby Pose right after to soften it [my Archer energy] and to

embrace surrender (the Feminine). Archer gives me the capacity to

penetrate while "doing" what comes later, otherwise I might be easily

blown away by my own stuff and end up being stuck, half-baked and

reactive (over sensitive) and I would have missed the mark. One of the

goals of YOGA is to be non-reactive..... non-reactive on the levels of

all Five Elements; Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. From my

perspective, as a guy, we need the Masculine in order to relate to and

appreciate the Feminine. But before I even start, I tune into the

Feminine. Ong Namo, Guru Dev Namo. I bow to, and invoke the Creative

aspect, I bow and invoke the transparent spirit and wisdom of the Saints

and Sages throughout the ages. I then do Japji to opens up my experience

the Ether element. Ether is stuff from which all the other elements

derive. I figure it's a good place to start if I do nothing else. It

balances the head and heart. The rest is wide open for you to choose.

 

Throughout my yoga I keep my focus on the breath and its movement

in my body. I poke, provoke and release. I keep the idea of the

"Pleasure principle" close at hand. Ya have to enjoy your yoga.

 

I also fully recommend that we work on Alkaline eating habits. You

will find that a new and deeper capacity to experience our Yin

(feminine) aspect will be one of the benefits. We automatically begin to

"allow" rather than tense up. A strange new ability to listen without

feeling a great need to interject our opinion or thoughts which will

lead to a trusting in our bodies and being-ness. This is great for

marriages and relating.

 

Below is a quote from Amrit Desai and also a link to Alice Walker.

Sat Nam,

Dharam Singh

 

WHEN YOU DO THE POSTURE, FLOW

By Yogi Amrit Desai

 

Every time you finish a yoga posture, allow yourself to enter into

celebration of deep release.

This period that follows the actual performance of posture holding is

the other half of the posture.

If you miss it, no matter how well you have performed, you have gone

only half way. Your

integrative process is most active in the interim period when you may

think you have already

finished. Guide the released energy from unconscious holding patterns to

the light of consciousness.

At the conclusion of each posture pause, relax and focus your inward

gaze and attention on the

third eye. Guiding the energy released from body blocks to

the third eye is a very important part of the yoga posture.

Integration continues regardless of where you are - while actively

engaged in moving into or

holding the posture, in transition, at rest, or in a complementary

posture. When you are engaged in

integrative consciousness, you are in a spiritual posture that

transcends your physical posture.

Feel your im-paired body-mind relationship being made whole,

becoming one. There is time for

pose and there is time for repose. In repose, even when your body is

deeply relaxed and restfully

non-active, you are in active integration. This integration is triggered

during the active conscious

practice of posture and consolidated at all other stages of your

practice of yoga. There is no

conclusion to the posture when you are established in a posture of

consciousness.

 

 

Some Alice Walker perspective.

Trusting in your depth and being in the moment

http://www.sahej.com/A-Marvelous-Thing-happens_05.ram

 

The full recording is available through http://www.blackyogateachers.com/

BTW, you don't have to black to appreciate her message.

 

 

 

BPL wrote:

 

>Dear Dharam

>

>I picked the following line from your message:

>

>Time to honor the full feminine aspect and that requires some time and

>space.

>

>I'm sure there are several women out there like me who would like to develop

>their feminine aspects; who in the daily grind of earning a living have

>neglected this side. Advise us all on what kriyas to perform to regain the

>feminine essence of being a woman.

>

>Sat Nam

>Theresa

>

>

>

>