TAPPING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS

Iam not actually referring to these

things. No doubt, they are

important to create a certain

atmosphere. When the students

walk in, they will settle down much

more quickly. If they are in an agitated

state, the calm vibrations of the room

will help them shift gears, and this will

also assist them to focus better

throughout the session. A calm and

refined ambience is therefore desirable,

but it is not absolutely critical. Let me

explain what I mean.

There is one thing that is more

important than the actual atmosphere

of the yoga space; that is the

consciousness of the teacher. I have

taught hatha yoga at a spa, where the

room was next to a racquetball court. I

am currently teaching at my work, using

what is actually an activity room for

seniors that is adjacent to a busy

hallway. Neither of these places had or

has the kind of refined ambience we

normally associate with yoga studios. In

fact, they have a "buzzed", or active,

atmosphere, which is not necessarily

conducive to promoting a transcendent

or meditative state.

There is another thing that I would like

to mention. Yoga is not my vocation. It

is rather my avocation. I have never

taught yoga as a career. I did not have

the financial means to rely on the

income from my yoga instruction alone.

Often, I would teach a yoga class a few

minutes after walking out of my office.

Most yoga teachers I know have time to

prepare for their class if they want to.

They certainly don't have to shift gears

like I do, going from a worldly, or what I

call "relative", circumstance, to a more

spiritual activity.

I would also like to say that I have been

meditating for over 30 years. I have

stayed at an ashram in India several

times and studied with a Guru.

Meditation is part of the fabric of my life.

TAPPING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS

When I refer to a sacred

space, most readers may

assume that I am talking

about the physical

characteristics of a place.

For instance, if it is a yoga

studio in which people

attend classes, most yoga

instructors will make

efforts to create an

atmosphere that is refined,

or in Sanskrit, sattwik, in

nature. This may involve

the décor, the carpets, the

soft lighting, the pastel

colors of the walls, the

spacey music, and so on. It

might involve having a

puja table or altar at the

front, images of a spiritual

teacher, or anything which

might contribute to an

ethereal type of ambience.

42 www.yogicherald.com March 2019

MEDITATION

My philosophy about hatha yoga is that

ultimately it was intended as a spiritual

discipline. Its purpose is not simply to

stretch and tone muscles or massage

internal organs, or even offer repose or

relaxation. I have found that hatha yoga

is ultimately a tool to lead in to

meditation. Without meditation the

state of transcendence, or in Sanskrit

Samadhi, is difficult to attain. I am not

advocating a particular meditation

technique. Any practice that leads to a

withdrawal of the senses and thereby

unfolds a mindless state is worth

pursuing.

My goal in any yoga class is simply to

create conditions in which the

consciousness of the people who

attend is very different when they leave,

from when they first stepped inside. For

example, at the venues where I teach,

when they first come they seem chatty

or even gossipy. They talk amongst

themselves because they haven't had a

refined, both these challenges have led

me to some important revelations that

have changed the way that I approach

my class. In fact, my whole philosophy

about what I contribute as a teacher has

changed.

I have noted that while the venue is

important, it is actually more where my

consciousness is at that makes a huge

difference. A beautiful room can have

very sacred vibrations, but if I, as the

teacher, am not living a sacred space,

there is no way that I can help lead

participants to that same level of

consciousness. In that sense, my

responsibility as a teacher goes way

beyond ensuring that the technical

(physical) aspects of a hatha yoga

routine are executed properly.

So, in terms of creating a sacred space,

there are a few things that need to

happen, at least in terms of the way that

I approach my classes. Of course, by

"sacred", I am referring to an inner

chance to see each other during the

course of the day. But when they leave,

it seems they float out of the room.

They usually don't exchange any words.

They stay in their inward space.

How can we describe this difference in

their states? At some point in the yoga

class, they have transcended a worldly

consciousness, and have reached a

state of beatitude. We can use many

terms to describe it. We can call it bliss,

transcendence or mindlessness. We can

say that the kundalini has risen to the

point where it has pierced through the

sahasrara, or crown chakra. One can

describe it in any which way, but unless

you have that direct experience of

blessedness, these labels are really just

intellectual constructs or concepts.

Getting back to the fact that I have had

to go from the office to the yoga class

and "shift gears" so completely, and

that the atmospheres of my teaching

venues are not necessarily highly

There is one thing that

is more important than

the actual atmosphere

of the yoga space; that is

the consciousness of the

teacher.

March 2019 www.yogicherald.com 43

CONSCIOUS YOGA

Any practice that leads

to a withdrawal of the

senses and thereby

unfolds a mindless state

is worth pursuing.


MEDITATION

space, not to an outer one, although the

two are interconnected. I need to

transform the fabric of my own

consciousness in order to lift the

vibrations of all the participants who

attend. Let me talk about how I do this.

The first step is that when I step out of

my office, I have to quickly "connect". I

usually have about ten minutes before

the class starts. So I go into the

washroom, and perform a powerful

mudra routine. A mudra is generally a

hand posture or gesture, although it can

involve other parts of the body as well.

The reason it works is that I do it with

intensity, sincerity, and utter focus. The

effect is that my consciousness gets

opened, and I then operate from a very

different dimension. The fact that I can

do this in a washroom completely

blows away any concepts I have about

where a human being can open up

spiritually.

The mudra I use is simple. My arms are

to my sides. I sweep them up in a wide

arc while inhaling and they meet above

my head. I then lower them to the level

of the brow on the out-breath, the

fingers pointing upwards, the palms

together. This is known as the

salutation, or anjali mudra. I also say a

brief prayer, asking that the class be

conducted with vigilance, that everyone

stay safe, and that the space gets lifted

as well.

efforts, and will start to meditate as

well. We routinely meditate for at least

five minutes before the start of the class.

I don't expect that in this initial

meditation, the participants will be able

to slow their minds down sufficiently.

So, when the meditation is over, and

before doing warm-up stretches, we do

a mudra that I find is one of the most

powerful and direct ways for

participants to ground their energy and

get into the space. I sometimes perform

this mudra at the end of the class as

well. It is similar to the anjali mudra I

referred to above, but has an extra step.

The participants are seated with their

legs crossed. On the inhalation I ask

them to sweep their arms up slowly in a

wide arc, bringing their two palms

The fact that I place the hands in front

of the ajna chakra is significant. When I

perform this exercise, I can often feel it

stirring, a sign that the kundalini energy

has started to rise and that the

consciousness has lifted in my nervous

system. When I step out of the washroom,

I feel more "blown". Even if I don't have

that feeling, and I still retain some of the

office vibrations, I will know that there is

still opportunity to shift gears.

For instance, before a class, I try always

to meditate in the room where I will

conduct it. Even if it is only for five

minutes, I find my meditation lays the

groundwork for cultivating a sacred

space. The meditation lifts the vibration

of the entire room. Also, I find that when

the students arrive, they will respect my

A mudra is generally a

hand posture or gesture,

but doing it with intensity,

sincerity and utter focus

may lead you to a very

different dimension.


conscious teaching

very slowly through the nostrils,

bringing their attention to the action

of breathing; the expansion that

happens in the abdomen, ribs and

chest on the in breath, and the act of

fully expelling the breath on the

exhalation. I urge them to become

"one" with the breath.

I then have them hold the out breath

after fully expelling, and at the same

time, have them focus on the space in

front of their closed eyes. As the

breath pauses, so do the thoughts.

The connection between the breath

and the mind becomes obvious. It all

stops as the practitioner waits for the

breath to come, and the mind reaches

a state of suspension. This is really the

culmination of the meditation and the

yoga session. It is in a state of pure

anticipation and openness that the

waves cease in the mind.

Note that I ask them to hold their

breath only for as long as they feel is

comfortable, and start the out breath

when the urge arises. There is no

together above their head. On the

exhalation, I ask them to lower their

hands to the level of the brow, the

palms together, and the fingers

pointing upwards. I then ask them to

leave their right hand where it is, and

to bring their left hand to the level of

the belly (their solar plexus), turning

the palm upwards in a slightly bowl-

shaped position.

At this point I say something briefly

about how, in this posture, we

connect the earthly part of our nature

with our spirit. We stay in this

position, with the spine erect, for at

least a minute. I sometimes open my

eyes, and it is so beautiful to see the

students sitting in this powerful

fashion, radiating a spiritual energy

that is palpable. I then ask them to

bring the left hand to join the right

one. Both hands are then lifted above

the head on the inhalation. On the

exhalation the arms are lowered

slowly in a wide arc, with the elbows

slightly bent.

We then proceed with the yoga class. I

much prefer flow sequences, where

we move seamlessly from one posture

to the next. The movements

themselves become a type of

meditation, as do the poses. Of

course, the breath is important to

maintain throughout. The point is that

it is all meant to shift the

consciousness of the participants.

I must mention that at present I am

teaching during people's lunch hours,

so there is not much flexibility

regarding the duration of the class. I

try to include a final meditation at the

end. Unlike traditional approaches, I

give people a choice whether to

meditate in the sitting posture or lie in

Savasana at the end of the class. The

meditation begins with a focus on

breathing.

As with other aspects of my yoga

class, the pranayama that I present is

improvised. Rather than doing

alternate nostril breathing, I urge

participants to begin by breathing

We need to

connect the

earthly part of

our nature with

our spirit.


MEDITATION

Sometimes before they get up, I point out

how the vibrations of the room have been

lifted, that there is a type of scintillation in the

air. They will all seem to agree. But I also

suggest that this is as much a function of the

change in their awareness, and that it is not

happening outside of themselves. They also

seem to understand this because they are

having the direct experience of the

meditative, or samadhi state.

So the sacred space we reach is an inner one.

I specifically design the class to promote a

transcendent type of consciousness. The

methodology is not conventional, but neither

are the circumstances in which I teach the

class. However, my major revelation

throughout has been that it is up to me to live

that space. If I am feeling spiritually

connected, there is a good possibility that the

participants will follow.

forcing of a natural process. The breath

comes when it desires to do so. This is a very

important point because I know that this type

of pranayama can be done in a way that is

not beneficial if one does not stay tuned in to

the inner flow. The breathing exercises last for

about two minutes and the rest of the

meditation is a silent one.

By the end of the meditation, there will have

likely been a shift in consciousness. When

everyone opens their eyes, it takes a moment

to adjust. No one just gets up and leaves.

Usually, they are unsteady as they lift the body

from the ground and find their legs. This is a

sign of having reached a transcendent state of

consciousness, or at least a bodiless state. And

then people finally float out of the room. I urge

students not to talk at the end of the class,

because that will abruptly bring them back to

a more worldly consciousness. It is better if

their attention stays inward for some time.

However, I am not strict about it, especially if

someone wishes to ask me something.

Charles Shahar is a clinical

psychologist by training and

social researcher by

profession. He has lived and

studied Vedanta philosophy

in India. He has also taught

yoga and meditation for

over 17 years to diverse

groups, focusing specifically

on stress management for

health care workers.

A beautiful room can have

very sacred vibrations, but if

I, as the teacher, am not

living a sacred space, there

is no way that I can help lead

participants to that same

level of consciousness.


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TAPPING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS