5 Element 3/19
Shiva’s Dance of Love
photo:
Dawn at Karnak Tample.
Filmed at Karnak Temple
Breathing INTO ANAHATA
Dear Anahata Yogi,
This passage covers the quintessential Anahata movement ‘Shiva’s Dance of Love’ also known as ‘The Dove Spreads its Wings’.
When I watched my teacher perform this movement for the first time, I knew I had found my yoga tradition. It is a beautiful layered movement that contains so much that you will discover over time in your practice.
This week we will shift the breath-energy practice and practice breathing in from the earth into the chest (and full ribs), into Anahata Chakra. Connecting the earth to our heart. And inviting in the strength of the Earth energy to support our heart-opening journey. Because it takes courage!
Inhale, imagine energy rise up the body from the earth into the chest and heart space.
Exhale, imagine storing or consolidating the energy in the heart space.
With each cycle of your breath, fill and strengthen your heart with more energy and conscious awareness.
Anahata Chakra
Anahata is the heart Chakra or energetic vortex. Anahata is the central chakra of the 7 – body chakra system. There are 3 above and 3 below (and more beyond the body). As the central chakra, it is the chakra that has the power to balance and open all other chakra’s. It is the gateway. Therefor in the Anahata tradition, we focus and set intention to open Anahata chakra first and to align with it’s wisdom. We do this before we open the 3rd eye or start to unblock the other chakras or awaken kundalini. And, we do this every day, each practice, every time we remember to breathe consciously.
Before we learn to feel the chakras as energies we can connect with their symbols. The symbol of Anahata is Life, vitality and duality in balance (allowing good and bad in balance). From that grows true unconditional love and wisdom.
Our contemporary science is ‘discovering’ or rather proving what the ancient heart based traditions have said and known for thousands of years. Our hearts have and create real energy fields. When we tune into our hearts we create and enter a state of ‘heart-coherence’ which improves all our vital function’s, digestion, stress levels, emotional well-being, cognitive function etc. Out hearts also have a ‘brain’ intelligence, wisdom. When we include our heart’s information in decision making we shift into synchratic thinking.
But our contemporary science still has catching up to do on the spiritual level. Practicing and strengthening our energy fields through the heart allows us to tap into trans-personal information-energy fields . Whether they are energy fields on earth or in densities/dimensions beyond earth. The more (heart) coherent our personal energy field is the more information it can access, discern and process. This opens us to spiritual experiences. We can then deepen our meditation, recall past life, receive transmissions, communicate with non-human beings, read information fields and grow the courage to face shadow and to heal. To heal is simply to facilitate balance and connection/integration.
Shiva’s DAnce OF Love
They say, Shiva the divine masculine principle, conscious intelligence was the first yogi.
He had a lover called Shakti the divine feminine principle, primordial wisdom.
One day Shakti went to Shiva and asked him,
“Tell me, what is love?“
Because Shiva was a great dancer and love is not limited by words, he danced his answer.
As Shiva raised his arms he said, “I want to join with you.”
As he opened his arms he said, “Open my heart, without hesitation“
As he closed his arms he said, “Send you my love without conditions“
As his hands came to his chest he said, “Honor and respect that love“
As he pointed to the ground he said, “With the strength of the earth“
Shakti watched Shiva in awe. Then she asked him, “How did you learn to love this way?”
Shiva smiled and replied, “I practiced with myself first.”
“I chose to join with myself
To open to my own heart without hesitation
To love myself without conditions
To honor and respect my self love
With the strength of the earth”
To do
This week practice feeling you heart and its sensations. This is not necessarily a practice of feeling emotions. Be curious about what you feel before the emotion arises and can be labeled. Feel the presence of the physical heart, moving, circulating blood and the energetic heart, radiating magnetic electricity and warmth.
Practice Anahata-Earth Strengthen Breathing. Inhale breath Earth energy up from the legs into Anahata chakra. Exhale, store the energy in your heart, filling your chest and heart space with more conscious awareness.
Go to your nature spot and practice Anahata-Earth Connection Breathing. Inhale breath Earth energy up from the legs into Anahata Chakra. Exhale breath your heart’s energy down through your legs, into the earth.
Mantra : ‘I choose to open to the wisdom and intelligence of my heart’
Practice the movement “Shiva’s Dance of Love” and if you like memorize the words. You are a library.
5 Elements by the Nile River, Aswan
GO TO YOUR NATURE SPOT
Go to your nature spot and breath earth energy into your heart and your heart energy into the earth, up and down through your legs. With or without doing the 5 Element movement.
Practice Shiva’s dance of love internally with your breath and intention. With or without doing the physical movement.
I recommend remembering the words of Shiva’s Dance this week so that they are always with you.
The yoga teachings say:
Honor and respect yourself as the divine being that you are
Honor and respect the TIME you take for your self, to learn, grow, and evolve
Honor and respect your life (Anahata) . It contains all the teachings you need.
With the strength of the Earth
Hari Om
Optional
This video guides you through an extended version of the Anahata opening, intention setting meditation.
It is a a fundamental practice of the Anahata Tradition, though not ‘technically’ a part of the 5 Element Form.
