Adventures Into Stillness – Taking A Look At The Inner Landscape

Our classes this term have focused on ‘stillness’ – experiencing glimpses both physically and mentally. Taking our inspiration from the Katha Upanishad –

Away from the chatter of the senses

From the restless wanderings of the mind

There is a quiet pool of stillness.

The wise call this stillness the highest state of being.

It is the place where we find unity.

Katha Upanishad

In traditional yoga periods of reflection are taken following each exercise – whether that’s physical (asana), breathing practice (pranayama), meditation or relaxations. By working in this way, we use our consciousness to evaluate what has just happened – asking “was that good for my backache/feelings of sadness/sore throat?” If the answer is yes, I feel a bit better, then it’s safe to continue or repeat, if the answer is no, then we need to modify or do something different. In this method yoga is safe for everyone to practice and over time, we learn the habit to be more present in everything we do in life (you can read more about this here in the post about self-reflection).

When we become still and look within it can be a little daunting – this is one of the reasons some people are ‘on the go’ all the time. Avoiding negative feelings like fear, shame, and anger. One approach can be to see these periods of quiet as an adventure – not to judge but to have compassion and an open mind… allow whatever comes out of the dark corners just to be.

Sometimes, when it’s difficult to feel still and calm in our minds it can be helpful to use sound vibrations – in class we have used the Humming Bee Breath. I hope that this has been useful to students – by sensing the vibrations in our heads it seems to work in a magical way to quiet the thoughts and leave you with a sense of calmness and serenity.

Another method we have explored is the vibrational quality of Sanskrit chants – both created internally and externally. The mantra OM is the primordial sound and has the resonance similar to the Humming Bee Breath: we did this ourselves and also listened to an external source. Other mantras we have listened to include-

The Gayatri Mantra

Om Shanti Om

Twameva Mata

Devi Suktam

The Shanti Path

The ancient yogis believed that Sanskrit sounds had very special vibrational qualities that soothed and healed us in body and mind. I’m sure, like me, you have a certain skepticism about this claim, but as we have gone through the term, I am happy to report that these mantras have had the desired effect in all the relaxation exercises. In some cases, even the most skeptical students were seen to let go into a little light nap! You can find recordings of these mantras on YouTube and Spotify – just don’t listen to them while you are driving or doing anything that could be dangerous if you fall asleep.