PART FOUR: Energetic DNA
The Eight Extraordinary Vessels
Yogic Exercises for Meridian Therapy
A Four Part Course on Chinese Medicine and Yoga
With Angela Patriarca LAc.
Module One: Energetic Anatomy: Meridians, Chakras and Nadis
February 11–12
Module Two: The Five Transformations: Organs, Emotions and Spirit
May 13–14
Module Three: Practicing in Rhythm: Solar, Seasonal and Lunar Cycles
August 26–27
Module Four: Energetic DNA: The 8 Extraordinary Vessels
November 4–5
CONTENTS
1. Nature of Suffering
a. The Eight Extraordinary Vessels: An Overview
b. The Five Spirits
2. Pre and Postnatal Channels
a. Prenatal Psycho Emotional Pain
3. Eight Extraordinary Vessels
a. First Ancestry: Chong, Ren and Du Vessels
b. Second Ancestry: Yin Wei, Yang Wei, Yin Qiao, Yang Qiao
c. First, Second and Third Ancestry: Dai Vessel
4. Suffering from a Yogic Perspective
a. Nadis, Chakras and Granthis
b. Removal of Mental Problems
5. Meditation
a. The Technique
“The most common manifestation of underlying mental problems is dissatisfaction with the present… you may have noticed when you do your yogic practices that you sometimes feel a wonderful sense of joy welling up from within you. This is particularly noticeable when you are mentally balanced and when you perform with intense awareness… during your most memorable yoga practices, you were absorbed in the practice at hand; you stopped obsessively dwelling on the other unrelated thoughts. Your attention was on the now… This living in the present is an essential part of yoga.”
“...subconscious disturbances, childhood impressions, etc. do not disappear when a person is not aware of them. They remain in the mind and can cause havoc in an individual’s daily life. The parts of the subconscious mind that one is not aware of at present are every bit as real as internal or external things of which we are aware.”
“Because some people don’t fully accept that the mind is the real reason behind their dissatisfaction, and perhaps that the contents of the mind are somehow imaginary, they usually attempt to alter their outer interaction with life and other people… it is necessary to explore and clean out the negative contents of the mind. The method that we will discuss in this topic is meditation practices.”
Saraswati, Swami Satyananda, p. 273-279, 2013 A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya
NATURE OF SUFFERING
In parts one to three of this course, we have seen a way to bring balance and harmony to yin and yang, the five phases, the five emotions through the seven dimensions kriya practice, breathing techniques, practicing in rhythm with seasonal and daily changes and for those of us who have read the book, through making dietary shifts to address personal imbalances.
Say we have reached a pretty good day to day flow with our habits and practice. The right and left pulses are balanced to a good enough degree and we have enough resources to fuel the way we choose to live our lives. Some of us may even be able to stand on our hands, floating off the floor, slide into the splits with ease and have steadiness and ease in our asana practice. Perhaps we have attained the seven basic postures and are happy enough with the habits we have in place, yet there is still a deep sense of dissatisfaction with ourselves, or even a sense that we are still not on our path or that we don’t feel connected to who we truly are.
Maybe we still struggle with chronic, complex health issues that remain unresolved. Maybe we have experienced past and present traumas that we know we need to express and resolve, but we don’t know how to do it. Where can we turn when we feel like all roads have been exhausted and we still are wanting things to shift?
In Chinese Medicine, this kind of suffering is not the everyday, momentary kind of suffering, which has to do with the twelve primary channels, their emotions and energetic fluctuations. This deep level of frustration occurs at the level of “self” or the level of jing essence and usually shows itself to us through either chronic health struggles, deeply held attachments or addictions, or as a deep and profound questioning of “who am I?” or “why am I still not happy?”.
As we have learned, we are born into this life with prenatal essence. These are the attributes (or DNA) that come with us into this lifetime. They hold aspects of our natural, innate personality, as well as our predispositions for disease. We cannot change what we come into this life with, however, we can make use of our day to day resources in a way that works at the constitutional level, and therefore does have a profound impact on our genetics, personality and even change whether or not we will express inherited disease. To work at this level, we must address the vessels that are at the level of “self”.
In Chinese Medicine there is not a separation between types of suffering. Physical pain is not separate from emotional and spiritual pain. When we treat the physical we are treating the emotional and spiritual and when we treat the spiritual, we are treating the physical and emotional.
According to the Ling Shu, (the second part of the Huang Di Nei Jing), chapter 8, “all diseases are rooted in the spirit”. This famous passage is foundational in Chinese Medicine. It means that a practitioner must always treat a patient based on their level of consciousness or the “conditions of his spiritual activities”. It also means that the superior doctor will always treat the spirit first and foremost.
Another way to look at this passage is that illness is a part of our soul’s journey, or the unfolding of our curriculum. Jeffrey Yuen interprets this passage to mean that our shen (spirit) is channeling the destiny (ming) of our soul, and that illness is a part of what we need to experience (and others around us) in order to grow and develop. Therefore, illness becomes a signal that can bring awareness to attitudes, beliefs and lifestyles that are contributing to the disease.
This part of the course is about changing beliefs that keep us in our holding patterns. To do this, one must first desire change. If one does not, this is ok. It may be a case as the zen master said, “more suffering may be necessary.”
For the best results when working at this constitutional level, one should also have enough resources. This includes qi, blood and fluids, a daily practice of some kind and an emotional support network of close friends and/or family.
THE EIGHT EXTRAORDINARY VESSELS: AN OVERVIEW
The eight extraordinary vessels deal with (yuan) source level qi, which is one’s constitutional energies. Yuan source qi is given to us in part by our parents (and prior generations) and is in part granted by the heavens. We call the energy that comes from yuan source qi, jing essence and we store it in our Kidneys.
Jing is stored in the Kidneys and represents the deepest level of energy.
Here are the levels from superficial to deep:
wei (defensive qi) - ying (nutritive qi in primary channels) - yuan (source qi we inherit)
When one works with the eight extraordinary vessels, they powerfully change their fate and can even alter their genetics. This allows one to become the creator of their lives, their reality and their destiny. Originally, these channels were never treated, most likely due to the power they hold.
Fate, or destiny in the Chinese language is called ming. Ming stored in the body is called mingmen. This is described as the gate of destiny or vitality. It is the place we store our curriculum, our human potential.
Mingmen is stored in our bodies between the right and left kidney. The mingmen acupoint is found on the spine directly behind the belly button. This area should always remain warm and full of qi so that our potential can circulate out into our bodies.
THE FIVE SPIRITS
When we start looking into our energetic DNA, which is held and expressed through the eight extraordinary vessels, it is helpful to know which of the organ systems and spirits/emotions we are dealing with, as they help us decide which extraordinary vessel to pay attention to and work with.
In Chinese Medicine, wu shen “the five spirits”, are the aspects of our mental and spiritual experiences that paint the picture of what it means to be human. When they are in balance, we have the consciousness and awareness to live our lives in a way that aligns with our soul’s purpose and fulfills our destiny or fate. We call this “ming”.
When there is pathology of the five spirits, our energetic vibrational field will usually shift towards the resonance of the lower chakra levels, which have to do with attachment, fear, shame, guilt, apathy and victimhood.
This causes an overall feeling of not being in control of one’s life, or that we are not the ones deciding how we are allowed to live our lives.
Conscious Intent
To balance the five spirits is to give us a sense that we have the capacity to change our lives through conscious intent.
If we want to create change in our emotional and spiritual experiences, we apply the same knowledge as when we want to improve our asana: we find our capability gaps.
To find our unconscious gaps in our inner being, we have to find our holding patterns.
Holding Patterns
What are we not willing to give up, feel, or change? The five spirits and the eight extraordinary vessels give us a tremendous amount of information about where we are stuck, what beliefs need to be updated and what habitual tendencies keep us in an unhealthy pattern.
We are constantly getting clues as to where we get “stuck” by an inner knowing, a gut impulse or inner voice. These impulses come from the eight extraordinary vessels and are expressed through the Heart.
Review of the five spirits
The five spirits can activate an impulse that creates the spark of change and brings us into greater alignment with who we truly are. Change occurs as we bring parts of ourselves out of the unconscious into the conscious through the experience of the five spirits.
Shen: Heart
Our capacity for being aware of current reality. It's our clarity of thought and is our ability to embody knowledge as wisdom. It governs the five senses, and therefore is very much the spirit responsible for sense withdrawal (pratyahara) and how we take in the world. It is also a large part of our personality, or how we express ourselves in the world. The shen is conscious of our emotional experiences and can prescribe value to them and use them for growth. The resonance of the universal shen is the same resonance or tone inside our human Heart. When we feel the tone of our Heart, or shen, we know what is right for our body or not.
Shen when agitated or out of balance can result in sleep disorders, cognitive disorders, anxiety, depression, inability to think clearly, relationship issues, and learning disorders.
Po: Lungs
How the soul is experienced on a physical level. Responsible for physical sensation and the holding of memories in the physical tissues of the body. Is born when the body is born, and dies when the body dies.
When there is imbalance in po, there can be physical pathologies such as auto-immune disease and hypersensitivity. Mentally, we get stuck. We get stuck in our thoughts, our relationships, our growth and capacity to change. There can be compulsion, obsessive disorders, rigidity, and addiction.
Hun: Liver
Hun is the spirit that allows us to move with ease and creativity in the world of thought, imagination, and dreams. It follows the shen, so when the shen isn’t very conscious it can cause the hun to wander. It allows us to envision the possibilities in our lives. It lives through the eyes during the day and returns to the liver at night. It gives us the impulse to ascend in consciousness and awareness and has an upward and expansive movement. At death it is said to descend, which is against its nature, outward through the anus.
When the hun is imbalanced, we tend towards favoring one single emotion. We become inflexible in thought as we become dominated by one singular experience and easily lose perspective of reality. In this state it becomes difficult to respond emotionally. We may even forget about physical needs in pursuit of heightened mental or spiritual states. Denying emotional states through rationalizing is also a pathology of the hun.
Yi: Spleen
The yi is our ability to learn new things and mentally process and respond to experiences. Some say it's the intellect, but it has more to do with the part of us that is capable of producing an intention to think something through. It also is our capacity to recollect past experiences and learn from them.
Another translation, by Deborah Woolf, an acupuncturist and scholar of the classical texts, is that yi is the sound of the Heart. When you are aligned with zhi, you use your yi to connect with the Heart.
Zhi: Kidney
Zhi is about getting rooted in our destiny. It's our drive, ambition and enthusiasm to ground into our purpose and move forward in life. Zhi is also our ability to recall information, like four times four equals sixteen.
We typically group the zhi and yi together, as they are interdependent. They consolidate our cognitive functions to help us disperse ourselves in a way that keeps us from developing disease. They help us embrace change, knowing who we are and what it is we need to do in order to evolve.
When zhi and yi work together, they allow clear thought and the use of intelligence to hold our experience over time and create movement forward.
When there are pathologies in the zhi and yi, it is very common to see digestive issues, because of the involvement of the Spleen. There also can be lethargy, apathy, lack of stability, overwhelm and a diminished sense of being able to act or move forward from the involvement of the Kidneys. Because both the zhi and yi involve our mental capacities, there can be cloudy thinking or confusion as well.
PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL CHANNELS
Any channel that is activated when we take our first breath is considered a post-natal channel. These are the sinew, primary, luo and divergents.
Our channel system’s main job is self-preservation, which means maintaining organ function. Each channel group has a unique way of defending our organs from threat.
We process most of life’s experiences through the primary channels. We may wake up in a mood, but after a cup of tea and a shower, that mood may completely be gone. This means our primary channels that are responsible for the twenty-four seven functioning of the organs are able to quickly and effectively process our earlier emotions and mood so that we no longer feel the same way.
When we are practicing yoga asana and kriya, we are moving around the qi, blood and fluids of the five yin organs and their associated emotion and spirit. Circulating these vital substances help us skillfully deal with life. In general yoga practices help us to move qi and blood and help balance emotional disturbances.
An example of the kind of stress that is resolved by the postnatal channel system would be an argument you have with a coworker, or a stress you have because of the way your child is behaving towards you. These kinds of situations are usually handled by these channels.
This kind of stress is different from the kind of stress that moves us into a state of self-preservation. Now we are starting to talk about what mechanisms we have in place to help us survive, which means maintaining organ function.
Where the eight extraordinary vessels energetically exist in the body:
Wei qi level: primary meridians; sinew meridians; divergents (exterior)
Ying level: primary meridians; luo vessels; divergents (interior; blood level)
Yuan (source) level: eight extraordinary vessels; divergents (jing level)
Twelve Sinew channels - Wei level defensive layer, armor the musculoskeletal system which helps to brace against external attack. This allows you to either fight back or run. They store body memory so that they don’t influence organ functioning.
Sixteen Luo channels - These are the blood vessels that divert pathogens into the periphery and surface of the body so that they stay far away from the organs.
Twelve Primary meridians - Responsible for digesting experiences. If they are flowing well, you can digest well. If you can digest well, you can decipher what to hold on to and what to not hold on to. What is nourishing, and what is not nourishing.
Twelve Divergent channels - They take whatever can not be digested and is registered as pathogenic, and shunt it into the joints so that it stays away from the organs.
Eight Extraordinary vessels - Prenatal influence. Holds our genetic DNA and are most related to who we are. Some emotional issues are so difficult and destructive, they overwhelm the postnatal system. They are usually traumatic in nature and they become a part of the things that we have to work through to become more of who we are. These are the challenges to meaning and purpose in our lives. We can either be defeated by these challenges or we can see them as the work we can do to become a freer version of ourselves. They are the foundational channels of who we are as human beings.
PRENATAL PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL PAIN
If we want change, it is incumbent on us to pay attention to the themes in our lives that cause us challenges and result in disturbances to the shen. The sufferings that are repetitive and cyclical in nature are usually beliefs and thoughts that are stuck in the level of prenatal qi. Psycho-emotional suffering is deeper, longer lasting, recurring, and you can see the themes over time that stay with a person.
Prenatal level pathologies result from:
Trauma that is big enough to impact your sense of self or survival.
Trauma that has occurred in utero or in the first seven/eight year cycle of jing. This happens because when we are born and in the first years of life, our postnatal channels have not been fully formed, so we rely heavily on our prenatal qi.
Evolutionary stress or extraordinary life events (things that change the way we choose to live our lives).
Intergenerational trauma (anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, addiction etc).
So how do life experiences reach the prenatal constitutional level?
If trauma is severe enough or we have lived with it long enough, we may begin to identify with it. We do this by developing beliefs that support the pathological pattern that prevent us from releasing it. We live under the illusion that we are the trauma, or at the very least we deserved it. We can not change this kind of deep level pathology at the level of postnatal qi.
BALANCE OF POST AND PRENATAL QI
Prenatal - SELF - acceptance - allowance - gratitude - devotion - authenticity - unity/wholeness
Postnatal - EGO - striving - competing - self protecting - feelings of inadequacy - conditioned self - separate from the whole
For a person to be healthy we have to balance our postnatal channels with our prenatal channels. We have to balance our ego with our true selves. Your authentic self should have a stabilizing effect on your ego in order for you to exist in the truest version of yourself. We need moments where we remember wholeness and also moments where we are able to function in the duality of postnatal reality.
EXISTENTIAL CRISIS
Existential crisis is what separates pre from postnatal psycho emotional suffering and is the main differentiation for when to use the eight extraordinary vessels and when not to. Existential crisis happens when there are pathological beliefs and psycho-emotional challenges that affect us at the level of “self”. This is very deep wounding, being deeply unhappy, usually caused by trauma, that interrupts or knocks us off our path.
Other reasons could be severe illness, unproductive lifestyle choices, chronic conditions that do not respond well to the standard of care, problems that are complex and causing disruption on multi-organ levels AND have a deep and profound impact on the core of who we are.
EIGHT EXTRAORDINARY VESSELS
(The following is based on the lecture series by Yvonne Ferrell titled, 8 Extraordinary Vessels: Diagnosis and Treatment of Psycho-emotional Pain)
These are the vessels that exist at the deepest level of qi. We call this level, the jing essence level. These vessels are ocean-like reservoirs that collect from and flow into the twelve main primary channels. When there is excess in the primary rivers, that excess flows back into its corresponding reservoir or ocean. The opposite is also true. When there is deficiency in a channel, we can pull from the eight extraordinary vessels to replenish our rivers.
They act as reservoirs that store vital substances. (qi, blood, fluids, jing essence and shen spirit)
Links to all seven orifices: nostrils, eyes, ears, mouth, urethra, anus and mind (heart orifice).
This is very important for how pratyahara, or withdrawing of the senses, gains us access to the eight extraordinary vessels.
Reservoirs
Chong vessel - blood and yuan (source) qi
Ren vessel - body fluids and ying qi
Du vessel - yang qi
Dai vessel - ming men fire
Yin Wei and Yin Qiao vessels - yin substances (blood and body fluids)
Yang Wei and Yang Qiao vessels - yang substance (qi)
Main themes of each vessel:
Chong vessel: forgetting who we truly are - “Who am I?”
Ren vessel: feelings of sorrow over being unlovable
Du vessel: lack of potency
Yin Wei: discontent with life
Yang Wei: unhealthy boundaries
Yin Qiao: lack the capacity for self illumination or insight
Yang Qiao: stuck in overdoing
Dai vessel: investment in trauma
FIRST ANCESTRY: CHONG, REN AND DU VESSELS
CHONG VESSEL: SEA OF BLOOD
Themes
Loss of identity “who am I?”
Loss of sense of self - could be from a devastating loss of someone close to them, birth trauma, receiving a life threatening diagnosis, cultural entanglement (you don’t hold the same values or feel separated from your family of origin. They want you to be one way, and you need to be another to feel true to yourself)
There is a loss in connection to their primordial self, their inner playful child
Pathologies
Prenatal aspect of in-utero, gestation, and intergenerational transmission
Postnatal aspect helps us bring ourselves back to the wholeness of our prenatal state
Identity crisis
Search for authenticity
Generational, childhood trauma (especially in first two years)
Inability to be grounded
Blood mediates emotion
Disruption of blood and yuan source qi (blood stasis and chronic fatigue)
DU VESSEL: SEA OF YANG
Themes
Lack of motivational force to impact the world
Capacity to impact through action
Lack of potency
They fall deeply into apathy, losing will and ambition
Action that is taken is ineffectual (yang deficiency- lack of qi pushing the blood through the rivers)
Action can also be aggressively yang and can lack control (yang excess)
Pathologies
Impotence, fertility and also people who feel ineffective in life.
Can’t let go of the idea of someone taking care of them or make their lives easier (pathological entrenchment in the maternal matrix)
Loss of consciousness (lights are on but nobody's home), difficulty being present
Inability to engage with the external world (not agoraphobia, but a lack of courage to face the world)
Too tired to care
When in excess we see heat with no anchor rising up the Du channel from the mingmen and the heart and mind get agitated and fried (anger management issues, overly aggressive to no good purpose)
Separation anxiety (and getting upset when there is separation)
REN VESSEL: SEA OF YIN
Themes
Disconnection from oneself and life in general
Having difficulty acknowledging or receiving love
They express love conditionally. “I love you, therefore you must be like this for me.”
They give you everything they think they should give you and are never satisfied by how you love them
This kind of pathology usually comes from bonding that has occurred in the first two years of life. We need to look into our mother’s eyes and see love, feel loved and be one with that love
If one does not get that, they can manipulate people they are bonded to in an attempt to get what they need, but never are actually able to receive that love
They struggle with self love and therefore, self care
Usually have “mother” issues (bonding issues)
Pathologies
Inability to love oneself
Caretaker syndrome, someone who is so busy taking care of others and have none left for themselves
Sense of isolation in a community
Struggle to embrace one’s sexual orientation (self-acceptance)
Energy leakage, people who can’t hold themselves together
SECOND ANCESTRY: WEI AND QIAO VESSELS
Wei Vessels
Uses resources of the first ancestry
Links the interior of the body with the exterior
How we use our resources over time
How jing gives birth to experience
Maintain continuity of self through “transition” (menopause, seven/eight year cycles of jing, rights of passage, new job, new parent, divorce, loss of a loved one)
Both have master points on wrist
YIN WEI
Transports resources from the Chong vessel
Demonstrates how the yin, the physical structure of the body, changes over time
The fabric that holds the images of our lives over time
How do you feel about aging?
Themes
Discontent with life
Struggle with self-worth
Often willing to sell their soul to get what they think they want, and then are usually left unsatisfied. “Grass is always greener” syndrome
Deep unhappiness with the state of their lives, and prefer a quick fix to things
Frequently caught in a fantasy life, (perfect partner, perfect house, etc.) and are just waiting for it to happen
Difficulty digesting internal experiences, which translate to digestive issues
Pathologies
Lack of self worth
Difficult staying in body and taking up residence in their own lives
Uses the resources of the Ren vessel over time, so has to do with self-acceptance and gratitude for current reality
Spend more time dreaming about what they wish they had instead of using what they do have to improve their lives
Failure to live up to expectations that one sets for themselves
YANG WEI
Transports resources from the Dai vessel
Reflects the activities, the movements that the physical structure takes over time
Weaver of that fabric
What did you have to do to get those images
Can we act in a way that is consistent with the essence of who we are and promotes growth and evolution?
Correct action versus self-sabotage
Themes
Have difficulty with healthy boundaries
Can’t stand a good thing. Will always self-sabotage from a fear-based reaction
Usually have fear based on failure in their past
Range of conditions, but will almost always complain of “feeling stuck”
Prone to passive-aggressive behavior, because they can’t directly deal with conflict
Their anger usually is turned inward, which can lead to depression
Prefer to blame others for their failures and discomfort
Pathologies
Self-sabotage
Unwilling to directly engage conflict
Anger management with fear issues (fear of anger or of loss of control)
Passive aggressive tendencies
Depression (anger turned inwards)
Inability to deal with transition and change
Indecisive due to lack of courage (gallbladder)
Qiao Vessels
Transports resources of the first ancestry
Related to perspective and stance in life
Ability to see oneself and the world around us
Begin in the ankles (stance) and intersect at UB-1 (perspective)
Key is to balance these two vessels to be healthy
YIN QIAO
Transports resources from the Ren vessel
Stance:
Arch support that determines posture
When everything is stacked right and aligned, everything functions better
How do you stand up to yourself?
Honest, truth and integrity with ourselves
When it comes to our own growth and development, we are sometimes our biggest block
Perspective:
Ability to look inward (wei qi directs the qi inward)
Ability to gain insight of self, self-reflective, meditative
We change the world by changing ourselves first
Introvert
Themes
Supports healthy relationship to the body
Impacts hormonal function for emotional balance
Supports cognition of gender roles and sexual orientation as it has to do with internal alignment and ability to know one’s truth
Tend to have too much excess in the abdomen (yin in nature- cold and damp)
This blocks the orifices and so lacks insight
Difficulty with momentum because they aren’t connected to their purpose
Tired all the time and overly sleepy
Pathologies
Lack grounding
Can’t see themselves very well
Distorted body image
Challenges with socialization of sexual identity, they struggle to find acceptance in a community
YANG QIAO
Transports resources from the Du vessel
Stance:
About creating a framework for locomotion
When this vessel is working well and the Yin Qiao is alignment, we have a healthy framework for how muscles attach to bones
How do you stand up to the world?
Informed by how you define yourself in the present moment
How we extend ourselves into the world
Perspective:
Facing outward
Wei qi directs the vision (eyes) outward
Change the world in order to change ourselves
Extrovert
Themes
Over-extended to the point of exhaustion
They don’t know how to stop. They keep going and going and going
Human doings, not human beings
This compulsion comes from trying to create value and never quite achieving it
This is difficult on the structures of the body, so there may be frequent headaches, pain, spine pain
Uncomfortable in their bodies. When they sit still, they feel the pain
Difficulty sleeping
Pathologies
Always trying to change the external
Overextension into the world
Constant state of rebellion (hostility with the world around them)
Inability to see the big picture
Doing vs. being
May have difficulty or feel anxious in savasana, meditation or qigong
FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD ANCESTRY: DAI MAI
DAI MAI: SEA OF MING MEN
Themes
Invested in trauma that is consuming their resources to keep it suppressed down away from their heart
There aren't a lot of resources left over to grow and evolve
Usually the trauma associated with Dai Mai involves boundaries being violated
Once the suppression is created, the trauma is still there and vibrates at a specific frequency, so that same resonance is attracted in their lives until it is cleared
First Ancestry
Ren 8 to Du 4
Prenatal function
Sea of mingmen function
Connects us to our resources of the Ren, Chong and Dai vessels
Sparks, coordinates and integrates the function of these three vessels
Second Ancestry
The belt function: GB 26, 27, 28
Postnatal function
Creates latency when the Wei and Qiao vessels are overwhelmed from experience
Pericardium loop - job is to bear the unbearable
When things get stressful, the PC shuts down and cuts off access to the Heart
If this mechanism gets overloaded, it pushes it down into the Dai vessel, until it is safe for it to let it go
Third Ancestry
Postnatal function
No longer just a bucket, it is now a storage container
Stores all the trauma that remain unreleased in the second ancestry
This happens because the individual believes that they cannot survive this experience with their sense of self in tact (extreme trauma, betrayal of self and by perpetrator, violation of physical/emotional/sexual/spiritual boundaries, worst kind of victimization because this kind of betrayal comes with it registering as your fault)
A prolonged survival mechanism of deep suppression
Severe attack on the sense of self, so much so that the survivor wants to forget it even happened
The body will keep throwing dampness at it to keep it dampened down (away from the Heart)
Problem is that stagnation can become toxic or there can be leakage
Only resolution is to clear it out, but one must acknowledge the thing that was originally stored
Impact of this is that we end up using all our resources to keep this trauma stored in this way
SUFFERING FROM A YOGIC PERSPECTIVE
NADIS, CHAKRAS AND GRANTHIS
In yogic terms, the eight extraordinary vessels have to do with the three central nadis, the seven chakras and the three granthis. The three central nadis, ida, pingala, and sushumna, hold the potential to balance our experience between the internal and external. How we perceive ourselves and how we look out and express ourselves to the world.
The sushumna holds at its base, kundalini energy that is potentiated by the balance between ida and pingala. If there is balance, energy can rise up through the spine piercing each granthis. The kundalini energy that rises through the sushumna is our link to higher levels of awareness and bliss.
The seven chakras are centers of subtle energy that contain within them specific frequencies of pranic energy and can open up specific levels of the mind. At the lower chakra levels, they symbolize the instinctual realm of awareness, and progress upward to the higher chakra levels, which symbolize the more intuitive realms.
The potential we hold is for kundalini energy to rise up from muladhara to saharara through the three granthis, or psychic knots. The granthis represent three levels of awareness where illusion, ignorance and attachment is especially strong.
Yogic Exercises for Meridian Therapy provide a path for us to progressively transcend through the seven chakras from root to crown, as seen in the seven dimensions kriya practice, which opens up and energizes these seven pranic centers.
REMOVAL OF MENTAL PROBLEMS
How do we remove mental problems from a yogic perspective? How do we achieve “yoga”, or move towards a state of mind where there are less and less fluctuations? The first thing we must do is prepare the body through asana, kriya, and pranayam practice to receive meditation. This energizes the seven chakras, which means they spin at a higher speed.
At the same time, we must address the psychic component of the granthis. Where are we attached?
If the lower brahma granthi is knotted we are attached to physical and material things.
If the middle vishnu granthi is knotted, we are attached to certain emotional feelings and states.
If the upper rudra granthi is knotted, we are attached to thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and the world.
By evaluating how energized each of our chakras are through the seven basic postures, we are able to quickly to know which granthi, which of the three psychic knots remain blocked. This paves the way for more subtle forms of experience to happen through meditation.
MEDITATION
Yogic Exercises for Meridian Therapy is deeply rooted in the belief that physical yoga practice is done to prepare the body for meditation. Meditation is not something you do. It is something that happens spontaneously to you.
For some, preparing the body will take a lifetime. For others, meditation will become more of the focal point once their body and mind consciousness have ripened. Basic meditation practice is designed to sensitize the senses, balance the energetics and develop the ability to concentrate.
The concept of meditation is a continuous state of mental focus that results in clear insight into the nature of reality. Since meditation is often accessed through specific breathing and concentration techniques, it is important to be aware of the difference between the technique and the state of meditation itself.
Meditation practice employs a variety of exercises which discipline the senses and sharpen concentration as a way to invert the practitioner's awareness and gain access to the light of pure illuminated consciousness.
As with physical practices such as asana, meditation practice is best approached with consistency and diligence. Meditation must not be forced, but rather inspired. A tremendous effort is required in order to achieve effortlessness.
In order to understand the depths of meditation, direct experience is required. Without this experience only a superficial or theoretical understanding can be digested. Guidance by a master will prevent stagnation or misunderstanding generated by the imagination.
On a pranic level, yogic exercises provide us with a system to refine the gross body (muscles and flesh) to the level of the seven pranic centers, or chakras. Meditation is the tool we use to address the more subtle energies of the body, or higher levels of awareness.
THE TECHNIQUE
The following was written by Jonathan Patriarca about Swara Yoga Pranayam as taught by Master HR Suresh.
Ashtanga Pranayama
This is the most auspicious information that forms the basis of swara yoga practice. This practice is known only by a few masters in India and is being taught in very exclusive circles in which individuals have renounced their physical lives in order to practice. My master has made the practice accessible to Indian and Western students without sannyas, the renouncing of one’s life to become a disciple of the practice. As far as we know, this is the first time this information has been written down in English for the general public. He calls this part of the practice, Ashtanga Pranayama.
The practice involves pranayama but the practice as a whole is more subtle with more depth and involves analysis in the advanced stages. The approach of this practice I am teaching is on a practical basis. My intention is to get the student to practice deeply and the theories and questions begin to answer themselves.
The practice is a process separated into stages and series. There are 8 series and each series is separated into 8 stages. Each stage has 3 parts. Each stage is practiced morning and evening for 30 days and the student progresses to the next level. The 1st series will then take approximately one year to complete. I say one year because the practice will be stopped for some reasons along the way. Theoretically, the practice will take 8 years to reach completion. The student can stop at any stage or series along the way and can remain there for as long as the student feels appropriate. For example, after learning the 1st stage of the 1st series the student can remain here for the remainder of his/her practice for years to come. It is only when the student feels inspired to progress will the student move on to the next level. These timelines are merely used as guidelines of the practice. Nevertheless, each stage should be practiced regularly for at least 30 days before progressing. Otherwise, physical and energetic illnesses can occur.
1st Series, 1st Stage
The morning begins with the right nostril (pingala) and evening begins with the left nostril (ida).
Morning Practice
Begin with silent meditation focusing on the sound of the breath in and out the nostrils.
Part one (right nostril)
Full inhale
Closing left nostril
Exhale out right nostril in 2 parts (exhale 50% of air, pause, and exhale remaining 50%)
Keeping left nostril closed inhale right nostril in 3 parts (1/3, pause, 1/3, pause, remaining 1/3)
Kumbhaka (breath retention) 25 counts imagine #1 in the eyebrow center (silently count 1 every count)
Alternate nostril pranayama: close right nostril, exhale & inhale left nostril, close left nostril, exhale & inhale right nostril, close right nostril...repeat 50 times on each side ending on exhale of left nostril.
Meditation: imagine #1 in the eyebrow center and count 50 breaths.
Part two (left nostril)
Full inhale
Closing right nostril
Exhale out left nostril in 2 parts
Keeping right nostril closed inhale left nostril in 3 parts
Kumbhaka: 25 counts imagine #1 in eyebrow center (silently count 1 every count)
Alternate nostril pranayama: close left nostril, exhale & inhale right nostril...repeat 50 times ending on exhale of right nostril.
Meditation: imagine #2 in the eyebrow center and count 50 breaths.
Part three (combination)
Full inhale
Closing left nostril and exhale part, close right nostril exhaling part, close left nostril exhale part, close right nostril exhale part, close left nostril exhale part, pause, keeping left nostril closed inhale part, close right nostril inhale part, close left nostril inhale part, close right nostril inhale part, close left nostril inhale remaining part.
Kumbhaka: 25 counts imagine #1 in eyebrow center (silently count 1 every count)
Alternate nostril pranayama: close right nostril, exhale & inhale left nostril...repeat 50 times ending on exhale of left nostril.
Meditation: imagine #3 in the eyebrow center and count 50 breaths.
Evening Practice
Begin with silent meditation focusing on the far away sounds.
Part one (left nostril)
Full inhale
Closing right nostril
Exhale out left nostril in 2 parts (exhale 50% of air, pause, and exhale remaining 50%)
Keeping right nostril closed inhale left nostril in 3 parts (1/3, pause, 1/3, pause, remaining 1/3)
Kumbhaka (breath retention) 25 counts imagine #1 in the eyebrow center (silently count 1 every count)
Alternate pranayama: close left nostril, exhale & inhale right nostril, close right nostril, exhale & inhale left nostril, close left nostril...repeat 50 times on each side ending on exhale of right nostril.
Meditation: imagine #1 in the eyebrow center and count 50 breaths.
Part two (right nostril)
Full inhale
Closing left nostril
Exhale out right nostril in 2 parts
Keeping left nostril closed inhale right nostril in 3 parts
Kumbhaka: 25 counts imagine #1 in eyebrow center (silently count 1 every count)
Alternate pranayama: close right nostril, exhale & inhale left nostril...repeat 50 times ending on exhale of left nostril.
Meditation: imagine #2 in the eyebrow center and count 50 breaths.
Part three (combination)
Full inhale
Closing right nostril and exhale part, close left nostril exhaling part, close right nostril exhale part, close left nostril exhale part, close right nostril exhale part, pause, keeping right nostril closed inhale part, close left nostril inhale part, close right nostril inhale part, close left nostril inhale part, close right nostril inhale remaining part.
Kumbhaka: 25 counts imagine #1 in eyebrow center (silently count 1 every count)
Alternate nostril pranayama: close left nostril, exhale & inhale right nostril...repeat 50 times ending on exhale of right nostril.
Meditation: imagine #3 in the eyebrow center and count 50 breaths.
Counting in Kumbhaka
Kumbhaka involves the ability to retain the breath for a period of time. In the first stages this count is 25. The counting is performed with the fingers so as not to involve the mind in the advanced stages. This technique is very important to master in the beginning stages.
Before the time of retaining the breath a deep inhale fills the lungs maximum followed by a swallow. Retain the breath and bring the chin towards the chest for a brief moment then bring the head back to normal position. Then proceed with the following technique.
Technique:
The hands rest face up on the knees while in sitting position.
The breath is retained on a deep inhale.
Beginning with the right hand, touch the pinky finger to the palm, followed by the ring finger, middle finger, index finger, and ending with the thumb.
After the thumb is counter it continues to the pinky of the left hand only.
The counting begins again starting with the pinky finger of the right hand, followed by the ring finger, middle, index, and thumb.
Then the ring finger of the left hand.
The counting continues with the right hand followed by the left middle finger. This process continues until the thumb of the left hand is counted.
This completes the 25 counts.
In actuality the count is 30 but we are just using the number 25 counts to make things easier. Unlike the meditation where counting breath is done, kumbhaka uses each count which approximately equals one second. The intention is to have a consistent and regular count but it may vary from time to time because sometimes the retention of the breath becomes difficult. Becoming aware of this difficulty and what can cause it is also part of the practice. The beginner may experience feelings of anxiety and fear, but eventually the kumbhaka becomes relaxed and effortless.
In addition to the counting the student is guided to imagine the number 1 in the eyebrow center. With every finger count the student recites the number one in the mind like this, (one, one, one, one...etc). This technique is to make things easier in the more advanced stages. Furthermore, imagining the number 1 in the eyebrow center creates the practice of focus and concentration. This will automatically improve if awareness is placed on your own ability. This focusing skill is extremely important in the advanced stages of this practice.
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Anuloma Viloma)
Alternate nostril pranayama, also called anuloma viloma, can be practiced as a pranayama technique independently of the ashtanga pranayama. This technique energizes the prana of both the ida and pingala. This pranayama also physically clears the nostrils and begins to balance the natural rhythms of the swara, or pranic energy.
This should be performed with the strength of the belly but not with kapalbhati. Kapalabhati is a forceful exhale quickly pushing the belly towards the spine. Anuloma viloma uses a smooth pressing of the belly rather than a forceful push. The inhale is achieved by the relaxation of the belly occurring almost automatically but not completely. The inhale and exhales should be equal creating a rhythmic pattern of breathing. Finding the correct speed is a matter of practice. Just remember not to be in a hurry.
Bhastrika Pranayama
Bhastrika uses kapalabhati but does not equally alternate nostrils. Starting on the right nostril continuous breathing occurs for a period of breaths starting around 50 times or less for beginners. Then the right nostril is closed and then 50 breaths from the left nostril remembering the kapalabhati.
Different pranayama techniques, excluding Ashtanga Pranayama, simply store, redirect, and control the prana. In other words, it energizes the energetic body as asanas energizes the physical body. So exercising some pranayama techniques are needed to go into the more advanced and subtle practice of Ashtanga Pranayama.
Standing Kapalabhati (Dynamic Breathing)
The most fundamental pranayama and forms the basic exercise of breathing is standing kapalabhati or dynamic breathing. It is also referred to as dynamic breathing because it involves the whole body moving with the breath. This is the most gross form of pranayama and can be compared to Sun Salutations, in relation to asana practice, as it prepares and strengthens the energetic body and lungs for the rest of the practice. This is the most important pranayama for students entering into the practice of Swara Yoga. Dynamic breathing is the bread and butter of pranayama practice.
This technique uses the lower and upper body. The breathing is regular and rhythmic and is performed slightly differently but this will form the foundation of the practice.
Warm up period. Do a few asanas just to loosen up the body to gradually go into the practice. This period takes only 3-5 minutes.
Start with the feet apart creating a solid stance with knees slightly bent. The arms should be bent and hands in the near neck area.
During the exhale of the kapalabhati the arms shoot forward and the knees bend several inches.
During the inhale the body returns to the original position.
Continue the practice for as long as there is no dizziness or muscle pain.
Count the breathing. Exhale/inhale, exhale/inhale is considered one count.
Rest at any point in standing savasana with eyes closed.
Resume when rested.
For beginners just perform a few dozen breaths then rest to see how you feel.
Progress gradually until one feels energized in this practice.
Note: During the exhale in kapalbhati the belly is pushed quickly towards the spine. This breathing will be easier to perform because since the whole body is moving the belly is not able to move in a focused manner. This is intentional and you will notice a difference when performing sitting kapalabhati.
Sitting Kapalabati
Kapalbhati while sitting focuses the breathing from the belly since the body is in a fixed position. This pranayama is more advanced than the preceding dynamic breathing so it should only be done when the student energizes the breath with standing kapalabhati first. This is true with all the pranayama techniques except yogic breathing which can be done by any level student at any time.
Technique:
Sitting in any comfortable position until the basic pranayama sitting position can be achieved
The basic sitting position is achieved by bringing the right heel into the groin area and the left foot being placed on top of the right. The feet should fit comfortably like a puzzle. If the hips and knee joints are tight then this position can be modified to achieve a comfortable sitting position. For example, the left foot can be placed on the ground in front of the right instead of on top. The right and left feet can be interchanged to balance both positions.
The hands can be placed in any position such as chin mudra, both hands resting on knees with palms facing up or facing down, or right palm resting on left palm on lap area.
The spine remains straight and the base of the muladhara is well grounded.
Begin kapalabhati breath counting as you go. Use the counting as a gauge of improvement and gradually increase the counting as it becomes appropriate for your level of energy. The breathing can be as long as a few minutes working up to an hour or so. This depends on your energy and interest level.
If you get tired you can rest in meditation until beginning again.
Yogic Breathing
Yogic breathing can be performed while sitting or when you are doing some basic activities when the mind is not intensely engaged. Yogic breathing can be done when you are walking down the street, resting in a cafe, waiting for a friend, lying in bed, or any time you are able to. This is called yogic breathing because it is a habit that should be developed by yogis/yoginis that improves concentration and focus with all the physical and mental benefits of pranayama techniques.
This technique is simply breathing deeply and concentrating on the energic sound at the nostril area.
Technique:
During the inhale, it completely fills the lungs smoothly and deeply. The whole trunk of the body should expand which includes the belly and the chest. The belly should not go in towards the spine.
Upon exhalation press all the air out of the lungs completely bring the belly towards the spine.
The awareness of the depth, rate, and quality of the breath should be observed by the student using the sound as a focal point. In essence this is the beginning stages of vipassana meditation.
This habit can be developed slowly until the breathing can take place during a whole day.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Farrell, Yvonne. “8 Extraordinary Vessels: Diagnosis and Treatment of Psycho-Emotional Pain - Distance Education.” 8 Extraordinary Vessels: Diagnosis and Treatment of Psycho-Emotional Pain - Distance Education | Healthy Seminars, Healthy Seminars, www.healthyseminars.com/course/8-extraordinary-vessels-diagnosis-and-treatment-psycho-emotional-pain-distance-education. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.
Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine: A New Translation of the “Neijing Suwen” with Commentary. Shambhala, 1995.
Yogic Exercises for Meridian Therapy
A Four Part Course on Chinese Medicine and Yoga
With Angela Patriarca LAc.
Module One: Energetic Anatomy: Meridians, Chakras and Nadis
February 11–12
Module Two: The Five Transformations: Organs, Emotions and Spirit
May 13–14
Module Three: Practicing in Rhythm: Solar, Seasonal and Lunar Cycles
August 26–27
Module Four: Energetic DNA: The 8 Extraordinary Vessels
November 4–5