Panchamaya Kosha Session Five

This session dealt with the level of joy or spirit, tapping into that which is greater than ourselves. This was done, again, by weaving breathing, stretching, chanting, and meditation through several cycles of activities.

For some reason all were difficult for me today. I am hoping that as I continue to loose weight and increase my exercising, my breathing will be able to be held longer and deeper.

We inhaled and exhaled, then added stretches to the inhaling and stretching, then added chanting to the inhaling and exhaling. My bass voice made a nice harmony to the soprano of most of the women in the class but I could not hold the chant.

In the relaxed sense of the activities, Corinne makes one feel comfortable at whatever level they are able to function, I found myself double breathing to her normal breaths. I focused on my breathing in and then out when Corinne breathed in and then I took another in and out on Corinne's out. I tried to add to the chant as much as possible.

During one of the meditations Corinne suggested we focus on joy through the vehicle of gratitude and how and where that felt in the body. I found it in my upper chest and head. They both felt light and buoyant.

During the Yoga Nidra mindful meditation rest, at the end of the session, when Corinne was guiding us towards the feelings of joy and gratitude, I found myself floating away from her guidance and found myself standing at the bottom of a wide stairway in a calm, lightly colored marble feeling stairwell with a glow of light at the top, the origin of which I could not see.

As long as I was there, I decided to climb the stairway to see what was at the top. It was so easy to climb and my steps were so light, that I almost felt like I was floating. But I wasn't. When I got to the top I found myself at the head of a huge room, again lightly colored with a marble like texture, and the room was bathed on a glow of light.

There were no windows or doors or any other decoration in the room but I did see that the room was filled with countless desks and sitting at those desks, on telephones, were who I decided were angels, spirit guides, and master teachers. They were all very busy and didn't notice me. I had the sense that some were talking to "clients" and others were doing "research."

The purpose of the facility was to help people solve their problems. I had the strong sense that there was never a failure in finding solutions and the entire room was filled with happiness, joy, and gratitude over the work of the participants and their clients.

At the end of the class, when Corinne added the additional possibility of ritual, she passed around a bowl of Rose Quartz crystals. We each took one, held it in our hand, and finished the meditation. As I looked at the rock, I realized that it was the color and texture of that stairwell, those stairs, and the walls of the hall upstairs.

See full Rose Quartz article Crystal Meanings @ CrystalsAndJewelry.com.

"Rose quartz is often called the "Love Stone. Emotionally, rose quartz is used to balance emotions and bring peace and calm. All these things carry energies of forgiveness, tolerance, and compassion to the fore, enabling us to see the good in both ourselves and others. It is used in crystal healing to heal and release emotional wounds and traumas. Divine unconditional love and enhancing our inner awareness of such also brings ease of overwhelming or unreasonable guilt, bringing healing from this which we impose on ourselves."

COPYRIGHT @2002-2014: All Rights Reserved by Robyn A Harton unless otherwise noted.

Panchamaya Kosha Session Four

Interesting Yoga session today if only because earlier in the day my psychologist and I did a hypnosis session which was very much like a Yoga Nidra Mindful Meditation Session.

Then this evening, in quick summary, we breathed, stretched, focused, and meditated. A lot of attention to self and growth today!

In quick review, as the sessions have taken place we have moved from:
1) The Physical Body (using yoga movements) to
2) The Energy Body (using breath work) to
3) The Mental-Emotional Body (using the tool of sound/chant)  and this evening
4) The Wisdom Body (using the tool of meditation.)

This level of the Panchamaya Kosha deals with personality, character, and our beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. We alternated breath work with stretching work with meditation and cycled through these several times before doing the final Yoga Nidra rest.

During the Yoga Nidra meditation, when dealing with beliefs, my "voices" gave me the concept of "Acceptable Grief."

When in deep meditation, most times my mind quiets enough for me to be able to get in touch with deeper thoughts and ideas.

They present themselves in "understandings" or "images" rather than words or text. I refer to these as "my voices."

Then in these BLOG posts, I have to try to interpret what I "felt" into what I "thought."

Acceptable Grief.

grief |grēf| noundeep sorrow, esp. that caused by someone's death: she was overcome with grief. To this definition, I would add a great sense of loss. 

Obviously my concept of Acceptable Grief applies to the path that Gregory has been traveling with Alzheimer's Disease and on which I have chosen to accompany him. We both have been through so much over the last ten years and such quick change over the last four and a half months.

I find that while I still grieve for the loss of my lover, best friend, soul mate, and life companion, I am at peace with our current situation. He is being well taken care of at Lieberman, I am continuing to revitalize my life, and we both are doing well. 

When I am with Gregory I am able to be in the "Here and Now" as he is. Mine by choice, his by circumstances. I try not to think about our past or our future when I am with him.

When I am home I try to be in the "Here and Now" as well and I try not to think about  our past or Gregory in is situation.

For the most part, Gregory is comfortable, content, and happy. For the most part, I am filled with joy, happiness, and contentment.

But the Grief is always with me and now and then surfaces. When it does I pay it attention, cry if I need to, and in some ways embrace it. The concept of Grief not only includes the sorrow but also the joy in Gregory's and my situation. We are both in a good place. I would not have chosen it this way, but none-the-less, we are both in a good place. And that is acceptable. Thus, Acceptable Grief.