HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA

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asanas involve the spinal column, as does the following:
(25) Grasp both toes with the hands
[left with left, right with right], keep one leg straight and draw the other to the ear as you would the
string of a bow. This is dhanurasana. (See
Figure 5.)
THE ASANAS 28
Yoga Swami Svatmarama. Hatha yoga pradipika
The spinal cord has two ends: the earth (below) and heaven (above), as is fitting for a "holy
mountain in the center of the world." And--as it should be--the worldly problems are mostly
situated in the lower part and the more ideal ones in the upper one. We cannot be expected to
comprehend this. That the earthly problems are centered in the lower half of the body only he who
knows something about the chakras can realize. The yogi develops understanding only in the third
stage.
We could compare ourselves with a tree that has its roots in the earth and the crown with its fruit in
the sky. Just as we have to satisfy the needs of the roots in order to supply nourishment to the fruit in
the crown, so most asanas are designed to cultivate the root of our tree of life, the spinal column. As
is this asana:
(26) Place your right foot on the outside of the left hip joint and the left foot outside the right knee
[which is flat on the floor]. Grasp the left foot with the right hand [passing the arm to the left side of
the knee] and the right one with the left hand. Turn the head all the way over to the left. This is
matsyendrasana.
[See
Figure 6.]
In the more current variations of this asana the right foot is not grasped by the left hand; instead, the
hand is placed on the back as far over as possible. This is seen in our illustration. Slight variations in
asanas or occasional variations in name have arisen because several teachers developed the same
asanas. The variations occur only in minor points. This becomes quite evident by a comparison of
our Hatha Yoga Pradipika with the more common and much later work, the Gheranda Samhita.
(27) This matsyendrasana increases the appetite by fanning the gastric fire [pitta], and destroys
physical ailments. Kundalini is awakened and the moon made steady.
THE ASANAS 29
Yoga Swami Svatmarama. Hatha yoga pradipika
For the first time the text mentions kundalini, a latent force of highest potential, said to lie in three
and one-half coils, like the snake in the churning of the ocean of milk, sleeping at the lowest center
(muladhara chakra) at the foot of the "tree of life," the spinal column. This serpent power, kundalini,
cannot be described fully, even by one who has succeeded in awakening it. When it awakens, it
shoots through the body like an electric shock, and, trembling and amazed, the person realizes that a
powerful event has taken place within him. This is only the beginning.
The whole body trembles. A door seems to have been pushed open through which a flood of light
flows from some unknown world, a light of incomparable radiance. After a long time the trembling
body becomes calm, but the flash of light shooting through the spinal column to the crown of the
head is unforgettable.
This flash of light is not really the kundalini, however. It is merely a sign of its awakening. The
kundalini itself does not shoot up, but will later rise slowly, passing through the stations (the
chakras), each of which creates another new and powerful experience.
Whether the kundalini can really be awakened through this particular asana alone is questionable.
But the asana will surely be helpful in the process. And the "moon"?
As mentioned above, the "mountain in the center of the world" has the earth at its foot and the sky at
its peak. Between earth and sky are the sun (the center of the planetary system) and the moon.
In the center of the triangle formed by the navel and the two nipples is the "sun" [solar plexus]; at the
upper end of the spinal column, at the medulla oblongata, sits the "moon." "Sun" and "moon" are not
chakras but arespheres that stand directly under the influence of two chakras, lying respectively just
above and below.
Through this asana the "moon" sphere is "massaged," which is all the more important as it is
presumably here that we find the source of the fluid of life (kapha). But also the opposite pole, the
"sun," is affected by this process of twisting the spinal column. And since it is here that the "fire of
life" (pitta) originates, there arises from the combined work of these two well-springs a powerful
stimulating influence upon the physiology of the body.
(28) Stretch out both legs and, taxing hold of the toes, lay your head upon the knees. This is [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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