Udana Vayu

Tap into your own light and become your own superhero! Lift yourself up and fly!

By mastery of udana vayu, the yogi can walk over water, swamps and thorns without touching them. He can also levitate. – B.K.S. Iyengar

Udana vayu is one of the five pathways of prana, or life force. Udana vayu moves energy up and out and is our expression into the world. There are five currents of prana: apana (down and out), samana (concentrating and balancing), prana (inward), vyana (spreading), and udana (up and out). Udana vayu is the expression of our total life force and is responsible for holding us upright.

If we look at water, swamps, and thorns simply as obstacles, then this sutra is all out our own vitality (inner light) sustaining us and carrying us through obstacles. It’s as if our own being makes us an invincible superhero that carries us through the puddles, swamps, and prickly aspects of life. This sutra leads me to the idea that everything is possible when we let udana vayu express our individual life force and we let ourselves show up fully in the world. The more we allow ourselves to shine, the more is possible. Super powers!

Start the year off letting yourself shine. Take some time to think about the best expression of yourself. Remember that your best self is already in there and already exits. Our role is only to nurture it and let our best shine out.

Three ways to tap into your light and become your own superhero!

To begin, choose 1-3 qualities that are the best expression of yourself. Joyful, playful, focused, patient, compassionate, gentle, expressive, courageous…there are endless options. The already serious person would be wise to invite playfulness into their life to balance their energy. On the other hand, playfulness for the already super light hearted person might bring them into excess. The best expression of yourself is a balance of output and input, effort and ease, receptivity and contribution, a union.

If you can’t think of qualities that are an expression of your inner light, then think about people you admire and note the qualities that you admire about the people. Several qualities may pop right up. Use these. If ideas don’t come flooding in, think about what other people do or have that you covet. Use the emotion to broaden your perspective and think about what the persona or quality is that enabled them to have or do something you admire. Is it determination, selfless service, contentment, lightness, or any other quality that allowed them to achieve whatever it is you covet? It doesn’t even have to be accurate, but whatever you think helped them move into a life you admire is an example of what you hold valuable, a piece of your inner light. The more you cultivate what inspires you, the more light you have to share.

Choose one or all of the qualities for one or all of the superhero training tools below. Develop new sources of support, nourishment, and appreciation for yourself. Hold yourself up.

Body Expression

When ever you notice you feel (your quality here), notice your body position and movements, even note your tone of voice. Are you laughing with your head up and your neck open, are you weighting one leg more than another, do your eyes gaze up or down, what is your mouth doing, where are your hands, your shoulders, etc.? By noticing and remembering how we express our qualities in our bodies, we get two superhero prizes. First, we learn positions we can reenact to cultivate the desired quality. Just as other people’s body language affects your impression of them, your own body language affects your impression of yourself. (Ted Talk) The second benefit is that by knowing how our body expresses (your quality here), you can better recognize activities, interactions, habits, and experiences that you may not have realized grow (your quality here).

Positive Environments

Notice when you feel (your quality here). What are you doing? Take note over an extended period of time and look for any patterns. Does the quality manifest more frequently inside, outside, alone, with people, during new experiences, during a particular time of day or season, etc. What types of environments cultivate your superhero quality? Funnel more of your energy and time into choosing and creating environments that draw your best to the surface.

If you’re in a slump, your thoughts may drift to the idea that you never experience (your quality here). This is something we all experience at times and is normal. Use the negative space to turn that frown upside down! Think about the opposite quality to your ideal: judgment from compassion, hate from love, fear for courage, etc. Do the above exercises in reverse. Notice your body language and environments when you are in a negative space. Use your body awareness to help you become aware of toxic patterns and choices and practice choosing them less often.

Thriving Self Journal

Create a daily journal of your self care actions that help you thrive and be (your quality here) more often. Choose a time of day (lunch, at the end of work, before bed, when you wake) to consistently write down everything you did that day that cultivates your best. This is anything that’s affect is that you feel better physically, emotionally, and spiritually simultaneously. At the very least, two aspects will stay neutral and one will improve. When you notice the aftermath of a habit or action harming you physically, emotionally, or spiritually, then it is not self care. You can overdue or under due anything, even ‘good’ things. The perfect formula is different for every person and can be different day to day. The superhero training is to note all the actions you do each day to support, nourish, and carry yourself with grace through obstacles. If you get to your journal and can’t think of a single thing you did all day that nourished all aspects of yourself, take one conscious deep breath. You now have two self care accomplishments for the day, attention to a thriving self (journaling) and a conscious breath. Done and perfect! It’s not about quantity or quality, it’s about recognizing the ways you can and do save yourself, lift yourself up, and spread good into the world. The more you recognize it, the more it will bubble to the surface from the inside out.

I hope the moonlight brightens the way to see all that you have to offer.

You are your own superhero!

You have everything inside you! Let it shine out!

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