Sep 11, 2014 | Freediving, Meditation, Yoga
‘When the doors of perception are cleansed man shall see things as they truly are, infinite’ William Blake
Why learn Vipassanna ?
In the past month 2 more of our freediving instructors have challenged themselves with the practice of Vipassana. There are different approaches to vipassana, both of them enrolled for the SN Goenka course, a particularly full on and difficult introduction.
Both of our instructors are pretty adventurous people; but what follows it is an explanation of why a ‘normal’ person might subject himself to a vipassana course.
Lets start with looking at two Buddhist practices, Mindfulness and Vipassana. Aside from Tantric Buddhism, elements of both are a part of most streams of buddhism, yet they are not religous rite or ritual.
Mindfulness
Being in the now; mindfulness is concentrated awareness of the moment to moment.
It is a process of constant redirection of the attention, bringing awareness repeatedly back to the present moment.
We become aware of what we are thinking, feeling or doing or become aware of how mind perceives and experiences the world around us.
It is cultivation of the silent witness, acknowledgement of the present moment without judgement, letting go as the present moment changes. Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere, anytime. Indeed it should be practised as much as possible. It requires little formal instruction but takes a lifetime to master.
Through mindfulness we become less of a slave to unconscious processes and patterns of behaviour. It can positively affect everything from motor skills to deep seated psychological issues. It is also the beginning of single pointed concentration, which is necessary for the development of insight meditation (Vipassana).
Normally practice starts with single pointed focus on the breath in the nostrils or the rise and fall of the belly, (depending on tradition). This single pointed mindfulness practice is the gateway to Vipassana.
Vipassana(insight meditation)
Being in the now, deeper and deeper.
Vipassana is considered by many Buddhists to be the single most important teaching of the Historical Buddha, his other teachings essentially just support for this one practice.
This is the practice that explores at the experiential level, ‘impermanence’, ‘suffering’ and ‘non-self’, three main concepts of Buddhism. It is a technique that provides insight into the true nature of reality, freedom from suffering and according to Buddhist teaching liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Vipassana is deep mindfulness practice, such an intense entering into the present moment that over time our perception deepens and becomes more subtle and the present moment expands into something infinite.
This is NOT something that should be strived for, it is something that happens with the correct practice under guidance over time, naturally.
It is not a transcendental meditation practice, the experience is always firmly rooted in the body and the present moment. With time the body is so deeply felt that you become aware of the body as energy in flux, subtler and grosser forms of energy in flux. This energetic sheath is responsive to thought and emotions and likewise influences the thoughts and emotions.
Vipassana is direct experience of the mind/body connection as an energetic field and how the mind/body interacts with the present moment.
This experience of the mind/body as an energetic field is NOT something to seek or push for it will happen by itself with time and correct practice.
Karma in the body(samkara)
During practice the meditator may experience how most of our behaviour is unconscious, simply a response to the subtler currents of the mind/body.
In this way you realise that it is less important what is happening outside you than the patterns of energy within, which influence your response to external events.
Warm feelings when you see something that reminds you of something good from your past, etc.Patterns might be of fear, anger, craving, desire etc. These patterns have been laid down by previous interactions of behaviour and events.
This is the insight, the body and ultimately all reality as constant flux and flow (impermanence) and that our mental/physical/emotional behaviour influences the flux which then influence future behaviour.
But our everyday personality doesn’t recognise this impermanence and leads to much misguided thought and action. Craving leading to more craving, fear to further fear etc. (suffering).
By accessing deeper levels of awareness below the everyday personality(non-self)
we develop more independence from the subterranean currents of the mind/body.
With correct practice we lessen our attachment to the everyday self, leading to a lighter and more intense living of life.
Why the need to learn Vipassana in silence?
We don’t observe silence for the idea of ‘holiness’ or ‘tradition’
silence is the necessary starting point for the practice of vipassana.
With Vipassana we are going deeper than the everyday limited personality and below the language based part of the brain. We experience the body and broader reality in a deeper and more subtle way, our perception changes becoming more unified and less bound by the rational mind’s limitations.
Language based thought is based on separation and distinction. It applies values, good, bad and it defines the everyday self ‘I don’t like rap music, etc”
While we speak we continue to stay on the surface of the mind, caught up in the thought games that the personality uses to define itself.
Meditation is a challenge for the everyday mind, which is like an animal that has free run of the house and resists losing any of it’s freedom.
The mind can resist the practice of single pointed concentration and can come up with many distractions. If we are in deep practice but then start to converse, then the everyday mind can leap back to re-establish itself strongly, making subsequent practice shallower for some time.
There is nothing wrong with the ‘ego’ or the ‘everyday self’, they are necessary functions for survival and thriving in a social world. The only issue is they make accessing deeper aspects of the human experience very difficult, at least at the beginning.
All of the rules on a vipassana course are designed to minimize opportunities for the everyday mind to distract and define itself. There is no talking or interaction with others, reading, music, dancing or body adornment. There is nothing wrong with these natural human activities, just not while learning deep meditation.
Vipassana is a very intense purification of the mind and absolutely not something to enter into lightly, a silent retreat might sound relaxing but in reality for many people it is the hardest things they ever do.
(Interestingly enough as soon as they finish they forget how hard it was at times. I have experienced this repeatedly.)
The most important rule…
If start you must finish or it can leave you feeling pretty messy for some time. Don’t leave midway, talk to an assistant teacher about your difficulties and stick it out.
I recommend all people of stable mental health and certain level of willpower to try it, especially freedivers and yogis. Actually this is one of the main goals of yoga, to develop insight. On a more mundane level it can also transform your experience of freediving.
I normally recommend doing the 10 day Goenka course as an intro because the explanation is excellent and in 10 days you can go very deep.But it is also one of the more austere approaches with sitting meditation 10 hours a day, very much focused on purification of the mind. Other approaches are less intense, therefore maybe less traumatic but also taking more time to get deep. Most other traditions use walking meditation between sits.Goenkas approach involves considerable pain in the legs through so much sitting. That said the pain is a very useful tool for learning impermanence.
Here’s a few words for the lovely and very dedicated Sarah Winick, the organiser of the local Bali courses.
Just on a side note, so perhaps others aren’t discouraged when thinking about sitting for 10 hours each day, every individual is subject to their own unique experience, here’s a public webpage that may assist some with their questions.
http://www.vridhamma.org/Vipassana-Practice
FYI for your readers: We hold 10-Day Vipassana meditation courses, as taught by SN Goenka in Bali, please note our next course with availability (October is currently wait listed) is November 5th-16th, 2014 interested applicants may review the website as listed in your blog, and register online directly through our Indonesian site www.java.dhamma.org
Feel free to join the Bali Vipassana FB group to meet other practicing Old Students on island, and to stay up to date with all of our happenings, there will be five 10-Day Goenka courses held in Bangli (near Kintamani) in 2015, the dates will be available soon.
Check http://www.dhamma.org/ for international Goenka style courses.
Check http://www.hdamm.de/buddha/mdtctr12.htm for a guide to Thai monasteries, though some of the info may be out of date it’s a good place to start researching traditional Thai Vipassanna.
Disclaimer…. this blog is personal opinion. I’m not a meditation master, just someone has been trying to learn and practice it on and off(with more off than on) for 20 years.
Aug 4, 2011 | Physiology of free-diving, retreat, Yoga
This special retreat is for people with an interest in the trans-formative power of Yoga and the healing energy of water. It is aimed at people of all levels of physical and yoga ability, including those who are not aquatically inclined.
For both complete beginners and more advanced students alike, the retreat will be a fascinating exploration of the mind and body.
This very special retreat is a journey of self discovery through two related elements, water and air. It’s a journey during which we will re-discover our aquatic heritage and transform our relationship to water, deepening our awareness of our own minds and bodies and the invisible bridge between them, the breath.
The tools for this adventure in self-understanding are the ancient insights of yoga and meditation supplemented by the modern techniques of elite free-divers.
We will practise yoga asana, pranayama and meditation to come into the subtler aspects of the breath and we’ll use the techniques of elite free-divers to harness our aquatic potential. We will focus on developing aquatic comfort, using water as a healing medium. This is not a competitive free-diving course, the free-diving aspect of the retreat is entirely optional.
Asana
Our Asana practice will focus on exploring the qualities of stillness and motion, opening up the channels of the body to move in a more fluid way. In held poses we’ll find the subtle movement even in supposedly static asana. In flowing vinyasa we will explore the inner stillness that comes with breath awareness and Bhandas(psycho-muscular locks .)
Breath
The breath is the bridge between mind and body, the conscious and the unconscious. To develop control over the mind and body first we must understand and control the breath.
Using the know-how of elite free-divers we will also learn how to access the breath in new ways. We will learn about the physiology of the breath and learn how use that to influence the mind and body, along the way transforming our relationship with water.
After tuning into the physical breath we shall explore subtler aspects of the breath, with the use of Asana and meditation we’ll tune into the breath as energy and move towards the healing power of Pranayama, the vast science of Pranic energy cultivation .
Water
We’ll take our fresh understanding of the breath into the healing medium of water. All terrestrial life was born in the ocean, just as we are born in the waters of our mother’s womb. When we understand our latent aquatic ability and learn to be in water it’s with a sense of home-coming or reunion. It is this sense of inner union that is the essence of yoga. Essentially what we will be practising is a form of oceanic yoga.
The training offered will include;
Daily Asana practice with a focus on fostering a personal practice through self understanding.
Aquatic Meditation in the pools and ocean and dry meditation in the wonderful yoga sala of Villa Boreh
Breath-work; focusing on developing understanding of the respiratory process and using the breath optimally, using it to influence both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Yoga Nidra; this wonderful technique of guided meditation is a very effective way of communicating with the deep unconscious. We will be using it to effect deep emotional release and create inner states of peace.
Mantra meditation; exploration of the deep power of Mantra over the mind and body and in removing emotional blocks.
Theory of Tantra and Chakra system; An exploration of the Chakra system with focus on the second Chakras relationship to water.
Bhandas; we will train in the three principle psycho-energetic locks of Yoga to develop more conscious control over both the muscular and energy patterns of the body.
Pranayama; we will explore the ancient yogic art of energy cultivation through the breath. This is one very powerful path into subtle awareness, meditation and the art of healing with Prana.
Instruction in Basic Free-diving; an exploration some of the techniques used by Elite free-divers to develop control of the autonomic system and become more fluid and comfortable in the aquatic element.
There is also the option of 2 days extra training to do some more advanced Free-diving with an excursion to free-dive at the glorious ‘USS Liberty’
In Villa Boleh we have a special place to embark on this adventure, a wonderful Spa resort with three different pools, including a therapeutic Watsu pool. Just in front of our sanctuary we have our oceanic playground. Little current, rich waters and good visibility make this the perfect place for to enjoy newly re-discovered aquatic heritage.
Also on hand will be the well-respected and highly experienced Thai massage teacher and healer Felicity Keebaugh. She will be offering health assessments and therapeutic treatments in various healing forms including Thai massage and Ki nei san, a very powerful Taoist healing art.
Dates October 15 to 22 Villa Boreh, North Bali.
Time-table
The structure of the retreat will be a in two parts, so that people can sign up for three days or seven days, with an optional two days extra, for deeper free-diving training and a trip to ‘USS Liberty’ shipwreck. In this way those who are stuck for time or unsure if it’s quite for them will be able to do the three days without commiting to the whole retreat.
The first three days will be on exploring the link between the breath, yoga asana and energy, with some waterwork focusing mostly on coming into the breath and relaxation. We will use many tools of the incredible existential toolbox that is Yoga, developing fluidity in our mind and body and will then bring that fluidity into the water.
All sessions are entirely optional, the combined benefits of all the training will be fantastic but the retreat is aimed all levels and physical abilities. As the timetable is very full, it is understandable that some people will not come to all classes. After all it is a holiday.
On site and assisting on some sessions will be the very experienced Healer and Thai massage teacher Felicity Keebaugh. Our training can be combined with a holistic diagnosis and a course of bodywork treatments to optimise the benefits of your practice. Felicity is a gifted and intuitive body-worker whose experience spans decades. For more details see Villa Boreh October
Day one
7 Yoga Asana, tuning vinyasa(movement)to the breath and adapting type of breath to asana(held posture)
8.45 Breakfast
10.30 Breath training; Opening the lungs and understanding respiration
Aquatic meditation in pool, using water for muscular and emotional release.
12.00 Lunch
15.00 Yoga Nidra; Yoga of the dream state, Use of creative visualisation and Deep Relaxation to access the subconcious and deep unconscious.
16.30 Oceanic meditation. Practicing aquatic mindfulness in the beautiful Bali sea.
17.30 Yoga asana; exploring the qualities of Bramhana(energising) and Langhana(releasing) breath in held asana.
Class in Mantra chanting as a tool for coming into the body and calming the mind.
19.00 Dinner beside sea.
Day 2
7 Yoga asana; learning Uddiyanna Bhanda(abdominal lock) and Moola Bhanda(root lock)
8.45 Breakfast
10.30 Discussion of chakra system and relationship of 2nd chakra to Water.
Prana vidya meditation (healing use of prana)
12.00 lunch
15.00 Yoga Nidra
16.30 Aquatic mindfulness meditation
17.30 Yoga asana, use of Bhanda(psycho-muscular locks) in asana
Prana Vidya
19.00 Dinner.
Day three
7 Yoga asana; exploration of the character and energy of different Asanas, holding for a bit longer and finding the subtle movement in stillness.
8.45 Breakfast
10.30 Pranayama(Yogic science of energy cultivation through breath control) theory and practice of Prana Vidya(healing with pranic energy)
12.00 lunch
15.00 Yoga Nidra with guided visualisation into the deep.
16.30 Ocean time, snorkelling using breathing techniques of free-Divers to enter into meditative state.
18.00 Short Asana practice and Prana Vidya
The first three days are an gentle exploration of some of the many life tools that yoga and free-diving have to offer the modern seeker. Day four to seven will follow a similar schedule adapting training to suit the individual and group energy levels. On all levels we will go a that bit deeper, adapting our yogic tools to suit individual needs and interests.
The focus of our asana practice will be on fostering self understanding to create a personal practice for the student. We will explore the various benefits of different asanas and their energetic character so that asana can become a powerful tool for self balancing and the breaking down of physical or energetic blocks.
We will the explore in greater depth the powerful science of Yoga Nidra and use it release deep blocks on the unconscious and subconscious levels.
We will also study a little deeper physiology of the breath and techniques of elite free-divers to stimulate the para-sympathetic nervous system and minimise O2 consumption. For anyone who is interested will take our training into the ocean and practice apnea, with an aim towards fostering deep relaxation and aquatic comfort.
For those particularly interested in the aquatic side of our practice there is the option of taking an two days training, with the focus mainly on free-diving and then taking a trip to dive the incredible ‘USS Liberty’ ship wreck.
Jul 10, 2011 | retreat, Yoga
An exploration of the mind and body through the healing medium of water, using yoga, meditation and the techniques of elite free-divers.
This special retreat is for people with an interest in the transformative power of Yoga and the healing energy of water.
For both complete beginners and more advanced students alike, the retreat will be a fascinating exploration of the mind and body.
This very special retreat is a journey of self discovery through two related elements, water and air. It’s a journey during which we will re-discover our aquatic heritage and transform our relationship to water, deepening our awareness of our own minds and bodies and the invisible bridge between them, the breath.
The tools for this adventure in self-understanding are the ancient insights of yoga and meditation supplemented by the modern techniques of elite free-divers.
We will practise yoga asana, pranayama and meditation to come into the subtler aspects of the breath and we’ll use the techniques of elite free-divers to harness our aquatic potential. We will focus on developing aquatic comfort, using water as a healing medium. This is not a competitive free-diving course, the free-diving aspect of the retreat is entirely optional.
Asana
Our Asana practice will focus on exploring the qualities of stillness and motion, opening up the channels of the body to move in a more fluid way. In held poses we’ll find the subtle movement even in supposedly static asana. In flowing vinyasa we will explore the inner stillness that comes with breath awareness and Bhandas(psycho-muscular locks .)
Breath
The breath is the bridge between mind and body, the conscious and the unconscious. To develop control over the mind and body first we must understand and control the breath.
Using the know-how of elite free-divers we will also learn how to access the breath in new ways. We will learn about the physiology of the breath and learn how use that to influence the mind and body, along the way transforming our relationship with water.
After tuning into the physical breath we shall explore subtler aspects of the breath, with the use of Asana and meditation we’ll tune into the breath as energy and move towards the healing power of Pranayama, the vast science of the cultivation of Pranic energy.
Water
We’ll take our fresh understanding of the breath into the healing medium of water. All terrestrial life was born in the ocean, just as we are born in the waters of our mother’s womb. When we understand our latent aquatic ability and learn to be in water it’s with a sense of home-coming or reunion. It is this sense of inner union that is the essence of yoga. Essentially what we will be practising is a form of oceanic yoga.
The training offered will include;
Daily Asana practice with a focus on fostering a personal practice through self understanding.
Aquatic Meditation in the pools and ocean and dry meditation in the wonderful yoga sala of Villa Boreh
Breath-work; focusing on developing understanding of the respiratory process and using the breath optimally, using it to influence both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Yoga Nidra; this wonderful technique of guided meditation is a very effective way of communicating with the deep unconscious. We will be using it to effect deep emotional release and create inner states of peace.
Mantra meditation; exploration of the deep power of Mantra over the mind and body and in removing emotional blocks.
Theory of Tantra and Chakra system; An exploration of the Chakra system with focus on the second Chakras relationship to water.
Bhandas; we will train in the three principle psycho-energetic locks of Yoga to develop more conscious control over both the muscular and energy patterns of the body.
Pranayama; we will explore the ancient yogic art of energy cultivation through the breath. This is one very powerful path into subtle awareness, meditation and the art of healing with Prana.
Instruction in Basic Free-diving; an exploration some of the techniques used by Elite free-divers to develop control of the autonomic system and become more fluid and comfortable in the aquatic element.
There is also the option of 2 days extra training to do some more advanced Free-diving with an excursion to free-dive at the glorious ‘USS Liberty’
In Villa Boleh we have a special place to embark on this adventure, a wonderful Spa resort with three different pools, including a therapeutic Watsu pool. Just in front of our sanctuary we have our oceanic playground. Little current, rich waters and good visibility make this the perfect place for to enjoy newly re-discovered aquatic heritage.
Also on hand will be the well-respected and highly experienced Thai massage teacher and healer Felicity Keebaugh. She will be offering health assessments and therapeutic treatments in various healing forms including Thai massage and Ki nei san, a very powerful Taoist healing art.
Dates October 15 to 22 Villa Boreh, North Bali.
May 1, 2011 | Freediving, Yoga
Since the heyday of Jaques Mayol the vast science of yoga has been touted as the key to inspired free-diving. The benefits in this area are undoubted, from mental clarity and thoracic flexiblity to emotional well-being. The list of Yogic benefits to the Free-diver is long, less talked about are the benefits of free-diving to the student of yoga.
The benefits of free-diving to the Yogi, when practiced in the right spirit, are equally profound. The most obvious of course is the control and understanding of the breath, free-diving as a door into the science of pranayama. The Aghori Tantrik Vimalananda apparently trained in Pranayama by submersing himself in the Indian ocean and Chinese masters of Tao developed breath-based energy practices with long breath holds in pools.
It’s clear that the aspects of Yoga that deal with the breath are enriched by free-diving but it’s the less obvious benefits that this Blogger is interested in, such as the way water allows for movement in a gravity free field. When coupled with a mature yoga Asana practice the forgiving nature of water allows us a fluid realignment of the body.The nature of water is that effective movement in water is fluid movement, something which every yogi or body worker aspires to.
In Yoga Asana, we work the body, disciplining it and realigning it. We test it and push it to break rigidity, to develop flexibility and make space. The body becomes fluid in its nature with movements like containers that the body flows into and fills. And this fluidity is not a thing only of ligaments and muscles, it is a thing of energy. We don’t do this for the sake of sitting in ever-more complicated postures, we do this so the body’s subtle life juices can flow better.The body becomes more permeable and energy flows better, resulting in health and a sense of lightness.
With free-diving our focus is precisely on this type of fluid movement, to move like water through water. We learn that rigid movement is wasteful movement.
A useful working definition of a yogi is one who does not waste energy, by their thoughts, words or actions. Be it holding tension, or expressing negative thoughts, the dedicated yogi tries to avoid using energy in a wasteful or self defeating manner. This conservation of energy on all levels is an essential part of free-diving.
Through meditation the Yogi slowly learns to avoid the nagging of the non-essential and to be present in the passing moment. With Free-diving we practice the art of letting go to the moment, of disciplining the body and breath so that sometimes you may go beyond the body and breath. When we dive we may feel contractions, the mind may say go up, go up, but we don’t resist, we absorb, we let the sensation move through us and any associated mental reaction is calmly observed. We observe and enjoy sensation, even so called unpleasant sensation. We become permeable to it and liquid in our reactions.
Time is limited but sometimes the moment draws out and becomes something eternal. The non-essential is left behind and there is a sense of union. This drawing together of mind and body into one focused moment is some of the essence of yoga.
Free-diving when practiced in the right way is actually a form of Oceanic yoga. Finding the stillness in fluid movement and the peace in a moment of pressure. See some training principles…
The Ritual of the long line and the deep Blue.
In Bali Yoga is the work of shamans, a communication with spirits. It’s a ritual balancing act of courtesies paid to both the Gods of Mount Agung and the low spirits of the Sea and other dangerous places, such as crossroads.
The sea is considered a place of many dangerous spirits yet also a place of purification. In a romantic way we can see free-diving in the Balinese context as a ritualised confrontation with the our ‘low spirits’ of fear and needless anxiety.
When we free-dive sometimes the mind turns against us becoming mischievous or fearful. we can become plagued by our own inner ‘demons of doubt’. But with the ritual of our weighted line and safety procedures and our faith in physics we can see beyond the doubts to the deep blue face of mother nature. Then we free-dive mindfully, infused with calm and a sense of home coming.
Mar 28, 2010 | Freedive Training, Freediving
Free-diving rescue in water.
The vast majority of loss of motor control(LMC) or blackouts happen on the surface though sometimes on rare occasions they can also occur as the diver nears the surface. In the last ten metres the diver should be accompanied by the safety diver who stays within arm’s length.
Underwater approach.
The safety should be alert enough to notice any signs of excessive fatigue or overexertion and provide assistance to the tired diver. If blackout occurs before this can happen the safety should come behind the unconscious diver and reach under their armpit and across their chest with one hand while the other arm supports the head, holding it in such a way that the airway remains closed. This is to avoid entry of water into the lungs. The rescue diver should fin towards the surface in a sideways position to the victim. This allows greater freedom of movement for the rescue divers fins. It’s very important that he tries to come up at the safety buoy as this will help lessen the shock to the victim as he comes around.
Surface rescue.
On the surface the victim should be supported with one hand holding his head well up out of the water in such a way that his airway is fully open. The other hand will very gently slap his face while the rescue diver repeats in a soft voice ‘breath, breath’. The hearing sense is the first to come back after black out and it is very important that the rescue is done in a calm and reassuring manner. The victim may be in a state of disorientation and it is essential that there is nothing done to cause further shock.
Bringing them around gently.
Black out is the last attempt of the body to preserve O2 for the heart and brain as unconsciousness reduces use of O2. Once the body is in a place where respiration is possible i.e. the surface then breathing will resume naturally. We avoid loud noises or abrupt movements because the victim while unconscious is in a vulnerable place and the unconscious mind will react against any situation that seems traumatic by prolonging unconsciousness.
Be tactful.
The affected diver should rest and definitely not dive again that day as there is increased risk of black out after having LMC or blackout. Very often the diver will not be aware of having lost motor control or blacked out. In the water there is no need to make a big deal out of it, wait till you get back on the boat or dry land to discuss the matter. It is important that any lessons that need to be learnt are learnt, but we should avoid a situation where the experience becomes something traumatic. There should be no blame or recrimination. It can happen to anyone.
