8 is the pranic body, the flow of energy within our nadis. The nadis are energetical channels within our body and within our aura. The pranic body is very connected to our breath, to the flow (in and out), to our vitality and health, to our power, to our capacity to manage our resources, to our need to control, to the balance in giving and receiving, to our prosperity, ….
Prosperity is not about quantity (how much we own, how many experiences we have, how unique and special our life is, how many spiritual courses we attend, how many followers and I likes we gather on social media, …), but it is about the depth and intensity of our experience of life at each moment, at each breath. It is the awareness of the flow of prana within our nadis and its qualities. It is also the awareness of where the flow is blocked which might be translated by pain in our physical body.
From a yogic perspective, what life gives us is never “right” or “wrong”. What conditions our judgment about life (wrong/right, too little/too much, …) is our own survival subconscious filters that say yes or no to life with the aim of keeping us safe according to past experiences.
If we are already under stress or if life seems a threat because our nervous system is locked into survival mode, anything that life will offer us will be experienced by our subconscious as a threat. As well, we will use our mind to justify our resistance, and we will use our prana (energy) to control reality to avoid being overwhelmed. It does not mean that we stop doing things; we can still be very active, but it means that we stop listening. We cannot take anything on board anymore; even spiritual teachings cannot be integrated into our lives. It seems that inside, we are frozen and tense, and it can even be translated by a lot of pain. Life is not happening within but mostly outside.
Consequences of that:
* We might feel lonely and marginalized even with multiple social interactions.
* We might be disconnected from our physical body, which cries for attention.
* We might go through life without depth. Even if we accumulate many experiences, they do not nourish us, and we might even want more and more to fight this void and emptiness.
* We might be caught by our minds, over-analyzing, over-evaluating, overjudging and comparing, over-critiquing, and over-blaming (our family!). This overactivity of the mind gives us an impression of being in charge and in control of our lives. We end up living in the past or the future.
* We might feel constantly exhausted and, at the same time, have problems sleeping.
* We might constantly look for solutions outside of us: the greatest healer, the absolute master, the more famous teacher….
* We might expend a lot of energy trying to fit in, be accepted, and be appreciated.
We can see different dimensions of the 8 within ourselves:
- Vertically: down/material/instinctive & up/spiritual/intuitive,
- Horizontally: left/moon/receptive/mind & right/sun/active/vitality
- Horizontally: back/past/memories & front/future/projection.
All these 8s meet in the heart, where there is constant movement and experience.
When we are locked into survival mode, we are locked into certain polarities of these 8s, and we do everything in our power to stay in that static configuration since it is safe. We will spend our energy controlling our partner, children, friends, food, and environment, … and stay at all costs into this static shape of our pranic body, which is reflected as well in our nervous system. A conditioned breath (short and shallow) is the price to pay to stay in that illusionary and superficial state of life.
Being prosperous and embodying prosperity can only happen if we are relaxed. When our nervous system is on the parasympathetic, we allow the constant movement, we allow the polarities to touch and confront us, we see the richness and the beauty in each moment, we accept to receive and let go. We slowly realize that in what we resist, there is a resource waiting for us once we have experienced the resistance in our body (sensations and maybe emotions).
The heart is where the polarities meet, and our contradictions and inner conflicts can be contemplated. It gives us access to our essence and allows us to embrace life, surf the waves, and enjoy the bliss.
“The head is a computer. The heart has the power of 108 suns. The Heart Center is the strongest of all centers. Whenever you pray with your head, it will take so long -you have to go through the intellect, thought, circumstance, environment, space, and time. Whenever you sing or pray from the heart, it will be timeless, spaceless, and absolutely effective.” Yogi Bhajan
KRIYAS & MEDITATION
Kriya 1 Getting the body out of distress
Stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, relax and reconnect to the physical body, embrace the sensations without judgment.
Kriya 2 Experiencing the Relationship of the Pranic Body and the Physical Body
Increase the awareness of the flow of prana within our body.
Promotes vitality, energy, sensitivity, and intuition.
