Manasana Retreat Reflections by Anuraga
As taught in the holy text of the Narada Bhakti Sutras, God exists in the form of the spiritual sangha. We are most fortunate and blessed when we have the opportunity to gather in retreat within the triple gem of Guru, Dharma, and Sangha. Such blessings abounded at the most recent SRV “Manasana” retreat at Windwood Waters in Washington. This quiet, pristine, peaceful Center, nestled amongst the tall Doug Fir trees and rolling meadows of the Columbia Gorge has become a favorite spot for SRV retreats.
Retreat offers a rare and unique opportunity to intensify practice through concentrated exposure to the teachings in close proximity to the Guru. We get illumination from another soul, not books. Through the austerity of the retreat we learn to be comfortable at a higher level of being and get pushed to a new level of strength. Teachings, of course, abound with rich morning and afternoon classes, and more informal evening satsangs, where questions posed to the preceptor initiate profound and deep discussion. Inevitably, teachings often come in surprising and unexpected ways — a casual comment made at a meal, a lesson in the form of a scolding, observing the noble – or otherwise – behavior of a sangha brother or sister, and seeing the dedicated service of the staff and sangha members.
A wide range of students from different parts of the country attended this retreat, from long-time initiates to new “kittens” with a diverse and interesting background of life experience, which made for a dynamic group. There is always much to be gained from imbibing the teachings in such a group setting. Questions from one student shed light on those of all, new students bring a fresh perspective, and the intensity increases as the retreat progresses and the group energy builds.
As usual, some of the highlights of any retreat are Babaji’s stories of his beloved Guru, Swami Aseshananda. These stories leave us alternatively in profound contemplation and explosive laughter.
On the heels of Babaji’s recent books, Reclaiming Kundalini Yoga and Dissolving The Mindstream, and the classes and retreats attending to these rich subjects, SRV enters a dynamic new teaching phase with the upcoming release of Manasana, The Superlative Art of Mental Posture. Babaji’s new book, which formed the teachings of this retreat, is a profound and unique look at the concept of “asana,” which the West has become accustomed to thinking of in terms of hatha yoga. The knowledge that the mind assumes postures, or asanas, is revelatory, and a great aid to the aspiring yogi who aims and intends to intensify spiritual practice, realizing the eternal Atman and being free of karmic influences.
We learned that there are mental postures, or beliefs that bind, such as “God does not exist,” “the world is real,” I am the body,” “wealth is the goal of life,” “I only live once,” “objects can make me happy,” and other such postures that inevitably leave one spiritually unfulfilled and prone to a life of unease and endless suffering.
We must begin to utilize Prasadasana, clarity of mind, as well as Pratibha, flint-like intelligence, and begin to inspect the mind using the intelligence to uproot such ignorance. As Babaji puts in a wonderful quote from one of the new charts:
“To take up a posture (asana) in the mind (manas) in order to master one’s awareness and attain to yoga, union with Ultimate Reality, will bring about what has been called by the luminaries everywhere as balance of mind, steadiness of mind, purity of mind, equipoise — all leading to peace of mind, or the ‘Peace that passeth all understanding.’”
In a wonderful new chart entitled “The Spiritual Art of Mental Asana,” beneficial mental postures were revealed, such as “I know the cosmic principles,” “I am free of impurity,” “I always remember God,” “I am irrepressible,” “I know the three states of awareness,” I am infinite,” and other such ennobling mental asanas to imbibe and embody. As Babaji taught in a recent series of classes, we need to declare, “I am not going to have the habit of failure anymore, and will not backslide!”
To make such changes in mental postures possible, we must be able to shift into different states of consciousness. Mastering the prana is crucial in this regard, and teachings about the role of food continued and deepened. Perhaps the essence of this teaching is best represented by a quote from Lord Vasistha that Babaji has shared:
“Food taken with an ignorant or brooding mind turns to poison in the body. Food taken in clarity of mind conduces to perfect health. It is the fire of yoga in the form of physical, vital, and mental purification that makes the difference.”
With such purification we can gradually bring more consciousness into everything that we do. Babaji encouraged us to try to extract the essence of everything. Like the bee transforming everything it touches into nectar, we must do the same rather than just go from one experience to another unconsciously.
We were fortunate to explore Jainism in depth, with its mental asana of “I am non-violent,” and in the chart “Meditation and Prayer” were shown the benefits of meditation, as well as the cautions to be aware of if not practiced under the proper guidance of an illumined preceptor.
Speaking of meditation, and by way of testimony to the earlier comment about teachings coming in surprising forms during retreat, an offhand teaching from Babaji offered inspiration for my meditation practice. He spoke about a largely unknown practice of repeating the mantra along with phases of the moon. On the first day of the moon cycle, the mantra is repeated 108 times with one turn of the mala. The second day, two turns of 108 repetitions, up to 15 turns of the mala with the full moon and then in reverse order as the moon goes into its waning cycle. This practice has had a profound deepening effect on my practice.
Of course, the ultimate teacher for assuming the mental posture of fearlessness and freedom is Swami Vivekananda. A quote from the humorous chart “Vedantic Lion Taming” expresses the aspiration and promise of this practice of Manasana:
“What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that which the thunderbolt is made of.”