While living in Israel in the late 1990s, I attended an international yoga conference held outside of Jerusalem. One of the distinguished participants was Yogi Amrit Desai. I very much looked forward to seeing a demonstration of his Meditation-in-Motion style of yoga. I was familiar with his ability to spontaneously move from one yoga posture to another, but had never seen him do it.
The large room was packed for Yogi Desai's demonstration. As he went inside and began the spontaneous flow of movements, the energy in the room was transformed. The stillness he created inside of himself led to a harmonizing of energy. Everyone in the room was drawn into his profound dance of life force energy that created a deep experience of peace and relaxation. It was a stunning demonstration of the impact one person moving into deep silence could have on those around him.
Being in the flow, also called being in the zone, is a remarkable state. When one is in it, no effort is required to create the results you want to achieve. As a high school bowler, one day (through no conscious effort), I moved into this state. No matter what I thought or did as I approached the foul line, strike after strike followed one another. (For you bowling fans, I rolled 12 in a row, in effect a perfect game of 300, except it was over the course of two games.) I was puzzled as to what was going on, and remember being amazed at the feeling that I was not doing the bowling.
To be in this state of flow, relaxation is a prerequisite. If one is holding tension in the mind or body, the natural flow of life force energy is blocked, and it is difficult to accept life as it is and be in harmony with its unfolding.
The meditation-in-motion style of yoga is one practice to help you move into a harmonious flow where effortless action is manifest. Any practice where one is willing to let go of tension and engage the spectrum of energies that make up life is an opportunity to learn to move with energy rather than fight it. It is easy to go with the flow when we are dealing with a person or situation we enjoy. But when tough energy comes our way, we usually tense up and try to wish or force it away, rather than engage it and work with it as part of the flow of life.
During my years in Israel, I co-created a meditation-in-motion practice. It is called Sulam Chi, which means "ladder of life force energy." It is a beautiful integration of tai chi-like movement and Kabbalah's mystical Tree of Life. Through the simple, gentle, yet powerful movements of Sulam Chi, one can quickly and easily release tension and feel more in the flow of life. No background in tai chi or Kabbalah is required to benefit from this mind/body/spirit practice appropriate for all ages and levels of fitness.
I invite you to get a taste of Sulam Chi from my recently-released DVD, called Sulam Chi: A Dance of Life:
Over the coming weeks, I will share clips from Sulam Chi: A Dance of Life, and talk about what is behind Sulam Chi and how it can help you find more harmony, balance, and peace in your life.
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