Judith Hanson Lasater (yoga teacher)
This entry is a continuation of A return to the water. It describes and elaborates upon my recent experiences as a receiver of aquatic bodywork at Harbin Hot Springs where I first came across and trained in this healing art (Watsu and other forms). Please see below for the remaining posts in the series.
The word ecstasy comes from the Greek meaning to be placed outside one's self; a form of trance or state of consciousness. More recently, this word has been associated with the drug MDMA or Ecstasy with it's highly sensual and blissful effects - applied initially in therapy for those who had lost any feeling for pleasure, and later in the rave culture where dance escalates the experience. My own fleeting experiences of the ecstatic state have been primarily associated with aquatic bodywork.
I'm a cautious explorer in this realm and, like those who have experimented with other methods of altering consciousness, I am aware of the difficulties. The exploration lies in conceptual gray zone where science challenges spirit. I'm a scientist by early training. Finding effective ways to investigate such experiences, and then to articulate them, is an ongoing personal challenge. One approach is to attempt a dialog with the few who are exploring in this field in general, and in aquatic bodywork in particular. I invite your involvement.
I was not there for any formal program (they do host a myriad of workshops) but rather on a self-directed quest that naturally evolved from my own intuition and previous experience. As a lover of mineral spas, an aquatic bodyworker and massage therapist, and a practitioner/ teacher of yoga and other movement forms, the offerings available during any stay were easily adaptable. Just as important as the activities, were the times of solitude in nature and the synchronous encounters with others, both old and new friends.
An outline of my aquatic healing quest
On each of the 7 days of my stay, before dawn and last thing, I soaked in the warm (98F), hot (113F) and cold (50sF) mineral pools. Every day I took yoga with different instructors at 8 am and 5 pm (except after the second aquatic session). On Day 1, I had a deep tissue massage at 7 pm to begin the physical loosening process. On the second and last evenings, I attended free-form dances. My 3 aquatic bodywork sessions were at 1.45 pm on Days 2, 3 and 4. On Day 4, I joined in an evening of Kirtan (Hindu devotional) chanting.
For much of Day 2, before and after my aquatic session, I was tired and headachy. The yoga classes were an effective way of monitoring the state of my physical body, which underwent some strong changes from flexible to limited to flexible again. Walking alone on the trails and using the on-site labyrinth were helpful for further moving meditations. On Day 6, I experienced a climax ecstatic state after an afternoon Osho kundalini moving meditation, a high that lasted until next morning when I awoke with a severe sore throat.
The following week at home was one of enforced rest, as the cold I had acquired developed into sinus and chest congestion. This was initially frustrating but later I came to view it as a valuable time to integrate the experience psychologically, and also a possible continuation of the cleansing process that began with the tiredness and headaches, went through the high state, and then required a recovery period. After the cold cleared, I found that my energetic being had also cleared, reflected by shifts in my personal and working life.
Although the climax point came after the hour-long Osho kundalini meditation, I am certain that the progression of all the experiences - in particular the aquatic bodywork - was instrumental in bringing me to that place. If, as seems likely considering my other body reactions, this state were linked with a mild release of kundalini energy, then the 'reactions' could be seen as part of a clearing process. The choice of aquatic practitioners, and the order in which I worked with them, was intuitive, and in retrospect, highly effective. KUNDALINI: (lit., coiled one) The primordial Shakti, or cosmic energy, that lies dormant in a coiled form in the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine. Through the descent of grace (shaktipat), this extremely subtle force, also described as the supreme goddess, is awakened and begins to purify the entire being. As Kundalini travels upward through the central channel, She pierces the various chakras, finally reaching the sahasrara at the crown of the head. There, the individual soul merges into the supreme Self and attains the state of Self-realization. From Glossary Siddha Yoga
On this week in March 2009, a similar pacing occurred. The first session was peacefully exploratory with Inika Sati whom I know well and feel a strong resonance with (this prepared me); the second was with Diane Tegtmeir whom I knew but had not met in person and whose style is highly shamanistic (this opened me up); the third and last session was with Sunheart, a male practitioner I had worked with before who is skilled in facilitating a safe conduit for kundalini energy (this resolved the previous effective triggering).
In brief, Inika's fluid style revealed a reaction in my right arm relating to my neck; Diane matched her vocalizations and her own bodywaves supportively to strong responses in my right arm, left leg, solar plexus (anguish and personal imagery was stored here), and throat, leading to a dramatic cracking of my neck vertebrae as they came into alignment; Sunheart brought very rapid breathing patterns to working out the strong continuous bodywaves throughout my system but mainly along the right side of my body.
Aquatic bodywaves are spontaneous rhythmic or jerky wave-like contractions often along the spine but also through the limbs. I tend to have many during aquatic bodywork session, whether receiving or giving. They might be related to the release of yoga's kundalini energy. Likewise, the responsive repertoire of movement, sound and breathing all the practitioners employed to follow the spontaneous reactions of my body might relate to the kriyas of yoga. In yoga, rhythm, depth, and form of breathing are used to alter consciousness, promote healing, and increase physical capacities. KRIYA: A physical, mental, or emotional movement initiated by the awakened kundalini. Kriyas purify the body and nervous system, thus allowing a seeker to experience higher states of consciousness. From Glossary Siddha Yoga
Without going into details, I will say that this divorce represented a mid-life crisis that brought up an accumulation of life traumas such as all of us suffer in different ways and forms; it required some challenging changes in my life. Left unattended, these kinds of events seem to lodge themselves in the body and the practices I am writing about here can be effective in working them loose. How this happens remains a mystery; effective ways of working with it are also suitably mysterious. Perhaps this is as it should be.
However, I am curious for both personal and professional reasons. In a later post, I will discuss further the qualities of the practitioners involved and how those may have intersected effectively with my own. First, I want to look at how this kind of complex healing process might be related to other explorations of healing and/ or altered states. I will not restrict myself in making as many connections as seem naturally to arise, since I believe this is part of the first step of any investigation - to cast a wide net and see what comes up.
To continue see
Diving deeper: shamanic, yogic, scientific and poetic paths
To read the previous post see A return to the water
Further posts in the series:
Pristine waters; murky depths
How to investigate aquatic altered states of consciousness
For some interesting explorations of 'loving bliss' from someone who appreciates the essence of Harbin, see Scott Macleod's blog, specifically 'Neurochemistry: Harbin, trippiness, Ecstacy' (Nov. 1, 2008).
