Kali-Ma
The time has come for the Goddess Kali. I've been waiting for her and this is her week. She used to terrify me for the longest time. When I first saw a picture of her I quickly turned the page and settled on sweet Saraswati. Kali is a freak show: she is naked, has full breasts, her tongue sticks out as if she is taunting you. Her hair is unruly, unkempt. She has four arms one holds a severed human head. Another hand holds a saber, another at times a trident, another is in Abhaya Mudra (gesture of fearlessness). She has a necklace of human skulls and a belt of human hands. Oh, and she is dancing atop Siva, who paradoxically seems to be in a divine rapture as he often is depicted with an erect phallus. What to make of this?
Kali, whose name means "the dark one" is actually considered a benevolent and beloved Mother figure. She is the Mother of time. She embodies the consuming aspect of time which devours all of us. She also represent the aspect of Nature that is destructive, ferocious, and terrifying.
Yet I and countless others see her as our protector. Our fierce mother who will do anything for us.
The story of Kali is an interesting one. A demon was terrorizing the world. They called the Goddess Durga who was becomingly increasingly frustrated with the fact that each time she spilled the demon's blood, it would touch the earth and immediately replicate into more and more demons. Out of Durga's anger, right out of her burrowed forehead, Kali sprung into life. Kali proceeded to destroy the demon by licking the demon's blood, swallowing it, digesting it, absorbing it into her being. My beloved teacher Sally Kempton says that we can never really get rid of anything in this Universe, we can only transform it. Thus, Kali can be seen as that part of you which accepts that which is, embraces it and allows it to be there as it transforms into something else.
The way I've been using Kali's energy this week has been as the fire we all need to do that which we must do, but we keep putting off. Kali comes from the verb root "kal" which means "to impel." I've been seeing her more and more as that fearless warrior in me that must destroy limiting thoughts and conceptions about myself, and go courageously into what awaits.
Theme: Kali
Virtue: Courage
Focus: Shoulder Loop
Warm ups (including cat/cow, Down Dog, shoulder stretches, and Surya A)
Warrior 1 with back heel up
Warrior 1, Warrior 3, Reverse Half Moon
Prasarita Padottanasana
Sirsasana 2
Handstand
Baby Dancer
Ardha Chandra Chapasana
Eka Pada Bhekasana (second time with the front arm straight)
Dhanurasana
Parsva Dhanurasana
Anantasana
Vasisthasana
Baby Kapinjalasana
Child's Pose
Baby Cradle
Eka Hasta Bhujasana
Astavakrasana
Pigeon 1, with thigh stretch
Urdhva Dhanurasana
Down Dog
Agnistambasana
Janu Sirsasana
Omega Pose
Supta Baddha Konasana
A very fiery class indeed. Yesterday when I taught this I had to modify my plan as the energy was really low- Four students told me they were tired right before class. I did very little vinyasas. Spoke more softly than usual and was surprised by how mellow it was, even with all those arm balances. Also for the first time in 9 years of teaching I said a couple of times: "Would you be willing to do this pose?" The answers were always yes.
Funny story: there were 10 women and one man. The man, a lovely student of mine told me he was really tired. During class he went to do Viparita Karani. About twenty minutes later, he fell asleep and started to snore. I felt like he was embodying the sleeping Siva, placidly lying down while the room was filled with Kalis! We all sweetly laughed and let him be.
Challenges:
Again, I must curtail my nurturing tendencies of wanting to coddle students. Even if they say they are tired I must be ready to teach my Intermediate class. Often I've noticed people tell me they are tired before class as a way of apologizing, because they fear that they cannot do what is going to be asked of them. However my classes are "intermediate classes" not basic. I must do what I am to do!
AND YET: It is the beginning of Kapha season after all. People are having allergies, are stuffed up, tired. My class was Monday at 6PM, it's the beginning of the week and many seemed a bit off. I say kudos to me for honoring the energy in the room and stop second guessing myself so much, god dammit!
Anusara Poster Pose Project: Have gone through all the arm balances in the Level 1 syllabi!
Hi there!
I am also inspired by this story of Kali and Rakta Bija.
Thanks for posting your reflections!
Warmly,
Davi
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