Little Yoga Lesson: Spanda

Derived from the Sanskrit “spadi”—meaning “to move a little”—Spanda is the subtle creative pulse of Nature as it coalesces into physical form as you.

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Spanda in Sanskrit means pulsation or vibration. It’s something that always comes to mind around the equinoxes and solstices, when one season oscillates to another. You sense it in the light and weather patterns, too, when the day dawns bright but the morning air is spiked with chill.

That see-sawing energy is mirrored in your own: one minute you’re craving a refreshing Perrier; the next, a lawsuit-waiting-to-happen hot beverage. You’ll pile on sweaters and scarves, only to peel them off later in a frantic Saint Vitus dance. Even your attention is pulled in different directions, its focus centered for a bit then knocked off its axis by the slightest gust of distraction.

Our moods, physical state, appetite, sleep, concentration: ALL are affected by and reflect Spanda.

The world in the blink of an eye

Spanda in the yoga texts is known as supreme pulsation, and it is one of the qualities of the Absolute, the Divine. (If “Absolute” or “Divine” give you pause, think of the concept instead as “Nature.”) In the Spanda Karikas, the universe is revealed and concealed each time Shiva opens and closes his eyes, like the sun rising and the sun setting every day.