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.
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.
Spanda contains two energy flows: one expanding (unmesha) and one contracting (nimesha). There are many examples of this unmesha/nimesha relationship in Nature from ocean tides to the sine-wave shapes of mountains and valleys to the way that amorphous, rolling nebulas condense to create stars in the universe. Even species as dissimilar as the clown fish and anemone co-exist in a mutually beneficial way. Spanda exists in our own bodies as well: our very heartbeats—and the spaces in between our inhales and exhales—are the expanding and contracting vibrations that charge and propel us through life.
Spanda’s pulsation governs and is a core attribute of the world as we know it and if that sounds like trippy yogaspeak, consider this: every cell in every living organism in the universe frizzles with a vibration from its activity, no matter how infinitesimal. Thanks to science, we know that cells migrate (migration = motion) and that ions have a movement that produces electrical signals. Everything in Nature stirs and contributes to the elastic, boundless energy field that surrounds us, is in us and is us.
“We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us.” ―Neil deGrasse Tyson
Rather than a paradox of binaries like open/closed or on/off, Spanda more closely resembles a dynamic balancing act in which complementary forces come together and separate, only to come together again and repeat the process. It’s a bit like Yin and Yang, the swirly white teardrop shape curving into and completing the black teardrop, or the way that dissimilar tastes like tart and sweet can work in concert yet still remain distinct.
Experiencing Spanda in your yoga practice
You don’t need magical Shiva eyes to feel Spanda during your yoga practice; Spanda can be felt with very little action, in fact even involuntary action such as your breath. Every inhale expands (unmesha) while every exhale contracts (nimesha). Pranayama further explores this dynamic tension through exercises that shorten, lengthen, restrain and release the breath.
In a physical practice, every yoga pose is designed to push/pull you into connection with the very heartbeat of Nature. Hold Vira II for long enough, and the immobility of the posture will be subsumed by your busy brain making shopping lists, writing an outline, counting down to Savasana. Flow through Surya Namaskar A and B and feel the simultaneous sensations of quickening pulse and cool yet sharpened focus. Meditation echoes this same relationship by giving your mind space to wander untethered and a quiet zone to focus.
Spanda in life
Spanda is another way to view an undeniable pattern in nature: that of symbiosis, the interconnected relationship between unlike things. Symbiosis is increasingly being recognized as an important selective force in evolution, with many species (such as flowering plants and pollinating insects, or sheep and humanity, or little striped fish and their undulating plant apartments as in the clown fish and anemone example above) sharing a long history of interdependent evolution. And co-evolution—this idea that we are all influencing each other’s development, that there is a give-and-take between all organisms on earth—is the engine of our world’s marvelous biodiversity, its multifarious cultures, and its rich and unfolding heritage.
Pranayama: a simple way to experience Spanda every day
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