IN THIS CLASS

Emerging from the Sanskrit root, ‘spadi’ meaning to, ‘move a little’, spanda refers to expansion and contraction (and more specifically the oscillation between the two. And is variously translated as vibration; scintillation; throb; subtle pulse; or micro-movement.

Spanda is a key aspect of Tantric philosophy that emerges out of the body of writings from this Medieval Kashmir Shaivism era. Notably also, the concept of Spanda doesn’t emerge in any other Classical yoga texts - Vedanta, Samkhya etc – so in a way, it could be said to be paramount in understanding Tantric philosophy! Personally, I return to this again and again as a basis for putting words to the felt sense of life moving through.

First believed to be found in the Spanda Karikas by Kallata, a disciple of Vasagupta around 9th century, this idea offers that divine consciousness is not simply a cold, inert flat, ‘thing, but rather has an active, dynamic pulse, throbbing with creative potential. Spanda refers to the subtle creative pulse of the universe as it manifests into the dynamism of various living forms. We might understand how spanda shows up in our field of experience in many ways; as the shifting landscape of our thoughts, changeable emotions, the cyclical nature of the rolling seasons, moving tides. Essentially it refers to perpetual movement that lies at the heart of the wider macrocosm of universe and life itself. Spanda vitalizes every movement; breath, emotion, cellular activity, and by attuning to it we discover the vibrating wholeness of our living architecture. To reflect on this within the felt experience of our yoga practice can be multi-faceted and illuminating, in that it helps makes sense of the world and the intricacies of life’s inevitable ups and downs!

POST VIDEO PRACTICE:
Reflect on a time/place/context in your life where you experienced an expansion/opening/blossoming and then a contraction/closing/shedding?

(This could be a life event, thought process, mood, relationship, experience in nature etc.) 

In what ways did you lean into or resist the natural flow of this happening? How easy or difficult was that for you?

Spanda: the divine pulse