Savasana II

Carl Jung called it the Collective Unconscious; a well-spring of wisdom, unfathomable depths of knowledge and understanding. It is an untapped source of unity and it remains in a realm beyond what we can sense in our waking lives. The dream state has long been seen as a symbolic doorway into the unconscious. The power that dreams have over us can be alarmingly immense. The body can be awoken in shivers, chills, and bated breath. We *experience* physical sensations that respond to something real, and yet upon awakening, we come to realize that it was "just a dream".

In modern physics, the limits of our understanding are currently focused on what little we know of dark matter and dark energy. These are unseen forces that, in tandem, bind the universe together and race to tear it apart. It is understandable for people to question all that cannot be sensed in this world -- we test, verify and strive to make sure our science is thoroughly vetted. Make it material so that we may touch it, see it, comprehend it with this physical body, to which we are so attached.

When I first began my practice of yoga, Savasana was seen as the end of a physical workout. It was after we moved through the daily poses that we then retreated to Corpse Pose. The only way my instructors could describe this final pose was "deep relaxation" -- a way for the body to heal and allow the benefits of the earlier practice to settle in and do their work. It was always a struggle to stay awake during Savasana. To remain suspended in a state of such deep relaxation without entering the default sleep mode seemed nearly impossible. There would be days when some people in class would actually fall asleep, with snoring as evidence. But for me, it was more of a drifting from consciousness to something else. The instructor's voice was heard, clearly spoken, and then... a warm darkness, a vacuum. After I had told my body to sink into the floor, to meld with the hard material beneath me, my new reality was that of sense deprivation. As though my body had truly merged with the earth, there was no longer concern for this physical form. With closed eyes and a focused attention that tuned out my hearing, I was alone in a vastness that stretched out beyond my limited Being.

God, Goddess, Creator & Destroyer, Gaia, Life Force, Emptiness. The words that describe are ultimately meaningless. The rare glimpse and experience of it... now that is a treasure to behold.