I love the subway.
I love that everyone gets to where they need to go sans car.
I love how you get to experience all parts of humanity on the subway: people sleeping on the subway, people breakdancing on the subway (like, seriously, breakdancing on the subway), people crying on the subway.
But perhaps what I love most about the subway in NYC is the poetry bombs.
When I lived in NYC, there I was, minding my own business, zipping uptown on the 1 train to teach a yoga class and I glanced over and saw this …
The Lovers
By Timothy Liu
I was always afraid
of the next card
the psychic would turn
over for us —
Forgive me
for not knowing
how we were
every card in the deck.
Boom.
Suddenly, I’m the guy who’s crying on the subway.
I love this poem because it reminds me that we all have a litany of different characters within us that make up our general character. Also, there are parts within us that sometimes express different kinds of wisdom in different kinds of ways, characters like the joker, the victim, the boss, the super hero, etc.
What are the different characters inside of you?
These separate parts are our internal archetypes and can be very helpful to understanding ourselves on a very important level.
For example, I had a profound experience once during a Yoga Nidra practice where I used the layered Awareness and systematic relaxation of the practice to source an archetype within me, the archetype of the Oracle or wise teacher. In this practice, a vivid visualization opened in my mind …
There I was sitting in a chair in the office of one of my favorite profs from college. He was leaning back in his chair thinking about something, rather, deciding how he was going to say what he wanted to say to me. As clearly as I’m hearing my fingers tap across my keyboard, in this vision, I could hear the squeaking of his chair as he leaned back, see the tawny grain in his desk between us. I watched as he scratched his beard. Then, looking at me sideways with a glint in his eye and a wry smile on his face, he broke the silence.
“You know … whatever you believe in, practice it every day.”
Boom!
Such a simple message with such profound implications.
I think about that message all the time. In fact, I have to remind myself that the image and message from my professor came from me, that it didn’t happen in real life. Regardless, the message is as valuable (or more) than if it had.
That’s an example of the power of leaning into an archetype. That wisdom existed inside of me and I needed to get relaxed and receptive enough to hear it.
Yoga Nidra can help do exactly this.
It helps us to relax into a conscious daydream state which is like a secret passageway to the roof of our ultimate consciousness. In this state, we can learn to see and appreciate all the intriguing and multifaceted parts of our being and learn what they have to say to our conscious mind.
Yoga Nidra facilitates conversations between our imperfect humanness and our perfect beingness so we can go back out into the world, zip across town on the 1 train, and see our life all as the miracle that it is.
Thanks 1 train and Timothy Liu for reminding me of this.
What a gift!
Now, I want to share with you another amazing thing that happened regarding archetypes. It happened yesterday, in fact.
It might involve you. …
So, I’m heading out of town this week to host my yoga retreat in the French Riviera. And normally, I teach a live online Yoga Nidra class on Sundays mornings but since I’m going to be busy doing yoga while overlooking the emerald green ocean of the French Riviera, a beret on my head and croissant in my mouth, I pre-recorded Yoga Nidra class.
In this pre-recorded but original class, I decided to explore archetypes. As always with my live online Yoga Nidra class, I start with a hello, I open to sacred space through grounding and breathing practices and lead us in chanting a mantra (you can join or listen. Hell, it’s on Zoom so who cares), then in this class I offer a bit of a teaching on archetypes and how they are accessible and useful in a Yoga Nidra practice.
And to add some flavor to the idea of using archetypes, I did something I’ve never done before. I grabbed a deck I own, 52 different cards featuring all different types of archetypes symbolized by an array of nature elements, people, and animals—very cool. I shuffled the deck and the spread them out.
But, before picking 5 cards, I infused them with spirit by breathing on them, clearing out any past energy (cuz I’m good like that) and held the intention and possibility of us ALL (including you) regardless of when you watch the class, to pull the precise cards we need in order to get a deeper message and clearer direction about ourselves individually and collectively.
Oh, the implications!
Now, believe me, I’m usually more than a little skeptical about this kind of thing but I shouldn’t be because, like every time I use this deck, the cards I pulled were nothing short of A–MAZING! The card choice was completely cosmic and worked PERFECTLY for our session. But I can’t tell you what they were cuz that would ruin the surprise.
I can’t wait for you to check this out.
So, in class, I read each card and discuss their meaning as suggested in the booklet the deck comes with but also to consider what wisdom each card may present outside of the suggested meaning.
Then I invite you to lie down and get relaxed as we enter into a long Yoga Nidra practice. After relaxing into a deep state of receptivity, I lead you through a vivid and detailed visualization that incorporates each of the cards in a way that gives you personal direction for your life.
It’s SO cool!
You could do this Yoga Nidra practice a thousand times get a different message each time it. That’s the power of Yoga Nidra and archetypes.
You gotta check it out!
Whatcha do is click the button, fill out the form to register for class (drop-in, pass, or membership), and you’ll get the class emailed to you around 9 am MT on Sunday, September 8.
The following week, I’ll be back from my Riviera romp and class will be live.
And if you want to share, I’d love to hear about what your archetypes said.
Please check this out and seriously consider becoming a monthly subscriber. As a subscriber, class is only $10 and if there are 5 sessions in a month you get the 5th one for free. Plus, you get access to literally HUNDREDS of previous Yoga Nidra class. Cancel anytime.
What are your archetypes telling you?
