This struck a nerve...I was Sufi whirling and my feet were turning by themselves...OMG! my mind screamed. I started to consciously talk to myself. Okay, calm down, Rosaleen. Just relax into it. Let your feet move...Relax.
This was not what I was expecting and felt way out of my spinning comfort zone.
Four top tips from Sufi whirling are coming up...
We were doing our emotional cleansing retreat within a retreat (while on yoga holiday in Goa) and Sufi Dervish Whirling was our first exercise. I had watched Sufi spinning performances on two occasions, once in London and once in Istanbul, Turkey and I was excited to do this meditation.
Sufi whirling or spinning is an active meditation that's like a dance.
"Whirling is one of the most ancient techniques, one of the most forceful. It is so deep that even a single experience can make you totally different. Whirl with open eyes, just like small children go on twirling, as if your inner being has become a center and your whole body has become a wheel, moving, a potter’s wheel, moving. You are in the center, but the whole body is moving." Osho
The meditation consisted of three stages all lasting twenty minutes.
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A heart-centred, moving meditation dance to the north, east, west and south. This prepared our mind-body-spirit for the Sufi whirling. First my focus was on learning the movement and then there was a point when the movement became automatic and effortless and there was just the music, the breathe, the heart and a sense of inner stillness – all as one. Movement, ease, grace and quiet.
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Then we were instructed how to whirl and I started to spin very slowly. I remember hoping that I would not get crazy dizzy and decided to spin very slowly to begin with and see how things went. Twenty minutes seemed like a long time (but those thoughts were my resistance).
Suddenly, I became aware that my feet were moving faster and faster. I was not directing them. My mind panicked a little and so I told myself to relax into the increased speed, be soft and come out of my mind. My feet turned faster and faster and faster and everything became a whirl. I was not expecting my feet to take over. It was like they had an energy of their own. Some kind of energy was making them move automatically. My mind was not in charge. I was watching and witnessing and my body and feet moved as if guided by the music and pure energy.
After a while my feet were moving so fast that I screamed and fell to the ground (falling to the ground is actually part of the meditation). I was directed to lie on my stomach and relax.
It felt really good lying on the earth.
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After twenty minutes anyone who was still standing was also directed to lie on their stomach. Then we transitioned to sitting up and watching our inner selves. I felt calm and peaceful as if I had been emptied.
This was a very transformational experience for me.
My 4 Tips from this are:
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Go beyond your comfort zone and delicious and unexpected things can happen. There may be discomfort and out of the discomfort comes growth. At first spinning crazy fast was uncomfortable and the speed was definitely outside of my comfort zone.
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Connect with your power within. This experience made be realise just how powerful I am. There is an inner power within all of us and most of the time our minds are so busy chattering that we do not access it. We really are limitless and free spirits.
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Trust. In order to grow and shine, faith and trust is required. There needs to be a letting go of the doubts and fears of the rational, analysing mind, which has its role, and trusting that all is well and will be well. My fear of getting dizzy got in the way at the start. I could have stopped and let that hinder me. This was part of my emotional cleansing to start to release doubts and fears.
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Make time for love, fun, pleasure and enjoyment into your daily schedule even if it's for a few minutes a day. In the Rig Vedas of yoga, kama or pleasure is one of the purposes of life. There was a sense of joy and pleasure in spinning with 'no mind'. A feeling of connection with my essence and heart and simply enjoying spinning for its own sake. We were not told that anything would happen. We were simply directed to take specific actions and in the doing and through self-discovery we all created our individual authentic experience, cleansing and knowing.
Happy Easter holidays!
Rosaleen
p.s. Look out for information about two upcoming events
Spring yoga city retreat and hand analysis event.
