Deepening the practice of Bound Lotus

There are additions to the practice of simply binding oneself into Bound Lotus that can deepen the practice to a state of ecstasy. They are as follows: the asana of Bound Lotus itself done fully (which I cannot yet do), the Bhandas or Locks (internal muscular contractions), Pranayama (breath control or extension), and using a Drishti or focal point for the eyes. All of these actions and states of being form what are called "seals" or mudras to retain and draw upwards in the body the energy created through practice.

Bound Lotus is A Yoga Mudra itself. With the addition of rechaka, kumbaka, moola bhanda, uddiyana bhanda, Jalandhara bhanda, and the focus of the eyes internally at the heart, the Hrit Padma, below Anahata, or the point between the brows, Ajna (pronounced by Indians as 'ad- nya') the mudra or seal is deepened. With devotion it is deepened. With gratitude it is deepened, with pratyahara (sense withdrawal) it is deepened. Through dharana, concentration and listening deeply to the breath, it is deepened. This leads to dhyana, a purificatory meditative state for the body and mind, that leads to an experience of the soul in ecstatic embodiment, entwined with the Divine.

With the legs and arms locked into a continual energy circuit, the symbol of infinity, Bound Lotus can allow trancendance of consciousness and a state beyond bliss, and when one comes down again from that mountaintop, the world can seem very different. I am looking forward to the journey, which on Day 150 of a continuous, uninterrupted practice, I have only just begun. My devotion is not strong. My commitment is, but not my devotion and love of the Divine. I need to bind myself in lotus as if there is no tomorrow, and my lover will be with me only fleetingly. I need to love from the bottom of my being and with all my heart, everyone and everything. That is the only way to truly be happy. To truly experience bliss.

I will keep my body healthy and strong for this practice. Keep it clean and dress it beautifully with what I have to honor the gift of life. For my health, for the removal of further layers of disease from my own body, and to be, most importantly, of assistance to others, I will deepen my devotion from the place of passionate desire for union with the Divine that I found deep within my being 12 years ago...So my love will be as wide as the sky, "wider than Victoria Lake...taller than the Empire State." Sade's words sound like a hymn to the Divine, and the word hymn comes from the Latin hymen, a part of female sexual anatomy. Organs meant for so much more than merely sexual procreation...meant for ecstatic embodiment, enlightenment, a sense of oneness with others, Divine bliss, the transformer that allows us to become more than what we are in human form. We are as the gods. We are in cocoons waiting to burst forth from our silken threads, letting go of the mortal coil.