either way, the stories are here to teach us lessons.
Once upon a time, the archetype Lord Shiva decided that he would go to Earth and teach the humans how to live a life of devotion. He would incarnate in the body of Hanuman- half monkey and half man. His wife at the time, Shakti, would not let Shiva go alone for his task so she came with him as the tail of the monkey. Shakti is energy and monkeys play and have fun swinging by their tails.
Hanuman took his birth on Earth and as a baby he looked up at the Sun and thought it was a ripe, juicy mango. He made a giant leap up toward the Sun to eat it and Lord Indra shot a bolt of lightning at the baby monkey to prevent him from eating the Sun. The bolt of lightning broke Hanumans jaw- his name literally means one whose jaw was broken. Hanuman was taken to a hospital for healing and was taught the science of mantra- sacred sound- in order to facilitate his healing and recuperation. So, the breaking of his jaw was actually auspicious because it was his initiation into mantra. Often in life, what appears to be a challenge eventually becomes a blessing. After Hanuman was healed, he decided to continue his studies in mantra in earnest and asked around for a mantra teacher. Everyone told him that the Sun was the very best mantra teacher. Hanuman asked the Sun to take him on as a disciple but the Sun was still upset about Hanuman trying to bite him so he initially refused. Hanuman continued to ask and promised that he would be very good and the Sun finally relented and took Hanuman on as a dedicated student of mantra. Hanuman eventually becomes a master of Mantra and a living example of a life of surrender and devotion.
We are taught in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali that mantra brings union with one's beloved deity (source of inspiration) and obstacles are cleared. Hanuman's beloved deity (ishta devata) is Ram and the ancient stories are filled with tales of Hanuman's loyalty and devotion to Ram. Hanuman's actions and his practice of sacred sound (mantra) brings him union with Ram. In one story, Hanuman rips open his heart to show the world that Ram is there residing in his heart.
For many people, the 11.11.11 auspicious date that we just experienced is thought of as a portal, an entryway into a new age- an age of higher consciousness and increased harmony. Jyotish, Vedic Astrology, agrees in that it predicts a 14 year cycle which begins now for humanity- a cycle where the prevailing theme is the urge to merge. Inverted poses facilitate the lessons of Hanuman because in those shapes, the head is lower than the heart. We are reminded that ideally the mind should serve the desires of the heart. In this age, we will all feel the impulse to merge the heart and the mind. Sometimes the heart wants one thing and the mind talks us into another. This conflict will often affect our physical health in negative ways.
Chinese medicine teaches a strong connnection between heart and mind. It is said that when we sleep, the mind is housed in the heart, which is why we wake up in a good mood, feeling refreshed. Conversely, when we do not sleep, we are often cranky - like a dog that is agitated because it cannot get into its house. Most major organs in the body have their own meridian, but the brain does not have its own meridian because it is said to be ruled by the heart meridian, which ends in the pinky finger.
This week in the shala, we will honor Hanuman and learn about Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion, by practicing inverted poses and mantra and paying particular attention to our pinky fingers in asana and mudra work. And, we'll practice a pose that reminds us of Hanumans auspicious leap toward the Sun- his initiation into the magic of mantra- the Mango Pose!
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