The Rebound or Yin Yoga Quietism
The Rebound is the Unfolding of the Posture.
S.Pucelle -
If we consider the qualities of Yin Yoga, it's easy to recognize a practice release and introspection. The latter two elements constitute the alpha and omega of the practice, enabling the practitioner to slowly withdraw from his nervous system, then expand his awareness to a wider range of internal perceptions.
In other words, relaxation is the way, observation is the key to practice.
In this way, we move forward into uncharted territory, where the shores continue to appear as we deepen our relationship with the body.
Rebound is the unfolding of posture. The polarity of things in the universe is best translated as coexistence, one of the central teachings of Taoism being the acceptance of opposites as a movement that unfolds into unity.
For example, verse 40 emphasizes the perpetual motion of the universe. Its source and the movement back to the source as the way.
Tao Te Ching 40. Return is the movement of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.All things are born of being.
Being is born of non-being.-------------
Or verse 42, which enumerates cosmogony from a single source. Taoists call this primordial state the Tao.
Tao Te Ching 42. Tao gives birth to the One.
One gives birth to Two.
Two gives birth to the Three.
Three gives birth to all things.
In the light of this premise, the primordial source is manifest through everything else, and all movements, phenomena and transformations are but manifestations of a single source in equilibrium or quiescence - the "state or quality of being inactive". Taoists call this "the Yin within the Yin".
If we return to our postural practice of yoga, we can see that an asana has two aspects,
The act of entering and remaining in the pose,
The effects that occur when we release the pose and relax.
In other words, posture and rebound or Asana and Shavasana.
If we take a closer look at the meaning and function of Shavasana, we can note the following.
The first written record of shavasana is found in a classic 15th-century yoga text, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which states: "Lying on the ground, like a corpse, is called Shavasana".
Shavasana is designed to regenerate body and mind.
In this pose, breathing becomes deeper and accumulated stress is released. The yogi relaxes deeply and abandons all psychological effort.
From a physiological point of view, Shavasana serves as a recovery process to reharmonize the nervous system and relax the body's tissues.
The Sanskrit etymology of Shavasana or Mrtasana both carry the same meaning around mortality.
The Shavasana posture is often translated as the corpse pose, and mrta in Sanskrit means death.
Clearly, the practice of Shavasana does not correspond to the medical definition of death, such as the permanent loss of circulatory and respiratory functions. Medical examiners generally use "brain death" or "biological death" to define a person's death; a person is considered dead when the electrical activity of the brain ceases. It is assumed that the end of electrical activity indicates the end of consciousness.
Life can be defined in terms of consciousness.
When consciousness ceases, we can say that a living organism is dead, but does consciousness ever stop?
Yoga philosophy and metaphysics assert the opposite.
From a Dharmic point of view (Hinduism and Buddhism), death implies a slow transition from one spiritual state to another. In medical terms, for death to occur, the suspension of consciousness must be permanent, not transitory.
Is the Shavasana posture a form of mortality salience (awareness of the inevitability of death).
Yes, to a certain extent, but only to enable the practitioner to come into contact with the principle of transcendence.
Thus, the rebound that takes place after the asana, consists in "dying" to the conventional relationship we have with our being to access a new vehicle of introspection.
There's something almost mystical about this new modus operandi, for we are in the transcendence of our identity. In the rebound process, there's no act to produce, no effort to make: being nobody, and nowhere to go.
From this state devoid of external activity, a state of "passivity" and confident quietude emerges, also known as quietism. A "passive or unitive" contemplation, in which the practitioner is absorbed in the presence of the present moment. For yogis/yoginis, abstraction from the various bodies (physical, astral and causal) and union with the absolute before death is the goal of life.
A similar typology of mystical experience can be found not only in Taoism and Hinduism, but also in Neo-Platonism and Christian Mysticism. Perennial wisdom is undeniably to be found in the simplest acts of life.
The 2 Aspects of Rebound
In more prosaic terms, we can define 2 aspects of rebound in Yin Yoga practice,
1- A mechanical rebound that leaves us exposed, fragile and vulnerable.
2- An energetic rebound that promises an experience of disidentification.
Shavasana
Pentacle
The fascia and other connective tissues adapt to the stress applied by the holding and duration of the posture. When we release the posture, the connective tissues bounce back to their original integrity, inducing a feeling of vulnerability that will last for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
The sensation of discomfort during the mechanical rebound will gradually diminish in favor of a second depth, this time energetic.
The energetic rebound is an opportunity to eclipse our relationship to the physical body and all the conditioning that accompanies it. Discomfort will first transform into a sense of contentment, and as we continue to observe the mind-body complex, a gentle extraction from it will occur simultaneously.
Giving us the opportunity to disidentify ourselves from the totalitarian ego, leaving us in a spacious, familiar and unfathomable state of being.
If you're intuitively drawn to the passive, unitive experience of rebound, consider one of our courses. Click on the button below to view our online course schedule.
