"There's 'space' for awareness in space" from 'A Yoga in Space'
This story originally appeared as an article that I wrote in 2011 for Daniel Pinchbeck's website 'Reality Sandwich' called 'A Yoga in Space' about a yogi practicing on a future private Space Station. Yoga poses were actually first performed in space by a Cosmonaut from India in 1984 aboard a Soviet space station... and then forgotten. So it's not as far out an idea as some might think... especially with the burgeoning private space tourist business newly launched by Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos taking their first paying customers to space (not to mention Elon Musk's SpaceX)... and they all have plans for private Space Stations... not to mention long term trips to the Moon and Mars. These efforts will all require a re-thinking of the human body and mind if they are to be successful... which is what this article and blog are all about.
=============================================
UPDATE: Since the article (below) and this blog were written in 2011 two astronauts on the ISS we're captured on video (in 2017) practicing yoga poses or asana - the first to do so since 1984. See a piece here from The Indian Express on... Yoga poses done in Space
==============================================
So this 'yoga in space' will be a more common sight in the near future, no matter how the stations are configured. See quote from (and link to) the original 2011 article on 'A Yoga in Space' below....
enjoy...
"It's been an amazing journey up to the new station what with my head pointed out the window the whole time like a first time visitor to the Louvre... I just couldn't take my eyes off the 'Art'! And art it is indeed! No random mistake, the earth. You couldn't take it for that if you tried from this altitude. Only an earth bound... no, mind bound view could have come up with that explanation. It's a masterpiece! Intelligence swirling and circulating over every inch. It moves! It's no 'rock'... and it floats... in Infinity! Unbelievable! And infinity is not random either... just staring at it... you can't even fathom... no place to 'land' in the mind! You can't even define it... you wouldn't even want to define it... it's beyond definition... it informs you! Freedom from the need to define... that's the best I can do in words. Non-verbal, unspoken, deep... deep satisfaction... that's what infinity is. It's "liberation from definition!". I could die right now and it would have been worth the risk. I 'die' a little more every time I gaze at it and I still can't get enough of it. I couldn't imagine the earth without infinity. Now that would be a dead planet!" Journal entry one. 10:23pm GMT, 11/19/15 -- on Station Lotus 1."
See the full article at... A Yoga in Space
enjoy...
"It's been an amazing journey up to the new station what with my head pointed out the window the whole time like a first time visitor to the Louvre... I just couldn't take my eyes off the 'Art'! And art it is indeed! No random mistake, the earth. You couldn't take it for that if you tried from this altitude. Only an earth bound... no, mind bound view could have come up with that explanation. It's a masterpiece! Intelligence swirling and circulating over every inch. It moves! It's no 'rock'... and it floats... in Infinity! Unbelievable! And infinity is not random either... just staring at it... you can't even fathom... no place to 'land' in the mind! You can't even define it... you wouldn't even want to define it... it's beyond definition... it informs you! Freedom from the need to define... that's the best I can do in words. Non-verbal, unspoken, deep... deep satisfaction... that's what infinity is. It's "liberation from definition!". I could die right now and it would have been worth the risk. I 'die' a little more every time I gaze at it and I still can't get enough of it. I couldn't imagine the earth without infinity. Now that would be a dead planet!" Journal entry one. 10:23pm GMT, 11/19/15 -- on Station Lotus 1."
See the full article at... A Yoga in Space
=============================
On Samadhi and Spiritual Awakening
The following is a follow-up to a question I was asked recently about the ineffable in terms of yoga, but because the ineffable in yoga is normally associated with samadhi I was not able to adequately answer it as samadhi (IMO) is in a category beyond words in terms of its 'mechanism' in that the 'core' of the experience, at its highest level (IE: leaving out the 'cosmic' elements) is what I would refer to as akin to a 'primordial stillness' that is almost a 'pre-incarnational' experience of the 'Self' (on any level) - thus it's an experience of the 'Self' as if previous to even any thought of differentiation... thus truly beyond words to adequately describe in terms of its mechanism... only in words that attempt to convey the experience.
More 'ordinary' (so to speak) but still moving experiences of 'spiritual awakening' I would put in a 'separate' category as they do have certain underlying attributes that can be conveyed in terms of how they 'operate', so to speak, and thus we can understand them more thoroughly in terms of how they 'operate' on us. I wrote about these attributes almost a decade ago in my original blog titled 'Who Needs the Higgs' (linked below) and I'll leave a quote from that (below).
Essentially in any experience of spiritual awakening there are not one but three paradoxical mechanisms 'operating'... simultaneously. And it is this overwhelmingly, and seemingly contradictory overload of paradoxical experiences that can make these events so difficult to describe. But with familiarity that comes with experience they can (IMO) be 'decoded' or 'reverse-engineered' to some degree to the point that the mechanism's behind them can be recognized and thus made to be more 'understandable' to the individual.
See the original quote here...
"The 'ineffable'
NOTE: When you can 'see' with Depth of Field you can 'see' beyond the boundaries of the ego... thus you no longer feel a need to 'dissolve' it... as you can 'see' a need for both... such as we are.
That's a paradox.
Thus the 'non-local' individual is a 'double' paradox as it is aware of the 'personal' and the impersonal while having a local and a non-local perspective... simultaneously. And since the 'personal' occurs in 'time'... and the impersonal is 'timeless' you could even say that their view is a 'triple' simultaneous paradox.
Awareness of 'three' simultaneously paradoxical perspectives is certainly the very definition of... 'ineffable'."
NOTE: When you can 'see' with Depth of Field you can 'see' beyond the boundaries of the ego... thus you no longer feel a need to 'dissolve' it... as you can 'see' a need for both... such as we are.
That's a paradox.
Thus the 'non-local' individual is a 'double' paradox as it is aware of the 'personal' and the impersonal while having a local and a non-local perspective... simultaneously. And since the 'personal' occurs in 'time'... and the impersonal is 'timeless' you could even say that their view is a 'triple' simultaneous paradox.
Awareness of 'three' simultaneously paradoxical perspectives is certainly the very definition of... 'ineffable'."
from the... 'Who Needs the Higgs' blog
So all three of these paradoxes are being experienced simultaneously.... each with 'two sides to the story' (so to speak) built in...
IE: a 'local vs non-local' paradox, a 'personal vs impersonal' paradox, and a 'time vs timelessness' paradox. Thus the individual is simultaneously perceiving the experience as both 'locally and non-locally, 'personally and impersonally', and 'in time' and as well as 'timelessness'.
Thus were looking at essentially six separate, unique and individual perceptions happening simultaneously. When you throw in all that is going on in front of you, not to mention the emotional element (which is sublime) the individual has every reason to describe these experiences as... 'ineffable'.
So it is no wonder that these things can be so hard to put into words. But... they can be understood, to some degree, as to what's going on inside us... and thus made to be more familiar (IE: understandable) and thus less 'mysterious' in terms of our experience.
=============================
Update 10-4-2022
So what we will be witnessing going forward in space (hopefully) is essentially a 21st Century 'resurrection' of the The Lost Art of Resurection.
And what we're actually going to discover with all our modern capabilities is that 'there's just nothing new in this world'.
And maybe the recognition of that on a grand scale is just what it will take to bring a 'half-mad' humanity to its senses... and perhaps buy us all a little time... so that we can all have a shot at what really matters.
=============================
Related articles and links...
See article from the Economic Times of India on the first yogi in space... Rakesh Sharma for Yoga in Space
Some of the advantages of yoga in space vs conventional exercise are...
1) Less reliance on exercise equipment which can break down. At the very least yoga would be an invaluable backup if exercise equipment fails on a long term spaceflight, such as to Mars, not to mention the long term stays on a Moon or (especially) a Mars Base, where the logistics and supply chain for spare parts is clearly going to be a critical issue.
2) Lower breath rate with yoga (as opposed to the elevated rates from conventional exercise) reduces stress on environmental systems.
3) Better sleep patterns - so a more rested crew. Also helps the body and mind align with the natural circadian rhythms.
1) Less reliance on exercise equipment which can break down. At the very least yoga would be an invaluable backup if exercise equipment fails on a long term spaceflight, such as to Mars, not to mention the long term stays on a Moon or (especially) a Mars Base, where the logistics and supply chain for spare parts is clearly going to be a critical issue.
2) Lower breath rate with yoga (as opposed to the elevated rates from conventional exercise) reduces stress on environmental systems.
3) Better sleep patterns - so a more rested crew. Also helps the body and mind align with the natural circadian rhythms.
4) Rakesh Sharma recommended yoga as an aide to managing space sickness as well, so that is another area worth exploring.
5) Yoga is an effective vehicle for stress reduction - crucial for long term space flight. See best selling author Mary Roach's humorous (but true) book on Packing for Mars
6) Yoga raises situational awareness - so a more alert and rested crew is a safety enhancement.
7) Greater potential for data collection on health parameters - this could eventually be a major scientific research project with enormous health benefits back on earth.
8) Yoga improves bone density as well as muscle mass which is a problem in long term weightless environments. This would be particularly important in long flights to Mars which would require the individuals to work at full strength on arrival as there would be no room for a long term recuperation in such an alien and demanding environment. So it would improve their ability to 'hit the ground running'... so to speak. See... Yoga for better bone density
5) Yoga is an effective vehicle for stress reduction - crucial for long term space flight. See best selling author Mary Roach's humorous (but true) book on Packing for Mars
6) Yoga raises situational awareness - so a more alert and rested crew is a safety enhancement.
7) Greater potential for data collection on health parameters - this could eventually be a major scientific research project with enormous health benefits back on earth.
8) Yoga improves bone density as well as muscle mass which is a problem in long term weightless environments. This would be particularly important in long flights to Mars which would require the individuals to work at full strength on arrival as there would be no room for a long term recuperation in such an alien and demanding environment. So it would improve their ability to 'hit the ground running'... so to speak. See... Yoga for better bone density
==============================
Authors NOTE: 11/26/23
Caveat
Since the writing of this article and the beginning of this blog so many years ago (in a more optimistic time) there have been a number of developments that potentially threaten the space business and those that travel there... and they are:
1) War - as in a Global Super Power War - which would begin with war in space, which is where the first (possibly kinetic) 'shots' will be fired in order to 'take the high ground'. In such a scenario it won't be much safer on the planet but at least there will be more options and support (and support groups) available to help navigate the rapidly changing situations we would all find ourselves in... not to mention 'being there' for others. So until cooler heads prevail this is clearly a potential issue to be considered in near term future space travel.
2) A dramatic acceleration of the weakening of the magnetosphere (in the last decade especially) which (some say) could potentially lead to a 'pole swap' situation which would trigger a catastrophic CME or coronal mass ejection from the Sun that would endanger satellites, space stations and their inhabitants. Even SpaceX has lost satellites recently in the launch phase due to more 'pedestrian' unexpected solar events interfering with their operations - possibly due to the weakening magnetosphere. So 'pole swap or no pole swap', the magnetosphere is 'down' now to very low levels thus exposing us all - and especially all those in space (and their vehicles) to much higher levels of solar radiation... and especially Gamma radiation.
Until the magnetosphere stabilizes and re-strengthens this will continue to be an issue for Space Travelers... over and above what most would consider to be the 'acceptable' risks inherent in human space exploration. So in the long term, human space travel is inevitable... but... short term, the risks appear to be 'unusually' elevated.
For more on the dramatic weakening of the magnetosphere see... Suspicious0bservers - YouTube
(NOTE: the intro video on 'Space Weather News' at the top of their page is a phenomenal production)
See also... Magnetic Reversal – Official Data, All in One Place as well as their Magnetic Reversal News - YouTube channel.
And this on the rotation of the earth's core slowing down since 2010... which may be related to the magnetosphere dropping off (?)
See also Oppenheimer Ranch for excellent Space Weather reports and its effects here on earth.
==============================
Other Blogs by this author...
"All spiritual practice (in the end) is about inner attention"
from... Who Needs the Higgs
---------------------
Also... for a more detailed description of the role of paradox in spiritual practice and 'Self' remembering see this authors blog on... The tao of Gurdjieff
===============================
Other articles by this author...
"In the wave lies the secret of Creation" -- (Walter Russell) -- on 'raising awareness' while contemplating the 'fractal wave' nature of the Holographic Universe at... Who Needs the Higgs
"We have never encountered poor engineering in nature" (Albrecht-Buehler) - on the true nature of timelessness and how it's built into nature -- see... Where is Time?
"In the wave lies the secret of Creation" -- (Walter Russell) -- on 'raising awareness' while contemplating the 'fractal wave' nature of the Holographic Universe at... Who Needs the Higgs
"We have never encountered poor engineering in nature" (Albrecht-Buehler) - on the true nature of timelessness and how it's built into nature -- see... Where is Time?
------------------------------------
Robert McCoy is a yoga practitioner who spent several decades in technology... primarily as an integrated circuit layout designer working for a silicon valley IC manufacturer on enterprise and wireless applications.
