After years of studying Zen meditation, I’ve made a lot of progress. Lately though, I’ve regressed, and decided to study something that many say is a very powerful spiritual practice. It’s so powerful that some insist that purification of character is necessary before even taking up the practice. Hoping that my previous Zen practice has been enough purification, I turned to the nearest class that fit into my hectic life.
Of course I didn’t expect that a free beginner’s course on YouTube would make much of an impact, but I was really surprised. Kundalini practice is powerful.
The most striking realization I’ve had is what I’d call the essence of masculinity. Let’s back up for some background before we get into that though. Kundalini Yoga deals with the major energy channels in the body. The “Ida” or feminine channel runs up and along the left side of the body. Up the right side of the body runs the “Pingala” channel, which is masculine. Certain practices can increase the proportion of masculine energy in proportion to feminine energy in your body.
Since The Good Men Project deals heavily with the question “What is manhood?” I thought I’d share my intuitive sense of the character of primal masculine energy.
Masculine energy is about boundaries. Masculine energy rises up strong, solid, and hot, saying “This is my house.” It pushes away any negative energy in your system and takes hold of your body, giving grace to your movements.
Unfortunately, when out of balance, it can lead to territorial, possessive mindsets. That does not mean that masculinity is essentially territorial and possessive. Those ways of being come out of fear, smallness, and the lack of masculine energy.
When the masculine is abundant, there is a solid sense of peace. This peace is rooted in the knowledge that no one will take what is truly yours because no one can. In order to reach this place, we as men must come to understand what is truly and essentially ours, and what is not. As long as we consider things that belong to others: autonomy, wealth, women’s bodies, to be owed to us, we will be insecure. Stripped down, a real man knows that the only thing he truly has is his ability to act in the present moment. Holding firmly to that power, a real man knows that he will live and thrive no matter what those around him do or think of him.
You might choose to practice Kundalini. You might choose a different path. In any case, I’ll hope you’ll join me on a parallel journey. Let’s all become men who have everything to give precisely because we knows that he have nothing.
Namaste
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Photo by Zach Reiner on Unsplash
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