This morning, walking up the hill near my house, to see the mountains, what I noticed was how the sky was filled with the kind of clouds that (I believe!) are particular to this sort of geography: places where large & extensive mountain ranges fall off into plains. Theyre the kind of clouds (I dont know their official name) that are perfectly smooth flat spheres, that look like soft-white flying saucers Because of the specific atmospheric conditions of the morning, then, dozens of these inflated communion-wafers were flowing over the lip of the mountains. And the sight of this ~ along with simply delighting me! ~ brought to mind this whole topic of the role of circles and spirals in yoga/qigong practice

Every yoga/qigong practitioner at some point discovers that circular or spiraling movements (of body and mind) tend to augment and circulate (in a useful way) their energy (life-force, qi, prana), while more linear or perpendicular movements tend to result in a decrease, stagnation or leakage of energy. This principal is put into action in a very explicit way in the practice of Aikido. Here, the energy of an opponents attack, instead of being directly resisted (a perpendicular action), is received into a circling/spiraling movement (the orbit of the practitioner) which simply re-directs that force into a counter-attack, i.e. the energy of ones opponents attack is used against them. (At higher levels of the practice, the entire thing is seen to be a kind of dance, in which the notions of for and against, as well as self and other, become quite transparent and, ultimately, disappear.)

So why is this the case? Why do circular/spiraling movements nourish us, while more linear actions deplete our energy? If Lao Tzu (a Taoist sage, purported author of the Tao Te Ching) were here, he might simply point our awareness to the fact that our bodies (the vehicles of our yoga/qigong practice) are composed of the same elements as the rest of the phenomenal world ~ yes? And then point our vision to: the movement of planets around their sun; the movement of electrons around their nucleus; the rotation of the earth around its core; the shape of the earth itself (if you walk to the horizon, are you going to fall off the edge?). All this in an effort to help us to re-member: were standing on a sphere, which is circling its core, as it orbits (circle/spiral combination) our sun, as the solar system itself spirals within the Milky Way galaxy and on and on! And, finally, the ancient infant (Lao Tzus nickname) might say to us: there is a universe (perhaps the only one) similar to this within your human body!

As we allow our movements to be circular and spiraling were bringing ourselves into alignment with these truths, and opening a gateway to experiencing them directly, at the level of our human body. Were taking steps in the direction of finding that universe within us, of actually embodying the Truth of Who-We-Are

And to end (this, which is simply the beginning of whatever you do next ) heres a poem by the great mystic-poet Hafiz, which explores a similar theme:

Circles

The moon is most happy When it is full.

And the sun always looks Like a perfectly minted gold coin

That was just Polished And place in flight By Gods playful Kiss.

And so many varieties of fruit Hang plump and round

From branches that seem like a Sculptors hands.

I see the beautiful curve of a pregnant belly Shaped by a soul within,

And the Earth itself, And the planets and the Spheres

I have gotten the hint:

There is something about circles The Beloved likes.

Hafiz, Within the Circle of a Perfect One

There is an Infinite Community Of Light.