Fire: the element of transmformation
Fire qualities are transformation, purification, power, suddenness, intensity, abundance and inspiration. The fundamental expression of fire is transformation. Its subtle expression is integrity. It is embodied in the technique of bandha.
The arena of fire is the abdomen, its source the solar plexus, its medium the nadis, and its key the muscles. It is cultivated and expressed through the application of the bandhas into the whole body (sarvangabandha). The source of this process is merubandha, which spontaneously generates uddyanabandha, mulabandha and jalandharabandha when suppoorted by hastabandha and padabandha.
The superficial application of fire is to generate heat. Its subtle application is sarvangabandha. This is a functional, structurual and energetic unity that reveals the inherent unity of body, mind and spirit and generates a total trust in the indiviisble wholeness of life. THis is the natural and inevitable result of applying the Seven Universal Actions of Yoga Posture Practice within the cntext of the Dynamics of Integrity.
Establishing fire requires action, the sign of its presence is radiance. The bandhas are in fact nothing other than the Dynamics of Integrity in the whole body. Without integrity there can be no integration. Without integration there can be no wholeness. Without wholeness there can be no unity. Without unity there is no yoga.
