A Lightening Strike into Evermore Renewal

A snake is a profound example of graceful subtlety as it converts the friction from sideways-to-sideways movement into energy that pushes their body forward, or upward. When the time is right, and after the snake grows, a wrinkled skin peels away making room for new growth.

There are frictions in all our lives, but the snake teaches how to convert friction into movement. Yoga tells us much the same, reminding us to move not in disease or stress or fast herky-jerky movements – like I did bending away from the snake – but with ease while remaining alert.

A game hunter once said, “The closer you get to the prey the slower you need to move.” This is the wisdom of snake energy, moving slowly as opportunity is close; but moving lighting fast when in danger. Yoga trains us for slow or fast moves by its program of compression and release over and over. Slow moves in ease, and subtlety, train the body for fast moves.

A few minutes after my visit to the market at the Red Fort, I was pickpocketed and afterward had a frightening experience. I didn’t know it at the time, but I would soon need snake energy in a moment of danger.

I was traveling that day with Philine, a medical doctor from Holland, who was also studying at The Ghandi Foundation. We walked to the local police station so I could report what had happened. Philine waited outside the station while I went in. I told my story, and a policeman took me to a small room down the hall. He closed the door and left.

A few minutes later, two policemen came into the room along with two uniformed men carrying rifles. I sat at the table facing the door, the two policemen were across the table from me, and the two rifle-toting men were on either side of the door.

The lead policeman asked me for money. I said I had none because my wallet had just been stolen. Then he asked again, but louder. “We want money. You get money. You make phone call and get money.”

The full conversation happened again, almost verbatim, but it was louder. Then he said, “You stay here until you get money.” Suddenly, the door opened and a boy of about 12 walked in with four cups of tea balanced on a tray. He was setting it down when I reached for a cup just before he set it on the table. Without intentionally trying, I hit the edge of the tray with my hand, and all the tea spilled on the table.

The policemen backed away in their chairs, the guards with guns stepped back, and without thinking I jumped up in a lightning-fast move, ran down the hallway and bolted out the door outside to meet Philine. I told her we had to get out of there and we ran away.

Snake energy in yoga, as when doing the cobra pose, is a slow and subtle lifting of spine with back strength, and little else. In a cobra pose, yogis look up to the ceiling as if flaring our hoods while aiming to be at ease amid stress.

This work for spine strength and flexibility is the yogi’s preparation for fast moves, as when we must get out the door, when we need to make a change, when we need to shed old skin for the new.

Maybe this year, a scary encounter or an unexpected opportunity will move you to convert friction into forward energy, making way for a lightning strike to evermore renewal.

And if we are lucky in our journey into this year of the snake, it will accompany me as it will accompany you, and this accompaniment will include the Moon and Sun, Earth, and sky, Venus, and Mars, and all the planetary stars.

This hatha (force of opposites), embedded in Earth and all stars accompanies us forward whether we’re rising at ease and fully hooded, or alert in full fang a blazing. This year, may we let the right movement be our right choosing, at the right time, for the right reasons.