Yoga and Drumming: "Embracing the Rhythm of Life" on St. John

Embracing the Rhythm of Life: Yoga and Drumming in the Caribbean

Life is a series of stories. As a story is in the business of stringing words together to create an idea or image, life is a string of moments, each one holding an instant of our past, a teaspoon of our future, some with sugar, some with spice, some with smelly things we’d rather not encounter at all. Together, these beads of moments create the story of our lives, which in turn create the collective story of human society, of our planet and its species; all of this folds into the story of the universe. Those who believe in a higher power - whether that be a God, an all pervasive spirit such as Atman, or simply an intelligent force working full time backstage - may in turn tend to believe these stories are predetermined, part of a larger cosmic or spiritual plan.

At a recent yoga retreat held at the Florian Villa on the Caribbean island of St. John, Lisa Needham, owner of the Park City Yoga Studio, and Toby Christensen, world renowned healing drummer, encouraged retreat participants to embrace the “rhythm of life” by accepting all moments - sweet, spicy, or downright nasty -- with equanimity. Weaving together the ancient practices of tantric yoga and drumming with two variations on the system of 5 elements, Lisa and Toby prescribed tolerance without passivity in dealing with life’s most challenging situations. A difficult asana, as Lisa would often remind us, can tempt us to give up, to never try, or it can provide an opportunity to recognize, acknowledge, and perhaps move beyond our limits. As we struggled to maintain balance in parivrtta ardha chandrasana one morning, she asked us to consider what was going on in our thoughts. “Are you saying, ‘I hate this pose. It’s too difficult…’ Can you recognize the challenge of this situation and then, instead of turning to run, can you remain present with it?” By remaining present, on and off the mat, we can then learn how to effectively respond to challenges or pain without festering, grumbling, giving up. This approach guided Toby’s work with those suffering from a range of ailments, from cancer to depression. “Life is like the ocean,” Toby would say. “Waves will continue to rise and fall. If you can learn to accept that things will never be perfectly calm, then when those big waves do come, you can learn to ride them. Just like surfing, it then becomes a kind of game rather than a misfortune!”

Throughout the twice daily yoga workshops and nightly drumming sessions, Lisa and Toby also explored a deeper level of the universal life story, one in which we are the storytellers and thus ultimately responsible for choosing the threads with which we weave together our tapestries, the paints with which we decorate our canvas. This suggests not only opting for a positive and productive reaction to uncomfortable or challenging moments, but also, powered by the intention of love and awareness, that we can direct the course of our own rivers toward joy and effortless, delightful existence. This all begins with intention, conscious thought, humble awareness, and, overall, choice. In this way, we can become the creators of our own story, and by extension, of our universe. As John Woods wrote “the universe is exactly the way you think it is - and that’s why!” How exciting to know that we can, in effect, choose to live in a universe according to us, one free from pain and suffering!

Toby, a leading national practitioner in sound therapy, takes these principles of story-telling to the realms of music and particle physics. “The sound of a drum is the tuning of the soul,” Toby began, initiating the first drum workshop with the timeless wisdom of one of his own spiritual teachers, Sobonfu Some. We were gathered in an evening circle, drums between our knees, awaiting Toby’s introductory session on the mystical nature of healing drumming. These simple words spoke to the vastly intricate and infinitely connected source of energy, the building blocks of all things living and not, and the vibrations of these energy fields that determine…well, everything. We are all made of vibrating fields of energy that includes our thoughts, speech, and actions. The belief that all human actions begin with thought is widely recognized; yet the subatomic link between mind activity, emotions, productive or destructive behavioral patterns, and health or disease is something modern science and ancient spiritual teachings are only now beginning to converge on. It works like this: thoughts ultimately become intentions (or excuses), which alter the vibration of energy fields within us that then affect energy fields around us. This interaction between inner and outer energy fields can explain how a negative thought pattern can thus manifests negative experiences, or alternatively, how believing in something you really want can suddenly and inexplicably come true. Simply changing our story (“I’m no good at that; I hate how he does that to me; why do I always get the blame?”) to a positive one (“I’ll try today and again tomorrow”) is sometimes enough to alter the situation deemed harmful or unhelpful.

Other times, however, the problem or disease is too advanced, has gotten too comfortable at home in our bodies and mind, and is increasingly difficult to give the boot. Here’s where sound therapy and drumming can be helpful. As Hazrat Inayat Kahn wrote, “there’s no greater and more living resonator of sound than the human body. Sound has an effect on each atom of the body, for each atom resounds.” Simply put, sound has the power to resonate throughout the body at certain frequencies, which, when applied skillfully and intentionally, can actually reconfigure our bioenergetic structures. Toby uses the power of the drum to energetically restore, revitalize and restructure the very basic building blocks of our mind, bodies, and soul and in this way has provided solutions where none else could be found for a range of diseases and suffering. In evening workshops and during private drumming sessions, Toby opened our eyes and ears to the elemental rhythms that can create and transform our own stories. With a big grin, Toby would slap his Djembe and summarize: “change your rhythm, change your life.”

The theme playing in the foreground of Lisa and Toby’s philosophies drew our yoga practice and drumming sessions deeply into two traditions of the five elements: Tantric (wind, water, fire, earth, space) and Dagra (fire, earth, water, mineral, nature). Though slightly different systems, they both inform us of the natural qualities and variations that penetrate our existence; throughout our life, we may experience periods of fire (intensity and passion), water (healing and reconciliation), or be rooted entirely in one particular element depending on our birthdays or names (have you ever met an earth person?). Recognizing these natural, subtle cycles and qualities as a subterranean level of our life stories are a positive step toward embracing every situation, every wave that takes us closer to shore, be it mighty and menacing or easy going and warm. And if we learn to pay attention to those natural qualities, we can actually use them to empower our lives. Putting this into practice, Toby accompanied each evening yoga practice on his Djembe with a unique elemental rhythm. Talking us through the qualities of that element, Lisa blended their individual wisdom, such as the ability of water to flow effortlessly around its obstacles, with asana sequences or breathing patterns that mirrored those qualities. In a deeply grounding earth practice, we balanced our feet and hands on the ultimate support platform; the entire sphere of the earth that lies below us and, in her infinite willingness to give, provides this support whenever, forever. As Toby offered up his rhythmic message in steady slaps against the hollowed skin of the drum, our asana practice would move to the unspoken heartbeat of the Gaia, into the cascading dances of flowing water, and expand with the heated intensity of fire. The trance and dance-like effect of Toby’s drumming, though seemingly and loudly antagonistic to the zen silence of the mat we tend to expect, was remarkably steadying, as if the rhythm aligned itself to the waves of our breath.

The intensity of morning and evening sessions always held a playful overtone (largely thanks to Lisa and Toby’s lively personalities) and was furthered balanced by afternoons reserved for snorkeling trips, group hiking, individual sessions with Toby and Lisa, spa treatments, or down time. The Florian Villa, owned and managed by Deborah Bernstein and her husband, Scott Wahlen, was an elegantly homey backdrop for community meals and workshops. Its breathtaking view of neighboring St. Thomas and several of St. John’s numerous boat harbors provided that delicious therapeutic relief of natural, wide open spaces. We explored the famous Trunk Bay, shopped the duty free, colorful markets in town, and some even took a day for boat trips to the British Virgin Islands. Three times a day, we were nourished by the Satyamuna restaurant’s “soul food,” delectable Mediterranean vegetarian cuisine prepared by a chef whose name sums it all up: Ofer, as in “to offer” something. Homemade granola and whole wheat pancakes perked us up for the morning yoga sessions; boxed lunches of lentil veggie burgers and yam fries accompanied us to the beach in the afternoon; and curried chick peas, eggplant ragout, and tofu stir fry left our bellies humming in tune with nightly drumming sessions.

By the end of the week, I could not have felt more nourished by Deborah’s always upbeat hospitality, Satyamuna’s healing cuisine, and the peaceful pace of island life, not to mention Lisa and Toby's positive wisdom that I'd carry home with me. When I had first arrived on the island, my mind was reaching for some place or person that could help me secure a constant source happiness. When I left, I had not found that place or person. I had found a choice. I chose to pack my bags with fresh, positive stories about who I am, what I'm capable of, and what the universe has in store for me, leaving all those worn out and tattered stories of inertia, worry, and stress behind in the crystal blue waters of St. John. In my universe, life is perfect and happiness is as easy as breathing. What's in yours?

This yoga and drumming retreat took place from April 7-11, 2008 on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John. It was co-taught by Lisa Needham and Toby Christensen and hosted by Deborah Bernstein and Scott Wahlen, owners of the Florian Villa.
Lisa is the owner and director of Park City Yoga Studio. www.parkcityyogastudio.com.
Toby, the Healing Drummer, is a recognized expert and innovator in the field of healing music. www.healingdrummer.com.
Deborah and Scott live in Boston and manage the Florian Villa where they offer yoga retreats and villa rentals, and sponsor all-inclusive retreats for wounded veterans. 888-358-4552, info@florianvilla.com.
Satyamuna Restaurant is located on St. John and provides catering services. www.satyamuna.com, 340-774-3663.

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