46 A JOURNEY INTO YIN YOGA
the shaman held two L-shaped metal rods. He aimed the long part of the rods
in the direction of the chakra so that they could do one of three things. They
could swing away from each other in a sign that the chakra was open. They
could stay parallel to each other, indicating that the chakra was neutral. Or
the rods could cross each other, which was a sign that the chakra was closed.
If the chakra was closed, the shaman went into a meditative state to access
information to determine why. He then brought up the challenging event
that had caused the blocked chakra, which triggered an emotional release
and healing. Then the shaman chanted to help purify the negativity from the
chakra. He also prescribed a specific spiritual practice to sustain the strength
of the chakra. Often this involved chanting the bija mantra while visualizing
the color associated with its chakra. The work of the shaman was powerful
because somehow he was able to intuit what was happening within the subtle
anatomy.
After this experience with the shaman, I had a new respect and under-
standing of the chakras. This experience made them very real. Every person
on that retreat felt the magic, mystery, and power of the chakra session. It
was one of the peak experiences of the trip. The biggest highlight though,
happened a couple of days later, and it was with the same shaman. He was
about to show us what it really meant to be one with the Tao!
Sometimes you hear stories about Taoist or yogi masters who are able to
levitate or walk through walls. Although I have yet to witness that firsthand,
the following is a true story. A couple of days after our chakra reading with the
shaman, we were invited to meet him again for a water blessing ceremony at a
special temple. When we arrived, the shaman showed us around the grounds
explaining what the various statues and buildings represented. Afterward, he
asked everyone to sit in a semicircle, facing the front of the temple. He signaled
that we would begin our water ceremony. He began ringing a bell and started
chanting in an unfamiliar language. Although my brain had no idea what
he was saying, a deeper part of me seemed to understand. Whatever it was,
something was starting to stir. He continued chanting and ringing the bell.
All of a sudden, the ringing and the chanting stopped. As the shaman looked
slightly frustrated, he whispered to the translator. The translator stood up and
adjusted our seated positions. It was like a world-class conductor fine-tuning
the orchestra with great precision. The great symphony was about to begin.
The translator sat back down and the shaman picked up where he had left
off. This time though, the intensity picked up. His chanting became louder,
and the clanging of the bell became more ferocious. Suddenly, off in the dis-
tance, a cloud appeared. A big cluster of white moisture formed into a shape
that hid the blue sky and sun. Just when I thought that the shaman could
not become any more raucous, his energy surged, and the cloud danced its
way across the sky in our direction. The closer it got, the darker it became.
While the shaman was in complete rapture, the translator sat unmoving like
a mountain.