The Wisdom of Marmani
Marma is a Sanskrit word with over 20 different meanings. A few examples: Vitality, Crucial, Important, a point of Creativity or Dissolution, a secret spot, mini-minds. Marma comes to us from an ancient Indian healers, and it is a tradition that has been passed down from teacher to student for ages. My teacher/Guru has taught me to see Marma as an entry point to life and death. This is not meant in a sinister way, but Marma points are where energy or prana flows which can also cause us harm when injured. Injury can be physical or even by another's use of words.
I like to think of all beings as more than just the flesh. We are more than what we can see and feel and are all connected because we are all made of energy. Take a moment and think of your energetic body as a mass of water which is trying to maintain balance and stillness. Now think of that mass of water and all the obstacles the water must face. Ripples begin with the small particles and waves by the larger objects. That is in essence what our energetic body is doing.
A Marma point is the bridge between our physical and energetic body. It starts as a vibration called Spanda which has two components: the Cosmic Mind and the Individual Mind. The Cosmic mind represents the divine—how we all have the divine within. The Individual Mind is not simply the brain but includes the intelligence of every cell. Every organ is designed to speak to us in its own way. The Spanda is responsible for the first ripple and is otherwise known as prana. Yogis know prana as the life force within us, and it is made up of Matter and Consciousness. These move through our seven Chakras and down through 72,000 Nadis Lines. The Nadis lines act as channels similar to the meridians in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). The Nadis lines lead to the Marma or Marmani points in the body.
There are 107 classical points with 108th point being the mind. Marma is where the five elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether) are formed, where the three Doshas (Kapha, Pitta, Vata) are birthed, the meeting place of the three states of mind Gunas (Sattva-truth, Rajas-movement, Tamas-dark), and where the three essences of energy emerge (Prana-energy, Tejas-brilliance, and Ojas-resilience). Out of the classical 108, there are 44 which are considered therapeutically touchable, while the other 64 are helped through meditation, mantras/sound, and fragrances. Each Marma is made up of Intelligence, Consciousness and Matter.
As you start to work with Marma points, you will begin to connect with your own personal vibration. It feels as though you have a second pulse that doesn’t line up with your heart beat. The Guru Indu Arora, who I was so lucky to learn from, told us to “tune your body to the rhythm of health.” She pointed us to an Ayurvedic Scripture: “Nothing is new, it’s only a reminder to you.”
Our bodies are so very intelligent, and they speak to us all day long. However, sadly we are often out of tune with what they are saying.
So I leave you with this thought... Next time you are working out, or at yoga, or at the ballet barre, or walking the dog, or anything else, notice the taste on your tongue. Try to describe it for yourself. Is it bitter? Dry? Sweet? Believe it or not, that is your tongue’s intelligence speaking to you about the situation or even mind set you are in. I challenge you to start noticing the small things. You may even start to feel your own vibration if you learn to listen.
I am forever a student and always learning, I write from a place of openness and hope to always continue to learn. I would love to hear from you, feel free to contact me with any thoughts, questions or if you would like to give Marma a try. I want to give gratitude to Indu Arora for sharing her knowledge so openly, without tethers of ego. I thank you for the love you share.