Restoration of Breath. Consciousness and Performance. (Consciousness Literature & the Arts)

205 Pages·2007·0.63 MB·English

by  Sreenath Nair

Restoration of Breath
Consciousness
09
Liter& ture
the Arts
General Editor:
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe
Editorial Board:
Anna Bonshek, Per Brask, John Danvers,
William S. Haney II, Amy Ione,
Michael Mangan, Arthur Versluis,
Christopher Webster, Ralph Yarrow
Restoration of Breath
Consciousness and
Performance
SReenath naiR
Amsterdam - New York, NY 2007
Cover Design: Aart Jan Bergshoeff
The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of “ISO
9706:1994, Information and documentation - Paper for documents -
Requirements for permanence”.
ISBN: 978-90-420-2306-2
ISSN: 1573-2193
©Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2007
Printed in the Netherlands
To
Prof. K. Ayyappa Paniker

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction 7

Chapter One 11
The Location of Breath

1.1 Theatricality and Performativity 11
1.2 Performance Categories of Performativity 15
1.2.1 Definition 16
1.2.2 Enacted Performativity 19
1.2.3 Reception and Performativity 20
1.3. Critical Categories of Performativity 25
1.3.1 Foucault and Event 26
1.3.2 Deleuze and Repetition 28
1.3.3 Derrida and Différance 31
1.3.4 Artaud and Breath 34
1.4 Being and/or Breathing: Heidegger and Irigaray 43
Summary 45

Chapter Two
In Search of Breath 51
2.1 Aristotle and Breath 52
2.1.1 Breath is a Body 54
2.1.2 Breath and Soul 55
2.1.3 Breath and Emotion 57
2.2 Tao and Breath 58
2.2.1 Ch’i Meridians 60
2.2.2 Ch’i Kung and Breath 61
2.3 Breath and the Sanskrit Tradition 63
2.3.1 Space and Time in S(cid:407)mkhya 65
2.3.2 Breath and S(cid:407)mkhya 67
2.3.3 Breath and the Upanishads 69
2.4 Breath in Yoga and Ayurveda 78
2.4.1 The Sangitaratnakara and the Genesis of the Human 80
Embodiment
A. The Metaphysical Viewpoint 81
B. The Physiological Viewpoint 82
C. The Psychophysical Viewpoint 83
2.4.2 The Siva Svarodaya Shastra and the Yogic Technique 87
of Breathing
A. Nostrils: Structure and Modes 88
B. Nostrils and the Solar System 90
C. Techniques to Check Nostril Modes 92
D. Techniques to Change Nostril Modes 93
E. Practicing Svara-Udaya 100
2.5 Breath and the Siddha Tradition 101
2.5.1 Texts and Authorship 102
A. The Body in the Marmasastra 104
B. Marma and the Body 111
2.5.2 Agastiya’s Cave 112
2.5.3 Siddha Vidya 113
Summary 114

Chapter Three 119
Breath: Training and Performance
3.1 Breath in Eastern Actor Training 122
3.1.1 Breath and the Natyasastra 123
3.1.2 Breath and Rasa 125
3.1.3 Svara-vayu: A Lost Tradition of Breath 129
3.1.4 Noh in Contemporary Actor Training 135
3.2 Breath in Western Actor Training 137
3.2.1 Jacques Copeau 137
3.2.2 Stanislavski: Breath and Sub-text 138
3.2.3 Grotowski and Breath 139
3.2.4 Jacques Lecoq 142
3.2.5 Recent Views 143
3.2.6 Breath is Meaning: Voice Training 148
3.2.7 Exclusion of Breath 149
Summary 151
Chapter Four 154
Breath and Consciousness
4.1 Consciousness: Early Views 154
4.2 Consciousness: Recent Views 156
4.3 Time and Consciousness 165
4.3.1 Repetition and Consciousness 165
4.4 Breath and Consciousness 171
4.4.1 Breathing and Being: A New Philosophy 171
4.4.2 Breath and Representation: Artaud’s Divine Theatre 172
4.4.3 K(cid:407)la: Time and Beyond through Breath 176
4.5 Restoration of Breath 179
4.6 Performing Breath: Santa Rasa 185
Summary 188

Conclusion 193

Bibliography 196