Trance Postures: Body Gateways to the Spirit World
by Ross Heaven
Although I had practiced yoga for many years, I did not initially connect the physical asanas with methods for exploring the world of spirit. That changed when I began working with indigenous shamans and discovered an ancient, little-known practice in which specific body postures are used to guide shamanic journeys—states of trance or deep meditation through which we can access our inner selves, or as shamans say, “journey to other worlds.”
My own experiences were profound. They revealed that these ritual postures were indeed something different—something I had not encountered in yoga. Intrigued, I began researching the subject and found only two published works: Where the Spirits Ride the Wind and Ecstatic Body Postures, both by Dr. Felicitas Goodman.
Guided by Goodman’s research, I conducted my own experiments and introduced these postures in my shamanic workshops to test their claims that such positions could transport people to other realms. This article shares my findings.
The Discovery of Trance Postures
“Great beings who inhabit the realm of spirit that we call the Alternate Reality have been around for thousands of years, helping humans through our journeys here on Earth; and hunter-gatherer and horticultural peoples around the world have documented their presence and preserved the means of access to them through their artwork on cave walls, in totem poles, in delicate gold or silver work, or in simple pottery. Their images have been perpetually in front of our eyes.”
Even so, the true nature of these images was rediscovered only about thirty years ago by anthropologist Felicitas Goodman, whose work began with her study of glossolalia—“speaking in tongues.” Goodman noticed that statues, carvings, and paintings from cultures that had little or no contact with one another depicted human figures in remarkably similar postures.
Her hypothesis was that these images represented coded instructions—specific body positions designed to induce consistent trance states. Through years of global research and practical experimentation with hundreds of participants, Goodman found that these “ritual body postures” allowed ordinary people to enter extraordinary states of consciousness and experience the inner, or spirit, world.
She concluded that these effects were universal because they all engage the same instrument: the human body. Our basic physiology—especially the nervous and endocrine systems—has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. The same neural pathways that guided Neolithic shamans into the otherworld remain within us today, waiting to be activated.
Elements of a Successful Trance
Goodman identified several key elements necessary for a successful trance experience—many familiar to those who practice yoga or meditation:
Establish a sacred space. This need not be a temple or altar, but simply a space entered with sacred intent—the expectation of a non-ordinary experience.
Use rhythmic sound. A steady auditory cue such as a drum or rattle signals the nervous system to shift states. Even a simple relaxation CD can serve this purpose.
Quiet the mind. Prayer, meditation, or breathwork (similar to pranayama) helps still inner dialogue and prepares the mind for altered awareness.
Share a unified intention. A collective belief or framework shapes the experience into something spiritually meaningful. Ritual body postures provide this shared focus, transcending individual belief systems.
She notes, “Agnostic computer programmers could undergo a shamanic experience during the fifteen minutes of an ecstatic trance session.”
Experiments in Trance
In my workshops, I invited students to try several of these ritual postures, chosen from Goodman’s collection of 39, without telling them the intended purpose of each. The postures included:
The Tattooed Jaguar (Mexico, c. 1400 BCE): a shapeshifting posture said to offer the perspective of a great feline. “Many individuals become sensitized to the non-human world and grow in rapport with animals,”
The Tennessee Diviner (Europe, c. 700 CE): a divinatory posture used to receive ritual guidance from a spirit said to be terse but precise.
The Realm of the Dead (Germany, 5th century BCE): a posture for journeying into the spirit world, where “the traveler begins to rise into a new form and a new life.”
How to Assume the Postures
The Tattooed Jaguar
Kneel with your legs spread so the knees form a “V.” Cross your right big toe over the left and sit back on your heels, leaning slightly forward. Curl your hands as if holding medium-sized candles. Rest your left hand, palm down, on your left knee; your right hand on your right knee, tilted upward at about a 45° angle. Keep your elbows relaxed and arms gently bowed. Face forward, eyes closed.
The Tennessee Diviner
From kneeling, raise your right knee and place your right foot flat beside your left knee. Sit back on your left heel. Rest your left palm on your left knee and your right palm slightly to the left of your right kneecap. Tilt your head slightly right, as if glancing over your knee. Close your eyes and gently protrude your tongue between slightly parted lips.
The Realm of the Dead
Stand with feet parallel, six inches apart, toes forward, and knees slightly bent. Place your right hand across your waist so the palm covers your navel. Rest your left forearm across your chest just above your right arm, palms inward and parallel. Relax your shoulders and close your eyes.
Findings and Experiences
Students reported experiences markedly different from standard meditation or shamanic journeying. One participant described the journeys as “intense, offering a wholly new perspective.”
In the Realm of the Dead posture—known to them only as “RoD”—several students reported encounters with “spirit guides.” A yoga teacher recounted:
“I felt an incredible vastness of time and space rushing toward me, as if traveling at great speed through the stars. The impression stayed with me long after.”
The Tattooed Jaguar posture elicited especially powerful reactions:
“I met the Mother Jaguar,” one participant said. “I was fully grown, yet felt like a six-week-old kitten beside her.”
By contrast, the Tennessee Diviner produced less striking results—perhaps because participants were unaware that they should hold a question in mind. Even so, students described an “intense lightness” and an altered sense of awareness.
Conclusion
From both my students’ experiences and Goodman’s pioneering research, it is clear that these postures evoke unique and consistent shifts in consciousness—distinct from traditional meditation. Each posture appears to open a specific doorway to a particular realm or state of being.
If this is so, then our ancestors possessed an extraordinary understanding of the body as a sacred instrument—a map to the worlds beyond. Through continued practice, we may once again rediscover their knowledge, reconnecting with those same realms that sustained the first shamans and spiritual seekers across time.