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x.j.
304 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 1:18:15 PM
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Very early, around 4 or 5 AM, seems to me to be a great time to meditate.I think the yogis historically have called this early hour Brahmamuhurta (Brahman:Absolute Reality/God, Brahmamuhurta: The hour of God). They say it's a very powerful time of day to do one's spiritual practices. Before involvement in the activities of the day distracts one.
Here's what usually happens to me at least:
You realize you are partially awake. A lot of times I perceive the stars of an inner sky. Get out of bed. You take a leak, still in the dark. Urinate sitting down on the can, because if you are a man and try to pee standing while in the dark, you will likely miss the toilet and your wife will be mad when she gets up and you will be on your hands and knees with a sponge, warm water and Ajax cleanser, making the toilet and adjoining floor and wall somehow right again. This may not be totally possible and your bathroom may smell bad for a long time if not for ever.) You stand facing right up against a wall to lean on so you don't fall over. I recommend doing this in the hall bathroom, not in the bathroom next to your bedroom, away from where your poor spouse is trying to get some sleep, and just stand for yoni mudra, within the hall bathroom with the door closed, so your wife will not accidentally get up in the dark and bump into you there and get all scared and upset.)You do 4 cycles of alternate nostril breathing, in through the left, out the right, in through the right, out through the left is one cycle. You put thumbs in ear canals, fingers over eyes, nostrils, mouth. Hold breath. The gold circle begins forming on upper left, then starts breaking out otherwise, to form a circle of yellow light. There is a blue or black disc within the ring. Then with further cycles of alternate nostril breathing and the above practice of Yoni Mudra, there is further development where the gold ring forms a yellow disc instead of a ring, then with further cycles of alternate nostril breathing and Yoni mudra, it turns into a vertical pillar of yellow light, then into totally yellow light filling entire visual field. Best to view it each time with eyes open to reinforce understanding that this is present with eyes open as well. The occipital or visual cortex in the back of the head is totally turned on neuronally at this time. Then with further cycles the whole thing fades away leaving the Bindu, the black dot. Keep the lights off, and go sit down in your dedicated meditation room. The dot (bindu) will remain during your sitting meditation. It is good to maintain one pointed awareness during this sit, stay with awareness on the dot. Keep bringing your awareness back time and again to the dot. That is what all of the above rigamarol of yoni mudra is for, to prepare you for this special meditation of Brahmamuhurta.
Old John (age 64)
P.S. I think that the Yoni Mudra is good to do in a dark place. And in my experience, that the visual effects vary based on the time of day. (The theory that these visual effects including the star are the inside of Sushumna and the star is the top of sushumna, is as good an interpretation as any. As far as the physical correlation, vision occurs in the back of the head, the visual cortex, located in the back of the brain. So any visions during yoni mudra, must have a physical correlation in the brain, (that doesn't make them any less meaningful and beautiful to know that though). My theory is that the lights we induce with yoni mudra would not occur to non-yogis, if they tried that outside of a yogic daily practice, and that our daily yoga practices, are slowly changing our nervous systems somehow, maybe one could say, spiritualizing it for its second and ultimate purpose. For me, yoni mudra is a good preparation for one pointed focussed meditation.
John C
P.S. Though there is overlap, my yoga is self derived, and differs from AYP practices here and there. Just for the record. |
Edited by - x.j. on Jan 22 2008 12:37:58 PM |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 3:49:15 PM
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quote:
You realize you are partially awake. You enter a meditative state if not already in one. There may be the starry sky, the vortex turning clockwise, the petals of Ajna(half moon on right, full moon on left side of inner vision in Akashic vision) You get up in the dark. You take a leak, still in the dark.Do this urination sitting, because if you are a man and try to pee standing while in the dark, you will likely miss the toilet and your wife will be mad when she gets up and you will be on your hands and knees with a sponge, warm water and Ajax cleanser, making the toilet and adjoining floor and wall somehow right again. This may not be totally possible and your bathroom may smell bad for a long time if not for ever.) You stand facing right up against a wall to lean on so you don't fall over. I recommend doing this in the hall bathroom, not in the bathroom next to your bedroom, away from where your poor spouse is trying to get some sleep, and just stand for yoni mudra, within the hall bathroom with the door closed, so your wife will not accidentally get up in the dark and bump into you there and get all scared and upset.)You do 4 cycles of alternate nostril breathing, in through the left, out the right, in through the right, out through the left is one cycle. You put thumbs in ear canals, fingers over eyes, nostrils, mouth. Hold breath. The gold circle begins forming on upper left, then starts breaking out otherwise, to form a circle of yellow light. There is a blue or black disc within the ring. Then with further cycles of alternate nostril breathing and the above practice you call Yoni Mudra(terminology taken from Kriya yoga lore, with different terminology elsewhere) there is further development where the gold ring forms a yellow disc instead of a ring, then with further cycles of alternate nostril breathing and Yoni mudra, it turns into a vertical pillar of yellow light, then into totally yellow light filling entire visual field. Best to view it each time with eyes open to reinforce understanding that this is present with eyes open as well. The occipital or visual cortex in the back of the head is totally turned on neuronally at this time. Then with further cycles the whole thing fades away leaving the Bindu, the black dot. Keep the lights off, and go sit down in your dedicated meditation room. The dot (called bindu) will remain during your sitting meditation. It is good to maintain one pointed awareness during this sit, stay with awareness on the dot. Keep bringing your awareness back time and again to the dot. That is what all of the above rigamarol of yoni mudra is for, to prepare you for this special meditation of Brahmamuhurta. Good luck and may the Force be with you my children.
John the cranky old man...
 Hahahaha! Great humour, John! And very, very interesting to read! Thank you for a very informative post! Now I understand what my ki-yoga teacher is trying to get us to experience with the Yoni Mudra! I'm never successful since all attention goes to thoughts and panics of where to hold and put all fingers in the face to get it right! Much too complicated for me... |
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Black Rebel Radio
USA
98 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 4:32:29 PM
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Your not self-prescribing are you?
I suppose you could use the scientific method to make just about any experience as bland and void of wonderment as possible.
That is why I love science and medicine so much. There isn't an amazing beauty filled anomoly that they won't hunt down and make dry, course and matter o' fact.
Yes, praise for being helpful is for noobs!!!!11
Grow up kids!
Shabow!
Mac
With love John C! |
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Hunter
USA
252 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 7:03:15 PM
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Old Man John,
This young lad likes you!! Good information, thank you.
I won't have any trouble with the pissing in the dark because 1. I live in the woods, and 2. I am not married.  
Much love to you. |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 7:30:45 PM
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I think praise and gratitude are subjective for each individual.
If someone has been greatly helped through the efforts of someone else it is natural and healthy to give gratitude and praise.
Whilst those efforts may seem to be of limited benifit to one individual, they can help another greatly.
This has nothing to do with young or old, advanced or beginner. Let's face it who really knows who is advanced or not, and who cares. One person can be teaching another lots of things, but the pupil could be a lot more advanced in terms of their evolution, it's just that they didn't know those particular things at that time.
Putting AYP on a pedestal is not what we're about here and Yogani himself has stated many times that there is nothing new here yogically. What is new is lifting the veils of secrecy, opening it up to everyone in a clear easily read way, with the inclusion of this support forum to boot.
It is also an evolving system taking in the latest methods like the often quoted Byron Katie system of Self-Inquiry - this is well worth a look at.
Self-Inquiry is also explored in relation to inner silence and the AYP practices in Yogani's new book - Self Inquiry - Dawn of the Witness and the End of Suffering.
(is that enough praise for you hehe!!)
PS. This post was made in response to comments made further up in the thread, which have now been deleted. Since it seems ok to me as a stand alone, I thought to leave it as is.
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Edited by - Sparkle on Jan 14 2008 04:14:01 AM |
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tallis
Hungary
71 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2008 : 4:15:21 PM
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Hi John,
Nice post. I like your style, as always! And thanks for the bit about the bindu... |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 02:36:50 AM
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"The gold circle begins forming on upper left, then starts breaking out otherwise, to form a circle of yellow light. There is a blue or black disc within the ring."
Hm... adding this info to what was shown in the film that Juliet linked to... I always thought I tuned in on Saturn, and wondered why Saturn sometimes showed up during my meditations... It looks exactly like this, a blue or black disc with a yellow band around, just like Saturn. What is this? If the star is the end of the sushumna, what is this? |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 03:40:54 AM
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I often see this black circle ringed by light. Always assumed it was a tunnel. It changes to various other things then, but the black would be one of the more common ones I see.
Last night I saw a weird one.
A very clear purple, like the Amethyst crystle, but as I would look at it, what seemed like a windscreen wiper would come across the image and blot it out for about 2 seconds, when it passed, the purple is there again just as clearly for about 5 seconds, and then like clockwork the wiper comes across. It happened a couple of times before but never so clearly. Weird huh!! - interesting scenery! |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 07:22:18 AM
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Thank you for your descriptions of the Third Eye perceptions, Sparkle and emc. And emc asks "what is this?"
Isn't the short, readers digest answer to emc's question just simply 4 words: Ajna, Third Eye Consciousness?
And the fully embellished answer goes like this: The chakra of vision, opened through yoga, located in the visual cortex of necessity (though traditional thinking places it at the pineal gland, but that doesn't make any sense because this chakra is all about vision), and so Ajna's anatomical correlate must be the visual cortex, back of brain. Most people, all the other normal human beings, who are non-yoginis, haven't developed this into a functioning blossoming chakra with open petals, complete with dew drops on it's two languid cream colored petals, sparkling in the morning sun. Oh great emc, isn't that answer pretty much implied in your question?(Please excuse the excessively flowery, disgustingly dry and anatomical, but bombastic sillyness implied in my answer.) Reply added by edit, at mid morning, not at 4AM.
Brahmamuhurta today, Monday,.
It is 4 AM in Portland Oregon this morning, dark wet and cold outside the window. It is that greatest of times,Brahmamuhurta that I love so much. First perception as I lay in bed, was the hum.. Then...while still half awake, the vision of a totally still sea. I am looking out over the still water that reflects the light of the sky above, there are absolutely no waves, it is more lake like in that respect except that the great water extends so far with no other shore that it is ocean, and there is a path, of some multicolored lights or colored rocks each about the diameter of my skull, laid flat in cement, like a garden path, meandering out from the shore where I seem to be standing. The path seems about six feet wide, which is my physical height, and startomg from my right side a little, it curves this way and that, extending out over the still water, and this multicolored path gets ever smaller as it gets farther away from shore, and dissappears at the horizon into the distance. It was a crystal clear image just at the time of awakening, or during awakening. Lasting in physical minutes, I am going to estimate, one minute. This particular perception at Brahmamuhrta I have never seen before today. As usual however, this was not like a dream really,..because I was awake.
P.S., the vision I describe above, and the visions Sparkle and emc describe above, are Ajna. Depending on whether you are aware visually of the mystic eye ball itself (yellow ring with blue-black center) or are looking through the lens of that eyeball, into the dimension beyond, into some landscape of some other loka or divine realm, beyond time and space continuum of this, Earth realm, Bhuh Loka.. |
Edited by - x.j. on Jan 15 2008 04:27:12 AM |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 4:17:35 PM
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quote:
John wrote: Isn't the short, readers digest answer to emc's question just simply 4 words: Ajna, Third Eye Consciousness?
And the fully embellished answer goes like this: The chakra of vision, opened through yoga, located in the visual cortex of necessity (though traditional thinking places it at the pineal gland, but that doesn't make any sense because this chakra is all about vision), and so Ajna's anatomical correlate must be the visual cortex, back of brain. Most people, all the other normal human beings, who are non-yoginis, haven't developed this into a functioning blossoming chakra with open petals, complete with dew drops on it's two languid cream colored petals, sparkling in the morning sun. Oh great emc, isn't that answer pretty much implied in your question?(Please excuse the excessively flowery, disgustingly dry and anatomical, but bombastic sillyness implied in my answer.) Reply added by edit, at mid morning, not at 4AM. - - - P.S. (editted into post midmorning), the vision I describe above, and the visions Sparkle and emc describe above, are just what Ajna does,right? Depending on whether you are aware visually of the mystic eye ball itself (yellow ring with blue-black center) or are looking through the lens of that eyeball, into the dimension beyond, into some landscape of some other loka or divine realm, beyond time and space continuum of this, Earth realm, Bhuh Loka..
Oh, I didn't notice your new edited answer until now! (I think I'll continue to copy your text like this in my replies so that other readers understand what I answer, since I feel a bit worried you might edit it away suddenly  , which would be a pity if it occurred, by the way.)
Thank you for your valuable info! It's very interesting to hear about your experiences and it gives great incitament to dive deeper into that mystic eye ball when it shows up! The fact that traditional views place a connection to the pineal gland is indeed interesting. Why would they do that? Where does that idea come from? Do you have any thoughts? |
Edited by - emc on Jan 14 2008 4:20:53 PM |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 4:43:13 PM
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Hi emc
I meant to say that I editted IN a paragraph here and there to make it more comprhensive rather than editting OUT anything much. I learned my lesson the other day, and realize that ONCE someone has commented on a post, that then it is essential to leave that text untouched once that reply happens. The only reason I editted out a paragraph on the original Brahmamuhurta post of yesterday, was that the first paragraph i wrote, contained some critical and grumpy, irrelevant comments on something unrelated, and that those comments were inappropriate to have said in the first place and detracted from the subject I was trying to write an essay on. So sorry, and No, I will not remove any posted writings once a reply has occurred to that.
Apologies, and in all due silliness
John C |
Edited by - x.j. on Jan 15 2008 8:56:00 PM |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 5:47:04 PM
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Hi John
Thanks for your great input, both here and in general.
Sometimes I see the actual shape of an eye. This is a disc with some colours around it and surrounded again by the oval shape of an eye.
It looks exactly like an eye.
I have seen this very vividly a few times and sometimes talk to it fondly as if it had an intelligence of it own - more sillyness
Are you familiar with this? |
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VIL
USA
586 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2008 : 9:51:25 PM
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I thought that it was interesting that the pineal gland produces melatonin to regulate our circadian rhythm and that the peak hours of production are usually between 2 to 4 am. It also corresponds to the third eye/crown chakra depending on the tradition.
"The classic phase markers for measuring the timing of a mammal's circadian rhythm are melatonin secretion by the pineal gland and body temperature.
For temperature studies, people must remain awake but calm and semi-reclined in near darkness while their rectal temperatures are taken continuously. The average human adult's temperature reaches its minimum at about 05:00 (5 a.m.), about two hours before habitual wake time, though variation is great among normal chronotypes."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm
Some people wear blue lens glasses to block the blue wave length, which induces the production of melatonin, to help them sleep:
VIL
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Edited by - VIL on Jan 14 2008 10:51:45 PM |
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tallis
Hungary
71 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2008 : 03:09:38 AM
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Hi Sparkle,
quote:
Sometimes I see the actual shape of an eye. This is a disc with some colours around it and surrounded again by the oval shape of an eye. It looks exactly like an eye.
I also see the shape of an eye at times. Sometimes it can be simply eye-like. Sometimes it is more reminiscent of the two-petalled lotus of ajna, which I'm sure derives its shape from that of an eye. |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2008 : 5:26:27 PM
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Hi tallis and Sparkle,
Agree, about the imagery you describe.
Several questions though for you guys,and anyone else interested:
1) Do you see this eye perception frequently,infrequently, or every time you do yoni mudra?
2) Do you see more than what you describe,the eye ball thing, or is this basically what you see there?
3) Do you see this perception without doing yoni mudra?
4) What part of the day works best for you, if there is a best time?
5. Do you see the two smaller lights, one on each side, that are the petals?
John C |
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tallis
Hungary
71 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2008 : 3:56:55 PM
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Hi John,
1. How specific are you in referring to 'eye perception'? If you mean any third-eye visualisation(without heroics like the star etc), then I'd say pretty frequently. But for me it's like tuning in a radio. Most often I don't get crystal-clear reception. There's fuzz - sometimes a lot - in how I see it.
2. I've described pretty much all the interesting star- and eye-like things I've seen here on the forumover the last few months.
3. I do need yoni mudra to see all this.
4. Time of day doesn't influence what I see.
5. No I don't see any side lights. Rather, the two petals, open and opposite each other, together form a dark blue field, in the middle of which is some kind of bright light (if not the star), and around which is a fiery yellow/red background.
In tying the words frequently / infrequently to how we perceive these phenomena, you're reading my thoughts... |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2008 : 03:37:48 AM
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Hi Tallis,
And a question that just now occurred to me to ask you, in the spirit of yogic investigator:...Do you eat meat?
(Am going off-line til Monday)
John
P.S. It is now the hour of Brahmamuhurta for me here in Oregon. I awoke but was observing the body being still asleep. Funny how that happens.
I was underneath the star filled sky once again. There was no light pollution dimming the display of the galaxies above. Wish I had a telescope along(just kidding)...all of a sudden I wondered,...does Tallis eat meat?
John |
Edited by - x.j. on Jan 19 2008 04:42:19 AM |
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tallis
Hungary
71 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2008 : 05:58:42 AM
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Hi John,
I've been vegetarian for 17 years. |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2008 : 12:31:13 AM
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Hi tallis,
I don't know why it suddenly popped into my mind the other night to ask about your diet. And to single you out for that question. Excuse my inquisitive nature.
It's interesting that you have been a vegetarian for such a long time! I always wonder how important vegetarianism could actually be,as far as long term purification, to allow the effects to occur, some of which you describe. Not only your perception of Ajna, but in some previous post, you mention waking up while your body is still asleep, which happens to me too.
It's like we're not supposed to be awake, and we're getting away with something we're not supposed to know about. (Not really but kind of.)
Incidentally, when you write that you have been a vegetarian for 17 years, that reminds me of the cartoon in the New Yorker Magazine a couple years ago. Two young women are sitting at a table eating dinner. One says to the other: "I started my vegetarianism for health reasons, then it became a moral choice, and now its just to annoy people."
John
P.S. Have you tried preceeding yoni mudra kumbhaka with alternate nostril breathing? That would enhance the effect by filling the side channels of Ida and Pingala, and prana thereby gets pumped into the central channel. In my experience three cycles of that integrated prior to yoni mudra kumbhaka really lights up the sky of Ajna like nothing else I know of. Things will progress beyond just the eyeball stage, and seemingly recruit the entire spiritualized visual cortex. I love that to happen.
John |
Edited by - x.j. on Jan 21 2008 01:40:52 AM |
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tallis
Hungary
71 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2008 : 06:37:31 AM
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Hi John,
Nice quote from the New Yorker. I must try that third reason out some time!
To be honest I don't feel worthy of being singled out here, though I'm happy to comply with your interrogation. You know, I'm really very new to this whole yoga thing - less than a year - and I feel that it's really mostly down to 'beginner's luck' that I've had so many experiences so far along the way. Perhaps things are changing now, though. I've not had anything really vivid occur up in Ajna for a few weeks now - though the displays do continue more regularly through the mists. I've had a lingering cold too, which I'm sure hasn't helped things with all the disruptions to normal swara, but I think it's mostly that I'm losing my yogic innocence. Over the last few days both my meditation and dreams have told me I'm too attached to ego. So there you go. To return to vegetarianism, perhaps it's given me a headstart. But I don't know. And some of the techniques I use in my profession (I'm a classical musician) do bear quite a close resemblance to yogic ones, so perhaps that helps too. Who knows.
And now a question for you. I've been wondering whether you've always been so visually aware of Ajna. Were you born with the ability or has it developed over years of practice?
Once I can breathe again (!) I'll try out your suggestion re. nadi shodhana as a prelude to yoni mudra. Do you do your version of it with kumbhaka? |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2008 : 01:23:35 AM
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Hi Tallis,
1) I think both the nadi shodana(alternate nostril breathing), and kumbhaka are important to fill the side channels and juice up the middle channel. It also helps to stand, leaning with the chest against a wall. Pressure on the chest area causes a compression that enhances the overall effect.
2)7 years ago in the locker room of the local aquatic center, after finishing the noon lap swim. I was standing and holding my bath towel to the eyes and face to dry off, when suddenly the sun disc began to form, and light up. This was after reciting the Hamsa mantra on the breath during these half hour lap swims. Accidentally discovered yoni mudra. (Had to do a little homework on the computer, with google, to find this had a name,and it was called yoni mudra, at that time.) After that I have continued this practice with good results. Mid day is a good time to do this. In the semi dark and the hot air environment of the sauna room, these factors an enhance Ajna effect. Still do this same sequence(So-Ham while swimming, shower, sauna, nadi shodana, kumbhaka,yoni mudra as many cycles of the latter as needed, maybe 4 or 5 cycles). Hope somebody out there in webspace might benefit knowing this for their own purposes. This converts swimming for exercise into mid day yoga!
John
P.S. All this above stuff differs from the recommended AYP practices for beginners.
PPS. Tallis, I love to play classic music too. Baroque Bach double concertos, very spiritual pursuit. That is bhakti yoga for sure, and we both have been doing this musical bhakti yoga for a lifetime. No wonder you have such great yogic experiences. You good. |
Edited by - x.j. on Jan 23 2008 02:52:08 AM |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2008 : 06:29:52 AM
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It is almost 2 AM, and I just got up. Did yoni mudra, and decided to write a continuation of my Brahmamuhurta posts. Thanks for bearing with me. Since I joined you here, I enjoy interacting and hearing from the others, and also throwing out some observations about my personal yogas. It's interesting to see what I'm thinking in terms of the written word, and to think out loud. I went on a Buddhist retreat over the weekend. It was at a retreat center about thirty minute drive from here. We do these with one particular Insight Meditation teacher and a group of about 35 of us come together twice a year to all sit together as sangha, and the teacher gives a few talks throughout the retreat, but mostly we just sit and walk. This is carried on in silence. I'm not very good with Buddhist meditation, because the technique is to just keep coming back to awareness on the breath every time one drifts off into thoughts. But for me, I do little experiments. This Saturday/Sunday sittings, I continued my current yoga practices, like I do every day. That is the following. Incidentally, I'm not very good at AYP either. So what I did, was to sit down on my mat and zafutan, and just do So Ham on the breath. Always come back to that. I combine this always with spinal breathing. So it's So spoken mentally on the inbreath, with the awareness rising from pelvis to head, and Ham spoken silently on the out breath, with the awareness moving down from head to pelvis. Spinal breathing with So Ham, for forty five minute sittings, and we did about six sittings each of those two days. Between sittings, we are supposed to do a silent walking meditation for thirty minutes. This is the usual Vipassana retreat format. But instead of the walking meditation, where you maintain awareness on the movement of the feet, I go to my room, lay down on the bed to rest my old back, and I then do mantra. I have a mala, and do OM Gum Ganapat I Ay Namaha then Gayatri. And sometime during that, I drift off. It may be sleep, or yoga nidra, Turiya state. It is not being awake, nor being in dreamless sleep, nor dreaming. But a hard-to-describe state where there is no awareness of separation. It is a total fusion with some other grander consciousness beyond the small sense of self. It is without thought, so you don't think while you are there, and you have nothing to remember when you wake up again. It is the Advaitic Vedantic state so to speak, of Brahman. No third eye consciousness or anything else. So then, after thirty minutes of that I get back up and go downstairs for the next formal sitting in the meditation hall. Back on So Ham and the breath. But a funny thing happened. I was sitting, and going into Turiya consciousness there as well. I know it's not sleep, because the body doesn't pitch forward like whould happen if you were sitting and drifting off into sleep. And there is no perception of any sort. It's just nothing. And you stay sitting there, totally unaware of sitting or breathing or anything else. It maybe confirms that we do not exist as a separate entity. It was a good retreat, and then when it was over, we all gave each other a loving hug, and left for home.
Now tonight, I think as a carry over of all that meditating, I slipped into this nothingness state more quickly in my sittings. And coming back out after 40 minutes, I become aware of a ball of awareness, now again in Duality, a ball of awareness in the pelvic area, just buzzing there. But as I am laying down, aware of that, and entering normal waking consciousness, I can direct that ball of awareness upwards, and it will reside within conscious control, and now will rest in the abdomen, and then I said, OK, I'll draw that up into the chest, and it moves up into the chest. When I moved it up to the head, it didn't want to stay under conscious control so much, but then I moved it back down into the abdomen and then pelvis and then into the legs, and back up again. I think this voluntary control of prana and the ball of aware, that this is the result of all the spinal breathing over the weekend. Ajna is the control center for awareness, and I think that it gets to work more strongly with such meditative practice, and gets more and more control over the entire system. This could come in handy at the time of death as well, for that ball of awareness/prana to gather up all the prana residing throughout the body, and under Ajna control, that moves up and out the top of the head as a clean ball of life force and then it is gone to where ever it goes. Maybe that is the ultimate usefullness of Ajna development. It helps me to conceptualize this kind of diary entry here, and secondly, I like to communicate this stuff and get your feedback.
John |
Edited by - x.j. on Jan 30 2008 05:27:06 AM |
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VIL
USA
586 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2008 : 09:55:01 AM
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Hey, John, I enjoyed reading about your experience: I think that there are as many levels of progressing to the (Ajna) command center, as there are reflections in a mirror facing a mirror.
I was contemplating the deeper significance of the command center, as it applies to universal laws, with that of the temptations of Christ, as He is the opitomy of these laws. Some say that He didn't heal people, walk on water, or do any of the other miracles recorded in the Bible. Take for example one of the three temptations and you'll see that he was fully in command of God's Kingdom:
"If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matt: 4:4
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The Law of Polarity states:
"Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled." -- The Kybalion.
The Law of Vibration:
"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." -- The Kybalion.
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Here is one wisdom to glean: Christ understood that it is impossible for a stone to become a plant (wheat) or an animal (yeast), which are the essential ingredients in bread. In other words, coal can transform to it's polar opposite, which is a diamond, but it cannot become a plant. (The Law of Poloration). Like a thermometer a thing can move in higher degree, but does not become another thing.
His metaphor of, "but on every word" was His teaching of the importance of becoming aware of the AUM Vibration, which incorporates all of God's Kingdoms, that work together, but are separate in level, although not degree. He also understood the medium of water (ether), the universal solvent that binds these kingdoms together. The Law of Vibration.
And in His great wisdom He further amonisted, "that man cannot live on bread alone", understanding the necessity that as we detach from one kingdom, (denying the devil/EGO) we begin to understand, and become, the essential nature of: The mineral, plant, animal, human, et al...
Through self-inquiry we can even use the Law of Correspondence:
"As above, so below; as below, so above." -- The Kybalion.
...and further understand, and become of assistance to individuals operating from one of these kingdoms, as we become like water, or the stuff that binds all of these together.
This is just one of Christ's tests that I thought that you would find this interesting:
VIL |
Edited by - VIL on Jan 23 2008 4:50:54 PM |
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tallis
Hungary
71 Posts |
Posted - Jan 23 2008 : 4:26:40 PM
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Hi John,
You wrote:
quote:
7 years ago in the locker room of the local aquatic center, after finishing the noon lap swim. I was standing and holding my bath towel to the eyes and face to dry off, when suddenly the sun disc began to form, and light up. This was after reciting the Hamsa mantra on the breath during these half hour lap swims. Accidentally discovered yoni mudra... This converts swimming for exercise into mid day yoga.
Your descriptions of swimming as midday yoga remind of Yesudian - from 'Sport and Yoga,' I think - in which he tells the story of trying to convince an English lady to practise yogic breathing, as a therapy for some ailment or other. Since the idea of sitting there and just well.. breathing seemed absurd to her, he had her go out and do lengths instead. Yesudian says swimming is the ideal yogic sport, since your breath can be completely regulated over inhalation, exhalation and kumbhaka too.
I tried your idea of doing nadi shodana before yoni mudra (first time I've actually ever digressed from AYP procedure since taking it up!). During yoni mudra, for the first time two side lights lit up around the central eye - albeit still in the visual 'fog' which surrounds me these days. I wonder whether this is ida or pingala lighting up as a result of working them separately during the nadi shodana. Before taking up AYP I did a lot of that, with a lot of kumbhaka too. I like that!
Yes, I think music is a form of yoga too. And maybe not just bhakti yoga. The practice of it also converges with yoga practice. For years I've done a lot of mental practice, developing the technique into a kind of aural 'visualisation' meditation, which synthesises the sound of the music and your body's physical connection to that sound. And then there is musical mantra meditation: playing a phrase over and over until you sometimes literally hear it in your sleep. Then there is the necessary discipline to sit down every day and do your practice in order to reach musical enlightenment... |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 05:31:04 AM
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Thanks tallis for your comments. Musicians have a definite entry point to the Presence of Divinity! The yoga of Music. There are three of us: Three of us have been gathering at my house for about the last ten years, to play Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi concertos. Though amateurs, all three of us feel a Communion, and from time to time have had the vague feeling that Bach, Vivaldi, or Handel were visiting us there as we play... We talk about our lives, between pieces of usually two or three.
Thanks VIL for your comments. I have to ask you this:
Are you speaking from the Hermetic tradition, as implicated by the Above and Below and other quotes?
Or are you speaking from the Christian mystical tradition, if there is one? And do you pray every day? Is it the Lord's Prayer? Do you go to church on Sunday? What denomination?
Do you use techniques of transformation from either Hermetics or Kabbalah? If so, what?
Or are you straight AYP program from the beginning of your yoga?
And what say of Ajna these days? And how have you developed that? And how far and for how long have you been at it?
As for me, I am not a follower of the Yogani program with khechari, nor am I Christian, nor Buddhist(because of soul), nor Taoist, nor Zen, nor Zoroastrian.
And look! It is now Brahmamuhurta! Sacred time of Brahman, to be best kissed then by THEM. So off I go to That, from this too bright computer screen.
John
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Edited by - x.j. on Jan 29 2008 10:42:07 PM |
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x.j.
304 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2008 : 05:20:45 AM
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Good morning. It's 1 AM and I'm filled with the kundalini, I only sleep for two and a half hours, and I'm fully refreshed and ready to go. I lay in bed with the starry sky of cosmic consciousness, just thinking about what makes this ecstatic energy rush through thousands of channels from head to toe. It's not even the so called hour of Brahman yet-couldn't even wait til then-and here I am, up out of bed and ready to rant about love on this blog or whatever it is.
As I laid there in bed just now, I was thinking about the people who write in to this site, a group of people coming together in webspace loka, to blog about being human beings, not so different than anybody else, except that we do something called yoga, that some ancient psychic ones discovered a long time ago. So here we are, standing out under the night sky together marvelling about the Milky Way, and the beauty of what we are observing.
And I wonder, what is it really that makes us feel so very alive, that makes that intoxicating sexy kundalini energy go coursing through our veins? Isn't it nothing special? Just being a human being, with the goose bumps rising over our skin because of beholding the beauty and the agony of our lives? By the birth of our child? By the death of our parents? The close calls of being choked into unconscuousness by some angry teenager when we are 7 like VIL was? Some trauma like that wakes us up? Or maybe its the thrill of singing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Choral Finale with a hundred other people in choir? Or while climbing a mountain in mid life, and we slip on boiler plate ice and start sliding down the abyss to our death for a moment, until the climbing rope of our fellow climbers goes taut and saves our life? Or maybe it was seeing our lover for the first time, realizing how much we are suddenly in love? Or was it the death of our loved ones, the anguish,and the heart breaks when they die in our arms? Aren't those the things that really transforms us into expansion of consciousness? Crying together, and praying together with our loved ones. Experiencing the words of the Lord's Prayer so fully that every nadi in our body pulsates with the kundalini all at once in reverence? Is that Bhakti yoga? Could there be any other path than that? The path of just experiencing all this agony and ecstasy? It's no wonder we think we are more special than the angels.
And who is spiritually advanced anyway, even assuming there is such a thing? Is it the people who sit in a cave somewhere in seclusion, having the sexual kundalini energy coursing through ten thousand nadis from head to foot? Is that the highest aspiration we can hope for as human beings? Or is it the Mother Theresas of the world, who live their days with the sick and dying children of Calcutta, and their sleepless nights, afterwards, laying there tormented by existential doubt, wondering why Jesus has failed to come in tangible mystical form? The Mother Theresas are the beautiful ones.
Personally I am most inspired by those karma yogis. To serve above all else in life. Now when I get home from work, I go into a bedroom, and do the Ganesha mantra, and slip off into some wierd yogic sleep on the bed humming that mantra, and disappear for a half hour into some wierd space called Turiya, samadhi. Kind of like a toaster oven getting plugged into an electrical outlet. And when I wake up, ten thousand nerve channels are humming from head to toe. Ready to go again. Ready for more life.
And so what is self realization or transformation? Is it just being a human being, and living our lives as fully as possible? Neither drawing back from the pain, nor attaching to the pleasures?
John
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Edited by - x.j. on Jan 30 2008 05:08:24 AM |
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Brahmamuhurta
