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Sartorius
USA
2 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 12:20:31 AM
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Or maybe it seems that way. I've been into Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga for years... I've done several 40-day meditations... I've always hit walls of fatigue or lack of will. I've had mystic seers tell me that I'm not an addictive person, that my "addictions" are outside of me, but I seem to fall into old patterns--- for instance, I'm a writer, who uses marijuana-- sometimes it feels like there's no substitute for it creatively speaking, however I am acutely aware (as much as is possible with a constantly clouded mind) of it's drawbacks. I also aspire to sexual purity-- which I find tough... Again, maybe willpower is the issue, maybe I haven't burned off enough karma, maybe it's the fact that I live in LA which is a spiritually toxic environment... Looking for something new, and this seemed like an interesting place to explore, with intelligent people contributing... keeping in mind what I have presented, anyone have any advice on how to get started with something simple and life changing (I know, magic bullet) In any event, I am looking to climb out of the box I have made for myself and live life out loud. I know that is vague, but that's all I got right now... Many thanks in advance...
J |
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machart
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 12:45:09 AM
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Welcome Sartorius!
The AYP lessons are here for you to explore and learn from.
Grace has brought you here....enjoy the journey! |
Edited by - machart on Nov 01 2008 12:53:07 AM |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 02:10:34 AM
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hi sartorius and welcome to ayp ,
just start with the main lessons and check the practices out starting with deep meditation.
and trust me concerning being creative and such, you'll have more stuff like than you imagined on your hand with the rise of intuition and the inner guru which is an ever ending pouring of guidance and inteligence and creativity.
simply put these lesson offer a pass of pure bliss conciousness and ecstatic conductivity and these two will eventualy mix together which will produce divine outpouring love.
welcome to joy, best wishes on your path.
Ananda |
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Sartorius
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 06:08:12 AM
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Thank you, thank you. Was wondering which lessons you are referring to... there are 288 on the site.
"bliss conciousness and ecstatic conductivity" This I dig... any ideas as to a good place to start on a daily practice?
Many thanks... |
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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 07:52:39 AM
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quote:
"bliss conciousness and ecstatic conductivity" This I dig... any ideas as to a good place to start on a daily practice?
Yes! From the beggining! 
Go here for the main lessons and start reading from the beggining: http://www.aypsite.org/MainDirectory.html
The best place to start is deep meditation. Keep that for a few months and see how you feel. Once you are stable at that start adding the rest. You will see. Well, it is all there in the lessons! Enjoy! |
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newpov
USA
183 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 09:41:04 AM
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Sartorius,
quote:
I've always hit walls of fatigue or lack of will.
You are not alone. I am 66 and a rookie, but here is what I have learned:
The first complaint you might have is that the "I am" mantra doesn't seem to be working after what you consider to have been a fair trial. What, then, are you to do? You will also be told not to begin spinal breathing pranayama too soon, whatever that means, because the sentiment at this forum is that younger men and women, at least, are more likely to suffer from premature and disruptive rise of kundalini (pranic) energy.
Bear in mind, also, that the "I am" mantra is Yogani's published best educated guess for "safe entry" to meditation for most people. Problem is, you will most likely be a few points away from the average in whatever sense you may be thinking of; moreover, meditations are rarely the same from session to session, and not only that, every person is a unique experiment in spiritual development. (The analogous situation in the field of psychiatry is that the doctor must keep experimenting with various drugs to find which combination is most efficacious for the individual patient in front of him; one hammer cannot hit all nails properly.)
What to do?
Never lose sight of this: the primary mechanism of creation, not just spiritual development, is sound. "And God SAID, let there be light." So, then, don't give up on mantra use. Instead, be willing to learn new things about mantra beyond what Yogani has written in his lessons, and modify your practice accordingly.
This means taking fuller account of your own intentions and desires for mantra practice, and therefore remaining open to modifying your mantra practice with evolving experience.
So I have three suggestions to keep up and extend your motivation for mantra practice, no matter what happens or fails to happen with you:
1. Spend your good money on Amazon.com to buy the 6 CD set by Thomas Ashley-Farrand, entitled "Mantra: Sacred Words of Power." The "Shakti Mantra" book by him might also be of help. Ashley-Farrand is an acknowledged authority on mantra.
2. Many people at this forum advocate "drilling deep" for perhaps years with the same mantra. This makes sense--so long as your mantra is sufficiently lengthy and therefore efficacious in activating the FULL RANGE of chakra centers with a collection of seed sounds that serve to activate each and every one. That is why I suggest you work up to the long form of the Gayatri Mantra rather than limit yourself to the enhancements to "I am" that are suggested by Yogani.
3. Use the forum search engine to follow the postings of certain people. Separate those with experience from those who appear to spout authoritatively on a wide and deep range of book knowledge. Personally I enjoy postings of Shanti and x.j. Be open to Buddhist and Taoist approaches to mantra, in addition to the Raja approach of Yogani.
You would not have arrived at this forum if you were not shopping the spiritual bazaar to seek what is best for you. Do not relinquish your judgment on this matter to any "true believer" at this site or any other! As Krishnamurti said, Truth is a pathless land. You are responsible for finding your own path, and this will require experimentation. There will be some sojourn into the desert or wilderness when no one can help you. Don't give away your power to others when that time comes. Whatever you read here or in Yogani's writings, you will have to sort out for yourself and hope for the best.
Keep expectations about what should be occurring to a minimum, as this is possible for you. Hope also for grace, because spiritual method or technique alone will not carry you where you might hope to go. Your Ego and its machinations cannot manage workings of the Divine. Sometimes I feel people at this forum do forget that. When this happens, we set ourselves up for disappointment in the spiritual enterprise. Even resentment can set in...
Where working of grace is concerned, you might enjoy reading "Fire of Love" by the English Christian mystic, Richard Rolle, who died in 1349. I'm enjoying the translation by M.L. del Mastro, on Amazon.com, because of the spiritual imagery and poetry in that writing. All of us benefit from encouragement by companions along the Way.
Good luck to both of us, Sartorious. If you ever care to email me privately, I'd enjoy getting to know you, as who knows, we might have much in common, today or someday.
newpov
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Edited by - newpov on Nov 01 2008 10:48:38 AM |
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Shanti
USA
4854 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 10:11:53 AM
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Welcome to the forum Sartorius.
40 day meditations? Is that when you mediate all the time for 40 days.. or just mediate for a few hrs for 40 days.. or . And why 40 days??? Sorry.. I have not heard about this.. and maybe it is something everyone knows about except me.
In any case, doing something extreme will result in the pendulum swinging to the other extreme and you losing interest. That is why it is better to go the middle way.. do everything in a balanced way.
At AYP, we start off with mantra meditation Lesson 13 - Meditation -- Awakening the Silent Seed. We practice this twice a day fo 20 min. and between these two sessions we go about our every day life as usual. When we feel stable in our twice a day meditation, we add on spinal breathing.. Lesson 41 - Pranayama – Spinal Breathing for 10 min before meditation. This way we slowly build up our practice. You can start by reading the Main Lessons.
And no.. you don't have to read 288 lessons to start.. you can start after you read the lesson on meditation I have quoted above, and read further lessons as you proceed with your practice.
We also have a concept of self pacing where in, if we feel an excess in energy, or feel irritated or lethargic during the day (there are a few other symptoms look here), then we cut back on practice times, increase our rest period after meditation etc. till we feel stable again.
The main thing about AYP is to fit spirituality smoothly into our daily life and not make it a "all or nothing" deal. As you keep up with your practice, you will feel the effects of your practice flowing into your everyday life.. and that is the whole point of Yoga.. to feel the peace or as you put it "bliss consciousness and ecstatic conductivity" in every moment of your life, not just when you are meditating.
Hope this helps.
Wish you all the best. |
Edited by - Shanti on Nov 01 2008 1:42:45 PM |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Nov 01 2008 : 10:58:51 AM
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Welcome to the forums Sartorius. People have said all the important points above. I like to keep things short and simple. Do the meditation twice daily, for 20 minutes, as you do any daily activity like brushing your teeth. Don't worry about results or goals; just do it. The times are short so you don't have to have much will to do this.
Also, a disadvantage of marijuana is it kills your drive and ambition. Try a few months of twice daily deep meditation from the beginning of the main lessons, without marijuana and it will inspire creativity and
drive in your writing like you've never experienced before!
If you fall back into old patterns, don't stress about it, just return again to the new ones ASAP.
Best of luck. |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2008 : 12:19:32 PM
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Hi Sartorius,
Welcome to AYP. Everything you need to know has been said above. Start with Deep Meditation, lesson 13. But I would recommend that if you are a heavy marijuana smoker like I have been/am, it may be easier to slowly start lowering the amount you smoke as it feels right, instead of cutting it out cold turkey as Etherfish above suggests, especially if you are still feeling benefits from it. I have dropped many addictions since starting AYP this summer, including a 90mg daily dose of methadone, but I have yet to fully drop my marijuana addiction because I still find weed very helpful in many respects. (keep in mind I have smoked large amounts of weed daily for about 15 years straight) So, listen to your inner guru on personal addiction issues as everyone reacts to AYP differently.
Best of luck.
Love,
Carson |
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anthony574
USA
549 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2008 : 4:53:21 PM
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*Completely off-topic question alert*
Sartorius, does your name come from the muscle "sartorius"? |
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sushman
India
86 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 1:16:23 PM
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| I am off the practices for long time now (more than six months). Back to old ways of getting angry and stressed out easily. Somehow I need to get back in to the daily practice routine. Something is stopping me (karma?). |
Edited by - sushman on Jan 17 2009 1:38:01 PM |
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Lili
Netherlands
372 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 3:03:07 PM
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Hi Sushman,
Probably nothing is 'stopping' you - rather just you don't have enough incentive to practice. For folks like me who came to AYP with specific problems to solve (low blood pressure, low energy AYP meditation has unparalleled immediate benefits and we have massive motivation to practice on a regular basis. If you don't have concrete problem to resolve benefits may manifest later as opposed to immediately which may erode your motivation. If this is the case just take it easy on yourself and just go with the bare minimum you can hang on to as regular practice. For instance if 20 minutes is too much just try 15 or 10 twice a day for a few months, it must be easier to maintain. After that once you experience benefits you may be naturally motivated to increase the time spent practicing or add practices. Good luck! |
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riptiz
United Kingdom
741 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 3:23:39 PM
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Hi,
I personally feel that no practices are enough on their own without embracing the yamas and niyamas.Interaction with others will govern your progress and test you constantly.When we find purification symptoms affecting our moods we have to be on guard how we treat others and try to ignore their negative interactions with us.It's not easy but in my experience it gives you progress.
Treat others how we wish to be treated and try to ignore their weaknesses when they don't treat you in the same way.Even when one fails to observe these principles, realising that we have slipped will still give you progress.It's when we don't realise we have slipped that we aren't making progress.
L&L
Dave |
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sushman
India
86 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2009 : 07:43:37 AM
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| Thanks Lilli and Ripitz. I am planning to kickoff the daily practices very soon. |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2009 : 10:34:50 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by riptiz
Hi,
I personally feel that no practices are enough on their own without embracing the yamas and niyamas.Interaction with others will govern your progress and test you constantly.When we find purification symptoms affecting our moods we have to be on guard how we treat others and try to ignore their negative interactions with us.It's not easy but in my experience it gives you progress.
Hi Dave,
I agree. I believe that our conduct in the world is the most important measure of our progress on the spiritual path. What's the value of life without acting with love, compassion and understanding in the world? If we are ecstatic, but then irritable and abusive to those around us, what are we putting out into the world and what Karma are we sowing?
From my experience the fastest way to improve my conduct with others has been through the addition of inquiry into my daily practices. Meditation improves conduct more pervasively over time, but adding in inquiry into a given situation that life presents to us on a given day, can release us from undesirable reactions immediately.
I have found Byron Katie's method put forth in her book "Loving What Is", extremely useful and effective. Often our conduct with others is greatly impacted by our feelings about their actions. After inquiry, we come to understand people's actions to a far greater degree and our reactions to them, opening the door for love and compassion to flow.
quote:
Treat others how we wish to be treated and try to ignore their weaknesses when they don't treat you in the same way.Even when one fails to observe these principles, realising that we have slipped will still give you progress.It's when we don't realise we have slipped that we aren't making progress.
L&L
Dave
I agree, treat others the way we wish to be treated, but ignoring their weaknesses when they don't treat me in the same way has never worked for me. This approach only served to create a quiet frustration for others and a subtle distancing and contraction within. Accepting their behavior through truly understanding it and more importantly understanding the true source of my own opposition to their behavior, has been far more liberating. I then accept myself and others to a far greater degree, I become more open to everything, giving less rise to emotional reactions. All of this opening and accepting is the cornerstone of unity consciousness and oneness from my perspective, as we open to everything, we become one with everything. |
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riptiz
United Kingdom
741 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2009 : 10:45:16 AM
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Hi Anthem,
I agree it is difficult coping with others treatment of you.Having returned from India on Thursday and another round of shaktipat, my teacher has forewarned me that with the greater vibrations I must be even more aware of this.I returned home to find my sister had thrown away a dried garland that guruji blessed me with in 2005 and an unusual Rudraksha nut that had grown in the shape of a shiva lingam that my teacher gave me in Jan 2008.
My sister was mortified when she realised what she had done but thankfully I was able to dismiss it as being in the past and was irreversible, so it was not worth beating herself up about.Well thats one test i passed but I'm sure I will fail many more.
L&L
Dave |
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Consistently knocked off the spiritual path.
