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RSS
USA
69 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 24 2009 : 09:10:51 AM
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Is anyone doing Spinal Breathing for 20 minutes or more at a time? I came to AYP from SRF (Yogananda) where I was doing 38 kriya (same as SBP) which took 18 to 20 minutes in each session. I really don't want to cut this time in half.
Also, what is the approx. breathing rate (after you've got the tech down) while doing Spinal Bastrika? I know the lessons say whatever is comfortable but they also refer to a dogs panting. My dog pants at about 3 times a second. This seems fast, especially to be able to follow the spinal thread.
Thanks,
Bob |
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tadeas
Czech Republic
314 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2009 : 09:53:26 AM
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Hi, I don't know anyone who does spinal breathing for this long. However, if you were to take on the full routine of ayp practices, the combined length of spinal breathing, bastrikas, kumbhakas, etc. may well be around 20 minutes altogether.
Remember to build up your daily practice step by step, always self-pacing as needed. If you want more purification over time, it's good to take on the other practices as outlined in the lessons. Also keep in mind that if you're doing both deep meditation and spinal breathing, it's a powerful combination and both practices enhance each other in this way, so doubling the spinal breathing time may release too much energy into your system.
As for bastrika, 3 times a second seems really fast. You should breathe comfortably when doing it. FYI I just tried it and I'm doing bastrika at 16 breaths per 10 seconds. But do what is comfortable. |
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cosmic_troll
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2009 : 6:39:22 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by tadeas
As for bastrika, 3 times a second seems really fast. You should breathe comfortably when doing it. FYI I just tried it and I'm doing bastrika at 16 breaths per 10 seconds. But do what is comfortable.
I agree 100% with tadeas. Comfort is the key. Bastrika doesn't have to be really fast. My suggestion is to build up speed gradually over a few seconds until you find a rapid, comfortable pace. For me, 2 full breaths per second works well, but you'll need to find your own pace.
Wishing you the best  |
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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2009 : 9:14:56 PM
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My practice takes about 45-50 minutes total. At this stage I am not following AYP to the letter as I prefer one longer practice once a day to two shorter practices. Also I sit in Padmasana rather than Siddhasana. I gave Siddhasana a try for about 3 years but for my body it gave me too much tension in the upper back and I was used to Padmasana so eventually went back to it.
I do Pranayama with kumbhaka for about 20 minutes and then do 2 rounds of Bhastrika followed each round by two pranayama breaths with dynamic jalandhara followed by about 20-25 mins mantra practice. In my opinion the Bhastrika speed should not be timed but just follow your own body's rhythm for a rapid breath. the more you do it the more easy it is to find the right pace. I am a very poor visualizer so that rather than visualizing the spinal nerve I try feeling the sensation of the breath going up and down the spine. Working with Kechari and the bandhas really helps with this so it not so much an act of imagining for me as of sensing (which some days comes easier than others).With all of the Pranayama that I do I actually find that sitting doing mantra is the most challanging,but I had been doing pranayama for many years before AYP.
Hope this helps some. |
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Parallax
USA
348 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2009 : 10:07:23 PM
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Hi RSS,
What else are you currently doing during your sitting practices in addition to the 38 Kriya? I came from SRF as well and initially was reluctant to switch to following the AYP techniques, ie cutting back on the amount of time doing SB. But I started at the beginning of the AYP lessons and found that systematically adding mulabandha, sambhavi, siddhasana, uddiyana, and kechari to the SB and then launching into mantra meditation has greatly enhanced my progress relative to the SRF techniques.
And then layering on YMK, bastrika and samyama takes the whole thing to a completely new level. I never felt any need to "self-pace" with the SRF program, but with the integrated and progressive techniques in AYP, self-pacing has become a must!!!
Like Victor, my complete routine is taking ~ 50mins, 2x per day (including rest time at the end), and I still have additional elements available to add over time (asanas, jalandhara) |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4429 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2009 : 04:43:07 AM
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Hi RSS,
You've got loads of great advice from everyone and I would second all of it. I do more than 20 minutes of SBP in a session, and there is really no hard and fast rule about this in AYP. If it starts to feel too much, then cut down, especially when integrating other practices. I did not come from SRF, and I just gradually increased the duration of my practices over time. I started with about 10 mins SBP.
When doing spinal bastrika I do about 2 breaths a second, but again, everyone is different.
Christi. |
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RSS
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2009 : 11:41:20 AM
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Thanks everyone for the great advice.
Hi Parallax,
My routine consists of 20 minutes of SB (mulabandha, sambhavi, siddhasana, kechari - stage 2), 4 to 5 minutes of Chin Pump, 3 to 4 minutes of Spinal Bastrika and 20 minutes of Deep Meditation with kechari (stage 2). About 50 minutes total. If I have extra time I'll do a few rounds of Yoni Mudra. Sometimes (depending on time) I'll drop the Chin Pump in the afternoon session.
Bob |
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Parallax
USA
348 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2009 : 12:22:32 PM
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Sounds wonderful!!!
How are you enjoying AYP relative to the SRF Kriya? |
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RSS
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2009 : 4:04:03 PM
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I've only been doing AYP 1 1/2 months now and I really like it. It doesn't feel like a chore - I look forward to each session. I'm pretty sure that I'm starting to feel energy now which is something I didn't feel with SRF. I say "pretty sure" because it is subtle (no lightning bolts yet). While I'm doing SBP or SB sometimes I feel something at the back of my neck that feels like ants crawling around. I've also felt some warm sensations back there. During meditation, once in a while, I feel pressure on my forehead like someone is lightly pressing his finger on my forehead (only during deeper periods of meditation). I'm not ready to self pace yet - I'm looking forward to the day when I'm going too fast and need to slow it down.
Also, I love this forum, the lessons, and the ability to openly discuss things. |
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Parallax
USA
348 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2009 : 10:19:11 PM
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Sounds like you are well on your way!! I feel the same way, the practices are wonderful and I've been amazed at how things have progressed under AYP.
The whole set-up here is truly a gift, not only are the lessons the most comprehensive/systematic/clear that I've come across, but they are available to ANYONE. And the forums have been an amazing resource for learning and sharing. There aren't too many people I interact with on a day to day basis (OK none), who I can discuss things like kechari and kundalini symptoms...
There are many great souls on the forum, glad to have you aboard as one of them!!
Peace & Namaste |
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Spinal Breathing Session Time
