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Advanced Yoga Practices Note: For the Original Internet Lessons with additions, see the AYP Easy Lessons Books. For the Expanded and Interactive Internet Lessons, AYP Online Books, Audiobooks and more, see AYP Plus. Lesson T40 - Amaroli - Some Interesting Observations (Audio)
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From: Yogani New Visitors: It is recommended you read from the beginning of this tantra yoga archive, as previous lessons are prerequisite to this one. The first lesson is, "What is tantra yoga?"
As for stigma, fortunately most people reading your book are way beyond a grade-school mentality about the body. It's worth acknowledging that some people will have to work against instinct if they want the benefit of amaroli, but that's about it. I am amazed at the effects of amaroli so far in my case. I had no idea it was so effective. If you are scientifically curious, I have some observations and speculations about amaroli. The main speculation I have is that its main mode of action (or, at least the first mode of action) is not in fact "nutritional" in the normal sense (its mode of action is not through bringing body chemicals to a good level of supply), but it is rather catalytic (it initiates a process in the body). The reason I think there is a profound affect which is not nutritional is that a very small amount (of what is already eliminated by the body) is enough to get a profound process going. This would seem to contradict the idea that it brings about change by changing body supply levels. The catalytic affect may be "hormetic" (you have suggested this yourself in your book, not using the same word); possibly toxins in the urine start the process. What I have found is that one teaspoon per day is actually far too much for me at this point (this amount makes me feel quite feverish and want to spend most of the day in bed). I can only take a few drops. Even at this level, the effect is profound, and I have only been at it for about three weeks. I feel stronger, both psychically and physically. I don't find myself as inclined to want to sit down; standing is good, for longer. My vision seems higher-resolution. My mood is better. My meditation is calmer and stronger. I wake up less tired, and am in general more energetic. I concentrate for longer and am less subject to longings for my working day to be over. I crave chocolate less -- in fact, I am more or less ignoring it. I am less subject to regretful moods. Since a few drops is what my body eliminates in a few minutes, there is no way that this is a nutritional effect. Some very profound process can get started when someone does amaroli. Any thoughts or comments? A1: Yes, I am very interested in a scientific assessment of the cause/effect of all yoga practices, including amaroli. It is what AYP is about -- a balancing between ancient knowledge and current applications, and making appropriate adjustments in practice aimed at achieving the most effective (and safe) progress. AYP is not a one-person operation. The input from hundreds of practitioners have enriched it immeasurably. So thank you very much for your observations on amaroli. I have noticed the same thing about amaroli over a longer period. Though the ancient scriptures (the Damar Tantra especially) call for "a cup a day," I have found that less can be more, just as you have observed. Using self-pacing to go up and down in the dosage is the key -- being flexible in the application of amaroli. Sometimes the body wants more, and sometimes less. We can gauge it by how we feel, just as you have been doing. While it is important to have a base-line daily habit, amaroli seems to call for adjustments more often than other yoga practices. Perhaps this is because its effects are felt fairly quickly. If we are overdoing, we will usually know soon. If we are under-doing, our body will call for more soon. Doing other yoga practices (meditation, spinal breathing pranayama, etc.) will refine our sensitivity in using amaroli. The limiting of quantity through self-pacing, even while simultaneously increasing results, supports your supposition on the "hormetic" (homeopathic) effect of amaroli. Less can be more. This is good news for beginners, of course -- it does not require much intake to gain some good benefits from amaroli. There is a noticeable synergy between amaroli and other yoga practices, i.e., with the rise of inner silence and ecstatic conductivity. So the integration of practices is an important element. Perhaps this is a factor in your experience as well. Just as mudras and bandhas are not very useful for spiritual development (and sometimes hazardous) without deep meditation and spinal breathing being established first, so too is amaroli not as effective in the spiritual arena without the other practices. It would seem that no yoga practice stands entirely alone in the overall scheme of human spiritual transformation. That makes sense, as the nervous system is an integrated entity -- a whole with many inter-connected parts. Yoga, in its diversity of approaches, mirrors this. In any case, it is an interesting observation you have that amaroli is possibly catalyst as well as chemical replacement in the body. It makes sense. With self-pacing, everyone can find their own balance with it. I hope we will get more feedback from practitioners on this. It is an important perspective you have offered. Thanks much! Q2: Thanks for your reply. I appreciate the advice on what to expect in the long term. A note on "hormesis" versus "homeopathy": I don't say homeopathic because homeopathy is a little different, although people do tend to say, in a loose sense, "homeopathic," when "hormetic" is more accurate. Hormesis is the phenomenon of a positive body response to a small (but real and measurable) dose of a toxin. A certain amount of the toxin must be present, and, as it starts to get too small, hormesis eventually becomes ineffective. This is expected, and the graphs coming from the scientific studies bear it out. Homeopathic treatment is about doses that are so small that there is no molecule of the toxin left. Hormesis, on the one hand, is a scientifically documented (and laboratory-reproducible) phenomenon; it is not scientifically controversial. Homeopathy, on the other hand is scientifically controversial because the effects are not reproducible in double-blind studies. A2: Thank you for the clarification on "hormesis" versus "homeopathy."Additional feedback from others on their experiences with amaroli will add to our understanding of how it works at different quantity levels, particularly when combined with advanced yoga practices. While the health benefits are becoming better known, we are yet to do the research in modern times on amaroli in relation to the process of human spiritual transformation. No doubt we will be addressing that in more detail as time goes on. Clearly, amaroli is adding something important to the enlightenment process, as many are experiencing. The self-pacing aspect of amaroli is a great aid in navigating continually forward with it. By using self-pacing in combination with our bhakti (divine desire) for more, we know what the right amount is for us at any point in time. The guru is in you.
Discuss this Lesson in the AYP Plus Support Forum Note: For detailed instructions on amaroli (urine therapy), see the Diet, Shatkarmas and Amaroli book. For detailed instructions on the methods of tantra in relation to the broad scope of yoga practices and the enlightenment process, see the AYP Tantra book. Also see AYP Plus.
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