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Jonathas
8 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 24 2024 : 02:24:17 AM
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Is being on "edge", energetically speaking, fine in your guys perspective...?
Is pushing the envelope, so to speak, even if a little uncomfortable at times, a valid way to move forward, can it be done safely?
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Christi
United Kingdom
4520 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2024 : 4:20:14 PM
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Hi Jonathas,
It is good to be working at your own personal limit, but not to be going beyond that. Beyond your limit means experiencing things that are uncomfortable, or painful. If that is happening, then that is a sign to back off a bit, coming back to your personal limit. If we do this, then we can find a place where we are stable, comfortable and are progressing at our own maximum rate. It is actually a fine art, possibly the greatest art in yoga, and one that is often overlooked.
Over time, we learn to recognise the signs that we may be about to go over our limit, and can back off a bit, before that actually happens. This is a nice place to be operating at. But, there can be a few ups and downs (and mistakes involving overdoing) before we get there. |
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alain
Canada
30 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2024 : 12:43:10 AM
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| One of the best piece of advise I ever got was from Christi during a Zoom retreat, he told me not to be afraid of pushin it and to find my own limits, I made great progress after that. I had some inner silence and little energy, soon after I was getting enough of both to create a little bit of union and the way was open. |
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Dogboy
USA
2296 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2024 : 02:53:54 AM
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We are all built differently, lives of varied circumstances. AYP was my first meditation experience. I seem to have been blessed body wise, time wise, ability wise, with an ability to plumb the depths of inner silence. Ecstasy in DM is an everyday experience, especially when I surrender to Ishta. I would not recommend the extent of my practices to anyone, it is intense. After eleven years I've learned when to take it easy.
You are the captain of your vessel! If bhakti is pushing you forward, if your practices are bearing fruit, if you feel stable, go forward smartly. I get outside as much as possible, it is incredibly grounding. |
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interpaul
USA
556 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2024 : 01:00:20 AM
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| Jonathas, I have often wondered where the "edge" is. Early on in my AYP journey I experienced a panic attack as unresolved conflicts percolated to the surface but have mostly found the journey since then relatively smooth. I say relatively as I have found the admonition to avoid "discomfort" not very specific. I will admit early on I often would punch the accelerator some to see what would happen. Other than some distracting ecstatic experiences I've mostly not run into dis-ease. It might be helpful to hear more about your particular circumstance if you are willing to share as the group may be better able to address your concerns. |
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Jonathas
8 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2024 : 03:32:46 AM
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I am sure you all must have felt this at some point, but it sure is nice to have someone to hear and even to directly interact about all of this. Really, thank you so so much for replying and for what to me are comforting words.
Christi, thank you, I had a desire to hear from you in specific on this.
Alain, that is very reassuring and resonates.
Dogboy, I recently read your post about your experience with ecstatic conductivity and I gotta say it moved me very much, great respect. And thanks for the beautiful words here, as there.
Interpaul, my inner guru tells me to be succinct if I can, but I do want to share if I am able.
Sometimes I have a bit of a hard time expressing myself when the energy seems high, so this in itself would be one of the signs of "discomfort", ha!
Currently one of the key points of struggle for me for a loooong time seems to have been mostly addressed, which is the management of sexual energy (and hence why I decided to post this on this Tantra section...).
Before this it has always felt like a terrible seesaw.
Now finally it feels like there can be a constant movement forward, towards infinity.
Or well, there could, if only I were willing.
That is to say, I seem able to push this energy forward, more and more, but as any committed AYPer will rightly and readily chant and remember: "Self-pacing! Lets not forget self-pacing!".
Self-pacing is 100% one of the (if not THE) most valuable things AYP has to teach me.
With that said, most of the time I just feel like I would rather die than not be at the forefront of this thing.
What is more important than this? Really?
Is a little discomfort, a little clunkyness, a little disruption in day to day life, too big a price to pay if we can speed up this process even by a tiny bit?
Sigh, unfortunately (or fortunately?) as householders that we are, yes, we have to integrate on society, we have to fulfill our practical duties, and so on and so forth.
And maybe it truly is for the best, maybe it truly is the most complete path, isnt it?
Either way, I am just glad AYP gives us the way to steadily walk forward, all the way towards enlightenment, whatever that may be. Meanwhile lets enjoy the ride with no rush (sigh...! haha) to arrive at that "end", yeah? 
(feel free to ask me anything or give more advice, I really appreciate it, AYP has to be the best gift I ever had the pleasure of unwrapping! xD awe is the word to describe it, truly)
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Christi
United Kingdom
4520 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2024 : 11:39:13 AM
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quote:
That is to say, I seem able to push this energy forward, more and more, but as any committed AYPer will rightly and readily chant and remember: "Self-pacing! Lets not forget self-pacing!".
Self-pacing is 100% one of the (if not THE) most valuable things AYP has to teach me.
With that said, most of the time I just feel like I would rather die than not be at the forefront of this thing.
What is more important than this? Really?
Hi Jonathas,
The idea that "self-pacing" and "being at the forefront of this thing", are contradictory is a myth. Someone who is good at the art of self-pacing will always be at the forefront of this thing. They will always be adjusting their practices in such a way that they are always making maximum spiritual progress.
Remember that with spirituality there is no "arriving at the end". It is not like running a race, which has a finish line, and if someone suffers a bit during the rase, in order to push themselves to their physical limit, they are more likely to win the race. With the spiritual path, there is no end, no finish line, no place where we can finally hang up our hat and say "I have arrived". Pushing things to the point of discomfort is always coming from a place of striving, a place of becoming. The real art of the spiritual journey is to be able to settle into a place of comfort, of ease (sukha), of contentment (santosha), even whilst continuing with daily practices. Contentment deepens into peace, and peace deepens into bliss.
So, if you can find a place of comfort and contentment with your spiritual practices, and then explore how that comfort and contentment can deepen whilst on the mat, and expand beyond the mat into your daily life, then you will find that small miracles begin to happen. That is what I found anyway. I did start out on the path by pushing myself quite hard, mostly because I was trained in the forest monk tradition of Thailand, which is quite extreme. It took me some years to realise that pushing to the point of discomfort is counterproductive. Eventually we reach the wall of our own becoming. Then I gradually realised that contentment and simplicity are actually liberating. It is like finding a secret door in an unexpected place. |
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Thoughts on pushing it, energetically speaking?
