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AviC
Canada
17 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 19 2014 : 1:02:55 PM
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Hello,
I've been working on Kechari for about 6 months and I'm making good progress. I thought that once I got my tongue behind the uvula I would be there, but in my mouth, there is a soft bit of flesh behind the uvula that seems to go very far back. In fact, it seemed that the more I practised the further back this bit of flesh goes, almost like it's expanding backwards in response to my tongue. This is frustrating, but perhaps healing.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I hit what I am fairly sure is the back edge of the soft pallet. It was several cm behind the uvula and was like a knife edge, very sharp and definite. However, the tissues there felt extremely sensitive and also delicate, I felt as if my tongue might be tearing them even though I was trying to proceed as gently as possible. I read in other posts that this back part is supposed to fold down, but so far for me it seems to be holding rigidly in place or even moving further up and back. The best I've been able to do is get the tip of my tongue around the edge and rest it gently on the top of the back edge for a while. This has produced some blissful sensations.
So my questions: Is there something wrong with my tendon back there or is this normal? What can I do to relax the tendon to fold it down (currently it seems to be moving up and back)? Is there a concern about tearing delicate tissues with the tongue?
Thank you!
Avi |
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Chakburthi
Germany
35 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2014 : 09:32:59 AM
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Hi Avi
Sounds like you are progressing nicely. Everything is just fine.
I think that literally the very best place on earth to find accurate information about kechari mudra is right here, specifically the lesson about it (I think it is number 108). Nobody has ever described it better than Yogani there. So I won't be of any more help than what is already there. But from what I understand, you have reached stage three. Next will be the entering of either one or the other of the two nasal passages. From another comment I made elsewhere, here is how to proceed: "Now the tongue has to make a 90 degree turn clockwise to enter the left nasal passage of counterclockwise to enter into the right one. Once you are entering there, you will only be able to breath through one nostril (if your tongue is within the left passage, you'll breath through the right nostril). It's still a rather long way up until the end of the nasal passage." This will be stage four. My only advice would be, to not get obsessed about this admittedly "magic "mudra. Take it easy and enjoy!
Chakburthi
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Wafu
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2014 : 10:10:41 AM
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Hi AviC,
This sounds similar to my own experience of progressing in kechari. I found that after a few weeks of trimming the frenulum under the tongue that I was able to reach behind the border of the soft palate with the tip of my tongue, however it was dificult to hold there. But the tissue is elastic and quite robust, there should be no danger of tearing it. The sensation you experience is probably because the frenulum is still pulling the tongue towards the front of the mouth, which puts pressure on the edge of the soft palate when the tongue is situated behind it.
Are you currently trimming the frenulum to increase the reach of your tongue? Or maybe the milking method? If so, a little more work should see you able to comfortably slide the tongue behind the soft palate and up into the pharynx. It might take a little while to become comfortable here, so be patient. And be aware that this will likely increase your sensitivity in other ayp practices, be prepared to self pace a bit as well.
Good luck  |
Edited by - Wafu on Jul 20 2014 10:14:50 AM |
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AviC
Canada
17 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2014 : 2:28:45 PM
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Chakburthi,
Thank you for your response. I was confused by your saying that I am at stage 3 since I'm pretty sure I haven't gone above the soft pallet yet, which would put me between stages 1 and 2.
Thanks Again,
Avi |
Edited by - AviC on Jul 20 2014 2:38:51 PM |
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AviC
Canada
17 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2014 : 2:32:45 PM
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Wafu,
Thank you for the encouragement and shared experience. I am trimming my frenulum, so maybe I just need to progress a bit further with this. The reason I asked about damaging the tissues is it feels as if at the back edge of the soft pallet there are some very fine fibrous strings. When I touch them with my tongue they seem to break. It sort of freaked me out. Did you have any experience like this? It's like exploring an alien landscape.
quote:
Originally posted by Wafu
Hi AviC,
This sounds similar to my own experience of progressing in kechari. I found that after a few weeks of trimming the frenulum under the tongue that I was able to reach behind the border of the soft palate with the tip of my tongue, however it was dificult to hold there. But the tissue is elastic and quite robust, there should be no danger of tearing it. The sensation you experience is probably because the frenulum is still pulling the tongue towards the front of the mouth, which puts pressure on the edge of the soft palate when the tongue is situated behind it.
Are you currently trimming the frenulum to increase the reach of your tongue? Or maybe the milking method? If so, a little more work should see you able to comfortably slide the tongue behind the soft palate and up into the pharynx. It might take a little while to become comfortable here, so be patient. And be aware that this will likely increase your sensitivity in other ayp practices, be prepared to self pace a bit as well.
Good luck
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Wafu
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2014 : 4:19:26 PM
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Hi AviC,
I actually have no idea what those fine strings you mentioned could be, I never encountered anything like that myself. My first guess is that they could be threads of mucus which is naturally present in this part of the body. These secretions can vary in consistency so perhaps in your body it's thick enough to form into strands. Is there any pain at all when these threads break?
I know what you mean about the alien landscape, once you get up into the nasal pharynx itself then it really does become a new experience! So strange to discover an area of your body for the first time when you've inhabited it for all these years! With a little more gradual trimming you'll be exploring soon enough
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AviC
Canada
17 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2014 : 3:16:36 PM
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Thank you for your encouragement Wafu. It's amazing how a little reassurance goes a long way. I did a significant trimming of the frenulum yesterday and today I was able to explore a little further. I also found a simple method to encourage the soft pallet to lower on its own. While pushing my tongue back with one finger, I use another finger to poke the soft pallet just behind where it meets the hard pallet. This has the effect of causing the soft pallet to reflexively lower as if there was some food coming into the mouth that needs to be pushed down the esophagus. With this lowering of the soft pallet I was able to feel my way past that trouble spot where the tissues were tight and sore.
Beyond that, the top of the soft pallet feels is smoother and more tongue-like, although, it's not a flat surface as I imagined it would be. It's more like a mountain range with little hills and valleys. Sometimes my tongue gets stuck at a hill, which is now what I think was happening before with that trouble spot. I'm still not sure what's causing the tissues there to be so tight and sore but I'm hoping that my kechari practice will help to heal them by releasing the tension over time.
Avi |
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Kechari Tendon Question
