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prasta
Canada
3 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 27 2014 : 11:33:23 AM
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Hi, I'm very new to meditation (few months in). I'm a very lazy guy and I don't like to do much pranayama. Lack of thoughts comes very naturally to me though and when I meditate, I just try to get to a point of being only perception. I believe this is similar to Zen style meditation.
I'm really doing meditation to have spiritual understanding from my own experience, and to hopefully awaken kundalini. That's a big interest for me. My question is, is it possible to awaken kundalini with just this very basic style of meditation? I can sit in a mostly thoughtless state for a good 20-30 minutes and nothing seems to happen, nor does it seem like anything might happen. I feel calmer for 5 minutes afterwords but that's about it.
And I hope it isn't frowned upon for me to be posting on "Advanced Yoga Practices" being a new meditator. |
Edited by - prasta on Sep 27 2014 11:45:57 AM |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2014 : 12:55:40 PM
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Hi Prasta,
Welcome to the forum.
It is fine to be posting in the "Advanced Yoga Practices" forum even if you are new to meditation. Being advanced is about being interested in things such as awakening. So you are clearly in the right place. 
As to your question, yes, what you are practising is basically Zazen. Another name for it is "taking the one seat", or "just sitting". Will it awaken kundalini? Yes, eventually, but it could take a very long time. By a very long time I mean years or even lifetimes. People have spent their whole lives practising Zazen without experiencing a kundalini awakening. For others it has happened after 6 years, or 10 years, or 20 years.
As far as kundalini goes it is certainly the slow road to China, which is why in yoga we use pranayama techniques as well as other advanced level practices such as mudras and bandhas in conjunction with meditation to awaken the subtle energies in the body (kundalini) and to bring about liberation. Using mantras with meditation has a more powerful purification affect than simply sitting, so it also works to help awaken kundalini.
It does not actually take a huge amount of effort or energy to practice Spinal Breathing Pranayama so even a lazy person can do it. It mostly involves sitting down. 
So if awakening kundalini interests you, I would certainly recommend that you look into advanced yoga practices and see if you can incorporate them into your life. All the practices are covered in the main lessons with links on the left of this page.
Christi
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Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2014 : 1:13:12 PM
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Lazy, as in pace, can be a good thing in meditation, especially preparing your body for kundalini! Don't be lazy in the AYP system and skip ahead in the lessons, they are "Advanced" for a reason! 
Good luck on your quest! |
Edited by - Dogboy on Sep 27 2014 1:45:01 PM |
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prasta
Canada
3 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2014 : 4:15:18 PM
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Thanks for the replies! As lazy as I am, I think I'll try to incorporate Spinal Breathing Pranayama into my meditation :P .
A question about the method though: Why do we trace the pathway up during inhalation, and down during exhalation? I read that kundalini is aroused by drawing normally upward flowing prana downwards during inhalation, and drawing normally downward flowing apana upwards during exhalation. These are probably 2 entirely different methods, but would reversing the direction of SBP have any effect on prana/ apana vayus?
Another question is about Puraka, Rechaka, Khumbhaka pranayama with a 1:4:2 ratio. This seems like a fairly widespread pranayama practice. I'm very excited to have found AYP and to try SBP and its other methods, but how effective is SBP compared to the Khumbaka pranayama?
Last question (sorry about all this). During SBP, is it ok to try and push energy up and down the pathway? Or should we just stick with moving attention through this path?
Edit: Maybe I should make a new thread in the pranayama subforum. Let me know if that's a better option.
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Edited by - prasta on Sep 27 2014 4:35:38 PM |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2014 : 6:05:01 PM
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Hi Prasta,
Yes, there is a reason, or several reasons in fact, why we go up the spine during inhalation, and down during exhalation. They are covered in this lesson:
Which way is up?
You could force kundalini more quickly by using other methods, or differnt breathing techniques, but the art of awakening kundalini is not about forcing it to awaken as quickly as possible. Kundalini is a powerful force and if it is not awakened carefully and in a safe manner, then effects can be painful. So the art of awakening kundalini is really about preparing (purifying) the body to be ready to be able to handle the increased flow of prana through it. When the body is purified sufficiently using effective spiritual practices, kundalini awakens automatically and the process of spiritual transformation is fast and pain free. That's what the AYP techniques are designed to do.
As far as Puraka, Rechaka, Kumbhaka pranayama with a 1:4:2 ratio goes it is a form of pranayama designed specifically to awaken kundalini. It does this by using breath retention (kumbhaka) after exhalation when prana is being held momentarily at the root chakra. Baahya kumbhaka, or breath retention with the breath held out of the body is a practice that Yogani specifically advises against. This inhale/ exhale/ hold 1:4:2 practice does not do much in terms of preparing the body to be ready for awakening, and concentrates instead on causing the awakening to happen. In other words, it isn't especially safe.
In AYP there are two forms of breath retention (kumbhaka) used, but they come in much later on after the groundwork has been laid by other practices. Kumbhaka is a very powerful form of pranayama and needs to be used wisely in order to be effective and safe. In AYP, kumbhaka is always combined with Spinal Breathing Pranayama and only used after inhalation (antar kumbhaka). There are two specific techniques used, Yoni Mudra Kumbhaka and Dynamic Jalandara. By combining breath retention with Spinal Breathing and using it only after inhalation, prana is drawn to the ajna chakra during kumbhaka. This is a much safer way of purifying the body and awakening kundalini than attempting to activate the root with kumbhaka. In AYP the root chakra is activated in other ways which are much more gentle such as siddhasana, mulabandha and Spinal Breathing Pranayama.
So with your last question, don't attempt to push prana through the sushumna (central channel). Simply trace the nadi with your attention, that is enough. Again, it is about purification rather than attempting to force anything. It is about getting the horse in front of the cart. The horse, in this case being the gentle process of spiritual purification and the cart being the more dynamic energy of spiritual transformation (kundalini).
Christi |
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prasta
Canada
3 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2014 : 7:35:42 PM
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| Thank you so much for your answers Christi! I suppose I'll start reading the AYP lessons starting from the first one. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2014 : 9:29:59 PM
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Another way to awaken kundalini is to live life to its fullest, with a devotional heart. That's what's worked for me--just throwing myself in the game and picking a passion. When I've suffered, it's because of lack of vision and apathy. No purpose. But, when I see somewhere I can contribute, then it starts to fall in place.
The practices just tweak things a little bit, but devotion to a chosen ideal is the most important thing. That's why Yogani often says that the measure of success is determined by quality of daily life (moment-to-moment, Here and Now). Spinal Breathing, Deep Meditation, Samyama--these are house-cleaning chores to enhance the experience of living.  |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2014 : 04:22:09 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by prasta
Thank you so much for your answers Christi! I suppose I'll start reading the AYP lessons starting from the first one.
Hi Prasta,
That sounds like a very good plan. |
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Zen style and Kundalini
