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BodhiTreeHugger
USA
8 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 24 2014 : 5:10:38 PM
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I had a spiritual awakening (Kundalini) after attending an intensive 10-day meditation retreat. Since then, I have become sensitive to various sensations in the body that seem to be guiding me into particular poses (Asanas).
A couple of things have become obvious to me:
I don't know how to breathe automatically while also paying attention to the breath.
My attention is generally focused on my head and so the vast majority of sensations I usually feel are in the head.
It's not that I don't have sensations elsewhere in the body. When I focus my attention to my chest for example, I start to feel my heartbeat. When I focus my attention on my diaphragm, I feel the depth of my breath and it becomes easier to take a deep breath. The sensations in my head though are so much more intense and "spiritual" feeling. The feelings in the rest of my body are rather shallow and basic.
One sort of amazing thing that has happened a few times is that sometimes the sensations or "energies" in my body have guided me to straighten my neck and then hold or control my breath. Strange as it may sound, in fact by holding the breath, a smaller, weaker, tiny breath seems to take over automatically. When this happens, I experience an INTENSE feeling that "my soul" is descending into my body and deepening its presence within me. (WHAT IS THIS?) I could also explain the feeling as my awareness seems descend or deepen and come down from the head into the rest of the body. It feels like I am Pinocchio transforming into a real boy from the head down. All of the sensations in my body start to feel real, deep, detailed.
Unfortunately, my mind cannot trust that breathing is happening and so eventually I gasp and grab control of the breath again and the deepening feeling starts to dissipate as I am left back in my head-centered world again.
If anyone here knows what is going on with me, please help me understand what this is and how to make the deepening last. My goal is to be able to feel deeply connected, rooted, aware of my entire body at all times naturally.
Thank you! |
Edited by - BodhiTreeHugger on Oct 24 2014 5:38:22 PM |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1734 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2014 : 08:20:40 AM
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Hi BodhiTreeHugger, welcome to the forum
Your Kundalini awakening has given you glimpses of states that are otherwise acquired slowly and gradually through long-term practice. It means that your energetic awakening is ahead of the other abilities that contribute to spiritual awakening: inner silence and its corollaries - a disciplined mind, concentration and insight. You also need to hone your body's capacity to withstand high levels of energy.
quote:
Originally posted by BodhiTreeHugger
I experience an INTENSE feeling that "my soul" is descending into my body and deepening its presence within me. (WHAT IS THIS?)
You are waking up, but are unable stay awake for very long. You will, when you have developed a good balance between the qualities that lead to spiritual awakening. There are no shortcuts for developing inner silence - the only way to do it is disciplined daily practices. Meditation is the most important of them. Pranayama is useful too and it seems you are already prompted to work with your breadth. Also listen to that inner voice that is leading you to practice certain asanas. You are getting some valuable pointers there.
One important thing to remember: because your kundalini has awakened, your sensitivity to practices is greater than that of the average practitioner. It is really important to find a sustainable level of practice and avoid overstimulating your energy. You may need time for the inner silence to catch up. In the meantime, kundalini needs to be kept to manageable levels. Balancing your energy may be more important than stimulating it. If you ever experience uncomfortable surges, that will be a sign to cut back on practice time. Make sure your diet is adequate to your energy levels. When K awakens suddenly, a vegetarian diet (if this is something you adopted) might not be sustainable. Some people need to revert to a heavier/richer diet (including meat) for a period of time.
I understand you are practising a method other than AYP. Still, it could be useful for you to go though the AYP lessons if you have time. You will find advice about self-pacing and tips for how to manage kundalini energy.
Practice wisely and enjoy |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2014 : 9:12:04 PM
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Learn to dance with your spinal nerve: http://www.aypsite.org/41.html
Breath and awareness are key. The foundation of being. Thoughts too. Samyama is crucial (the release of thoughts while in a serene state, thereby allowing stillness to manifest them in accordance with divine flow: http://www.aypsite.org/150.html).
All practices are geared towards improving the quality of life. Since getting into them, this has been true for me. Playing music, talking with co-workers and friends, following my chosen ideal...these activities are enhanced by stillness in action.
Of course, tranquility (witness consciousness) is the foundation, and is best cultivated through Deep Meditation (http://www.aypsite.org/13.html). All practices and principles revolve around That, because without a quiet inner core, the energy can make things a little rocky. Self-pacing is a major player in the game, and one I'm learning to incorporate. If you're driven by bhakti and not inclined to follow a guru or give up your independence, you'll have to do the same. AYP facilitates a self-directed practice routine, but obviously, there is community support, and we do retreats as well (I've been to 3 so far--hurray!).
It's a long ride. Settle in. Godspeed.  |
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parvati9
USA
587 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2014 : 10:38:49 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by BodhiTreeHugger
I had a spiritual awakening (Kundalini) after attending an intensive 10-day meditation retreat. Since then, I have become sensitive to various sensations in the body that seem to be guiding me into particular poses (Asanas)...
I don't know how to breathe automatically while also paying attention to the breath...
One sort of amazing thing that has happened a few times is that sometimes the sensations or "energies" in my body have guided me to straighten my neck and then hold or control my breath. Strange as it may sound, in fact by holding the breath, a smaller, weaker, tiny breath seems to take over automatically. When this happens, I experience an INTENSE feeling that "my soul" is descending into my body and deepening its presence within me...
Unfortunately, my mind cannot trust that breathing is happening and so eventually I gasp and grab control of the breath again and the deepening feeling starts to dissipate as I am left back in my head-centered world again...
My goal is to be able to feel deeply connected, rooted, aware of my entire body at all times naturally...
Hi BodhiTreeHugger
Welcome to the AYP forums. The above quoted excerpts stood out when reading your post, especially the bolded part.
Description of a head centered world sounds like your attention is focused in the higher chakras. That's cool. However, you may need to discipline yourself to stay balanced and grounded while doing so. And also, consider that the heart chakra is possibly the most important in terms of keeping your energy balanced and free flowing.
Apparently you find it difficult to breathe naturally during breath meditation. This would be somewhat concerning if it were happening to me. While I'm not a very experienced breathe meditator, it's always been very easy. At first the only way it could be accomplished was one and a half to two hours in the morning before rising. After several months practice, now it is also possible to do sitting breath meditation during the day, but I had to slowly work up to that. For me it is very enjoyable and seems beneficial. What I do is allow the breath to occur naturally no matter what it is doing. If it is shallow, fine, I simply watch it. If it is deep, I simply watch it. If it is irregular, the same, just watch it.
Over time, it has been discovered that the breath tends to regulate and adjust itself when it is watched. For example, if during the day, it is noticed I'm upset about something, just watching the breath will cause it to even out and become more regular. Don't know why that happens, it just does. And it's been noticed that when the breath becomes more regular, my emotional state seems to get calm and quiet. The peaks and valleys of life become easier to navigate. Therefore, the effort invested in daily breath meditation has really paid off in my case.
All of this is only my opinion. In a spontaneous kundalini awakening, the k energy sort of takes over your life and will guide you gently or not so gently - into doing whatever facilitates the free flow of the energy. Purification takes place and blockages are gradually (or not so gradually) removed. Imo breath meditation can be helpful in smoothing out the purification - so that blockage removal proceeds at an even pace which can then be assimilated without too much stress involved.
I also want to feel deeply connected, rooted and naturally aware of my body and consciousness. Best wishes,
love
parvati |
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Spiritual awakening & breathing. Pranayama?
