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Balance
USA
967 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 21 2006 : 9:27:34 PM
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| I ran across a small free book download that relates the experience of a man who spent many years finding and putting to practice Kriya Yoga as Lahiri Mahasay taught. His name is Ennio Nimis. He is quite genuine and sincere in wishing to share his knowledge and experience. There is a part where he relates his younger experience with a certain Kriya church and how that turned out to be non-fruitful for him. Although it's Kriya, there are a lot of parallels to AYP practices and experiences. The information is valuable. And as I said his story is sincere and from the heart and he has offered it to help others. The book is an Adobe download and is in three parts: his life-long pranayama & etc. experience and search; the actual complete techniques; and why he wrote the book. I hope someone checks it out and shares with me their thoughts and opinions. It's at http://www.kriyayogainfo.net/index.html |
Edited by - Balance on Sep 22 2006 12:39:44 AM |
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yoginstar
Netherlands
78 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2006 : 04:07:02 AM
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Hi Balance!
this is an invaluable source of information for me, thank you so much! To some extent the author seems to be on the same wavelength as Yogani: with the idea that the secrecy of the techniques is not helping humanity at all. I am one of those affiliated for 16 years or so with the Kriya church/school he describes in this book and one of its monks this year got me over a hurdle for I was completely stuck in my vague practices. The hurdle was crossed by energetic transfer and an Om on the chakra's technique but it eventually seems to free me up entirely and as a result led me to the AYP lessons. I think I am shifting allegiances.....:-) I am no expert at techniques, on the contrary, it is only after reading the AYP lessons that I am less afraid for my own body and all the electric conductivity circuits in there, feeling that I now have a management tool for it! But the book and the AYP lessons seem to confirm each other, although I have yet to read it properly, and I feel the AYP lessons might be a little more simple for us westerners to understand and practice. One interesting technique I found in the book for Kechari: an exercise with stretching the tongue 50 times a day (not milking) a specific way, in contrast to more drastic measures, might be worth a try, of I ever get round to that one:-) I first am travelling for the next 5 days with a group and will have a hard time to even find the time for 2 20 minute meditations...
Thanks again!
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gentlep
USA
114 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2007 : 2:13:39 PM
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| There are some videos on that site too, showing the techniques. It would be nice if AYP has some videos, especially on chin pump, navi kriya, siddhasana, uddiyana, nauli etc. |
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SuperTrouper
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2007 : 4:48:56 PM
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I had been practicing Satyananda Saraswati kriya yoga from a hefty manual called "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya" for a year. The text had prepped me with 1.5 years of heavy duty traditional yoga practices prior to beginning its kriya. I'd gained invaluable experience and wonderful results from Satyananda kriya yoga. In the system of Satyananda, there're 20 kriyas, practiced one after another. I practiced the significantly reduced form which still weighed in at 2-2.5 hours per day (plus some asana and pranayama added another 30-40 minutes to it to make it 2.5-3/day). The time I spent I didn't mind, but 20 kriyas was too much. Each day I would hit certain kriyas and love nothing better than to spend most of the time doing those few -- they provided the bulk of my "spiritual evolution", or the oomph in my practice. The rest of the techniques I recognized as hindrances -- they took me away from my... oompha loomphas :)
During my 20-kriya-crisis, I found out that Shibendu Lahiri, Lahiri Mahasaya's great-grandson, was coming to the US in order to teach kriya the way his father had (supposedly) taught him. I thought what a great way to take a vacation AND learn a new system of kriya! I bought plane tickets and talked with the coordinators about planning my trip and had everything in ready -- 2 months ahead of time for his arrival in Los Angeles (mid-september). I started googling Shibendu, just to see what I could find about him and was a little disturbed to find more negative information than good -- allegations of sexual misconduct with female initiates, alterations to the higher kriya techniques compared to his father's other disciples, and a wicked temper. He often renounces his own disciples for the most petty reasons, without ever telling them so. He's got some psychological problems. Facing the predicament that I'd already boughten plane tickets and had half the trip planned, I became increasingly despondent at my situation. Should I go anyways and take the initiation, knowing full well I'd be promising things to a man I would never accept as my guru, just to acquire his knowledge of heirloom spiritual techniques? Or do I cancel it and continue on with my 20 kriyas for an unforseeable future when another kriya "guru" comes along from the Mahasaya lineage? I prayed to Lahiri Mahasaya that he might help to solve my predicament -- that all I wanted to do was learn his system of kriya without all the various modifications it had been given over time by various disciples. I left it at that. 4 days later I was googling around the net during some free time and came across a very humble website without decorum that had some PDF books on it related to kriya. I started reading them and soon realized that I had my fingers in a goldmine of Lahiri Mahasaya kriya techniques. I was ecstatic! My prayer was very simply answered and answered fully. I cancelled my trip and notified the coordinators of Shibendu's retreat/initation as to my reasons... they didn't really refute anything I'd said, nor did they confirm it.
I transitioned over to the Lahiri Mahasaya kriya yoga, as delineated in these PDF books, and have been achieving same/better results as with my previous kriya system. I practice only the kriyas in the first initiation, as I want to get a good handle on them before I begin thokar kriya, etc. With the instructions in the books, I've also been able to achieve kechari mudra with relative ease -- which I hadn't been able to do in the 2.5 years prior.
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snake
United Kingdom
279 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2007 : 02:38:02 AM
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Supertrouper,
Thanks for sharing your interesting journey, |
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Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2007 : 10:05:56 AM
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| SuperTrouper, pardon me if this is the dumbest question ever, but is the web site you're refering to the same one that's mentioned by the first poster in this discussion? |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2007 : 11:59:36 AM
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Hi SuperTrouper, and welcome to the forums!
Simplification and minimizing the daily duration of practices to be manageable while maximizing the results is definitely the way to go in this busy modern world. I think you will find many here who resonate with that. It is, in fact, a primary objective in the AYP approach -- optimizing "cause and effect" in our practice routine, so everyone has the opportunity to enhance their spiritual progress through self-directed practice.
A key goal is for results-based "applied spiritual science" to become an ongoing and evolving discipline. This is how humanity has progressed dramatically in virtually every other field of knowledge. Now it is time for it to happen in the spiritual arena, where the walls dividing rigid sectarian approaches are dissolving and the best from all quarters is coming together.
In the AYP approach, our regular daily activity in the world is part of the process, naturally stabilizing and expanding the inner silence and ecstatic conductivity we are cultivating in practices. We practice to bring about permanent improvements in our daily life. From this point of view, yoga is not something we do instead of living in the world. It is something we do to enhance living in the world, where all of ordinary life gradually becomes infused with abiding inner silence, ecstatic bliss, and outpouring divine love. It is do-able! 
Lahiri Mahasaya was a great pioneer and wellspring for the transmission of advanced spiritual techniques to the public (largely through 2nd generation disciple, Paramahansa Yogananda), and it is wonderful to see his teachings presented with such clarity on the site you are referring to: http://www.kriyayogainfo.net
Your previous source of practices, Swami Satyananda (disciple of Swami Sivananda), has also made wonderful contributions to rising public awareness of the methods of human spiritual transformation, as have many others over the past 150 years (for some history, see http://www.aypsite.org/253.html).
In AYP, we capitalize on the methods of kriya, and also integrate the most effective methods from mantra yoga, hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, tantra and other spiritual disciplines.
"Self-pacing" is at the heart of the AYP approach, enabling us to apply powerful methods of practice in an integrated and manageable way for maximum progress with comfort and safety.
Wishing you all the best on your chosen path. Enjoy!
The guru is in you.
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SuperTrouper
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2007 : 6:07:40 PM
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Thank you very much, Yogani!
About 1.5 years ago, I read through all the lessons contained in this site. I hadn't practiced any of them, because I'd been content to continue with the practices I was already working with until I reached the kriya techniques of the Satyananda Lineage. That you're fully aware of all the major kriya techniques and lineages available is comforting. And I can't help but agree with everything you've said in the post -- that a self-directed, and self-paced approach combining all the most effective techniques available in a perfect synthesis, with individual adjustments as necessary is the best approach towards spiritual practice (correct me if I misinterpreted somewhere).
Now that I've broken out of my Satyananda Saraswati kriya yoga shell to mosey around, I'll probably review the techniques on this site again to see where I might integrate effective techniques with my current practice. I'm more fond of awareness/breathing paths of a circular route, than a linear way... and I found the head movements during the kriyas of Satyananda saraswati amazing, so I'll probably keep practicing the ones with head movements from Lahiri Mahasaya, as well.
I do have one question... It's been awhile since I've been here, so I'm not sure whether or not you've created a manual of all your techniques, as opposed to the lesson format. Is there a simplified, more technical manual of the techniques of AYP available somewhere? |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2007 : 3:01:05 PM
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Hi SuperTrouper:
There is a pretty good summary of the main AYP practices in this lesson: http://www.aypsite.org/204.html
The big AYP Easy Lessons book is the most complete layout of the practices (about 20% more material than online). Eventually there will be another big one -- "Volume 2." These volumes will be the master documents for AYP when all is said and done.
Because they were written later, the small AYP Enlightenment Series books (6 out to date) provide additional clarity on the basic practices, and new techniques in the Samyama and Diet/Shatkarmas/Amaroli books. Upcoming E-Series books will include new material as well. The E-Series is designed to provide many doorways into the AYP practices, according to individual interests.
The Secrets of Wilder novel contains a nifty chart (minus the Sanskrit) that summarizes the key AYP practices and how they can be built up in a daily routine.
All the best!
The guru is in you.
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an experience worth reading
