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aditya
82 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 01:55:30 AM
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Hello folks,
I am sure many of you would have undertaken these courses - SRF, TM, AOL or like.
Please share the time needed per day, fee, duration, pluses and minuses, your experience and anything unique. Is distant learning possible for these (or any other) without a hitch? I am planning to take up at least one course in near future.
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Edited by - AYPforum on Feb 01 2007 01:03:42 AM |
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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 02:30:36 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by aditya
Hello folks,
I am sure many of you would have undertaken these courses - SRF, TM, AOL or like.
Please share the time needed per day, fee, duration, pluses and minuses, your experience and anything unique. Is distant learning possible for these (or any other) without a hitch? I am planning to take up at least one course in near future.
Hello & Namaste,
"Short Answer" - I am familiar with most of these, or something very similar (Examples - TM - Yes, SRF - No, but Ananda - offshoot - Yes, AOL - No, but based on techniques apparently offered, familiar with very similar or identical techniques, etc.).
In my experience, the high investments in these organizations do produce two sets of tangible benefits that were not even available to the Vedic Rishis! (No kidding -- keep reading!)
1. Significant monetary profit for the leaders of the organizations.
&
2. Snazzy four-color brochures.
With all that Adi Shankaracharya experienced, I can pretty much guarantee you, that he never, in his entire life, flipped through a snazzy four-color marketing brochure.
(It is also reported that he passed from the physical plane a very happy man. Coincidence??)
But seriously:
I did invest $500 (mid-90s - when I was "young and naive") to learn TM - and have since come across literally dozens of practices and mantras(including the one I received), which offer equivalent or superior results -- for FREE.
Ananda was a good stepping stone, and is full of some beautifully sincere people, but many of them seem to have "organizational blinders" on, just as churches or religions do (i.e. "Well, we don't judge others - but - we're not persnickety like SRF, and Master - Yogananda - was the greatest guru who ever lived ....").
And that's all fine -- and heck -- could even be true, for all I know ... and Ananda did offer some genuine benefit in my life --- and in the yoga retreat world -- very reasonable prices.
However, pranic breath for pranic breath, the most powerful yogic techniques I have ever learned, and which I utilize daily -- are those learned right here on this site ----- for F-R-E-E.
I've spent my career in high-tech --- and have seen the difference between pre-packaged software (think Microsoft), and Open Source ( see www.zoho.com ).
I can buy the next version of Word when it comes out, for well over $100, if pricing holds - or move to the "next generation", and pay a monthly subscription fee (Microsoft doesn't offer this yet - I don't think - but likely will) - OR - I can go to www.zoho.com and do all the Word processing (and spreadsheets, and presentations, and CRM, and make my own programs, and on and on and on ....) for F-R-E-E.
(Or, now, I can get the free "Docs & Spreadsheets" tool for free, direct from Google).
Hm.
I could help Bill Gates be even richer - OR - I could manage creation of documents the same way I manage web search - for F-R-E-E.
Tough call (said tongue-in-cheek, of course ...) --- but I'm coming down on the side of Open Source.
In the world of Yoga, I'm coming down on the side of AYP.
IF I felt like Sri Ravi Shankar, or Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, or the ruling council of SRF, *really* needed my money (they seem to be doing just fine without me .....), OR if I felt they offered something *not* available for free -- it might be different.
But neither of those things is the case.
And it's not like you've happened across an AYP fundamentalist, who's saying you've found "the place" (though AYP has my ringing endorsement, based on experiences, results, quality and amount of information, and quality of support and useful commentary from community / forum members) --- it's just that I honestly don't see _why_ a person would want or need to study with one of the groups you mention.
It's not major yoga technique-based organization (SRF, AOL, TM, Etc.) vs AYP --- it's "high-investment major yoga technique-based organization" vs. "no-investment free information on the Web".
If you don't want to be tied to AYP, everything, or nearly so, taught by AYP is available elsewhere .... at the same "price".
;-)
The difference is: Yogani has taken great care to structure the AYP lessons in a way that will create good results for the average person - without holding them back, or without throwing them into the deep end, and without restricting the information to a given group or religion's "approved practices".
Combine that with the well and clearly articulated information, and the presentation that is comfortable for a Western audience -- and you may just find that this is a very useful "central repository" for your yogic lessons / meditation lessons.
And, if you find other sites or groups with useful info --- please tell us -- we do this with each other, all the time (please see the "other teachers" folder in this forum).
As far as distance learning - again ---- "right here, right now".
: )
Just start at the beginning, move through the lessons - and if you have comments, questions or concerns, post them here in the Forum.
(And use the Search feature to see discussions that have already taken place.)
I hope this is helpful - and welcome!
I also hope that you find useful information and guidance here, as many of us have.
Some of us who have been involved in meditation and other yogic practices for years, have found that AYP practices have created greater results in a few months, or sometimes 12-18 months - than we've experienced in many years, in other systems.
I can honestly tell you that I've gotten far greater results - not only than I ever had before, with other systems --- but greater results than I ever believed or understood were _possible_ -- solely through daily practice of the most basic AYP techniques.
(Spinal Breathing, and Meditation - and later, a few fairly minor enhancements, with major results - including Sambhavi and beginning Kechari).
Peace & Namaste,
Kirtanman
PS - The only "non-free" information via AYP, is via Yogani's books - but as you can check for yourself --- they are very, very reasonably priced, for the quality and amount of information they contain (again, much like Open Source software, "Open Source Yoga" is based on information that is either free, or very inexpensive -- and that is higher-quality than information and products offered by the mainstream organizations. |
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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2006 : 05:08:17 AM
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Hi Aditya,
I have done it been there. To post script what Kirtanman says (I read only half... the rest of it I surmised): The best things in life are free.
Though don't forget there's another one that says: Nothing is free.  |
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AYPforum
351 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2007 : 01:03:42 AM
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| Moderator note: Topic moved for better placement |
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Etherfish
USA
3615 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2007 : 09:15:09 AM
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Another old thread made active. . .
sadhak;
those sayings should be "The best things in life are relatively free", and "Nothing is completely free."
I am a member of SRF, and past member of America On Line (AOL) ha ha.
If you would choose between those mentioned, I would try SRF, because you can get a lot of lessons for basically the postage and paper costs. But the reason I switched to AYP techniques is they are easier, take a LOT less time, and at least for me, are more effective. |
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