|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 30 2022 : 02:45:42 AM
|
| I've been a little sad our AYP community seems less engaged over the last couple years. As I continue on this path I find most family and friends don't share my interest in these practices and value the few individuals I have in my life with whom I can share this journey. I am not quite ready to start my own AYP group locally to create community. I wonder if any of you have other spiritual communities you are connected to who have more robust online dialogue that is compatible with the AYP approach. |
|
|
Wil
Sweden
160 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2022 : 04:18:02 AM
|
Hello Interpaul, I think I can relate to your barren feeling but unfortunatnately I do not have a specific community of which I can connect you to. Perhaps kriya yoga-practictioners who meditate if I would guess.
What I can say, as you know, is just to look for people who practice meditation regularity. If someone judges you for asking just know that this is a detail of spiritual evolution and move on. Perhaps festivals is the right place, I can not say for sure but some individuals whom attend festivals and conventions seem engaged.
Lastly...Just attend an AYP retreat. I wish I could, but I think I need to stabilize before that occasion. I also aspire to do the RYS teacher training which in my case will take some time for my sensitivity to be able to handle.
Best wishes from Wil |
Edited by - Wil on Jul 30 2022 08:54:18 AM |
 |
|
|
Blanche
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2022 : 12:48:34 PM
|
Hi Interpaul,
There is a lively AYP community here, even if there is little to say. I come here every day, read new posts, and reply if there is something to say. Often, I read lessons. I have a group of friends who has done yoga outside through the pandemic, weather permitting. I teach a weekly yoga class at the university. I used to go to a meditation group once a week, but this went away in 2020. The retreat place I am considering has still covid restrictions. Maybe they will open, and we could have a retreat in Connecticut in fall.
Seen and unseen, only One is everywhere. 
|
Edited by - Blanche on Jul 31 2022 12:29:28 PM |
|
|
|
interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2022 : 9:03:22 PM
|
Wil, Thanks for your comments.
Blanche, AYP has been my spiritual home for over 3 years. I am not giving up on it I just have been craving more engagement lately. I would love to come to a retreat in Connecticut if offered and the timing worked. |
|
|
|
Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2022 : 02:34:25 AM
|
| As would I, as CT is a neighboring state! You may also find videos on YouTube, and engage directly with the content provider. |
|
|
|
SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2022 : 08:11:03 AM
|
Dear Interpaul,
I dig what you are saying - this forum is practically dead. AYPers might be alive and well where ever they may be in whatever communities but this forum has been slowly dying. We can rose-tint it and say "it is a quiet forum" or in other positive terms, but...
The AYP-Plus one is not better, unfortunately.
Perhaps we are doing better on Facebook?
Sey |
|
|
|
Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2022 : 10:24:46 AM
|
Hi interpaul and all,
These days a lot of practice support questions get asked during the regular online AYP retreats using Zoom. There are dedicated Q&A sessions on the retreats. As a result, less gets asked (and answered) in the online forums. A lot of sharing of experiences also goes on during the retreats. The online retreats have been going on for the last two-years, since the pandemic began, being led by Blanche, Sunyata and myself. Right now is the Summer break, but regular online retreats are planned to begin again after the Summer. The program of upcoming online events will be listed here when we have the dates.
So, we are seeing a gradual shift taking place from the online forums, towards live online events. This is likely to be increased in the future, with weekly online AYP classes starting to become available as well, in English, after the Summer break. Announcements for weekly AYP online classes will be made in this forum and on Facebook, and in the monthly email updates, when we have the details.
And of course, a lot of practice support is given during in-person AYP retreats and training courses. So, that shift is happening too. With more AYP teachers in the world, people are increasingly taking practice support questions directly to their teachers.
Another shift that will begin to take place will be the move towards on-demand AYP video courses. These have been requested for a long time and are now being filmed in English and German. These will begin to become available before Christmas. These courses will also include dedicated practice support for students via group chat, within the courses. These will be available here when the filming is complete for the first video courses. A lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes to make this possible.
So, the online community has been growing, which is a great thing to see, but more in the direction of live interactive events with AYP teachers.
Not everyone is able to access online events, or the in-person events, for various reasons, so this forum will still be here for people needing support with their AYP practices. Basically everyone needing support with their awakening, is able to get it in one way or another.
Christi |
|
|
|
Blanche
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2022 : 2:17:59 PM
|
Ah, as Christi writes, there have been a fair number of emails, calls, and zoom chats about the AYP practices. It was great to meet some of the AYP forum members in person during my travels and in person or online retreats. It seems that every day I get a chance to talk about meditation, yoga, and the AYP.
|
|
|
|
interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2022 : 6:50:31 PM
|
Christi, Thank you so much for all that you and others do to keep Yogani's teachings alive. I greatly appreciate all the support I have received on this forum.
Yes, it does sound like a shift is happening. I personally have taken advantage of a couple of the online retreats you, Blanche and Sunyata have offered during the pandemic and have found them helpful. These new video courses and online classes sound exciting and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of them. An in person retreat is certainly on my radar and that will also be a great way to connect with the AYP community.
This post was motivated by a sense of sadness I've been feeling in experiencing the gradual loss of online AYP engagement. This vital community has meant so much to me over the last few years and the forum has served as an invaluable place to reflect and share. Yogani carved out a unique space and method for spiritual teaching. The "shift" as you describe it is a departure from the original model he created. In reflection, the combination of these virtual self paced teachings combined with a real online presence of Yogani and others has been the key to this practice working for me. Although online retreats and in person retreats have a place, they don't address the day to day interactions the forums have offered for me (and I suspect many others over the years). I have noticed over time the posts mostly come from people new to AYP asking how to handle kundalini excess rather than more diverse sharing on spiritual matters. I hope the weekly courses and videos breath new life into the practices but I still wonder if there are other ways to increase engagment. It may also be a good time to rethink AYP Plus (which I suspect you have). I have enjoyed rereading the extended lessons and listening to Yogani read his books.
|
|
|
|
Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2022 : 11:28:38 PM
|
Hi interpaul,
I am glad to hear you have been enjoying the online events!
In terms of the idea of some "original model for AYP", I am not sure there has ever been one? AYP has been continuously evolving from the beginning, and continues to evolve in new ways. When Yogani set out to share his knowledge, there was no online support forum, and he did not want to create one. It was created out of necessity, when the numbers of emails he was receiving each day, became too large. In fact, in the early days there was no website. There was only a Yahoo Group. Remember those?  I used to be a member of the AYP Yahoo group, until Yahoo closed them down.
So, AYP has gone from Yahoo Group, to website, to website-plus-support-forum, and has continued to evolve from there. Yogani encouraged people to run residential retreats, by publishing the Retreats Book, and then about six years ago he set about creating the AYP teacher training courses, registering AYP with the Yoga Alliance. When the pandemic hit, he wrote to me, asking me to put the retreats and AYP teacher training courses online, so that we could continue to spread the teachings, even when people were stuck at home.
So, the "unique space" that Yogani has carved out, is everything that is currently AYP, and a few things that Yogani has asked for, which have not yet become manifest. He is behind the scenes, helping everything to happen, and supporting all of it. And it certainly would not have happened without him. A couple of months ago, he completed the audio recordings for the lesson additions in AYP Plus.
I would suggest that you take the AYP yoga teacher training course. Then you will be able to run classes and retreats in your area, or teach online, or all three! When we teach, we start to create a spiritual community around us. Even if we don't have as much knowledge or experience as we might want, we can create beautiful spaces within which people can practice together. We don't have to wait until we are enlightened, to do that. In fact Yogani once said that if everyone waited until they are enlightened before they started teaching yoga, there would be no teachers! (Work that one out!  )
A lot of what is happening now with AYP, is happening because people trained as teachers. Devrim who teaches on the Teacher Training Courses with me in Thailand, did his yoga teacher training in India. Michael, who is currently doing the video recording for the AYP video courses in German, took the AYP teacher training course in 2019 in Spain. And Sunyata and Blanche both took yoga teacher training courses. I believe that Blanche recently completed her advanced level teacher training. So, it is something that can open a lot of doors.
When one door closes, open a new one. Or, better still, when one door closes, open three new ones! This forum obviously won't last forever. It is impermanent, like everything else.
Christi |
|
|
|
interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2022 : 03:17:55 AM
|
| Christi, Thanks for taking the time to give me a historical context for AYP. I will see you one day in the coming months to years in person. |
|
|
|
SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2022 : 06:40:51 AM
|
Thank you Christi for the update. It certainly sounds exciting. I am in a remote spot, expensive internet and have not yet been able to make use of any of the offerings (time-wise as well). Hopefully the on-demand courses would work better for us here in Seychelles.
Sey |
|
|
|
Cato
Germany
239 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2022 : 6:10:47 PM
|
Hi everybody,
I have been around for about four years now and found that the forum never has been a busy place during this time. I cannot say how it was ten years ago, but from my point of view it has always been a few posts now and then. However, it has always been a place of help and assurance for me and probably countless others. To say it is dying makes me sad. Even though there only seem to be a few active people around, the patient help and understanding has always been and still is a tremendous support. I thank all of you out there for visiting regularly and helping where help is needed. In fact, the selfless service of you guys and the certainty of your support is one important aspect I am still doing AYP practices. Not unlikely I would have quit if I hadn't had your advice and community.
As I am still at the beginning, I am rather on the advice-taking than on the advice-giving side. Meanwhile I found a slow rhythm with stable practices and am looking forward to dive deeper gradually. It cannot be forced. The slow rhythm makes it less necessary to stop by frequently. However, I am sure I still can count on you when time comes. Which is invaluable.
|
|
|
|
Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2022 : 01:03:54 AM
|
Hi Cato,
That is great to hear.
|
|
|
|
Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2022 : 1:58:54 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by interpaul
Christi, Thanks for taking the time to give me a historical context for AYP. I will see you one day in the coming months to years in person.
|
|
|
|
Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2022 : 6:40:54 PM
|
Hi all,
Just to give everyone an idea of the numbers of users of this website, these are some rough figures from Google analytics.
The website gets around 17,000 unique visitors a month. So, that is to the public main lessons, the public tantra lessons and this support forum.
Around 70% of that traffic is coming directly to the forum, so around 12,000 people. So, the forums and the main and tantra lessons are being very heavily used.
In terms of finances, this website is not self-funding. There are no ads, or other income other than donations. The website does cost money to run. There are part-time admin staff involved in its maintenance, and part-time tech staff, who step in whenever anything goes wrong on the back-end. On top of this there are the regular website fees, which are high for a big site and bandwidth fees which are also high, because of the number of users.
The site is primarily paid for by the AYP Plus subscription site, so if you value this website and forum, and would like to see it continue and grow, do consider subscribing to AYP Plus.
Christi |
|
|
|
interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2022 : 7:44:11 PM
|
| Christi, That is very useful information and is reassuring knowing these teachings continue to have impact throughout the world. I have been a regular AYP Plus member and did join with the intention of supporting the community and would encourage others to do so. As you explore other services it might make sense to offer some of these extra services as covered for AYP Plus members to encourage ongoing support (something I suspect you've already considered). Thanks again for your leadership, commitment and support. |
|
|
|
Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2022 : 10:40:30 PM
|
Hi Interpaul,
A lot of the various aspects of AYP are actually run by independent teachers, with teachers earning a living, or part of a living, from that. I manage the AYP teacher training program for example, through AYP International, which is registered in the U.K. Individual teachers run AYP retreats (both in-person and online). The on-demand AYP video courses are also being filmed by independent teachers, and will be made available through AYP International. So, all of that is separate from AYP Plus, and this website/ forum, which are managed by Yogani in the USA.
Having said that, I am expecting that regular weekly online sitting practice classes will become available for AYP Plus members, starting in a couple of months time. I was talking with one of our teachers today, and he is keen to start offering that, as an act of service to the community.
Christi
|
|
|
|
Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2022 : 11:10:19 PM
|
 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
online community
