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interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 01 2022 : 5:13:22 PM
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| I am trying to integrate the lessons into my ever changing inner landscape. Natural vajroli is more a part of my life in recent months. I have been on a stable path with my full compliment of AYP practices for a couple years. I've read Yogani's lessons on tantra several times and my sense is, although not mandatory, it can be complimentary on the journey. Assuming overload symptoms are not a problem is there a place for more active practices with the intention of steadily increasing ones kundalini energy beyond what occurs with a stable twice daily practice. To be fully transparent, that has been my process for years and my sense is it is what has led to ever increasing energy that feels mostly balanced. I just wonder if there is a diminishing return with this approach. In one of Yogani's lessons he talks about a stairway to heaven, or something like that that, occuring with tantric engagement. Is there value in pushing a bit harder in tantra practices to make progress or is this a set up for disaster? |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2022 : 05:45:11 AM
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Dear Interpaul,
You can only know by trying - in a careful manner. Which practices were you thinking of adding?
Sey  |
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interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2022 : 6:54:05 PM
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| Sey, Thanks. In answer to your question I am not adding anything new. I have the full compliment of AYP practices that I've done stably for a couple years now. What I am referring to is how to utilize the tantra practices now given the changing energetic state I find myself in. Now that I experience natural vajroli regularly, the edge is a lot less clear. Within these ever increasing ecstatic states I feel a movement towards something. I realize the destination is "outopouring of divine love" and I'm just looking at a safe way to navigate there efficiently as I have nothing more to add to my practice. Tantra doesn't seem to have the same boundaries as the twice daily meditation practices. Again and again I'm surprised by how much pleasure these practices generate and I regroup occaisionally to make sure I'm on a safe path. I often go back to a battery analogy. If the goal is to fully charge the battery to power this spiritual journey, what is the safest way to do it once one has carefully built up a stable practice. Can pushing a little on tantra yield quicker results as long as overload isn't experienced? As an example spinal bastrika is a super charged version of SBP which yields very profound shifts in energy very quickly. Tantra has a similar effect on me. Can it be utilized for rapid progress after a stable base is created or is the wisdom steady wins the race? |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4515 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2022 : 12:45:50 AM
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Hi Interpaul,
If you are stable with your current practices, and you want to increase your practices, then you certainly can do. That can be done across the board, which is probably the most balanced way of going about things. There is a practice chart on page 347 of "Advanced Yoga Practices: Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, Vol 2", which shows the ranges that the practices can be increased to in terms of timings. This chart is also on AYP Plus here, and in the AYP teacher training course manual. This chart includes the additions of advanced pranayamas.
Then of course, there are the mudras and bandhas that can be added to various practices, and siddhasana that can be added throughout sitting practice. On top of that, there are the range of self-inquiry practices that can be added during times when we are not engaged in our set practices.
I would suggest viewing tantrik sexual practices, as another practice amongst all of these. So, think about increasing all practices gradually in small ways. That way you will maintain balance across the board, and most importantly maintain the balance of energetic activation practices compared to inner silence cultivation practices. I remember you saying once (or more than once  ) that you had a tendency towards ecstasy addiction in the past, leading sometimes to energetic overload. Making sure you are always cultivating inner silence, in a measured way, when compared to the cultivation of ecstasy, will help to make sure you do not get out of balance, due to any tendency towards ecstasy addiction. This would reduce the possibility of overload happening down the line.
The other thing to bear in mind, apart from maintaining a healthy balance in your practices, is that tantrik sexual practices can be overdone. The body can only handle so much, and then the nerves begin to get fried. There can be the experience of feeling tired, or jaded, or "burnt out".
This lesson talks a bit about this last point, and also about the importance of maintaining balance with our overall practices:
Lesson T72 - Tantra and Self-Pacing
And of course, if someone is planning to increasing the amount of time they are spending in tantrik sexual practices each week, and they have a tantrik lover, then they need to make sure that their lover is happy about that first.
Christi |
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Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2022 : 12:52:13 AM
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quote:
Can it be utilized for rapid progress after a stable base is created or is the wisdom steady wins the race?
Yes.
Seriously though, I am in the exact same boat: many disciplined years of AYP practice providing me a solid base for conductivity. I have been navigating conductivity and rising inner silence for five years now, learning what resonates by trial and error. I have built grounding activities into my way of life. In my present incarnation, when I am truly quiet and open (as when sitting in DM, but also as intention in daily action) automatic vajroli happens along with a variety of sensations, depending on what “purification” has captured my gentle attention. My ecstatic body finds more space in my day because of quiet openness, and I believe because of grounding, Radiance, acute awareness of my inner workings, inner guru, and rising inner silence, I am built to push the envelope in a slow and steady way. |
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interpaul
USA
551 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2022 : 05:52:33 AM
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Christi, Thank you for your guidance on this issue again. I certainly have made a concerted effort over the last few years to favor inner silence as the message has been loud and clear on how this is the core of the teachings. In my enthusiasm I often find it hard to fully integrate concepts such as preservation and cultivation of the energies. The preservation part is very clear. After years of work on bramacharya I feel some mastery over these practices. How to cultivate these energies is where I seek guidance at times. It is interesting how even inner silence is now infused with ecstasy (I recall one of your podcasts addressing this issue).
Dogboy, Your description of your state sounds more subtle and balanced. Thanks for sharing your experiences. |
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active vs. passive movement towards enlightenment
