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Leo
Italy
16 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 30 2007 : 03:15:08 AM
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Hi everybody....
I've been told in this forum that, during practice, you should follow your feelings, that is (at least as I understood it), what feels good and comfortable for you, most probably is .
Well , my experiece is that , during pranayama or spinal breathing, there is a particular frequency of the up-and-down shift of attention throught the "sushumna", that feels right ...I mean , if I do it with such timing, I almost immediately feel my hands and feet warm up in a comfortable way, and relaxation comes relatively easy (I say "relatively", since I still find relaxation and letting go a bit hard to obtain), and practice follows . If I use a faster, or slower pace, it seems it doesn't work anymore: my hands and feet stay as they are, and nothing changes in my state of consciousness, I keep thoughts going wild as usual , and nothing happens. I realized that, in the past, I often unconsciously tried to "slow down" what probably I shouldn't have tried to ... I just mistook slow practice with relaxation, when probably I just ought to find the right rythm ....
Does anyone relate ?
Leo |
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AYPforum
351 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2007 : 10:40:43 AM
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| Moderator note: Topic moved for better placement |
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yogani
USA
5241 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2007 : 1:01:04 PM
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Hi Leo:
Yes, finding a comfortable rate of breath in spinal breathng pranayama is good, while gently favoring slow deep breathing as we proceed. This is the procedure. Keep in mind that comfortable frequency will change as purification advances. So what is comfortable now will change. And a frequency that is uncomfortable now may be comfortable later. And so on...
The bottom line is that we don't alter our practice or try and "fix it" (as in a fixed breath rate) due to experiences that come up during the practice. That can lead to chasing energy experiences and a loss of effectiveness in our practice. Breath rate will change naturally according to inner purification going on -- sometimes breath will be naturally slower, sometimes faster. We just easily favor the procedure of our practice as given, allowing the flexibilities that are built in. In the case of spinal breathing, it is comfortably favoring slow deep breathing up and down spinal nerve in the center of the spinal column. If we wander off into energy sensations this way or that way, we just ease back to the center of the spinal column, always favoring comfortable slow deep breathing.
If we are feeling some inner pleasure in our practice that is fine. But we don't chase after it, modifying our practice in the process. You can be sure inner sensations will change as purification advances over time, and our practice is designed to accommodate that without being morphed into a different practice that can be less effective over the long term.
We just easily favor the procedure, no matter what is happening. We can enjoy our experiences in-between our practice sessions. How we feel between sittings is the real measure of how effective our practices are. During practices, just about anything is possible, depending on the course of purification occurring in the moment. That is why we favor the practice itself, as this is what is bringing up the experiences in the first place. As we say: "Experiences do not cause spiritual progress. Practices do."
It is important to be clear on what is cause and what is effect.
Many nuances are covered throughout the AYP lessons. It always boils down to favoring the practice while we are doing it, and self-pacing our over all daily routine of practices as needed. And be sure to go out and live life fully between practice sessions, of course. 
The new Yoga FAQ offers additional doorways into the AYP writings. Check these FAQ topics:
Spinal Breathing Pranayama: http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....OPIC_ID=2131
Self-pacing: http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....OPIC_ID=2139
Wishing you the best on your path. Practice wisely, and enjoy!
The guru is in you.
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Personal rythm
