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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 06 2007 : 11:23:32 PM
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In another post Yogani has mentioned that jandhara is not used in AYP spinal breathing. This issue has puzzled me and perhaps it is from my Iyengar training, but in Iyengar style we were taught to always keeps the head down in sitting pranayama. I had internalized this so much that I had believed that this gave protection to the delicate mechanism of breathing. Now I am not so sure anymore and am a little puzzled. When I began practice with kechari mudra it felt that keeping the head down didn't feel right and so I changed my entire pranayama practice to dynamic jalandhara because it felt that this allowed more freedom of energy flow. Well now after 3 years of AYP I have been drawn to practice regular spinal breathing without the head movements and so at first kept the head down as in Iyengar till Yogani mentioned that AYP spinal breathing is not done that way. Well anyway, I now practice with my head up and balanced and it feels better and more light and open but I guess I am still seeking reassurance that this is the correct way to practice spinal breathing including retention of breath. the head is up as in meditation? yes? I guess it should be a clear yes or no asnwer but my practice is always evolving so I would like to know clearly and simply. right now my practice consists of 10 minutes spinal breathing, 5 or 10 minutes chin pump, 15 minutes mantra and have recently introduced the samyama.All of this is done in stage 3 kechari. In short, does kechari replace jalandhara?
This feels right but any clarity is appreciated |
Edited by - Victor on Jun 06 2007 11:49:19 PM |
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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2007 : 12:01:17 AM
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| maybe i should clarify my question. Is spinal breathing always done without kumbhaka and if kumbhaka is used do you require jalandhara even with kechari? I guess that is simpler |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2007 : 12:08:50 AM
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Hi Victor:
Yes, spinal breathing is normally done with the head vertical, as is deep meditation. And, no, kechari does not replace jalandhara bandha (chin lock). Once we have learned kechari during spinal breathing, we can use it throughout practices if desired as an automatic habit, without any extra attention being devoted to it.
Normal AYP spinal breathing does not include kumbhaka (breath retention). If we are doing yoni mudra kumbhaka (separate practice), that is the time we do breath retention and jalandhara along with the other two locks (uddiyana and mulabandha), plus sambhavi, and kechari to whatever extent we are doing it (stage 1, 2, etc). Dynamic jalandhara (chin pump) is normally an independent practice with kumbhaka (presumably like you are doing now), but can alternatively be done in "lite" mode during part of our spinal breathing session without kumbhaka.
The arrangement of the practice components is like this to make it easy for practitioners to take on new elements of practice step-by-step without overdoing. Once we are familiar with all the components, there can be some flexibiliy in the arrangement according to preference, but never at the expense of deep meditation, which we do not encumber with anything intentional outside the procedure of deep meditation itself.
If you are mixing kumbhaka with spinal breathing, plus jalandhara, and it works for you, then who can argue? But those learning these components for the first time will be wise to take them on in order one at a time, without burdening either spinal breathing or deep meditation beyond what is discussed in the lessons.
It is a matter of building a balanced, effective and efficient integration of practices step-by-step while utilizing self-pacing. This is the mission of the lessons, and why things are done the way they are. As we become more skilled in the use of all the elements of practice, there are more options for using them. Some of these options are discussed in the later online lessons.
But such expertise does not develop in a few months, so newcomers to all of this will be very wise to follow a planned build-up like is given in the AYP lessons. We don't want anyone to be getting indigestion at the spiritual practices smorgasbord table. 
All the best!
The guru is in you.
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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2007 : 12:17:15 AM
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Thank you Yogani for your instant response!
One more point of clarification please. So spinal breathing is not normally done with kumbhaka. If one is doing kumbhaka in spinal breathing should one then also use jalandhara during kumbhaka or is it not needed? |
Edited by - Victor on Jun 07 2007 12:18:46 AM |
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yogani
USA
5201 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2007 : 12:21:56 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Victor
maybe i should clarify my question. Is spinal breathing always done without kumbhaka and if kumbhaka is used do you require jalandhara even with kechari? I guess that is simpler
Yes, jalandhara should always be used with kumbhaka -- either static jalandhara (during yoni mudra), or dynamaic jalandhara.
The spinal breathing question is covered above. If you are going to be using kumbhaka mixed with spinal breathing, then use jalandhara when in deliberate breath suspension. That is a variation on regular spinal breathing practice -- a major departure actually, which increases the risk of energy excesses for inexperienced practitioners. Ask John Wilder  .
Jalandhara is not necessary during natural breath suspension, like happens in deep meditation. Sometimes jalandhara (static or dynamic) might happen as an automatic yoga during meditation or at other times during our practices. That is okay, but we don't favor it if it's not specified for use at that time. We treat it like any other automatic yoga, and gently favor the practice we are doing over any experience or automatic yoga that may come up. We don't try and force it out, and we don't indulge it either.
The guru is in you.
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Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2007 : 12:24:01 AM
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| Thank you Yogani. You have answered my question! |
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is jalandhara required for kumbhaka with kechari?
