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yogani
USA
5241 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 18 2007 : 1:11:46 PM
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Hi All:
From a recent email interchange, posted with permission:
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Q: What do you think about practice of Traya (three fold) Bandha after asana practice instead of performing bandhas with the spinal breathing? The reason this is mentioned is because during the practice of spinal breathing the practice is smooth and it provides good flow of prana as a stand alone pratice. The Bhandas provide good flow of prana by themselves as well, especially when performing Traya Bhanda. So the sequence that feels fit for myself is asanas, traya bhanda and then on to the spinal breathing and meditation. When this order was performed last night there was an inner stillness that came over my mind that was never experienced before. Please let me know is this okay from a practical perspective, and is it correct in terms of systematic practice with wisdom.
A: It sounds okay (it is one way to do it), though you will find over the long term that mudras and bandhas merge into one "whole body mudra" and creep into all aspects of practice and life in automatic "micro movement" form. Therefore, the real purpose for doing mudras and bandhas is not for immediate effects, but to develop the over all ecstatic side of human spiritual transformation. That is why we do them in spinal breathing -- it provides for more practice time of mudras and bandhas without sacrificing the core practice of spinal breathing, which is closely related. We also use them (traya bandha) in yoni mudra, and in a variation during chin pump. We do not focus on mudras and bandhas in deep meditation. If they are occurring there (and they will eventually), it will be as automatic habit and not with a deliberate diversion of attention from the procedure of meditation.
Generally, it is not a good idea to alter the practice routine seeking short term experiences or effects, as these are related to purification and opening, and vary widely over time. We do the practices for the long term effects, not the short term ones. In fact, the suggestion is to always favor the practice we are doing over our experiences. Otherwise, we can end up like a cat chasing its tail, and that will reduce our progress.
It would be great to bring this to the AYP Support Forums, as many others can benefit from the discussion. You will receive more points of view too. The "alterations in practice" discussion is endless. You can find it occurring in many forms in the forums. 95% of the time it is considering altering the practice to chase an experience. The advice from here is always the same -- favor your structured practice (whatever it is) over the experience, and self-pace accordingly.
All the best!
The guru is in you.
Note: Traya bandha is the simultaneous use of mulabandha (root lock), uddiyana bandha (abdominal lift/lock), and jalandhara bandha (chin lock), usually with kumbhaka (breath retention). It is a powerful kundalini stimulator, and should be used in moderation. In AYP, we use several variations of it in combination with certain practices. See the main lessons for details.
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When to do Traya (threefold) Bandha
