|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 2:27:52 PM
|
I've been working on a self-directed pratyahara practice for many many years. It's been self-directed because I've not seen a word on pratyahara that struck me as apt. I feel that this is a "lost" leg of yoga.
Fortunately, my inner guru has been good to me, pushing me in helpful directions. My pratyahara practice has morphed and grown a lot over the years, and I've gotten a lot out of it, but I've always failed in my attempts to explain it to others.
But I've had a sudden insight into a way that I can share what I've been doing, and allow others to cut through a lot of the searching and experimentation I did. It's only going to be of value to those who've practiced AYP Samyama for a year or more, and have at least read through the Cosmic Samyama lesson (http://www.aypsite.org/299.html).
Try this following all the instructions of Cosmic Samyama (which, in turn, build upon the instructions of regular Samyama). Lie down, per Cosmic Samyama. I do it just before my final resting period before getting up (and after a couple minutes of resting after Cosmic). If you have any questions about how to go about doing this, please reread the Cosmic Samyama lesson first, because I'll probably just refer you to that anyway
As with many practices, this one's deceptively simple, but there's metric tons of deep experience baked into it. Please report your results. And don't expect much until you've worked through the clunky period.
Sutras:
1. Seeingness
2. Hearingness
3. Smellingness
4. Tastingness
5. Tactile
6. Lovingness
As always, simply let each go. Don't mull it over. |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Sep 01 2009 2:56:34 PM |
|
|
Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 10:10:04 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Jim and His Karma
I've been working on a self-directed pratyahara practice for many many years. It's been self-directed because I've not seen a word on pratyahara that struck me as apt. I feel that this is a "lost" leg of yoga.
Fortunately, my inner guru has been good to me, pushing me in helpful directions. My pratyahara practice has morphed and grown a lot over the years, and I've gotten a lot out of it, but I've always failed in my attempts to explain it to others.
But I've had a sudden insight into a way that I can share what I've been doing, and allow others to cut through a lot of the searching and experimentation I did. It's only going to be of value to those who've practiced AYP Samyama for a year or more, and have at least read through the Cosmic Samyama lesson (http://www.aypsite.org/299.html).
Try this following all the instructions of Cosmic Samyama (which, in turn, build upon the instructions of regular Samyama). Lie down, per Cosmic Samyama. I do it just before my final resting period before getting up (and after a couple minutes of resting after Cosmic). If you have any questions about how to go about doing this, please reread the Cosmic Samyama lesson first, because I'll probably just refer you to that anyway
As with many practices, this one's deceptively simple, but there's metric tons of deep experience baked into it. Please report your results. And don't expect much until you've worked through the clunky period.
Sutras:
1. Seeingness
2. Hearingness
3. Smellingness
4. Tastingness
5. Tactile
6. Lovingness
As always, simply let each go. Don't mull it over.
Hi Jim,
I like it!
One comment:
If one wanted to align these sutras with the chakras, from root (muladhara), upward, the order of the sutras would be:
1. Smellingness
2. Tastingness
3. Seeingness
4. Touchingness
5. Hearingness
6. Lovingness
Chakra-wise/Tattva-wise .... the first five sense-ness qualities listed above, go with the related tattvas/senses, in that order ... I'm guessing "Lovingness" is more global and/or chakras 6 & 7 .... third-eye and crown ... but can't comment for sure.
I hope this is helpful ... and Jim, if you have a reason for the order listed ... I'm not telling anyone to change that .... just mentioning to you, and everyone, that specific chakras "go with" a specific sense quality ... and they're the same for the "individual sense" (smell, taste, etc.), and the sense quality (smellingness, tastingness, etc.) ... and so, I wanted to mention the traditional order, in case it might be helpful.
Overview of the 36 Tattvas
(From the Kashmir Shaivism tradition; Samkhya Yoga {Patanjali's system} only recognizes 25 Tattvas.)
Heart Is Where The AUM Is,
Kirtanman |
Edited by - Kirtanman on Sep 01 2009 10:20:51 PM |
 |
|
|
Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 12:39:39 AM
|
HI, Kirtanman.
I don't know anything about Kashmir Shaivism, but I've heard that it's a great tradition.
I do have a reason for the order I suggested. And, fwiw, I personally have no interest in chakras....generally, or specifically in terms of the practice I'm suggesting. Though I certainly wouldn't quarrel with anyone who does have such an interest!
Thanks for posting! |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Sep 02 2009 12:40:51 AM |
|
|
|
Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 12:08:01 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Jim and His Karma
HI, Kirtanman.
I don't know anything about Kashmir Shaivism, but I've heard that it's a great tradition.
I do have a reason for the order I suggested. And, fwiw, I personally have no interest in chakras....generally, or specifically in terms of the practice I'm suggesting. Though I certainly wouldn't quarrel with anyone who does have such an interest!
Thanks for posting!
Hi Jim,
I'm not real big into chakras/chakra-related things, either ... my post was purely an FYI, for the reasons mentioned.
And, if you have a reason for the order suggested -- I'd of course encourage anyone trying this practice (pratyahara samyama) to go with your suggestion.
There's nothing at all, either in terms of my opinion {"non-existent"}, nor in terms of any teachings I know of, that would indicate that following the order given via the tattvas {categories of creation}, or the chakras ... would matter.
The way AYP Cosmic Samyama is practiced, moving up through the physical body, made me remember the correlation between these tattvas, and their traditional order, vis a vis the chakras - that's all.
Traditionally, the order given (for the tattvas, in their groups of 5) is purely about the spectrum from "most gross/manifest" to "most subtle/unmanifested" ... as is the case with the major chakras.
For instance, the stimuli which trigger smell and taste are more gross/manifest than those which trigger seeing and hearing.
In the former case, we take in small particles which are "smelled" if they touch certain olfactory receptors, or tasted, if they touch certain taste receptors.
In the latter case, waves along the electromagnetic spectrum .... waves emanating along part of that spectrum, we call "light waves", and say that we "see" the objects made visible via those waves and our "seeing"; waves emanating along another part of that same spectrum, we call "sound waves", and say that we "hear" objects {sounds} made audible via those waves and our "hearing".
And no, this has nothing to do with pratyahara samyama at all .... I'm just mentioning why the traditional orders of the tattvas and chakras are as they are; they're both about helping yogic practitioners to understand, ultimately how consciousness works -- and, as with all things, can be helpful guides -- but can quickly become pathways to erroneous focus or dogmatic thinking, if they're held too rigidly. <- And this isn't a comment on anyone or anything connected with AYP ... purely a general comment on what I've seen, among yogic practitioners and "new agers", where chakras are concerned.
This (the pratyahara samayama practice) is an interesting practice/idea development ... I'll be interested to hear/read how it unfolds (either from you, or anyone else).
Heart Is Where The AUM Is,
Kirtanman |
Edited by - Kirtanman on Sep 02 2009 12:20:09 PM |
|
|
|
Jim and His Karma
2111 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 6:05:58 PM
|
Hey, Kirtanman,
It's not actually my practice. Again, I've spent years (man, actually close to forty years) working on my own calling to pratyahara, ever refining the methods, and finding myself absolutely unable to explain or describe any of it to others. It was frustrating. And I just struck upon this as a clear way for people to shortcut a lot of the blundering I'd previously done. It's very similar to the practice as I've currently refined it for myself, but I didn't recognize it was actually samyama until I flashed on the fact that this was the gist, though it was arrived at via a very VERY long progression of previous work. By way of analogy, it's like taking an impossibly torturous mountain road and suddenly glimpsing a more direct route as you turn a corner. This all probably sounds nearly incoherent, but there you go....
I'm reasonably confident that this distills everything I've done on this. And, again, it's been sort of a life's work. So...have fun! |
Edited by - Jim and His Karma on Sep 02 2009 6:07:48 PM |
|
|
|
YS1222
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 09:55:00 AM
|
Good post. Thanks for sharing this useful information. I have heard about different type of yoga from the yogasuppliesonline They give many good information about the different type of yoga. They give many good tips.
http://www.yogasuppliesonline.com |
|
|
|
Konchok Ösel Dorje
USA
545 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2009 : 11:28:10 AM
|
Missing one
7. Consciousness |
|
|
|
AYPforum
351 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2009 : 10:40:55 AM
|
| Moderator note: Topic moved for better placement |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
Pratyahara Samyama
