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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 22 2010 : 1:56:52 PM
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Hello all,
Since I’m a novice meditator, I thought perhaps it would be a good idea to start listening to meditation CDs to experience deeper levels of relaxation CDs (like the Divine Sound by Omdasji that I’ve read about in a similar post). However, after doing some research, I came across something that sounded similar – binaural beats. Apparently, binaural beats work by opening up neural pathways in the brain, which websites claim increases learning ability, creativity, problem-solving, etc. Out of all the binaural software out there that I’ve read about, I’m thinking about trying BrainEv, as it seems to be the most critically-acclaimed.
Do meditation CDs (like the Divine Sound) use the same technology or provide the same benefits over time, as well? If they both provide mutually exclusive benefits from one another (as I foolishly assume they do), would it be okay if I used them both in the same day? If anyone on this forum has had a lot of experiencing doing one/both of these “different” technologies, could they tell me how they are incorporated into their AYP routine (i.e.: before, during, or after certain practices)
Now that I have more incentive to practice a daily spiritual regimen, I thought it best to ask before I get underway. Although I haven't tried, it seems that researching this specific question on the web would turn up little to no results, so maybe someone here can do me the service. Much thanks! 
~Ethereal Ecstasy~
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Jo-self
USA
225 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2010 : 11:25:33 PM
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"it seems to be the most critically-acclaimed." By who?
I'd be careful of all those products out there. Its not like they had thousands of years of actual use and the results create a well-known holistic functional mind-body change as the various traditions do, Yoga, Tao, Buddhist practices, and so forth. And, yes I know that all of these use sound as part of the practices.
I find singing in the shower to be liberating. Maybe I could market that and make money too.
Sorry, I'm just an ingrained skeptic. Don't mind me.
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amoux
United Kingdom
266 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2010 : 05:34:25 AM
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I've used Holosync fairly extensively, prior to AYP. Just in the last few days I've started using the Insight cd. Using the Insight cd is kept entirely separate from AYP core practices. Might be best for you to get stable in Deep Meditation, Spinal Breathing Pranayama, Samyama - and generally get inner silence well established, before experimenting with binaural beats.
Interestingly, using these cds again after many months practising AYP, the effects of the binaural beats are experienced very strongly. Inner silence first, stable core practices first, then experiment Of course, this is simply an opinion - listen to your 'inner guru', and avoid overload. I'd saying using binaural beat technology before inner silence is established is a recipe for overload, but your mileage may vary  Self-pacing is a key concept of AYP, and we learn this as we go along.
BTW - your enthusiasm is wonderful! |
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riptiz
United Kingdom
741 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2010 : 12:55:32 PM
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Hi Ethereal Ecstasy,
Well I've never used holosync etc but I have had more experience listening to the Divine Sound by Dhyanyogiomdasji than probably anyone else in the world.Under no circumstances should you use both types of recordings in one day unless you wish to experience severe cleansing.The Divine Sound is enough on it's own to give deep meditation and results.In fact I know of some that cannot listen to the Divine Sound for very long at first because of the powerful effects. The Divine Sound is 56 mins long and will give results immediately although like most meditation they can be subtle.I also use it as I sleep at night to gain effect from it but I have been listening to it since 2006.I assume overusing Holosync etc. will also give problems if one overuses it.
L&L
Dave |
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2010 : 6:31:32 PM
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Jo-self,
Well, when I said “most critically-acclaimed”, I meant that I found, from a variety of websites, people that recommended the software. And, the reason I posted on the forum was to get unbiased opinions, so I don’t mind the skepticism.  I have a bit of skepticism too, but the only way to know for sure is to experiment with it. The software has a money-back guarantee, so I won’t be so disappointed if I try it and it doesn’t work as I expected it to.
Amoux,
Okay! I’ll try your suggestion. I’ll wait a while before I try Binaural Beats or a Meditation CD. Hearing all this from someone who’s also practicing AYP probably has a strong degree of truth to it.
However, when I believe I’ve cultivated enough inner silence, I might try both at the same time, just to see if I can easily tolerate the severe cleansing I will probably receive, according to Riptiz. I’ll back off from one or both if I find that they’re too much.
By the way, what are your experiences with Holosync? I’ve heard that finishing the entire program takes a good deal of time, and you seem to have a good deal of exposure to it, from your post. Although you have said that you keep the Insight CD entirely separate from AYP, was there ever a time when you tried DM with Holosync? If so, what kind of results did you get? I’m looking forward to hearing your suggestions soon!
Riptiz,
Although this is probably a silly question, have you experienced all of the benefits that the scientific studies describe (and more) using the Divine Sound? You probably have, being that you’ve listened to it over 2000 times! 
Regarding the usage of both the Divine Sound and Binaural Beats, I still might try/continue both after I’ve become somewhat adept at DM, received confirmation that there are some mutually exclusive benefits to each, AND if I could easily tolerate the severe cleansing process (I’m probably flattering myself, but oh well). If given a choice between the two,though, I would probably just listen to the Divine Sound, from the huge reputation it has garnered.
Concerning the benefits: from reading other posts on the forum about meditation CDs and binaural beats since I’ve posted this question, it seems that the technology does differ between the media, so that leads me to think maybe the benefits are somewhat mutually exclusive. I’m not sure about the Divine Sound, but Binaural Beats physically create neural pathways in the brain, which indicates that benefits other than greater relaxation occur (ie: better critical thinking skills and long-term memory, although I haven’t thoroughly looked at the publications on the Divine Sound to see if they offered the same benefits nor have I seen you explicitly say in on the forums.)
If I eventually become used to the Divine Sound and its powerful effects, then do you think it would benefit if I listened to it multiple times during the day? (Again, probably another silly question, as you’ve listened to it enough times to average using it more than once a day, but then again, you seem like a very advanced practitioner from the start.) Is there a magic number that seems to work for most people that listen to it more than once in a day? When you use it while sleeping, does it offer benefits beyond offering you a sound sleep? And while we’re still on the topic of the D.S., has your guru been able to find another retailer to distribute the CDs? If not, could I buy a copy from you when I’m ready?
Thanks for all the feedback, you guys! Really appreciate it! 
~Ethereal Ecstasy~ |
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Panthau
Austria
149 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2010 : 06:46:05 AM
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Hi Ethereal,
Before i found AYP i meditated daily with Lifeflow, which is similar to Holosync. These binaural beats can have a strong effect, but
for me it seems like they only effect you as long as you use them daily. Stopping LF for only one day and the effects were gone. But as
everyones different, it may be different for you.
Btw, since i started with AYP, i stopped Lifeflow. |
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amoux
United Kingdom
266 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2010 : 07:26:47 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ethereal_Ecstasy
However, when I believe I’ve cultivated enough inner silence, I might try both at the same time, just to see if I can easily tolerate the severe cleansing I will probably receive, according to Riptiz. I’ll back off from one or both if I find that they’re too much.
By the way, what are your experiences with Holosync? I’ve heard that finishing the entire program takes a good deal of time, and you seem to have a good deal of exposure to it, from your post. Although you have said that you keep the Insight CD entirely separate from AYP, was there ever a time when you tried DM with Holosync? If so, what kind of results did you get? I’m looking forward to hearing your suggestions soon!
Holosync is interesting to play around with - and some people do get excellent results with it. If you're looking to use it for enhanced mental functioning, that's one thing. If you're looking to use it to 'turbo charge' your meditation practice, I'm not so sure that it's useful.
I did experiment last week during a non-AYP meditation session, using Holosync's gamma compassion cd, with mantra repetition, just to see what happened. It was impossible to gently favour the mantra, as we do in Deep Meditation. The sound of the cd was too distracting. Best (in my opinion) to keep the mantra 'clean' for DM. I could only repeat the mantra for a few minutes (maybe two or three) then had to stop. It was uncomfortable, and I ended the session with a headache
I think you're wise to postpone until inner silence is established. Let us know how you get on.
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2010 : 08:39:13 AM
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Panthau,
Yes, I’ve heard about Lifeflow while researching about binaural beats. It claims to produce a variety of different beats (mono, isochronic, and bi) in order to maximize the benefits. Was Lifeflow supposed to be something to use during meditation only, or did you ever try it outside of sadhana? It’s curious that the effects wore off after one day, though. Maybe its only purpose was to deepen meditation and not improve brain function?
It’s good to see that you still have a stable practice after stopping LF, though. I only hope the best for you!
Amoux,
Regarding Binaural Beats, my intention in using them is to have better brain function, which is why I wondered if I could get benefits from BB software that wouldn’t be possible through a meditation CD (and if they could both be used on the same day, maybe if spaced out hours apart).
Hehe. Thanks for being the guinea pig in order to see if Binaural Beats were feasible during DM. (jk  )
I’m starting to wonder if I really should try waiting until inner silence is established before trying a meditation CD , though (as binaural beats seem to be incompatible with DM), as becoming entrained to the CD early might make it easier to make progress more quickly (sorry if I have broken my promise from my last post by saying this.  ) As I said before, maybe experiment is good (within reason, of course). But, at least I’ll know a good time to start again if it doesn’t work out!
And yes, maybe it would be a good idea to report back to the forums with my progress as the new post in this old thread might attract some needed attention. Wonderful idea, Amoux!
~Ethereal Ecstasy~ |
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riptiz
United Kingdom
741 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2010 : 5:54:17 PM
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Hi,
I have probably listened to the DS more than 4,000 times if you include the times when I have been sleeping.While sleeping you do get effects other than a good nights sleep.The purification of the nervous system continues while sleeping.The Divine Sound is not electronic tones generated by a machine but is Sanskrit mantras sung by my guru so I cannot tell you what effects you will get.Each person gets what they need.I cannot tell you how many times to listen to the DS but I suggest self pacing.
You can obtain a copy from myself at this present moment.
L&L
Dave |
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Panthau
Austria
149 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2010 : 03:07:42 AM
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Hi again,
LF is only designed for meditaton. The effects of the binaural beats seemed to really only last for 1-2 days for me, thought
the meditation effects of course changed things permanently inside me. But i could clearly tell which effect was from meditation,
and which from LF (more energy, relaxation, less fear, etc.).
I will always have a stable practice, because i feel my ishta and my desire for freedom since i can think, and therefore theres no
other way for me then to do what is necessary. :)
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 3:07:32 PM
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Hiya Dave,
quote:
I have probably listened to the DS more than 4,000 times if you include the times when I have been sleeping.
I apologize; that number I pulled up was from a post several years ago, so it figures that it was probably a bit outdated.
quote:
While sleeping you do get effects other than a good nights sleep.The purification of the nervous system continues while sleeping.The Divine Sound is not electronic tones generated by a machine but is Sanskrit mantras sung by my guru
If I go through with obtaining that copy from you, I will definitely try it out while sleep, then! (granted it doesn’t give me any dire over-cleansing symptoms)
~Ethereal Ecstasy~
P.S. Is there a sample that I could listen to before I go through with getting the full copy?
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 3:10:22 PM
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Hi again Panthau,
quote:
LF is only designed for meditaton. The effects of the binaural beats seemed to really only last for 1-2 days for me, thought
the meditation effects of course changed things permanently inside me. But i could clearly tell which effect was from meditation,
and which from LF (more energy, relaxation, less fear, etc.).
Hmm, interesting… a meditation CD that provides distinct effects from the meditation itself. Not having to listen to it by itself in another part of the day seems like it is quite good relative to the commitment you have to make, too!
quote:
I will always have a stable practice, because i feel my ishta and my desire for freedom since i can think, and therefore theres no
other way for me then to do what is necessary. :) .)
Right now, my ideal is to eventually have an ideal that spurs me towards practice and enlightenment, much like you! I truly hope everything continues working favorably for you!
~Ethereal Ecstasy~ |
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riptiz
United Kingdom
741 Posts |
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hodcxjo
United Kingdom
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 8:14:03 PM
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Hi Ethereal Ecstasy
I use the Perfect Meditation CDs alongside AYP (not at the same time)and thought you might like to hear about my experience with them. It started off OK using the CDs once a day with two AYP sessions but after about a year I started getting terrible headaches and/or insomnia and had to stop using the CDs for a while. I was also now very sensative to AYP and had two cut back on that.
After experimenting with timings and combinations I've found a stable practice, which is: Asanas followed by Perfect Meditation in the morning and asanas followed by AYP sitting practices (SB, Yoni Mudra, DM and core Samyama) in the evening with lots of activity in between.
Inner silence and ecstasy are starting to appear in my life more and more but this is as much purification as I can take at the moment. If everything remains stable for a few months, I'll try gradully stepping up the AYP again.
I've found binaural beats to be very powerful but the effects aren't always felt during the session and creep up on you afterwards so you have to be careful to self-pace.
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 5:04:02 PM
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Thank you, Dave. I can tell that I feel significantly calmer and more at peace even after listening to the four and a half minute sample! However, something tells me that this is just the beginning and the effects become far more pronounced from here onwards. I think there’s a good chance that I’ll eventually be listening to the full CD sometime soon!
~Ethereal Ecstasy~ |
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 5:06:24 PM
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Welcome to the forum hodcxjo,
Glad I’m responsible for your first post on AYP Support Forums (although it looks like you’ve been familiar with the lessons for a lot longer than I have!) 
Anyways, thank you for sharing your daily routine. With the PM CDs, what kinds of changes did you notice after using it? Were they different from the changes that came from AYP, like Panthau has experienced? Do the effects from your PM last the entirety of the day up until you practice AYP? Was enhanced mental functioning one of the benefits from listening to PM (as you can probably tell, that’s a very important benefit to me.)
I’ll be sure to take your advice regarding the self-pacing with the binaural beats, (especially if I decide to listen to that and the Divine Sound CD) as it appears that no one on this forum has tried both and has reliable feedback to offer. Perhaps Divine Sound every day and the binaural beats every other day? If I find the effects from the binaural beats last longer than a day, that is!
Sorry about the sensitivity that you have felt from the practices! I hope that you’re able to increase your practice time in a few months as you’re intending to (or even sooner). By the way, although I’m definitely no expert on this, experiencing silence and ecstasy in a year seems like you’ve made tremendous progress. Keep it up!
~Ethereal Ecstasy~
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stevenbhow
Japan
352 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 7:23:08 PM
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| I've been using Kundalini Awakening by Brainsync for a few years now. My meditation sessions are always very blissful and energetic. I haven't practiced AYP too much so I can't really compare the two. I like it because it also includes doing Breath of Fire and the Root Lock as part of the meditation sequence. |
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2010 : 07:51:47 AM
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Hi Steven,
Thank you for your suggestion, but I'm not sure how compatible your Kundalini Awakening practice is with AYP (are meditations supposed to be both blissful AND energetic?)
I know that there are many ways up the mountain, and I chose AYP because, from what I've read, it seems to be one of the safest ways out there. I don't mean to criticize you or your practice, Steven, I just don't know how much emphasis your program puts on having a safe kundalini awakening (ie: how much self-pacing and pure meditation are included?)
However, it would be interesting to see if I could somehow include this CD with SB to enhance the effects. If you know enough about AYP, would you have any suggestions about how they could be combined? With that, I will duly note your suggestion!
~Ethereal Ecstasy~ |
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hodcxjo
United Kingdom
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2010 : 9:13:19 PM
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Hi Ethereal Ecstasy
I'd say the effects of PM for me are the same or similar to those of DM. at least what's happening to me now is described very well by Yogani's desription of the rise of inner silence. They feel different during the doing though. Sometimes nothing seems to be happening whilst listening to the PM CD (at other times lots happens) but the effects appear soon after, whereas DM is usually blissful. The effects from PM can last all day and it's the extent to which they do that determines how long I spend on my evening AYP session. It's easy to get carried away with enjoying the DM and samyama and wake up the next day with a hangover. I haven't done more than 10 mins DM a day for a few months now. I can't say I've noticed an enhancement in mental functioning apart from a greater ability to focus, though my emotional functioning has improved.
I don't know about tremendous progress. It took another year after the trouble started for things to settle down and silence to begin to appear and the ecstasy is still sporadic.
I've no experience of the Kundalini Awakening CD, but found that doing SB prior to listening to PM was to much.
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stevenbhow
Japan
352 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2010 : 10:26:27 PM
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Hi Ethereal Ecstasy,
I had a lot of the same questions after I started using the CD. After I read through some of the AYP exercises I actual found that there is a lot of overlap. Ocean Breath is roughly the same as SB, Breath of Fire is Bastrika Pranayama, and the Root Lock is Mulabanda. I think what I meant by energetic is a lot of purification usually happens, at least for me as well as Blissful Silent Observation.
I think the main difference between the Kundalini Awakening CD and AYP is the use of binaural beats and that it is a guided chakra meditation rather than one that focuses on a mantra.
I only use it once a day for about 30 minutes and so far after almost three years I haven't had any problems, though I feel like a lot of heavy purification has happened.
The AYP forum and Yogani's lessons have been a great source of info though and I have really gained a much better understanding since joining. |
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2010 : 6:48:57 PM
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I know I've been away from the forums these last few days, so sorry for the late reply, guys!
Hodcxjo,
If the effects from PM and DM are truly the same, then why do you use them both? Is it because PM seems to last all day for you? Sorry, it stood out to me, so I thought I should ask.
And about pacing, although I’ve been reading about how many people (like yourself) are forced to scale back on AYP, it seems so hard to believe that such a short amount of practice is enough to put purification on high gear. When my interest in spirituality and spiritual practices began to peak a few years ago, I always visualized myself doing at least 4-6 hours of spiritual practice daily, so perhaps the concept of prudent self-pacing hasn’t really sunken in yet. 
quote:
I've no experience of the Kundalini Awakening CD, but found that doing SB prior to listening to PM was to much.
I’ll experiment with the order and time I spend on each practice to see what works for me, but if my practice consists of SB and then binaural beats/Divine Sound and I consistently feel overwhelmed, I’ll know what to change, first!
Steven,
Thanks for the recommendation! If the Kundalini Awakening CD has that much in common with AYP, and you’ve had that much success with the former, then perhaps AYP really is all that it’s cracked up to be.
I will probably stick with AYP for now, but I feel that I’m not making much headway with the AYP Pranayama, then maybe I’ll give Brainsync a try and observe the results I get from it for a while. Maybe the binaural beats will turn out to be just what the doctor ordered! Your rapid progress with the CDs indicates that perhaps that was the case for you. I sincerely hope that your practices continue to be spiritually fruitful!
~Ethereal Ecstasy~ |
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Panthau
Austria
149 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 03:15:58 AM
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Hey Ethereal,
To me it feels similar atm, regarding the progress with AYP, but i know that its the right track. There are
times where things move, inside or outside, and times where nothing on the perceivable surface is noticeable,
yet something happens inside. I found no other system that i would trust in more then AYP, and if one sticks with it,
im sure he/she will benefit in the long run.
Besides that, all the best with your binaural beats journey :-) |
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Clear White Light
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 07:53:13 AM
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| I haven't meditated with binaural beats in particular, but sometimes I'll listen to ambient music like steve roach or robert rich when I do yoga or meditate. This is never during my baseline AYP practice though. If I listen to music when I meditate, it will be during an extra night time session. I do this to not disturb my ordinary practice in any way. |
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hodcxjo
United Kingdom
3 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 7:21:17 PM
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Hi Ethereal,
Using the PM CDs produces similar effects in me to Deep Meditation but there's more to AYP than Deep Meditation. I do AYP for the energetic/ecstatic side to suppliment the bliss that listening to the Perfect Meditation CDs induces.
Like you, I too thought that serious spiritual practice had to be for several hours a day and had worked up over the years to 6/7 hours Buddhist meditation on non-working days and about 5 zen retreats a year, so, when I had to scale back so drastically, my self-image as a "serious meditator" took quite a bashing until I realised that self-pacing is itself a practice and that, although previously I could be nice and still on the cushion , I wasn't bringing the stillness into daily life, as is starting to happen now.
Also, with all that meditation I was doing before, my house was starting to fall into disrepair, so, now with the extra time I have now and my need for grounding activities, it's getting some long-overdue attention
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Ethereal_Ecstasy
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2010 : 6:41:39 PM
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Hi Panthau,
When I re-read my last post, I realized that I left out the “if”, so I meant to say:
quote:
…but if I feel that I’m not making much headway…
Sorry about that! I haven’t actually undertaken AYP as of yet, because I feel that there are important questions of mine that I still have to answer, which I’ll probably write about in more detail soon enough.
As you wish me the best in my journey, I wish you all the best in your blazing journey in AYP!
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Hello White Light,
Especially after reading all the replies from this original post of mine, and the replies in the AYP forum in general, I have come to realize that almost everyone’s practices are quite varied and individual.
As for me personally, I’m just trying to survey what seems to work for the masses and go from there. And from what I’ve found, external aids, such as meditation CDs, seem to help those in the initial stages who want to deepen their practice faster.
Perhaps when I’m at a more advanced stage (much like you from what I can tell ), at the point where an external aid might even be considered a disturbance, I’ll gradually wean myself from it. In any event, I’ll try to leave it up to my inner guru.
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Hi again Hodcxjo,
I also think that’s what I’m looking for: Ecstatic conductivity from AYP combined with a highly effective meditation/binaural beats session.
I guess when you have never had a personal teacher and have gained the majority of your spiritual know-how from books and articles, self-pacing seems like such an alien concept, and even a hindrance, because you feel you have to “catch up” to all those that have personal teachers at their disposal.
Although I’ll agree that the upkeep of the home is important, we can all probably agree that nothing compares to the importance of the upkeep of the sacred body temple!
~Ethereal Ecstasy~ |
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jeff
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2010 : 4:25:12 PM
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EE,
quote:
I guess when you have never had a personal teacher and have gained the majority of your spiritual know-how from books and articles, self-pacing seems like such an alien concept, and even a hindrance, because you feel you have to “catch up” to all those that have personal teachers at their disposal.
I know how you feel. I have often felt the "desire" to hurry and catch others on the path, but mostly that is just the ego talking. I have made some of my best progress, by just learning to surrender to the flow. Instead of a formal or binaural beats session, try just listening (don't think) to some music. Let the music flow over you. For fun, try something like "Sailing" from Christopher Cross. it is an oldie from 1979 (the first song to get my K flowing), but I will argue that it is as powerful as the divine sound. For me, it is "sailing on a sea of consciousness".
Namaste, Jeff
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Binaural Beats with Meditation CDs
