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Ananda
3115 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 07 2010 : 08:24:18 AM
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Namaste friends,
i have been into so much overloads during the last months that i've hurt myself while self pacing from sports (thus the title )
Anyways it looks like i've reached a place where i can't even meditate for a few minutes no matter what form of meditation or mantra i undertake thus i decided today to drop the practice for a month or two (even though i know i will miss it) and come back to it later.
Of course all other energetic practices including kechari have been dropped also a while back... Thus nothing more but jnana yoga for Ananda; I will keep on practicing Self inquiry as usual...
Love,
Ananda |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2010 : 9:17:07 PM
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Hi Ananda,
I reached this point not too long ago myself. Over the last 2 or 3 years the sitting practice times were slowly diminishing as a result of overloads felt with my usual practice times. About a month ago, I had reached the point where I had self-paced myself down to breath meditation and experienced substantial overload with that too, so I knew it was time to take a break from all sitting practices.
I ended up taking 8 days off, it wasn't planned, I just felt good for the first seven and then on the 8th day, I started to notice the effects of practice begin to diminish, and recognized that the excesses had cleared, so it felt right to start again.
The first day or two back, it wasn't overly smooth, but since then, practices (and in between feel good again)  and any signs of instability and over-sensitivity have long gone.
I am the type that hardly ever missed a sitting session and I see now that an accumulating excess had occurred. The break certainly did wonders and I won't hesitate again if it is required.
Best of luck!
Anthem |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 12:38:31 PM
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Hi Anthem, sorry for the late reply but i honestly don't know how i skipped seeing this post of yours until now even though i checked on this topic more then once...
It's been 14 days without practices (except for Self Inquiry and Bhakti for Sri Ramana) up till today and i feel better with lesser overloading symptoms but they are still here non the less :( and my kundalini still needs to be controlled through the ajna.
Where i am at now and even though i miss my meditation sessions, i might not come back to them.
I want to do what always felt most right here and first attracted me to the world of Yoga in the first place. Taking on the pure Direct approach again... I know i might hit my head into a few walls but this is where the flow is taking me these days and it feels what's best for me.
Namaste brother(F)
love,
Ananda
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 4:32:33 PM
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Hi Ananda,
What do you mean by: "my kundalini still needs to be controlled through the ajna" ?
The illusion of control I occasionally call it. Sometimes the practice that we think is helping is actually causing or contributing to the problem in the first place. It can feel helpful in the moment but inadvertently be compounding the problem later on.
I know if I put any attention on crown or ajna I would certainly pay the price. Though for sure less so with just ajna. I would still however avoid it entirely if I was experiencing symptoms of overload.
Just a suggestion.
Best of luck!
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Sep 20 2010 : 03:03:32 AM
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Hi Anthem, the problem in this body of mine is that kundalini energy still goes toward the crown without me intending to and that is happening more now maybe because i am not practicing and this is why i said the word control which is redirecting the energy toward the ajna because if i let go of things i am afraid of one big hellish explosion... even being around certain people i teach or people who are spiritual takes me into waves of light and ecstacy. (which has a price for it later )
I honestly wish i could get back to practices, but even without them the intensity of the presence of shakti is very high and meditation which is supposed to bring up inner silence and spinal breathing which is supposed to balance stuff are both cause too much energy upsurge...
guess i'll have to wait until things settle down...
namaste brother and thank you for your input and a big thank you as well to Yoganiji who has been a good support behind the scenes on this topic as well
Love,
Ananda |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Sep 20 2010 : 08:13:44 AM
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Hi Ananda,
Thanks for clarifying.
I have gone through periods of lots of crown activity as well and what I notice about the crown is that it can be a habit for attention to go there even unintentionally, especially if there is fear involved of the potential outcome of that.
Over the years I have used with success the method of bringing my attention to the bottom of my feet every time I sensed the crown activity (when it was in excess). It is usually difficult at first and takes time to correct, but with consistent redirection of my attention each time the crown inclination came along, it helped things to get back on track.
Just sharing what has worked here, best of luck to you! |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Sep 20 2010 : 11:43:47 AM
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Hello again Anthem, i try to practice mindfulness in every step but as i said before when the crown is active i redirect the energy toward the ajna...
Your advise seems very well worth trying, so will give it a shot starting now... now i have shakti flaring up down my feet
namaste dear Anthem and again thank you(f) |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2010 : 02:33:26 AM
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Dear Anthem, the redirecting of attention towards the feet seems like a great practice up till now on both ways, concerning being aware and mindful and concerning the redirection of the crown energy.
I will keep on at it and maybe start meditation again on sunday or monday.
When you got back into meditation, did you go back into using the breath or the mantra (enhanced?) as the object of your meditation.
Love,
Ananda |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2010 : 9:00:03 PM
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Hi Ananda,
Glad to hear it is working so far. It is a great and grounding practice, I have used it for years now, from time to time when needed, with success.
In my case, I went back to the basic mantra "i am" which is what I had reduced my daily practices to about 2 months prior to the 8 day break I took. I introduced 1 spinal breath up and down on about day 3 of the comeback. There was a little turbulence in the first couple of days, but I have enjoyed stability with this modest practice (45 seconds of SBP and 6 minutes DM) ever since and this had previously put me over during the extended period of "saturation" mentioned above. Despite the short duration, the results have been peacefully sublime. |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2010 : 03:12:59 AM
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Hi Anthem, and thanks you've given me hope. just one last question, are you using the solar enhancement also?
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2010 : 11:05:19 PM
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| Had to give that one up a long time back! |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Sep 24 2010 : 03:28:12 AM
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ok so on sunday morning will try out the i am mantra without any enhancement for 6 minutes.
in your gratitude bro(f)
Love,
A |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2010 : 03:23:32 AM
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Dear Anthem, thank you for the inspiration and the advice you've helped a ton. Things have been going smoothly since last Sunday with 6 minutes of DM and the attention on the feet is one great tool.
It feels really good to be back on track...
Love,
Ananda |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2010 : 05:30:17 AM
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Hi Ananda and Anthem
Thanks for this topic.
My experience is much the same as yours, and I too have to stop the formal sitting practices when no other self-pacing works.
I think it is important to stress that "stopping practices" when needed is about taking full responsibility for what is actually happening - and as such this is very much still staying in the practice of "thy will be done"; of surrender to inner silence; of doing all that we can to stay stable so that a smooth unfolding and deepening/integration can continue to happen as it must.
It has been very, very helpful each time I have stopped the mantra for a while.
And also very, very helpful to start it up again.
After all - the practice is for peace and freedom - the practice is not for the practice itself.
I have shared this before, but I'll say it again:
When I rest after meditation (and sometimes this is all the formal practice I do) I lie flat on my stomach and face on the floor; arms stretched out like in a diving position........come to think of it......I guess it is like a prostration. And that is what it feels like in heart too. Bodying "thy will be done"...and "I love thee" into one expression. I reccomend it Ananda.......relax properly...give yourself to the ground/floor and feel how all the energy releases itself. I can prostrate as much as I want - it never causes overload, only balance.
I also started eating meat again now and then after staying away from it for 14 years. It feels great.
The nervous system continues to be transformed by the Shakti. Here this results in more and more clairaudience, clairvoyance and outpouring of a very healing energy. I am such a stubborn viking....maybe that is why letting go has always involved pain for me. When higher frequences of light comes into the body, I pay for it with physical pain for days afterwards. But I am used to it and know that it will pass and it always does.
It took a long time for me to differenciate between what was overload from practices and what was a result of the unfolding towards opening up all of me to be the healer I was ment to be from the very beginning. My only job is to bring myself back to God/Silence. In whatever way it is necessary.
So much has been made clear regarding this just over the past 4 months. This too helps with the balance. More people started calling for sessions, and so where I thought I would start teaching music again, I am instead receiving more and more clients for healing. So be it. And so the energy flows in the right direction and that too makes all the difference regarding the balance. I keep up the Sunday meditation group, but have opened it up to attract people from all systems. When somebody wants to learn meditation I give them AYP; if they are already established in a practice I encourage sharing from where they are. We all learn from it.
Ananda and Anthem - thanks so much for sharing
May peace, love and joy grace your lives in equal measure
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 03:30:21 AM
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Got back into just doing 3 to 4\5 minutes only in the morning for a few days now and things seem quieter. Hope i won't have to let go of DM entirely again.
Love,
Ananda |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 09:57:32 AM
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I have added in at least 1 full day off of all practices per month. I find this helps any build-up or accumulation to dissipate and allows me to keep to my 45 seconds of pranayama and 6 minutes of DM twice per day daily. I do these day off of practices whenever I feel "over" from my normal sitting practices.
I have borrowed this concept of using "rest days" to allow for recovery from the world of sport which has a lot of research on recovery and the nervous system. Seems to be working so far. |
Edited by - Anthem on Oct 19 2010 10:00:04 AM |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 12:13:49 PM
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Thanks Anthem, you are of great help.
Much love to you my dear friend(f)
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2010 : 10:29:40 PM
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Hi Ananda,
I'm glad some of the suggestions have been helping out. The "feet" technique has helped me immensely as well over the years.
The rest days is something I have come to more recently. I have observed that when I am "over" in the practice department and I take a full day off (not just a single morning or an evening session) I usually feel great the next day as I would on a normal day when I do my usual sitting routine.
I determine when it is time to go back to sitting practices by when that happy unattached state starts to waiver, then I see that the clearing has run its course and I am free to resume regular practices. This has done the trick for me since my 8 day prolonged break a few months back and will likely be something I will do from time to time when needed going forward.
Even the Lord rested on Sundays
I hope it works for you, lot's of love to you too!
A
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2010 : 5:40:26 PM
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Dear Anthem, don't wanna bother you but looks like what's going on in my nervous system and crown is a lost cause and seems to be like a cycle that works by itself without any intervention from me.. And no matter what i do to ground myself and even though i am stopping for more than one day these last couple of months... Things are always going toward overload... Guess the best thing i can do is hang on until the storm ends... I am even starting to feel that i am a bit lucky to be going through this overloading thing early in life..
Love,
Ananda |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2010 : 2:03:52 PM
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Hi Ananda,
I am not sure if you are familiar with Byron Katie's method of self-inquiry but I have used it on crown issues quite a few times with success. A couple months back I was experiencing a lot of activity at the crown at a time that I had a lot going on and was worried about that it was creating or contributing to overload. The more I worried, the more I inadvertently thought about it, worsening the cycle.
I eventually sat down and wrote down every belief or worry I had about the crown. Examples like "Too much crown activity will make me unstable", "I am going to have emotional issues due to this over-activity in the crown." "I won't be able to meditate, this will ruin my day, it will hamper my ability to find balance" etc. etc.
I went through "the work" on each and haven't had an issue since. My fear was clearly contributing to the situation. Maybe this will be helpful for you? Or you may just need to scale back, one thing is for sure, only you can know.
I have been meaning to write Yogani recently and ask if he will do a lesson on all the simple ways we can "screw up" the simple instructions of AYP. 
I noticed that I was experiencing overload but had tinkered with the base-line system in ways that I wasn't fully cognisant might be an issue. For example, I was doing deep meditation and one cycle of pranayama but had never let go of doing samyama. I was reluctant to give up the practice and didn't clue in that it could be contributing to overloads. In addition, I had added in a few of my own sutras which as Yogani points out has unknown results and should be considered research in itself. Of course there is the possibility that this was contributing to overloads as well so I finally let much of that go as well.
Every time I sat I also used kechari 1 which had become so subconscious. I sit in siddhasana too, another amplifier, I do, samhavi, moolabhanda etc. These have been so automatic by using them over the years that I forgot about them and didn't calculate their contributing impact.
Worth looking at!
Good luck to you my friend! |
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2010 : 4:30:20 PM
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Hey Ananda
I have no advice to contribute, but I hope the storm passes soon, bro.
Love
cosmic |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2010 : 4:35:22 PM
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Dear Anthem you've graced more than enough with your presence and very helpful advises and for that i am very grateful.
Concerning the Work, i honestly think i should first use the Work to work on my feelings toward the work and Byron Katie (really don't know why but i am a bit repulsed from the woman)... I've done similar things and Anthony De Mello has among his teachings almost the same stuff and the worrying issue is not there anyways i've got used to the suffering and overloading symptoms... And thank God i am not paying very heavy prices but still it's very rough times... I pretty much try and be aware and not think about what's going to happen later but when it's happening it's not that pleasant so it's more about grounding and grounding....
Much love to you and your loved ones my good friend.
Take care bro(f) |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2010 : 4:37:08 PM
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Brother Cosmic, so much love have been felt in your message. Thank you my dear friend.
Love,
Ananda |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2010 : 05:40:31 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Anthem11
Every time I sat I also used kechari 1 which had become so subconscious. I sit in siddhasana too, another amplifier, I do, samhavi, moolabhanda etc. These have been so automatic by using them over the years that I forgot about them and didn't calculate their contributing impact.
Dear Anthem, this is one very important advice to add on because i was also caught up in the automatic movements during the day and didn't control myself but now i am and after putting your advice into practices now i can say it's a wise one and instead of moolabandha and sambhavi etc automatically happening i am pointing my attention towards my feet.
Great call bro and yes Yogani should open up such a lesson on the little ways in which we can also increase our overloading symptoms.
Love,
Ananda
P.s.: still haven't practiced the work but will keep it in mind. I am resting from my yogic practices but bhakti sneaked out from another door and i am back into praying now a lot; The thing that made me self pace also... And this has been an advice from Yogani a couple of years back and it has proved also very right.
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Dec 01 2010 : 12:26:32 PM
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Don't want to go over head of myself, but things seem to be going toward the best concerning practices. It's been like almost 7 or 8 days in a raw non stop now "I've really missed this."
Thanks for the great tips dear Anthem and of course dear Yoganiji(f).
Love,
Ananda |
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Self pacing the self pacing
